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History
Geology
The Chagga Tribe
Learn Some Swahili
The Adventure Chef
Kilimanjaro IMAX Film
 History
Kilimanjaro - one of the world's seven summits and the highest point in Africa (19,340') - is instantly recognized by people all over the world. This almost perfectly shaped, snowcapped volcano rises sheer from the plains, and is one of Africa's most magnificent sights.
For many years, Kilimanjaro's white peak was a mystery to the local people to whom snow and glaciers were unknown. The first recorded sighting of the mountain dates back some seven hundred years when a Chinese fisherman wrote of a white peak on the African coastline. The outside world knew nothing about the mountain before 1848 when the Swiss missionary Johannes Rebmann became the first European to lay eyes on Kilimanjaro. He reported his discovery of a snow-peaked mountain in East Africa to the Royal Geographical Society in London, but nobody believed him. In 1897, the German explorer Hans Meyer and his Chagga guide, John Lauwo, became the first recorded people to successfully summit Kilimanjaro. One hundred years later a celebration was held to mark the centenary of this event - the guest of honor was the original local guide. He was 118 years old!
After Tanzania achieved its independence in 1961, Kilimanjaro was transformed into a National Park. Covering some 7,500 square kilometers, it is now listed as a World Heritage Site. Currently, about 24,000 people a year attempt to climb Kilimanjaro. Official records state that about 15% make it to the summit.
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 Geology
Kilimanjaro (Kilima Njaro or "shining mountain" in Swahili) consists of three major volcanic centers - Kibo (19,340') in the center, Mawenzi (16,893') in the east, and Shira (13,140') in the west. Uhuru Peak at the crater rim is the official summit point. Currently, only Kibo retains glaciers - and unfortunately, the glaciers are melting so rapidly that some researchers estimate they will all be gone by the year of 2020. According to U.S. researchers, the glaciers measured 4.8 square miles in 1912 and had shrunk to 1 square mile in 2000. Further research is needed to determine to what extent global warming and/or natural climate variability are responsible for the demise of Kilimanjaro's glaciers.
A climb of Kilimanjaro will take you through an amazing variety of landscapes - parallel to traveling from the equator to the Arctic! This makes Kilimanjaro an incredibly special trip:
Cultivated farmland. You'll start your trek through pastures, plantations, and grassland. Much of the food consumed by climbers and porters on Kilimanjaro originates from the farms at the foot of Kilimanjaro. This area gets heavy rainfall and is in theory part of the next zone - forest. Before farming this area was covered with shrubbery and dense forest. (Up to about 6,000'.)
Forest. Very lush vegetation drenched in heavy rainfall (almost 80 inches per) with a number of endemic plants such as Impatiens Kilimanjari and Senecio Johnstoni. (About 6,000-9,800'.)
Heather. An often misty foggy zone near the forest with a variety of heather-like shrubs. (About 9,600-11,000'.)
Moorland. As you climb into this eco zone, the weather will likely be cool, clear, and intensely sunny. (So, don't forget your sunscreen!) You will still enjoy clusters of plants endemic to Kilimanjaro. (About 11,000-13,000'.)
Alpine desert. In this zone, chances are you'll wear almost everything you have brought within 24 hours! Temperatures usually fluctuate wildly from days of 95 degree heat to nights below freezing! This is a barren and lunar-like landscape - not at all favorable for plants. (About 13,000-16,500'.)
Summit. Welcome to arctic conditions! Freezing cold at night and burning sun during the day. The air pressure falls and here there is only one-half the amount of oxygen in the air as at sea level, so get your summit picture and get back down! (About 16,500-19,340'.)
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 The Chagga Tribe
You're probably familiar with the term "sherpa" when trekking and climbing in the Himalayas. But have you ever heard about the Chagga?
The Chagga tribe is a collection of Bantu speakers. They moved to the slopes of Kilimanjaro about 300 years ago. During the 17th and 18th centuries, they were nomadic pastoralists. However, between the 18th and 19th centuries the Chagga began permanent settlements and slowly developed modern agriculture, on both small and large scale.
With their long term experience in farming, the Chagga have a unique style that helps conserve the land. They use terrace farming on steep slopes, growing tall tress and under them, planting Arabic coffee, bananas and many small crops like maize, beans and garden vegetables. Thus they can grom a cash and a food crop on the same plot of land. The Chagga have developed an extensive irrigation system using the large amounts of rainfall high on the mountain to irrigate their extensive farms.
Missionaries arrived in Chagga land in the 1800s and were accepted mostly because they brought schools, health centers and Christianity. With the first missionaries accepted, more and more Europeans wanted to visit the Kilimanjaro area. Since then thousands of tourists from all over the world have come to climb Kilimanjaro using Chaggas as guides, porters and cooks. Tourism on Kilimanjaro also provides a market for the agricultural products (food for climbers) that are produced by the local Chaggas. Many hotels have been built on the slopes of Kilimanjaro to accommodate tourists, and most of these hotels employ many Chagga.
Thus Kilimanjaro has shaped the history, economy, language and religion of the Chagga people living on the slopes of the mountain.
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 Learn Some Swahili
You will be able to get by in most of Kenya and Tanzania if you speak English – at least in the bigger cities. However, it will be very helpful to have some knowledge of Swahili, which is rapidly becoming the "official" language in the area.
| English |
Swahili |
| Hello |
Jambo |
| Good-bye |
Kwa heri |
| Thank you |
Ahsante |
| Giraffe |
Twiga |
| Lion |
Simba |
| Elephant |
Tembo |
| Rhino |
Kifaru |
| Hippo |
Kiboko |
| Hot water |
Maji ya moto |
| Cold water |
Maji baridi |
| The food is delicious |
Chakula ni kitamu |
| I am thirsty |
Ninakiu |
| Spectacular sunrise |
Mawo inafurahisha |
| I am having a great time |
Ninafurahia |
| I made it to the summit |
Nimefika kileleni |
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 The Adventure Chef
You can visit their country, climb their highest peak, and speak a little bit of their language - now how about cooking one of the local dishes? One of our Chagga porters is sharing his famous banana recipe. Give it a try. We did - it's delicious!
Banana Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cluster of cooking bananas (ndizi mshare) about 12 bananas. Plantains would work.
1/2 coconut (grated)
Warm water
Salt
1 large onion
1 large tomato
Cooking oil
250 grams of meat (pot roast type for good broth)
30mls cooking oil
Preparation:
Boil the meat with about 3/4 quart of water until slightly tender, leave it with all of the soup for cooking the bananas.
Peel the bananas , slice them lengthwise, then cut into halves. Wash thoroughly. Place in cooking pot, add the soup and meat. Chop the onion and tomato and add to the bananas.
Cook for about 1/4 hour, then add the cooking oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Continue cooking. (if the soup isn't enough, then you could add some warm/hot water) and cook until it is almost cooked/soft.
Using warm water, squeeze the grated coconut to get juice. Do it in turns. The first strong juice should be put aside then using the coconut bran pour more lukewarm water on it and squeeze it to get a second juice.
When the bananas have cooked and become a little tender/soft (poke using a fork to check), add the second juice (and stir just a little while adding the juice, don't overdo the stirring) then leave to cook on low fire for about 5 minutes. Add the first juice and cook for another 2-3 minutes and your food will be ready to serve.
This dish should be a bit soupy. Check before adding the first coconut juice that there is plenty of broth in with the bananas. If not, you have to add more water first and make sure it is all hot and well mixed before adding the coconut juice.
Note - if you are not using ndizi mshare, but plantains - the cooking times should be less. Keep checking them to know when they are soft. Mshare banana is a much harder banana and takes longer to cook.
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 Kilimanjaro IMAX
When on film, big mountains are best on big screens. The Kilimanjaro IMAX film is now playing in selected IMAX theatres. To learn more about this movie of David Breashear's latest journey to the summit of the highest point in Africa and to view theater listings please go to Big Movie Zone.
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For more information and reservations, please contact:
Mountain Travel Sobek
1266 66th Street, Suite 4
Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526
Phone: +1-510-594-6000
Fax: + 1-510-594-6001
Email: info@mtsobek.com |
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