Kilimanjaro. The name itself is a mystery wreathed in clouds. It might mean Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans.

Or it might not. The local eo le, the !achagga, don"t even have a name for the whole massif, only Ki oo #now $nown as Ki%o& for the familiar snowy ea$ that stands im erious, overseer of the continent, the summit of 'frica. Kilimanjaro, %y any name, is a meta hor for the com elling %eauty of (ast 'frica. !hen you see it, you understand why. )ot only is this the highest ea$ on the 'frican continent* it is also the tallest free+standing mountain in the world, rising in %reathta$ing isolation from the surrounding coastal scru%land , elevation around -.. metres , to an im erious /,0-/ metres #1-,223 feet&. Kilimanjaro is one of the world"s most accessi%le high summits, a %eacon for visitors from around the world. Most clim%ers reach the crater rim with little more than a wal$ing stic$, ro er clothing and determination. 'nd those who reach 4huru 5oint, the actual summit, or Gillman"s 5oint on the li of the crater, will have earned their clim%ing certificates. 'nd their memories. 6ut there is so much more to Kili than her summit. The ascent of the slo es is a virtual climatic world tour, from the tro ics to the 'rctic. (ven %efore you cross the national ar$ %oundary #at the 7,8..m contour&, the cultivated footslo es give way to lush montane forest, inha%ited %y elusive ele hant, leo ard, %uffalo, the endangered '%%ot9s dui$er, and other small antelo e and rimates. :igher still lies the moorland ;one, where a cover of giant heather is studded with otherworldly giant lo%elias. '%ove <,...m, a surreal al ine desert su orts little life other than a few hardy mosses and lichen. Then, finally, the last vestigial vegetation gives way to a winter wonderland of ice and snow , and the magnificent %eauty of the roof of the continent.