Are You Bold Enough To Take The Kili Challenge?
Way out in Africa sits a mountain, the tallest one in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro is located in northeast Tanzania. It is about 19,342 ft above sea level and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It is composed of three extinct volcanoes — Mawenzi, Shiba, and Kibo — with the highest peak, Kibo, which is dormant.
Sounds intimidating, huh? It is not the hardest mountain to hike. Out of the seven summits, it is the easiest to climb. No special mountaineering gear, or ropes are necessary to climb it. You don’t even need to have any mountain climbing experience. According to Business Insider, a 6-year-old was the youngest person to climb the summit while the oldest was 83 years old. See, easy!
Six routes will take you to the summit which are Mweka, Umbwe, Shira, Rongai, Machame, and the Marangu Route which is the easiest and therefore the most popular. The climb can take as little as four nights or as much as 6 nights. I guess it depends on the pace taken. For me, we would need to double that amount. The turtles might laugh while they pass by me.
The best part of the hike is walking through five different ecosystems, which are:
* Cultivation
* Rain forest
* Heather-moorland
* Alpine desert
* Summit
The Cultivation zone ranges in elevation from 2,600 ft to 6,000 ft. It comprises many rivers, farmland, and villages. And guess what? For us coffee lovers, here’s where Africa’s best coffee comes from. Cool, huh?
The Rainforest zone ranges in elevation from 6,000 to over 9,000 ft. There is a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The forest is very dense. But the colors are merely astounding and vibrant. Perfect place for snapshots.
The Heather-Moorland zone ranges in elevation from 9,000 ft to around 13,000 ft. The temperature is unpredictable. During the day you can experience temperatures of 100◦F (40◦), and during the night it can go as low as 32◦F (0◦C) or even lower! And, not to mention, we might run into gusty winds, rocky trails, giant heathers, and wild grasses. But if an 83-year-old could climb it, anyone can. And the views are breathtaking.
The Desert zone elevation ranges from 13,000 ft up to 16,000 ft. Rain is scarce, and barely any plants survive here. However, you will see many volcanic rocks. From here you can see the glaciers clinging to the Kibo cone.
At last, the Arctic zone is in sight. The Arctic zone elevation begins at around 16,000 ft. Just a small push will get you to accomplish your goal. No giving up now. If you have the will, you have the power.
Interested? Are you bold enough to take the Kili challenge?
Originally published at http://travelerwows.com on February 22, 2019.
