Name: Mt Kilimanjaro
Location: Tanzania
What's it like?
Those familiar with Ernest Hemingway (or Gregory Peck films) will know the
name Kilimanjaro, although they might not know that the mountain is actually a collection
of three extinct volcanoes.
The highest point in Africa is the mountain's central cone, Kibo, which rises to 19,336
feet. While Kibo is a younger volcano, still puffing out steam and sulfur, the other two
volcanoes are dead, with the oldest, Mawenzi, reaching 16,893 feet, and Shira, more a
plateau, at 13,000 feet.
Climbing this peak requires training, and trips can sometimes require oxygen tanks and
altitude chambers. Climbing Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, is usually done in six to eight days and is considered a tough hike rather than an actual climb.
But over time, the signature white cap of ice - rare so near the Equator - has thinned to the point that the top of the mountain now appears brown in places, even from afar. Huge chunks of the ice have been seen crumbling and falling off, and farming communities, animals and plants in the area are being affected by the warming climate. "There are areas where we used to have rivers flowing in the park, and we don't have them anymore," said Gerald Bigurube, director of Tanzania National Parks.
GETTING THERE
Kilimanjaro International Airport, near Moshi, Tanzania, is served by KLM
 and Ethiopian Airlines, among other lines.
If you know of some accommodation we're missing,
review it for us!!
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