Kilimanjaro

Original name: Kilima Njaro (Swahili) Oldoinyo Oibor (Masai)

Height: 5895 meters or 19,340 feet; Looming some 16 000 feet (4900 meters) above the plains that spread out from its base, the mountain dominates its surroundings.

Location: 3°04' South Latitude, 37°21' East longitude; although it's close to the Kenyan border, Kili is completely in Tanzania

Composed of three separate volcanoes, massive and complex Kilimanjaro covers an area 60 miles (100 kilometers) long and 40 miles (65 kilometers) wide. 

First (western) Ascent:  H. Meyer & L. Purtscheller, 1889

Kilimanjaro is an extinct volcano, with 3 peaks: Kibo, Shira & Mawenzi. Kibo is the highest one (5895m) in the center, Mawenzi is lower (5,149m or 16,896 feet) and east of Kibo, but more technical. Kili's 3rd peak Shira is less obvious, but it's also an extinct volcano. ( 3,962m or 13,000 feet, west of Kibo)

The volcanoes, whose lava fields overlapped and partially obliterated each other, began erupting approximately 2 million years ago. 

The peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi are joined by a broad saddle 7 miles (11 kilometers) long.

All year long it is possible although most avoid the rainy season: The long rainy season is from April to May, the short rainy season is mostly in November/beginning of December. Always be prepared for wet days and cold nights on the mountain any time of year!

Because of Kilimanjaro’s great height, the mountain influences its own weather. Winds incoming from the Indian Ocean are deflected upward by the slopes and drop their moisture as rain and snow. This moisture results in a variety of vegetative zones that contrast dramatically with the savanna grasses and semidesert scrub on the surrounding plains. The mount’s lower slopes, probably once forested, have been cleared for the cultivation of coffee, corn, and other crops. At higher elevations [approximately 9800 feet (3000 meters)] lies a belt of tropical rain forest that gives way to grasslands and moorlands. This belt, in turn, is replaced by high-altitude desert [near 14 500 feet (4400 meters)]. At the highest elevations is a zone of permanent ice and snow that is responsible for the name Kilimanjaro, which in Swahili means "the mountain that glitters." (from the Nasa site

Kilimanjaro National Park is the area above 2,700 meters (8,850 feet) on the mountain. It includes the moorland and highland zones, Shira Plateau, Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. In addition, the Park has six corridors or rights of way through the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve. The Forest Reserve, which is also a Game Reserve, was established in 1921; the Park was established in 1973 and officially opened in 1977