Mount Kilimanjaro

The roof of Africa is covered in snow

Mount Kilimanjaro is also called “the roof of Africa” because it’s the highest on the continent. It’s a massif that brings together three volcanic cones: Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. And it’s the summit of Kibo, called Uhuru Peak that at 5,895 meters represents the peak of Kilimanjaro. The volcano is in a dormant state, but fumaroles of gas and steam are still emitted from Kibo crater.

The mountain is a destination for visitors from all over the world and is the dream of every hiking enthusiast. Over the years numerous routes have been mapped, varying in length and difficulty, so everyone can choose the one most suited to their fitness and experience. The various trails also allow you to reach the summit crossing a wide variety of landscapes and ecosystems.  

The savannah at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro is home to species like elephants, buffalo and antelope. As you climb, the sparse vegetation gives way to tropical forest, populated by colobus monkeys, panthers and mongooses. Above 3,000 meters the landscape is dominated by heathland and in particular by plants like giant lobelia and giant groundsel, while above 4,000 meters you find yourself in a rocky, lunar-looking desert. The summit is dominated by permanent glaciers.

In Europe the first documented news of the Kilimanjaro massif arrived in the 2nd century AD, with some writings by the astronomer and cartographer Ptolemy. Then for a long time the mountain remained little more than a legend told by Zanzibar traders, because no one believed in the existence of a snow-capped mountain at the equator.  

It was 1848 when a European saw Mount Kilimanjaro with his own eyes: it was the German missionary Johannes Rebmann. The first to reach the summit was the geographer Hans Meyer, also German, in 1889.