
Africa’s highest mountain at more than 19,000 feet--and the highest freestanding mountain on earth--Mount Kilimanjaro attracts tens of thousands of aspiring climbers every year.
The mountain’s snow-and-glacier-capped heights include three individual volcanic cones. Mountaineers often cite Kibo as the most interesting, since its Uhuru Peak marks Kilimanjaro’s highest point. Kibo is also the only one of the three cones to qualify as a dormant, rather than an extinct, volcano.
The climb to Uhuru Peak can vary over several different routes, each with its own degree of difficulty. Experienced climbers note that the Rongai and Marangu pathways are the easiest, with the Lemosho, Shira, and Machame being more challenging.
Standing atop Uhuru Peak, a climber can experience the thrill of looking out over swaths of peaks reaching to the sky, and the gleaming snow beneath.