Trekking along the Machame Route to the summit of Kilimanjaro

Experience the forest, the desert and the snow within a few days! Very few places on earth offer such a variety of vegetation and seasons in such a short time! We usually say that a hike on Kilimanjaro is like walking from the equator to the Arctic in just a few days.

During the hike we are accompanied by a variety of plants (flora), animals (fauna) and birds (avifauna). There are two main rainy seasons when there are fewer hikers due to the weather, namely the long rains between mid-March and May and the short rains in the second half of November. The other months are considered good times to climb, but can have a high number of tourists. However, the weather on the mountain is very unpredictable and we might encounter rain showers even in the dry months or have no rain during the rainy periods.

Zone 1 - Lower slopes

Around most of the lower slopes of the mountain you can see traces of human use, especially grazing land or agriculture. This has completely changed the natural vegetation patterns and what used to be scrub and lowland forest is now grassland or farmland. On the drier northern and eastern sides, some remnants of the former lowland vegetation can still be seen. The lower slopes of Kilimanjaro receive water that has fallen as rain in the forest zone and then seeped away through underground channels. It is this water and the fertile volcanic soil that supports the densely populated settlements.

Zone 2 - Rainforest

This is the richest zone on the mountain. A wide belt of extremely beautiful mountain forest surrounds the whole of Kilimanjaro and is well worth a visit, even if we don't climb to the top. 96% of the water on Kilimanjaro comes from this forest zone. Much of the rain that falls on the forest is absorbed by the thick layer of leaves and then seeps through the soil and porous lava rock to appear as springs further down.

Due to the humidity of the forest and the altitude, there is often a wide cloud zone in this area, especially between 2500-3000 meters. Protected from the sun by clouds, the moisture cannot evaporate easily, so there is high humidity, moisture and fog drops. Nights can be cold if it is clear and daytime temperatures are around 15-20°C.

Zone 3 - Low Alpine

Heath and moorland are overlapping zones. Temperatures can drop to below 0°C. Most of the precipitation in this zone comes from fog and haze at this altitude. This low alpine zone can be divided into two communities: Heath and Moorland. The climate is usually cool and clear, except for fog and haze at the tree line. Above 3000 meters frost becomes regular and the sun can be intense (which can cause sunburn on unprotected skin); surface temperatures during the day.

Zone 4 - Alpine Desert

This is the alpine zone where it is 'summer every day, winter every night'. There is intense radiation, high evaporation and huge daily temperature fluctuations. Nights are below 0°C, and during the day it can be up to 40°C in direct sunlight. Water is scarce and there is little soil to store moisture.

Zone 5 - Ice cap / Arctic zone

This area is characterized by arctic conditions - freezing cold at night and scorching hot during the day. Oxygen levels are about half sea level and there is little atmosphere to protect you from the sun's rays. There is practically no liquid surface water. Rain penetrates the porous rock immediately, but the rest of the moisture is trapped in the snow and ice.