With its three volcanic cones towering above the African plains, Mount Kilimanjaro stands 19,340 feet above sea level, and is the fourth highest peak in the Seven Summits. Kilimanjaro rests in the northeastern region of Tanzania, just south of the Kenyan border, and is the highest mountain in Africa. It is also considered the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, and, when measured from base to summit, it is the fourth most prominent.
The three volcanic cones are: Kibo, the tallest, at 19,340 feet; Mawenzi, at 16,896 feet; and Shira, at 13,000 feet. In order to summit Kilimanjaro, climbers must tackle Kibo and reach Uhuru Peak, the highest summit on Kibo’s crater rim.
Two of the three peaks on the mountain, Mawenzi and Shira are both volcanically extinct; Kibo, on the other hand, is considered to be dormant but could possibly erupt again. The most recent volcanic activity from Kilimanjaro was recorded approximately 200 years ago, and although it is currently considered inactive, Kilimanjaro has fumaroles that emit volcanic gas in the crater of the main summit. In 2003, scientists concluded that molten magma was present approximately 1,300 feet beneath the surface of the Kibo crater.
Kilimanjaro, like many such lofty peaks, creates its own weather system, encouraged by the ‘trade’ and ‘anti-trade’ winds. These are strong gusts that gain speed and moisture over the oceans. Eventually, they hit Kilimanjaro and create the rainy and dry seasons on the mountain. The trade winds bring the mountain two rainy seasons each year—the “long rains” from March through May and a less intense rainy season from November to February, and the dry ‘anti-trade’ winds that hit the mountain from May to October. Due to its equatorial location, Mount Kilimanjaro does not experience a wide range of temperatures over the course of a year. Temperatures on the mountain itself are mostly determined by time of day and altitude. At the base of the mountain, the average daily temperature is 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. As climbers progress up the slope, the temperature continues to drop. Naturally, it is coldest at its peak, which at night can reach zero to -15 degrees Fahrenheit. Both Kibo and Mawenzi are capped, all year long, by glaciers.
The origin of the name ‘Kilimanjaro’ has not been fully verified. Many believe the theory that the name began with the Chagga, the Tanzanian tribe that resides in the shadow of the mountain. As one word, Kilimanjaro does not resemble anything in the Chagga language. Yet when broken into two parts, it is possible to find a Chagga translation within the name. The first portion, ‘Kilima,’ may be derived from the Chagga term ‘kilelema,’ meaning ‘difficult or impossible,’ while ‘njaro’ is similar to ‘njaare,’ which translates to ‘bird.’ In rough translation, Kilimanjaro could be inferred to mean ‘That which is impossible for the bird’—speaking to the enormity of the mountain. Modern-day Chagga people do not have an exact word for the mountain. Instead, they see Kilimanjaro as two separate mountains; specifically, Mawenzi and Kibo. In the Chagga language, Mawenzi translates to ‘having a broken top’ and Kibo to ‘snow’.
The Chagga were not officially formed into one, cohesive people until World War II. In 1924, there were over 732 Chagga clans living at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Over time, family ties began to die and the clans dwindled. Eventually, after tribal wars and the continued familial die-off, the number of tribes had decreased to six. From the six tribes, a common language and similar customs emerged. Yet it was not until Germany colonized Tanzania that the remaining clans combined into one society. Today the Chagga are renowned for having a strong sense of identity and pride and are one of the richest and most powerful clans in Tanzania.
The first large-scale attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro took place in August of 1861. Baron Carl Claus von der Decken, a Hanoverian naturalist, failed to reach the summit after two attempts. On his first attempt, von der Decken used a climbing party of over fifty porters and a manservant but had to turn back after three days because of poor weather conditions. During his first attempt the Baron witnessed and described the summit of Kibo as: “Bathed in a flood of rosy light, the cap that crowns the mountain’s noble brow gleamed in the dazzling glory of the setting sun.”
Von der Decken provided the most accurate estimate for the height of both Kibo—between 19,812 and 20,655 feet in elevation—and Mawenzi—between 17,257 and 17,453. The expeditions also led to the belief that the mountain was volcanic in origin, with Shira being the oldest cone and Kibo the newest. Although the Baron’s first attempt only allowed him to reach approximately 8,000 feet, his second attempt reached 14,200. Unfortunately, again he was faced with insurmountable weather problems and, due to a snow storm, was forced to retreat from his quest.
The Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro’s volcanic cone, Kibo, was summited in 1889 by Hans Meyer. Meyer made his first attempt to summit the mountain in 1887 and his second in 1888. On his third attempt, he finally conquered Kilimanjaro. The largest obstacle Meyer faced in his expeditions was a lack of sustenance as he climbed closer to the summit. He was not able to pack enough food to last throughout the expedition. To solve this, he established camps at various points along the route, and at the camps he stored food. Porters carried supplies up to the camps weekly, which allowed Meyer to make multiple summit attempts in one expedition without having to return to the base of Kilimanjaro to replenish his supplies.
After his summit, Meyer wrote of his adventures in his book, Across East African Glaciers. The book describes Meyer’s efforts to carve stairs into an ice cliff. It is said that each stair needed an average of twenty blows from Meyer’s ice axe. Three days later, on October 6th, 1889, Meyer crossed the Kibo crater and reached Uhuru, the highest point on Kilimanjaro.
Hans Meyer was accompanied by a considerable climbing entourage. The mountaineering party consisted of his climbing companion, Ludwig Purtscheller, two local headmen, nine porters, three other locals who acted as supervisors, one cook, and one guide. The guide was supplied by the local Chagga chief, Mareale, whom Meyer had befriended in his first expedition in 1887. The porters and supervisors were used to relay supplies to the camps.
Currently, the record of fastest summit, ascent and descent of Mount Kilimanjaro belongs to Simon Mtuy of Tanzania. Mtuy manages the Summit Expeditions and Nomadic Experience trekking agency in Moshi. His long experience at high-altitude climbing gave him the stamina to complete the climb, On December 26, 2004, in eight hours and twenty-seven minutes. His ascent spanned over six hours; at the summit, Mtuy rested for seven minutes, then made the descent in two hours and twenty minutes.