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 Located in Northeast Tanzania, near the Kenya border, Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world and famed as "everyones Everest" because it is the highest walkable mountain in the world; is the highest mountain peak in Africa that gives the bird's eye view of the whole region. Towering at 15000 feet above the surrounding arid plains, it is an extinct volcano and world's largest freestanding mountain. Though some claim its 2.5 square miles of its surface are even over 18,500 feet. The highest peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Uhuru at 5895 m is also the highest peak of whole African continent. Tourists from all over the world come to conquer the mountain through different Mt. Kilimanjaro tours. They experience one of most thrilling and adventurous time of their life. 3/10/2006
Though it is difficult to climb the mountain and reach the
'roof top' of Africa as it is said but still mountain climbing
here is not a technical one. It just requires patience and
determination to keep walking under tough conditions. The
mountain climb is in itself very interesting, as one will
view beautiful landscapes and forests housing a variety of wildlife.
Apart from this, scrub-thick  lands
and flowering alpine tundra will further welcome you and in
the last they will finally give way to snow capped rocks and
mountains. Today, more than 20,000 people a year attempt the
climb, and efforts are being made to stop the erosion on the
most popular routes. The best months to climb the mountain
are January, February and September.
According to legend, the first person to ascend Kilimanjaro
was King Menelik, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of
Sheba. The first Europeans to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro
were Dr Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller. Now you also join
the list of successful climbers and have some mind-boggling
experiences!
Uhuru Peak is one of the Seven Summits. The summit was first reached by the Marangu army scout, Johannes Kinyala Lauwo (1871-1996) who climbed it nine times before realising there was a crater. Lauwo served as a guide for the first "official" ascent by German Hans Meyer and Austrian Ludwig Purtscheller on October 6, 1889. Two other peaks are also extinct volcanoes: Mawenzi (5,149 metres), the third highest peak in Africa (after Mount Kenya) and Shira (3,962 m).
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