Kilimanjaro National Park

Founded, Listed and Measured

Kilimanjaro National Park was established in 1973 and covers 1,688 km2 (652 sq mi). UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1987 under criterion vii, reference number 403. The park is run by the Tanzania National Parks Authority and lies about 300 km south of the equator at 3°04'S 37°22'E. Its headquarters sit at Marangu, about 44 km from Moshi and 86 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The highest point inside the park is Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m (19,341 ft), the figure TANAPA and UNESCO use from a 1952 survey, though later measurements gave 5,892 m, 5,902 m and 5,899 m. The park earned about US$51 million in revenue in 2013, which Wikipedia reports as the second highest of any Tanzanian national park that year. It was named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa in 2013.

The mountain itself first drew recorded climbers long before the park existed. Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller made the first recorded ascent on 6 October 1889. Today about 50,000 trekkers a year attempt the summit, and Wikipedia gives a 70 to 80 percent average success rate. In 2011 to 2012 the park recorded 57,456 tourists, of whom 16,425 hiked the mountain, against a management-plan capacity of 28,470 climbers a year.

The Forest Reserve and the Boundary

Before it was a national park, the mountain was protected as a reserve. The German colonial government made Kilimanjaro a game reserve, and in 1921 it was designated a forest reserve. The forests on the mountain cover about 1,000 km2.

In 2005 the park was enlarged to take in the whole montane forest that had been the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve. The lower slopes outside the park are farmed, with coffee growing in the Chagga home gardens between 1,000 and 1,800 m. Rainfall shapes the boundary country too, as the lower southern slope receives 800 to 900 mm a year, rising to 1,500 to 2,000 mm at 1,500 m and over 3,000 mm locally in the forest belt at 2,000 to 2,300 m.

From Farmland to Ice

The lowest band, bushland and lower slopes at 800 to 1,800 m, is Chagga farmland with coffee. The rainforest zone runs from 1,800 to 2,800 m and holds blue monkeys, eastern black and white colobus, bushbabies, Cape buffalo and leopards all live in the montane forest. Above that, the heather and moorland zone stretches from 2,800 to 4,000 m, with the Erica heathland band at 3,100 to 3,900 m. The alpine desert zone runs from 4,000 to 5,000 m and the arctic summit zone from 5,000 m to the top at 5,895 m.

Endemics give the zones their character. The giant groundsel Dendrosenecio kilimanjari is among the endemic species, and the Helichrysum zone reaches 4,500 m. The Kilimanjaro shrew and the chameleon Kinyongia tavetana are also endemic. Above the tree line, bushbuck and red duiker occur in places alongside tree hyrax, grey duiker and rodents. Elephants occur between the Namwai and Tarakia rivers and sometimes at higher elevations, and Wikipedia names elephants and Cape buffaloes as the potentially hazardous animals on the mountain. Zebras, leopards and hyenas have been seen on the Shira plateau. Conditions change as fast as the vegetation, with the summit averaging about -7 °C and the Machame 10 weather station at 5,803 m recording an annual low of -13.4 °C and a high of 6.5 °C over 2012 to 2015.

The Ice Above the Zones

The summit zone is shrinking. Summit ice covered about 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) in the late 1880s. The Cryosphere study by Cullen and colleagues reports glacier area falling from 11.40 km2 in 1912 to 1.76 km2 in 2011, a loss of about 85 percent.

Wikipedia gives under 1 km2 for June 2011, so the sources differ on the exact remainder. The study projects most of the plateau and southern ice gone by 2040 and none left after 2060, while Alpinist reports a more aggressive 2033 date. The named summit glaciers include Credner, Furtwangler and Rebmann, and the Northern Ice Field was the largest remaining ice body at 0.95 km2 in 2007.

Average annual ice loss accelerated from 1.1 percent between 1912 and 1953 to 2.5 percent between 1989 and 2007.

The TANAPA Fee Lines

The tariff booklet titled Tariffs 2023/2026 runs July to June, so its validity ends on 30 June. All charges are VAT (18 percent) exclusive, so treat the lines below as before tax. Fees once paid are non-refundable, and proof of identification is mandatory at the entry gate. Payments go through the government electronic payment gateway via TANAPA online reservation, bank cards and mobile payment.

For an adult non-East African visitor aged 16 and over, the conservation fee is US$70 per person per day. Ages 5 to 15 pay US$20 per day, under 5 is free, expatriates and Tanzania residents pay US$35 and East African citizens pay TZS 10,000. Camping in the public campsites costs US$50 per person per night for ages 16 and over and US$10 for ages 5 to 15. The hut fee on the Marangu route is US$60 per person per night for adults and US$20 for children, covering Mandara, Horombo and Kibo huts. Sleeping at Upper Barafu Camp costs US$100 per night for adults and US$20 for children, a line that operators call Kosovo high camp or crater camping. The rescue fee is US$20 per person per trip and is non-refundable. The crew fee for Tanzanians is TZS 5,000 per trip, paid by the operator, which Altezza Travel puts at about US$2, while Footslopes Tours estimates US$2 to US$10 per crew member per day, so the two disagree.

A worked example from the TANAPA booklet: a seven-day Lemosho climb for one adult comes to 7 conservation days at US$70, 6 camping nights at US$50 and a US$20 rescue fee, which is US$810 before VAT. Altezza Travel quotes the same US$810 base and gives a worked example of US$1,708 for two foreigners, or US$2,015 with VAT, while climbing-kilimanjaro.com gives US$820 before VAT and US$967.60 after VAT for the same climb. Footslopes Tours estimates total park fees for a typical climb at US$800 to US$1,500 per person depending on days and route. Altezza Travel also lists a forest fee of US$10 per adult charged once per tour, but the TANAPA tariff lines read list no forest fee, so its official status is not confirmed. Beyond climbing, the tariff lists Mawenzi Peak technical climbing at US$750 per person per day, cycling at US$50 per person per day on top of the conservation fee, and paragliding at US$500 for a pilot and US$250 for a passenger per day.

The Rules Inside the Park

Two rules shape every visit. Climbs inside the park must follow designated routes with a licensed guide, and entry is only through authorised gates. Wikipedia gives the minimum permit age as 10 years, though it notes a 7-year-old, Keats Boyd, summited on 21 January 2008, and Altezza Travel says children under 10 may not ascend above 3,700 m, so check the age conditions of your specific permit. Fees are charged per day inside the park, and operators count the days differently: Altezza Travel charges park days per route as Lemosho 6 to 8, Machame 6 or 7, Marangu 5 or 6, Rongai 6 or 7, Umbwe 6 or 7 and Northern Circuit 10.

Most multi-day tours fold these fees into the price, but not all, so read the inclusions. Lemosho Route 7 Days by Altezza Travel at $3,959 per person includes all fees collected by Kilimanjaro National Park. The budget Marangu Route 5 Days Budget at $1,350 includes park fees and permits and national park rescue fees, though a hotel night in Moshi is not included. The Umbwe Route 6 Days at $2,242 includes all park fees, government tax and park rescue fees. The ZAFS 7-day Machame listing does not say whether park fees are in the price, so ask before booking. For how fees fit into a total budget, see the comparison table on the homepage.

Where the Routes Start and Finish

Marangu Gate is the park headquarters and the most developed gate, listed by Footslopes Tours at 1,860 m, though one itinerary gives the Marangu start as 1,905 m, and operator figures for the same gate range from 1,800 m to 1,860 m. Footslopes gives Machame Gate as 1,800 m, Umbwe Gate as 1,600 m and Rongai Gate as 1,950 m. Londorossi Gate, at 2,250 m per Footslopes and 2,100 to 2,200 m per other operators, handles the Lemosho, Shira and Northern Circuit entries, and it and Rongai are 3 to 4 hours from Moshi.

Shira Gate is the highest entrance at 3,600 m per Footslopes, with operator figures from about 3,400 m. Mweka Gate at 1,640 m is exit only. From the park headquarters at Marangu you are about 44 km from Moshi and 86 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Day Visits Without a Summit Bid

You do not need a multi-day permit to set foot in the park. Two bookable day hikes run from Moshi onto the Marangu route. The Kilimanjaro Day Hike by Kilinge Adventures costs $100 per person for a 10-hour private hike from Marangu Gate at 1,800 m to Mandara Hut at 2,743 m, a gain of 915 m, with a guide, lunch and bottled water.

Its listing states the park entry fee is not included, so budget for it separately. The Kilimanjaro Day Trek by Pale Tours Tanzania costs $86 per person for about 12 hours with a choice of the Marangu, Machame or Lemosho gate. Its park fee is USD 85 per person, paid by card at the gate, and one reviewer reports being asked to pay it again for a stay in the park after 5:00 PM.

Kilita Safaris sells a similar one-day Marangu hike reaching Mandara Hut at 2,720 m and continuing to Maundi Crater from US$100, with free pickup from any Moshi hotel. If three days suits you better, the Kilimanjaro 3-Day Trek to Horombo Hut at $850 climbs to Horombo Hut at 3,720 m and does not attempt the summit. See the one-day hikes compared under the routes section of the homepage.