Get out your winter wardrobes, and summer ones too! It is said that to climb up Kilimanjaro is to walk through all four seasons in just five days. With five distinct climate zones ranging from the lush green rainforest to the dry and rocky desert, with a final ascent to the snowy, ice capped summit, Kilimanjaro is truly a natural phenomenon. The variety of vibrant flora and fauna and diverse landscapes can be attributed to the mountain’s tremendous height and its unique location, bordering both the equator and the Indian Ocean. The variations in climate zones and temperature from the top to the bottom of the mountain create the ideal conditions for an expedition like none else! Here are the five different climate zones you will experience as you hike Africa's tallest peak.
ZONE 1: RAIN FOREST
Elevation: 800 - 2,800 m
Avg Temp Range: 15 - 32 °C
Drenched by about six and a half feet of rain each year, the rain forest is lush, green and bursting with life year round. Colobus and Blue monkeys, mongoose and lots of birds and insects can be found amongst the giant ferns, vines, juniper, fig and olive trees. There are lots of endemic flowers for you to look out for too - including violets, orchids and the famous Impatiens Kilimanjari!
The star of the rain forest zone is the beautiful flower Impatiens kilimanjari, a dazzling bloom of red and yellow in the shape of an inch-long tuba, also known as the "elephant's trunk."
ZONE 2: HEATH
Elevation: 2,800 - 3,500 m
Avg Temp Range: 0 - 26 °C
Mist and fog cling to the lower edge of the forest in this zone, but, above the tree line, the land opens out into a clear and cool landscape full of mosses and grasses that are vital for safeguarding the soil and conserving the fleeting moisture. Here you’ll also see everlasting flowers, like Proteas, tall plants with red or yellow tubular blossoms called Red Hot Pokers, and single daisy-like flowers called Helichrysum Meyeri Johannis.
Bearded lichen moss hangs from the treetops of the Heath Zone. Lichens are an intimate symbiosis, in which two species live together as a type of composite organism for mutual benefit.
ZONE 3: MOORLAND
Elevation: 3,500 - 4,000 m
Avg Temp Range: 0 - 26 °C
Sometimes known as the Low Alpine Zone, the air feels crisp here. The Moorland has sparse vegetation and heather and shrubs blanket the ground; everything is much shorter due to the harsher environment. What it lacks in flower it makes up for in Giant Lobelias and Senecios Kilimanjaris. You’ll see lots of these interesting, stubby palm looking trees that are endemic to the mountain.
Something like a cross between a cactus, palm tree, and a pineapple, these alien-looking plants can only be found on Kilimanjaro, and only above 14,000 feet!
ZONE 4: ALPINE DESERT
Elevation: 4,000 - 5,000 m
Avg Temp Range: -5 - 20 °C
You might feel like you’re on the moon in the Alpine Desert. There isn’t much life here apart from some grasses and a few small flowers. It’s very dusty and dry and a stunning part of the trek because from here you can see Kilimanjaro’s twin summits, Kibo and Mawenzi. Bright sun, high evaporation and wide daily changes in temperature characterize the alpine desert.
Our group of strong and mighty climbers trek across this dry and arid alpine desert before their summit on International Women's Day 2014!
ZONE 5: ARCTIC SUMMIT ZONE
Elevation: 5,000 - 5,895 m
Avg Temp Range: -20 - 5 °C
The ultimate goal, the uppermost region is a taste of the Arctic just south of the equator! The oxygen level is about half of that at sea level and the sun is fierce. There’s very little wildlife apart from lichens (however, in 1926, a frozen leopard was discovered near the summit crater)! On your way to Uhuru Peak from Stella Point you’ll see what remains of the Furtwängler Glacier, an enormous icecap that once crowned the summit.
View from Uhuru peak at sunrise! Here, the snow capped summit of Kilimanjaro stands at 19,341 feet, making it the tallest peak in Africa, and the highest free standing mountain in the world. .