Why Mount Kilimanjaro Is A National Park? Mount Kilimanjaro was officially referred to as a national park in 1973 because it consists of around six forest corridors, which all act as good natural habitats to many wildlife animals therefore; it was conserved with the main intention of protecting the species and its unique environment. And mount Kilimanjaro is famously known for being the highest volcanic massif on the African continent and the unique thing about this mountain is that its snow peak is always shinning during the morning hours and in the evening and it stands at an elevated area of about 5895meters above the sea level and while the lowest peak is at 4877 meters. Therefore, Mount Kilimanjaro national park is located in the Northern region of Tanzania and it is situated just above the gentle rolls of hills and around the plateau of Amboseli national park.
more so, this national park is near the Moshi town which is about 300 kilometers from the Equator and it is considered as the best adventure destination in the country where tourists can choose to travel to while they are on their safari because it has so many attractions such as; it has around three major peaks that tourists can visit such as; Mawenzi, shira and Kibo. And it is surrounded and covered by a good vegetation cover whereby the lower slopes of the mountain is dominated by montane forests, the snow caped summit is surrounded with scanty vegetation and then the heath and moorland has the alpine vegetation and all these act as a good example of an extraordinary and beautiful nature of the park.
Wildlife in Kilimanjaro National Park.
Kilimanjaro is well-protected area in the country because of the uniqueness of the large population of wildlife species in the park hence ranking it among the best destinations one could ever choose to travel to while safaris in Tanzania. However, the animals in this game park may not be comparable to those that are found in other national parks like Serengeti national park but tourists should note that a visit in this park is worth it. Therefore, some of the wildlife species that can be spotted within Kilimanjaro national park which make a population of around 128 and they include; elephants, antelopes, cape buffalos, marsh mongoose, white necked raven, white-tailed mongoose, tree hyrax, Aardvark, serval cats, duikers, bush babies and primate species like; the colobus monkeys and many others.
Bird species.
Mount Kilimanjaro is also seen as a birders paradise because it is a home to over 179 bird species. therefore, tourists exploring around this park will be able to spot bird species like; silvery checked turaco, hartlaubs turaco, violent crested turaco, malachite kingfisher, lark heeled cuckoo and there are more types of sunbirds which include; shrikes, woodpeckers, barbets, chats, flycatchers, the long tailed trogon, the blue napped mouse bird, the African fish eagle, hornbills, gabar gashawk, blue napped mouse birds and many others. In addition, some of these birds are migratory birds whereby some of them move from the Southern Europe and North Africa and the best time for tourists to spot these species in large numbers is between months of November to April.
Activities done in Mount Kilimanjaro National Park.
Exploring around Mount Kilimanjaro National Park gives tourists chances to participate in several interesting activities such as; wildlife viewing, bird watching, guided nature walks which are best conducted along the slopes of the mountain and this activity always involves individuals to walk on foot as they go through different trails around the park which gives them opportunities to get a closer look to some of the tree canopies of the mountain forests, spot many wildlife species such as monkeys and a number of birds, lizards, butterflies and many others as they are being accompanied with the park guides who lead them through and ensure of the safety of both animals and individuals.
More so, tourists can opt to go for mountain climbing to Mount Kilimanjaro itself and there are a number of different routes that tourists can use such as; Umbweze route, Machame route, Kilema route and Lemosho route and many others, which all can lead you to the peaks of the mountain. Other individuals can go for camping where they get to spend an epic time in the bush as they get close to nature and there are over 32 camping sites in the park which are usually situated along the hiking routes and cycling is also an amazing activity for one to do as it gives you chances to go through the chaga farm lands.
In addition, apart from the above activities there are more activities that tourists can do while in Mount Kilimanjaro national park and some of these include; going for picnics, filming because this national has a beautiful scenery, community visits and cultural encounters and many others.
Contact our trusted tour operators for more information and inquiries about why Mount Kilimanjaro is a national park and then Book with our tours and travel companies such as; Focus East Africa Tours who offer the best tour packages while on your safari in Tanzania.
