INTO AFRICA

A Brief History of Kilimanjaro

Snow capped Kilimanjaro, an extinct volcano, is the tallest freestanding mountain in Africa. Only 3 degrees below the equator, the mountain has two peaks - KIBO (19340ft) and MAWENZI (16,890ft). On Kibo there is Gillman's Point (18, 635ft) and Uhuru Peak (705 ft higher). Both are on the rim of a crater and can be climbed by any normally fit person.

In the local Wachagga dialect, the name of the mountain is Kilima-Ngiaro, meaning the "journey which has no ending". Around 500 years ago Wachagga pastoralists settled the fertile slopes. At that time, Kilimanjaro became a focus of the Chagga culture. Successive chiefs and warriors attempted to scale its peak, but they were all defeated by fatigue, cold and the anger of the mountain gods, which modern-day mountaineers call Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). This was their "journey with no ending".

The mountain was formed around 750,000 years ago. Originally it consisted of three main craters - Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira, but the latter two have since erupted and appear today as jagged peaks.

The Greek geographer, Ptolemy, made the first mention of Kilimanjaro some 1800 years ago. Oriental traders knew of a great mountain "west of Zanzibar" several centuries ago. However, it was a German missionary, Johann Rebmann, who, in 1849, wrote the first account of a snow-capped peak close to the equator. Even the highly regarded Royal Geographical Society dismissed the existence of snow in Africa as impossible. But it did exist, and within a few decades Kilimanjaro became the most highly sought-after prize of Europe's foremost climbers and adventurers. The history of its exploration and final "conquest" is a prolonged and dramatic saga of courage and determination. Ultimately, the tenacious German geographer, Hans Meyer and the accomplished Alpinist, Ludwig Purtschdeller, were the first to stand on the highest point of Africa on October 4th, 1889.

Fitness, Altitude and Routes

Since there are no technical obstacles, most healthy people in good condition can make the climb. Our routes on Kilimanjaro do not require any technical skills or training. Anyone who is physically fit has a very good chance of getting to the top at 19,340ft. Just because it is not technical doesn't mean that it's easy. It is very physically demanding - especially as you get above 12,000 ft. You should prepare yourself for the physical challenges you will face on the climb.