Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Mt Kilimanjaro
"Mountain of Greatness"
The name itself is a mystery
wreathed in clouds. It might mean Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or
Mountain of Caravans. Or it might not.
The first of two theories points to the language of the local Wachagga people who live in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Although the Chagga people themselves don’t have a single name for the massif as they don’t see it as a single entity but rather as two peaks, Kimawenzi (having a broken top or summit) and kipoo (snow), Mawenzi and Kibo, it is an indication that Kilima might have its root in the Chagga term kilelema (difficult or impossible and jaro in njaare (bird) or jyaro (caravan). Thus, Kilimanjaro could be translated either into “that which is impossible for the bird” or “that which defeats the caravan”.
The second theory considers the origin in Swahili, kilima being a corruption of the word mlima (mountain) and njaro (type of a devil creating coldness) or njara (shining).
Whichever origin, Kilimanjaro, by any name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 meters – to an imperious 5,895 meters (19,336 feet).
Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world and most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. Those climbers, who reach Uhuru Peak, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates as well as their memories.
Last but not least, there is so much more to Kili than the summit. The ascent of the slopes is a tour of five climate zones ranging from tropical rain forest to the Arctic.
Even before crossing the national park boundary (at the 2,700m contour), the cultivated foot hills give way to lush mountain forest, inhabited by various wild life. Higher still lays the moorland zone, where a cover of huge heather is studded with wondrous giant lobelias.
Above 4,000m, the landscape turns into alpine desert in which only a few hardy mosses and lichen manage to survive. At last, toward the top of the crater rim, the scenery turns into a winter wonderland of ice and snow – and the magnificent beauty of the roof of the continent.
The first of two theories points to the language of the local Wachagga people who live in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Although the Chagga people themselves don’t have a single name for the massif as they don’t see it as a single entity but rather as two peaks, Kimawenzi (having a broken top or summit) and kipoo (snow), Mawenzi and Kibo, it is an indication that Kilima might have its root in the Chagga term kilelema (difficult or impossible and jaro in njaare (bird) or jyaro (caravan). Thus, Kilimanjaro could be translated either into “that which is impossible for the bird” or “that which defeats the caravan”.
The second theory considers the origin in Swahili, kilima being a corruption of the word mlima (mountain) and njaro (type of a devil creating coldness) or njara (shining).
Whichever origin, Kilimanjaro, by any name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 meters – to an imperious 5,895 meters (19,336 feet).
Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world and most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. Those climbers, who reach Uhuru Peak, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates as well as their memories.
Last but not least, there is so much more to Kili than the summit. The ascent of the slopes is a tour of five climate zones ranging from tropical rain forest to the Arctic.
Even before crossing the national park boundary (at the 2,700m contour), the cultivated foot hills give way to lush mountain forest, inhabited by various wild life. Higher still lays the moorland zone, where a cover of huge heather is studded with wondrous giant lobelias.
Above 4,000m, the landscape turns into alpine desert in which only a few hardy mosses and lichen manage to survive. At last, toward the top of the crater rim, the scenery turns into a winter wonderland of ice and snow – and the magnificent beauty of the roof of the continent.
