The Kilimanjaro National Park
Day Trips in the Kilimanjaro National Park
For many visitors to Tanzania, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is on the to-do list. There are currently 5 different routes to the summit. You should plan between 5-8 days for this. However, it is also possible to do just a day hike in Kilimanjaro National Park. Nevertheless, it is not possible to go into the park alone. A guide is always required.
We would like to introduce you to three different routes here.
Maundi Crater
We start at Marangu Gate at 1879 meters altitude. A steadily, moderately ascending path takes us through dense tropical rainforest. We leave the otherwise lively, loud life of the streets of Moshi behind us. The air is humid and temperatures are between 20-25°C. One can often see monkeys and various species of birds. After about 2 hours and 7 km we reach the Mandara Huts at 2,720m with a great view of the slopes of Kilimanjaro. The first camp for climbers of Kilimanjaro is located here. After another kilometer we reach the Maundi Crater. This is a dormant volcanic crater with a great grassy landscape that can be hiked through. It offers breathtaking views of the surrounding landscapes and, if the weather is clear, even as far as Kenya. Total length approx. 8 km & 910 meters altitude
Machame Camp
The park entrance is at 1800 meters above sea level. It is 13 kilometers to the first camp, the Machame Camp. There are 1000 meters of altitude to overcome on this route. The gradients begin moderately, but after a few kilometers there are always quite steep passages to overcome. These make the way back particularly strenuous. Good mountain boots make hiking easier here.
Shira Plateau
Kilimanjaro comprises three peaks; the highest peak Kibo at 5895m, Mawenzi to the east at 5149m and the smallest, western peak Shira at 4005m. At the western entrance to the national park, the Londorosi Gate, you have to decide whether you want to have a long, strenuous day to cover the 13 kilometers and 1400 meters of altitude to Shira Camp 1 or whether you prefer to drive to the Morum Picnic Site at 3407 meters altitude and then cover the last 200 meters of altitude in the Moorland Zone over the Shira Plateau to Shira Camp 1. If you choose the first option, you should definitely be at the park entrance early in the morning and be used to moving around in the mountains, otherwise the time for the ascent and descent will be too short.
Most of the route leads through tropical mountain rainforest. At a warm and humid 20-25 degrees Celsius, you walk on paths and trails through lush greenery. The forest is absolutely magical. Everything is overgrown with mosses and lichen hangs from the trees everywhere.
At an altitude of around 2700 meters, the forest seems to end abruptly as you enter the heath and moorland landscape, which stretches up to an altitude of almost 4000 meters. Again and again there are wonderful views.
Today we only hike through the lower part of this zone, which is characterized by bushes, giant heather and tussok grasses. As if in a fantasy world, we walk under 5 meter high heather plants until the path opens up and Machame Camp is reached. Here there is time for a picnic before the descent begins.
Those who choose the short route will miss out on the slow changes in vegetation during the hike from tropical rainforest to moorland highlands, but in good weather conditions you can take enough time during the hike across the plateau to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Kibo summit.
Even though there are no major climbs to the camp, the 3500 meters of elevation gain are noticeable when hiking. There is always time to pause to discover the beauty of the sparse vegetation.
After 1.5 hours you reach Shira Camp 1, a good place to have a picnic and admire the Kibo summit, which looks really close. You are wrong; it is still another 4 days and over 2000 meters of altitude to the summit.
If you leave Kilimanjaro National Park on the western slopes on the way back to Moshi, you can enjoy a view of Tanzania's second highest mountain if visibility is good. Perhaps this will be the next hiking tour...
