The Western Kilimanjaro Pass from Tanzania into Kenya

The Western Kilimanjaro Pass from Tanzania into Kenya

The Western Kilimanjaro region is fairly new to the northern safari circuit of Tanzania. It is not therefore frequented by hordes of safari makers. Little information exists; there is no National Park here and the area is contained in a private concession; a type of private park. It is a very special area and borders on Kenya’s Amoboseli Park.

I would strongly recommend this area for a few days if you find yourself planning a safari in Tanzania and truly want, unique, off the beaten track and an ‘out of African experience’. Many destinations offer these qualities but Western Kilimanjaro truly delivers all these qualities.

I visited this private concession this weekend; we left Arusha, my driver and I, heading toward Kilimanjaro. An hour out of Arusha we turned left and spent another ninety minutes on a very rough road. It was slow going as the 4 x 4 rattled slowly along the track; all the while I was wondering if all this would be worth the effort. I was unsure of what to expect but had heard good reports about this new area and so looked forward to a pleasant experience.

My heart sank as we entered the camp. The tents were under local thatch and it all looked very basic; the luxury I was looking forward to, I feared, was greatly exaggerated. I was surrounded by African bush and the camp looked non existent. However, the camp is truly built into the surroundings; the en-suite tents and the entire camp is truly luxurious; but hidden.

No other cars were at the camp [we were the only guests this weekend] and with no other camps in the area we were literally off the beaten track; just myself, the driver and the staff of the camp. We arrived in time for lunch and the food was superb five course meals in elegant surroundings. As there were no other guests my driver/guide who was also Maasai joined me for each meal. This turned out to be fortunate as I got to know all the staff very quickly.

The rest of the day I spent relaxing around the camp drinking in the surroundings. Relaxing and getting to know the local Maasai. The following day Philemon [the driver] and I were joined by the camp guide and he showed us the surrounding area and where to find the animals. Seeing herds of elephant against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro was a highlight of many years spent in East and Southern Africa. We then drove to a big white stone that signposted the Kenyan – Tanzanian border and we stopped for photographs. After this we drove across the border and around the Kenyan Amboseli National Park.

That evening as the sun waned we drove to the top of a large hill just outside the camp. We watched the sun begin to set then the clouds cleared around Kilimanjaro and the snows were turned pink with the setting sun, and bellow the acacia trees were silhouetted as the dusk seemed to rise from the ground upward. Then as I though it gets no better than this the Maasai from the lodge came dancing and singing up the hill – they brought champagne as this was to be my last evening. We toasted a most enjoyable stay and the staff and Philemon sang Maasai songs and danced into the early evening. If ever I was in Africa proper it was this evening. Not a tourist or car in sight, Kilimanjaro and local Maasai, words cannot express the emotions of that evening; you cannot have a more African experience than to spend some time in this luxury, eco friendly camp.

If you come to Tanzania, I recommend this area, this camp. Forget everything else your African experience should start in the Western Kilimanjaro on the Tanzania – Kenya border.

Kilimanjaro - The Worlds' Most Accessible Summit

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Snow-capped Kilimanjaro, floating above the clouds is no doubt one of the most beautiful and impressive sights in the natural world. Even hard-boiled non-believers, in their unguarded moments, empathise with the Maasai who call it the “House of God”. The mountain is one of the Seven Top Summits of the world –it has the highest point on the African continent. Though there are higher mountains, they form part of mountain ranges, Everest for example. But Kili, as it is popularly known, is the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It rises gently from 3,000 feet, reaches for the heavens and only halts after a 16,000 feet ascent. The diameter at the base is an amazing 64 kilometres.




Kilimanjaro is located to the northeast of Tanzania, on the border with Kenya. There is a popular myth of how the mountain came to be part of Tanzania, which was at one time part of the German Empire. Queen Victoria is supposed to have granted the mountain to her German grandson Wilhelm (later Kaiser Wilhelm II) as a birthday gift. It is also said that the Germans had been grumbling at the blatant unfairness of missing a snowcapped mountain within their empire while the Queen has two – the second being Mount Kenya.

Though historians have discredited the myth, it has refused to die and it is still a source of amusement for many. Unwilling to allow the truth to stand in the way, some anti-colonial historians fume with indignation, citing how the boundaries of Eastern Africa were arbitrarily decided in the capitals of the imperial powers. To most people in the west, Kilimanjaro has long been associated with Ernest Hemingway on account of his 1936 short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”. In 1952, Hollywood fascinated by the magic of Kili the book evokes, turned it into a movie with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner in leading roles.

Kilimanjaro is young as far as mountains go, and geologists allow it only 750,000 years. The mountain is made up of three dormant volcanoes -Kibo (19,340 feet), Shira (13,000 feet) and Mawenzi (16,896 feet). Kibo occasionally belches some steam and sulfur. The highest point on Kibo is Uhuru Peak, where you see some awesome glaciers and fantastic views of the country below. Though Kili is only three degrees south of the equator, the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi are covered in ice and snow year round. Many learned people in Europe hotly disputed that a snow-capped
mountain could be found at the equator when the German missionary Johann Rebmann reported it in 1849. More vacations here...

Travel Safaris - The Many Facets of Tanzania

Tanzania is a country that is an experience; it is a place of
wonder and excitement. I think it is unparalleled in Africa for
game; it has the world's last great migration; over a million
animals thundering across the vast plains of the Serengeti.;
This amazing spectacle made all the more thrilling with the many
predators that follow the wildebeest as they migrate in an never
ending cycle. The migrating animals are continually moving
following the rains which provide the green grass on which the
wildebeest rely for their survival.

The Ngorongoro Crater is unique, many claims are made about
destinations being unique when what is meant is unusual -
however - Ngorongoro Crater is on its own and is truly unique.
This collapsed crater contains many different habitats in a
small area; and has year round water. This results in many
animals living permanently in the crater.

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and almost
everyone knows of this majestic mountain. The Selous Game
Reserve is one of the last places to see the wild dog. A new
species of monkey was recently found in the south west of
Tanzania and a previously unknown African violet has been
discovered in the Udzungwa Mountains.

Gombe Park over on the western lakes is one of the few refuges
remaining in Africa for the chimpanzee. Tanzania also has
National Parks that have been created for the protection of
mountain rain forest and all the plants that are endemic to
these areas. There is a high plateau in the south that has
become a National Park to protect orchids. There are also Marine
Parks set up to protect the coast line, the corals and marine
life.

I feel that just the few facts above are enough to prove that
this destination is worth making Tanzania the place to visit. We
have only skimmed the surface. In concluding I would like to add
one last facet to this precious country; its people are friendly
and love visitors. The people of Tanzania love peace and are
united like no other people I know. This is a thing that not
many African countries can boast!

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