5895 m
One of the world's highest volcanoes it was first summited in 1889 by Meyer and Purtscheller. There are actually three peaks: Kibo, Shira and Mawenzi with Kibo being the summit. There are 5 main routes that meander from the jungle through five microclimates to join the three final ascent routes to Kibo. Both the Machame and Lemosho routes offer a more leisurely paced scenic climb. The Lemosho route is less crowded while the Machame route has a more difficult beginning but joins into the same route as the Lemosho. The Marangu climb is crowded since it follows a road part way. It is considered a walk-up by many climbers but still represents a deadly threat when climbers go too fast or ignore difficult weather. The local park officials maintain strict rules thus requiring local guides to accompany each team. The climb takes anywhere from 4 to 7 days with 7 being the suggested time to allow for proper acclimatization. Huts are on some routes as well as tent camping. Porters carry most of the load so climbers usually just manage a small day pack with their personal gear. The second highest mountain in Africa is Mt. Kenya in Kenya at 17,057'/5199m and is 250 miles north of Kilimanjaro. The normal route to Peak Lenana is considered a scramble but routes to Batina Peak offer challenging rock climbing (5.7 range) to reach the summit.
