Climbing the top of Mount Kilimanjaro is a fantastic experience. Its landscapes and temperatures are as diverse as the cultures of the African continent, which allows Kilimanjaro to be divided into five different climatic zones.
Read until the end, so that you know the amazing diversity of Kilimanjaro and the additional resources that we offer you to know this wonderful place.
Zone 1: growing areas
The first area of Kilimanjaro is known as a cultivation area, it is between 800 and 1800 meters high. In it you can find rivers that are formed when the mountain’s glaciers melt. The fields of the farming families can be seen on the journey to the starting point of your adventure.
Zone 2: jungle
Of course, on your journey up the slopes of Kilimanjaro you will find a jungle. This is between 1800 and 2800 meters, and is the one that receives the most rainfall. If it’s going to rain on your way, it will most likely be here. The temperatures in this region are pleasant and the vegetation protects you from the sun. While walking through the jungle it is hard to believe that there is snow on the top.
Zone 3: heaths
The third zone begins with heather and ends in a moor. It is located between 2,800 m and 4,000 m, and as you climb up it, temperatures can begin to vary more. During the day you can have temperatures as high as 35 ° C (95 ° F) and at night they drop to freezing. As you gain altitude, you will reach the wasteland; here you will be more exposed to the merciless African sun, so don’t forget your sunscreen.
Zone 4: The Alpine Desert
Yes, as you go up you will find the alpine height, it is between 4000 and 5000 meters high. This is, in fact, one of the most fascinating climatic zones on Mount Kilimanjaro. It will be here where you will notice how scarce the vegetation will become, imagine many rocks, sand, and nothingness itself .. The difference in temperature between day and night is very large; During the morning you will see frost and during the day you will be very exposed to the inclement sun. You will start to see the Kibo and the top of Kilimanjaro. Use more sunscreen, that way, you won’t get burned out in the selfie at the top.
Zone 5: arctic zone
The area at the top is full of glaciers, snow, loose rocks, and temperatures that can drop below zero; the higher you stand, the more ice you will find. This is the area between 5000 and 5895 m. Eve’s base camp would stay in this climate zone. Many of the attempts to reach the top begin at night, when the surface is frozen. During the night, temperatures drop well below freezing, and during the day, the Tanzanian sun is scorching.
