Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Kilimanjaro National Park houses the highest mountain of the continent in Tanzania. Around the base of this snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro, there are accessible trails. The slopes steepen on approaching the Uhuru Peak summit and you can see glacial ice fields. Kilimanjaro is at 5895 m in Africa. The snowy peak looks over the savannah and is enveloped by mountain forest. Going on hikes will show you giant ferns, craters, plenty of scenic views, and wildlife.

Places of attractions

Mt. Kilimanjaro is itself the major attraction. A variety of animals can be found in the Kilimanjaro National Park.

• Animals such as bushbuck, rodents, grey duiker, cape buffalo, red duiker, blue tree hyrax, white or black colobus, blue monkey, leopards, and bush-baby can be sighted. Elephants may be found between Tarakia and Namwai rivers.
• Beautiful landscapes include arid, rocky, shrub and green forest landscape. There are multiple habitats, rainforests, farmlands to Moore lands, desserts, and barren alpine bogs.
• Waterfalls beyond the landscape and mountain are the Materuni and Kinukamori waterfalls.

Chala Crater Lake

This lake clear waters appears midnight blue, turquoise blue, or a stunning emerald, depending on the time. This lake is on the Kenya and Tanzania border, lying in the Kilimanjaro shadow.

Olpopongi cultural village

Olpopongi houses authentic Maasai experiences. You get to discover the best culture. See the Kraals living for a long time as early settlers. Enjoy local foods, learn about Maasai family traditions, and interact with Maasai regarding their heritage. This experience will be unique to know about the Maasai culture without intruding on their villages and private homes or disturbing their daily routine.

Things to Do

Visiting Mount Kilimanjaro is a once-a-lifetime view.  A few things that are not-a-miss to do are:

• Kibo Peak. This is one of Mount Kilimanjaro’s three volcanoes and the highest mountain peak of Africa retaining snow the entire year.
• Shira Plateau. It is to the west of Mount Kibo. Walking here you will step on 500,000 years ago expired volcano remnants. A place for wildlife enthusiasts as it has rich fauna and biodiversity. Spot buffalos, elephants, and lions.
• Go on tours and safaris.
• Climbing, wildlife watching, and hiking.

How to access

Public transport is a bit uncomfortable, unreliable and slow.  That said, the convenient, cheap Tanzanian transport is a bus, train or dalla-dalla.

Buses are run by express bus companies. They are reliable, comfortable and safe, running on a fixed timetable. Ordinary buses are cheap, but leave only when full. The dalla-dallas are the minibuses covering the neighboring towns.

Trains run a skeleton service.

Best time to visit

There are two trekking seasons from January to March and June to October.

• June- October is the best time to visit as wildlife viewing is possible
• January- March is colder but is also a good time.

Note:

Solo trekkers are not permitted to the mountains. There are various routes, difficulty levels, and views that a guide is a must. The Marangu and Machame Route are popular for trekking and it takes 4-7 days.