Mount Kilimanjaro has 5 distinct climate zones that trekkers will journey through on their way to the summit and each has its own features, flora and fauna. This also means you have to pack to be prepared for all weathers and temperatures! Below is a summary of what you can expect from the different climatic zones on Kilimanjaro...
The plains of Tanzania are home to cultivated farm land, coffee plantations, grasslands which surround Kilimanjaro. Towns and communities serve Kilimanjaro's trekking businesses, along with safari parks. Moshi is the closest town to Kilimanjaro and home to the Chagga & Maasai tribes. It is here that you'll be based as you land into Kilimanjaro airport.
Drenched in heavy rains, it's lush & green all year. Colobus & Blue monkeys, the odd mongoose and lots of birds can be found amongst the giant ferns, vines, juniper, fig & olive trees. On north & west sides of the Kilimanjaro park you may even spot elephant tracks! There're lots of endemic flowers - violets, orchids & the famous Impatiens Kilimanjaro!
Known as the low alpine zone, you emerge from the forest into sparse vegetation. It feels fresh compared to the humid forest, with temperatures down to 0C at times. Heather & shrubs blanket the ground and everything is shorter. There're a few flowers - but the most prominent feature are Giant Lobelias, that grew like stubby palm trees!
A fairly inhospitable place - not much life apart from some tussock grasses and a few small flowers. It is brown, dusty and dry. With little to no shelter from the elements, intense radiation plagues the day and at night temperatures plummet to sub freezing. It is however a great part of the trek, as for the first time Kibo and its summit come in to full view.
From the desert we trek into arctic conditions - where oxygen is half that of sea level. With little to no surface water there is no life apart from lichens which cling desperately to rocks hoping for a few droplets. The sun burns during the day and at night the cold is ferocious. We are now experiencing the fragility of life and so waste no time in our Kilimanjaro summit quest.
