The Kilimanjaro receives about 50,000 people every year. Being the tallest mountain in Africa, the numbers will be expected as it entices all the professional and amateur hikers who book walking safaris on Mount Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. The mountain has beautiful views with animals and stunning vegetation.
The mountain has an abundant wildlife spread especially in the montane forest zone. There are many mammals as well as birds.
Therefore for bird watchers, you can enjoy the hike even more. The mountain has many primates as well like the Olive Baboons. There are Rhinos and forest elephants.
Over 140 mammal species and 180 bird species are found in the Kilimanjaro Mountains.
The majority of these are seen from within the Kilimanjaro Mountain’s cultivated slopes and tropical rain forest, rather than from the summit.
The Cultivated zone of the Kilimanjaro may not have the animals due to a lot of human activities going on but you will definitely see some special species of birds. You can book your walking safari though your Kilimanjaro tour operator and they will advise on several things.
You may still need some altitude training since you will have to hike a little bit of the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
The southern routes are more productive in terms of wild life but the northern routes have more scenery.
When to go on Kilimanjaro Walks
It’s possible that you can trek the Kilimanjaro any time throughout the year but some months are covered in cold weather and rains and snow especially the top and yet some are dry and a lot more favorable.
Its best advised to hike the Kilimanjaro is between the months of December to February and Mid June to September.
Though ideally these are the dry months, things can still become a little messy from time to time.
On the other hand, it’s thought that rain on a single day could not be as damaging as rain that falls consistently across a season.
However, even the months that are thought to be cold or wet may not actually be, and they may even have weeks without any precipitation.
The wet months are March to Mid June and October to November.
The dry months are also the most crowded; the mountain can be filed with tourist and for people that have intent to explore extensively, you may need to reconsider.
How to Prepare your Kilimanjaro Hike
Hiking the Kilimanjaro ranges is usually on travelers’ lists, just like climbing any other mountain, but because it’s the highest in Africa, it’s even more remarkable.
Every year, over 30,000 hikers ascend this mountain. This number does not imply that the hike will be simple; you must be physically and mentally prepared to tackle this peak.
Here are some of the things you can consider to prepare yourself for this hiking adventure.
- Fitness Training: You will need to test your strength and see how far you can go. The emphasis is on the legs and how your heart and the cardio system can hold up. Your joints and muscles will be tested.
- Altitude Sickness: The altitude sickness is the most common factor that affects most hikers of the Kilimanjaro. Therefore, you may have the fitness but then suffer altitude sickness.This inability to adapt to high altitude is known as the attitude sickness. This sickness can increase your chance of getting a cold or flu.You will be required to withdraw until you feel better as this can affect your health and even cause death.
- Hiking Gear: You will need to prepare camping equipment and food supplies that will be carried by your allocated helpers. Make sure you have quality gear that will be able to with stand all the terrible conditions in the wild. Pay a lot of emphasis on clothes and foot wear.
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