INTRODUCTION

Situated near the Moshi region, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park also known as Kilimanjaro national park is located 330km South of the Equator in Northern Tanzania within the Kilimanjaro Region, Kilimanjaro National Park covers an area of about 75,575 hectares which is an area of about 652 square miles equivalent to 1,688 square kilometres. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is well known for Mount Kilimanjaro that is the tallest mountain in Africa and also the tallest free-standing mountain on the planet earth. Mount Kilimanjaro was listed among the seven Natural Wonders of Africa and is also a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site. The snow-capped mountain is 19,341 feet about 5,895 meters high with three volcanic cones namely, Mawenzi, Kibo and Shira. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is also a perfect destination for wildlife viewing with wildlife creatures such as Cape Buffaloes, African bush elephants, leopards, blue monkeys, rodents and many others. The Park is governed by Tanzania National Parks Authority with the Park Headquarters being located at Marangu about 44 Kilometers from Moshi and about 86 kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Kilimanjaro national park is among the best holiday adventure destinations within the east African national parks.

History of the park

Though the origin of the name Kilimanjaro is not well known, the name was adopted in 1860 by European explorers with a report that Kilimanjaro was the Kiswahili name of the mountain. The Park was and is located in a country called Tanganyika which is currently Tanzania. The Park was first demarcated by the British and the Germans as a game reserve which was then established as Kilimanjaro national park in 1973, but by that time, the park only comprised the mountain (mountain Kilimanjaro) which was still naturally congested with more than six forest corridors. In 1987, Kilimanjaro national park started experiencing deforestation an example being the demolition of the forest that separated the local communities from the parkland furthermore, a study was conducted around the park by scholars from various universities with a conclusion that the park was home to about 150 mammal species which led to an agenda by different international organizations concerned with conservation that made protection of the park from encroachments a goal. After a period of time in 2005, the world heritage committee requested and recommended that the park be expanded which enabled the park to cover the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro and also the natural forests around its base. Currently, Kilimanjaro national park covers an area of about 1,688 square kilometres and is home to numerous mammals and birds

ATTRACTIONS AT KILIMANJARO NATIONAL GAME PARK

Birds

Kilimanjaro national park is home to over 170 bird species which makes the Tanzanian-based national park a perfect place/spot for bird viewing also known as bird watching activity. The various bird species within the park include the Silvery Cheeked Hornbill, Trumpeter Hornbill, Emerald Cuckoo, Klaas Cuckoo, Lark heeled Cuckoo, White Necked Ravens, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Schawlow’s Turaco, Violent Crested Turaco, Rose Turaco, White brown coucal, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, African Pitta, Natrina trogon, Alpine Chat, Lammergeyer and others not forgetting that the park is also home to over 20 species of bats. Different bird species always fly at different altitudes.

Animals

Kilimanjaro national park is also home to numerous wildlife animal species for example, its home to over 140 mammal species, primates, carnivores, and antelopes. The wildlife animal species include bushbuck, red duiker, and elephants which are commonly seen around Shira and Rongai. plateau, cape buffalos, blue monkeys, eastern black and white colobus monkeys, leopards, Forest Duikers, small mammals like Myosorex zinkii that are endemic to Mount Kilimanjaro, Elands, various rodents, Zebras, leopards, hyenas observed within Shira plateau, chameleons and many other creatures which makes the park a site that adds up content to your tourism story.

Lauwo Waterfall.

Lauwo waterfall is another attraction within Kilimanjaro national park. The waterfall is situated about 2.8 kilometres near Marangu gate. The waterfall offers a beautiful and eye-catching experience as you enter inside the packed montane forest.

Maudi Crater.

With Maudi crater bring located past the Mandara huts along the Marangu route, the crater offers panoramic views of lake Chala, lake jipe, and also lake Nyumba ya Mungu all of which obtain their water from the beautiful Kilimanjaro Mountain. The crater is about a 15-minute walk past the Mandara huts.

Montane Forest.

The montane forest is that forest zone worth your time. If you’re not willing to climb to the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro, then You should actually pay a visit to the forest zone because it is enriched with various plant species like Impatiens Kilimanjaro which is an endemic plant species. The montane forest consists of a large band of forests that encircle about 1800 to 2800 meters of the whole of Kilimanjaro.

Lake Chala

dating back to history, Lake Chala is a crater lake that is about 250,000 years old. The lake is located east of Mount Kilimanjaro near the border between Tanzania and Kenya and is also approximately a 30-minute drive from Himo town. The lake is a great spot for tourists since it’s surrounded by grasses, plants and an astonishing variety of trees with some being unique around the area. The lake is also home to numerous species of butterflies and birds like Augur Buzzards, African Fish Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle, wild animals like Blue Monkeys, Colobus Monkeys, baboons, elephants and many others that can be spotted around the lake. Though the lake is not safe for swimming due to the presence of crocodiles, the lake offers an experience with views of the breathtaking nature around the lake.

The Three peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the biggest attraction around Mount Kilimanjaro national park which makes it the main reason why visitors usually visit the park. The mountain has three peaks that also act as an attraction with peaks being Kibo peak, Mawenzi peak and Shira peak. Kibo peak is the highest among the peaks standing at a height of 5,895 meters and always covered by snow, Mawenzi peak is the second highest peak standing at a height of 5, 145 meters and then Shira peak follows the other peaks standing at a height of 3, 962 meters