KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK 756 Km2:

The major draw on this park is attempting the climb to the roof of Africa – Kilimanjaro (5896 m) above sea level and the world’s highest, yet the easiest accessible free Standing Mountain.
Standing only at 3 degrees South of the Equator, its snow peaked dome raised major controversial dialogs amongst scholars of the royal geographical society in London (1846-59) thus flooding Kilimanjaro with first ascent attempt explores, missionaries and later opportunistic colonialist.

Besides Kili’s unique flora and fauna, it’s got 3 distinct outstanding features, the volcanic Centrex of the extinct Shira plateu - 13,700ft, the dormant craggy Mawenzi -16,813ft and the dome itself, Kibo - 19,340ft.
Most certain climbing this world heritage site, mountain will be a memory to be treasured for life. Children as young as 9 years old and 80+ years elders have climbed to the rooftop of Africa.

No special skills, equipment, or experience is required for the 5,6,7 or 8 day's long expedition, exceptionally for those alpinist who might want to practice there climbing techniques on the mountains glacier walls and the Western breach, can apply crampons and ropes ETC. Generally any reasonably fit person can conquer what appears like a huge gigantic massif from its 40 Km base.

.....don't like long distance hikes"

One does not necessarily have to be a mountaineer to enjoy a close up glimpse of the beautiful views of Kilimanjaro and its environs.

A 4x4 Jeep will ascend you as high as 12,000ft, just were the road narrows in, to Shira plateau - an extinct volcano which 2 million years ago towered as high as 20,000ft….higher than Kibo!.
A 3 hrs drive towards the western Kilimanjaro, crossing villages of Machame, Masama, Siha, Kibong'oto and Sanya juu, plains will reward you with a landscape full of fresh countryside oxygen and the scent of coffee, bananas plantations, corn and wheat farms, there are also cattle ranches in west Kilimanjaro.

The climate at this altitude is conducive to gentle walks through flowering vegetation's and Kilimanjaro's glacier water falls that form from a multitude of tinny streams, additionally making this world a bird paradise. While in the lower slopes of the mounts, you'll be crossing in between coffee and banana plantations, passion fruit lines hanging above, shaded by avocado trees.

In the rain forest encircling the mountain you will find yourself in a world of enchantment and mystery. Birds, monkey’s, on rare occasions cape buffalo (syncerus caffer) and elephant's (loxodonta africana), antelope's like the dik dik, bushbuck, and duiker, mongoose, wart hogs,sunbirds, mountain rats, cameleon and Tree hyraxes (procavia capensis), serval cats (felis serval) range through the forests and even predators such as hyenas. Lions and Leopards are hardly seen though heard of at nights, on certain occasions animals such as the zebra is found wondering at the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro.

THE TALE: WHO NAMED IT SO?

………A vast mountain of Gold and Silver in the far interior, the approach to which was guarded by evil spirits.
Johannes Rebman after sighting Kilimanjaro on may 11, 1848.

………….".Long time ago when I was still a young boy, during the great famine, i think it was around the years one thousand eight hundred and fifty.. ..something years!! a white man accompanied by a large convoy of "Waswahili" carrying loads of luggage on there heads and backs suddenly arrived at our village of Machame. Every one looked very shocked and surprised upon sighting at that "Mzungu" strange man, in Kiswahili.

"Kipo"shockingly everyone exclaimed upon seeing the white man. Due to the language barrier, communication was kind of tough so the local natives guided the visitors to their head chief they called "Mangi”.

“Kipo…Kii..mannshaa-roo?”(translated .."what..wonder..is this due to hunger?) exclaimed the shocked native Machame clan chief "Mangi"after a moments glance at that "Mzungu", while the “White man” (who self introduced as Johannes Rebman) stood stunned at the same time pointing at the mountain peaks, looking very surprised yet excited over seeing that glittering silver dome, as it stood majestically above the clouds.

Persistently, Rebman pointed at the other less snowing peaks beside the silver dome, " Mawennsi"... the chief mumbled, still looking extremely worried yet amazed at sighting such a strange person, he could not reason that there was a different race of people in existence besides those of his own world. Actually he gathered that the European man had become malnourished or had acquired some strange disease, an effect that was due to the great famine that had hit his country for the previous 3 years or so.

However the "Mangi'' did not realize that his "Mzungu"-strange fellow in Kiswahili, visitor had recorded the three mysterious Machame sayings the native chief had just pronounced (Kipo..Kii..Mannshaa..roo?mavennsi !), and that they would become the international titles of amongst the world’s great heritages and wonders.

Kipo, Kilimancharo and Mavensi, as the German missionary Johannes Rebman dubbed it, (his memorial Library erected on that Machame spot still exists) reported the unbelievable tale to the doubt full western world, thus believing 13 years after Von der Deckens expedition that reached only up to 14000ft.

Additionally Deckens went on to report of Mount Meru after sighting it towering above the white clouds from Shira plateau during that trip. Those three sayings passed on to last. In 1889 Hans Meyer came VIA the Kenyan seaport of Mombasa seeking for "Kipo,Kimancharo" and "Mavensi" at "Majame" in the land of the "jagga"-Wachagga, to became the first European to climb to that elevation known as Hans Mayer's cave.

What would letter on be pronounced as,Kilimanjaro and Mawenzi by the British, was looked up with spirituall perspicacity by the local natives during early times and recognized Kilimanjaro as "KILIMA-KYARO" meaning the "toughest journey"

“ Having being brought up in this part of the world, I must confess that, I have never heard of a better, sensible and most authentic sounding explanation of the mysterious names of this massif, than the one told by my great grandfather concerning the “Names” of the Kilimanjaro..Kibo…Mawenzi………….Itaeli y Chris (Mr. Lengai).