Vibrant Holiday Safaris gives you highlights of Kilimanjaro National park which is one of the renowned national parks because of its name mountain of light(Kilimanjaro). Kilimanjaro national park is one of the national parks found in the East African country basically Tanzania. The mountain is the highest snow-capped mountain in Africa and the park is located in the northern part of Tanzania above the gentle rolls of hills and the plateau of Amboseli national park. The park is located near the renowned town of Moshi which is about 300km from the equator and it is one of the best adventure destinations in Tanzania.
Kilimanjaro mountain rises above sea level which is over 4877m and with the lowest peak of 5895m for the highest peak of the mountain. Kilimanjaro mountain is the highest volcanic mountain in Africa with its snow peak shining in the morning and evening. Mountain Kilimanjaro is covered with thick rain forests which harbor a lot of primates like monkeys, birds, and mammals, and hiking to the highest peaks of the park Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.
The low slopes of mountain Kilimanjaro are easily reached by trekking through the hiking trails through the rain forest which is home to most of the primates like the black and white colobus monkeys. The trails also pass by the caldera lake of Chala where you reach the Uhuru summit where the slopes get steep with patches of glaciers. When hiking from the base of the mountain you will go through three vegetation zones from the lower slopes of the mountain which are covered with thick montane forests, heath, and moorland which are covered by the alpine vegetation and the snow-caped summit by the scanty vegetation providing the magnificent look of Mountain Kilimanjaro.
HISTORY OF MOUNTAIN KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK
In the twentieth century, the British and German colonial governments demarcated the boundaries of the great Kilimanjaro game reserve. Kilimanjaro national park was established in 1973 and initially comprised the whole mountain by then the mountain was having over six corridors stretching down through the montane forest belt.
In 1987, Kilimanjaro national park started getting threats from the humans living around the park and the forest that acted as a buffer zone to separate the parkland from the local communities was not there anymore. In 1995, there were a number of students sent from different universities in Europe to conduct research on the wildlife of the area thus them coming up with a good result of about 154 mammal species found in the park thus attracting a lot of international conservationist Organizations to protect Kilimanjaro national park thus leading to its gradual development.
In 2005, the World Heritage Committee recommended extending the national park to include more areas of montane forest which were basically around the base of the mountain Kilimanjaro thus covering an area of about 1688 sqkm inhabiting a lot of mammals, birds, and different wildlife species making it one of the best adventure holiday destination in Tanzania.
WILDLIFE OF KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK
Kilimanjaro national park is a wonderful protected area found in Tanzania, the uniqueness of its wildlife makes it so outstanding for wildlife safaris. Kilimanjaro national park is home to elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes.
The wildlife population in Kilimanjaro national park is supported by the park’s presence in denser national parks whereby it is connected to Amboseli national park, acting as a corridor to Arusha and Tsavo national park.
The wildlife at Kilimanjaro national park is still at the stake of the forces exerted on the park by the local communities who have settled near the park and also farming without permission from the authorities thus the animals face a lot of pollution, poaching harvesting of resources like firewood from there but due to the education that the authorities are giving the local people, it has reduced the threat to the wildlife in the park.
WHAT TO DO IN KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK
There are a lot of activities that you can participate in when you visit Kilimanjaro national park since mountain climbing is the most famous activity tourists tend to book so fast since it is one of the most adventurous climbs in Africa and tourists book different climbing sessions to the peak of the mountain, Kibo which is snow-capped and also at the peak of the mountain, you will be able to view the other peaks like Shira and Maweza. The other climbing trails lead to the Shira peak which forms a plateau on top making the growth of plants and grass. There are different climbing routes in Mountain Kilimanjaro national park which tourists can book like the Machame Route, umbweze route, lemoshe route, and Kilema Route.
Wildlife viewing is also another activity that can be carried out in the montane forest of Kilimanjaro national park. The montane forest provides a home for the primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, blue colobus monkeys, baboons, the elands, elephants which are common on the Shira plateau plains, warthogs, gazelles, cheetahs, lions, jackals, hyenas, honey bajas, the rare although.
Birding is possible due to the presence of ecosystems that support the life of the avian life on mountain slopes and at the base of Kilimanjaro mountain. Mountain Kilimanjaro national park is home to over 150 bird species some of which are migratory birds from southern Europe and North Africa when you visit the national park you will have the opportunity of spotting the white checked raven, resident black-shouldered kite, the long-tailed trojan, the gabar goshawk, blue napped mouse bird, the African fish eagle, hornbills, and the migratory birds are best spotted in the month of November to April.
Nature Walks are conducted along the gentle slopes of mountain Kilimanjaro and these nature walks offer you the chance to see the different animals at a very close look like the primates on the tree canopies of the mountain forest, lizards, butterflies, and different birds.
Camping offers an exclusive epic time in the bush since there are over 32 camping sites along the hiking routes to the top of mountain Kilimanjaro the campsites are covered with shades, accommodation, and bush toilets, and the various campsites provide catering to the hikers.
Cycling is one of the exciting activities done within mountain Kilimanjaro national park but tourists are supposed to additional fees for hiking the bikes and the bicycles. The cycling trails will take you through the Chaga farmlands but the cycling activity will be led by a guide who is well-versed in the trails in the national park.
Other activities that tourists can participate in during their visit to Mountain Kilimanjaro national park include picnics since there are over 13 sites where it can be contacted, filming, daraja refu, Kilimamkhele, jiwe la Mbula site, last water, and Wona site because of the magnificent scenery of the park and the wildlife species.
ACCOMMODATION IN KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK
Most of the accommodation facilities in mountain Kilimanjaro are based in the western part of the park called the African mecca where you can find huts, and campsites on the mountain slopes within the park but you can also choose to stay in the hotel and campsites outside the park like the village of Marangu and Moshi town. There are three recommendable accommodations in western Kilimanjaro with awesome accommodation services to the visitors with some special activities like bird watching and nature walks.
Shu’mata camp is one of the accommodations found in Kilimanjaro which is isolated on the hilltop below the steep slopes of mountain Kilimanjaro. The accommodation is a memorandum of understanding with the Maasai homelands and during your stay there you have the opportunity of meditating and doing yoga which is conducted by a Maasai traditional healer and you will learn a lot about the Maasai people since the camp is located in the Maasai land of Tanzania.
Ndarakwai Ranch is another accommodation located on the valley floor west of Kilimanjaro mountain in Tanzania and the lodge offers about 15 self-contained tented cottages. During your stay at Ndarakwai Ranch you get to enjoy the comfort of the wild in the relaxing accommodation and the cottages offer you a view of the wildlife in the area like the elephants surrounding the community.
Kambi ya Tembo is another choice of accommodation that you can choose during your visit to the national park where you get the chance of the local adventures, get access to the local homesteads where you can enjoy the trips with the local people around the communities that surround the national park through the roads that lead to the camp are a bit rough and bumpy it is worth the endurance.
The best time to visit Kilimanjaro Park in Tanzania is no different from the other national parks in East Africa where the best time to visit them is during the dry season which is between the months of December to February since the weather and park is very clear to spot the different wildlife species and the birds in Kilimanjaro national park.