The Kilimanjaro, like all mountains, offers different types of vegetation with every little rise in altitude. In a way, it seems to be mimicking the change in vegetation that you would see while moving from the equator to the poles, albeit on a much reduced scale. At the base of the mountain, vegetation is nearly identical to that of the surroundings, and a slow move towards the barrenness of the ice-capped poles is seen as you climb upwards.

The zones of mountain vegetation are called - from peak downwards - alpine, subalpine, and montane, apart from which there is the zone at the base of the mountain that is not yet distinct from its surroundings.

Vegetation depends, apart from altitude, on climate. The Kilimanjaro sees two rainy seasons every year, from November to December and majorly from March to May. From August to October, however, the climate is dry to the point of being arid.

Rainfall, even when it does occur, does not hit the Kilimanjaro evenly. The rain-laden winds, blowing in from the South-East, deposit most of their load on the lower altitudes, and leave the upper zones and the Northern slopes barren.

In the case of the Kilimanjaro, the vegetation zones from base to peak are called respectively -

1. Montane forest

2. Moors

3. Alpine wetlands

4. Cold desert

The montane forest on the Kilimanjaro can be subdivided into the southern Ocotea forests, and mixed forests on the drier northern slopes. Ocotea is an evergreen flowering plant that exudes an extremely pungent, sweet smell, and is used extensively for honeying or to extract essential oils. The trees found on the northern slopes are primarily of the Juniper and Cassipourea varieties. The latter is an evergreen, tropical/subtropical flowering shrub that is closely related to the mangrove.

On the subalpine zones, you will find moors and shrubs covered with heath or heather. This beautiful sight continues to salute you till the 4100 meter mark, where the vegetation slowly begins to cease, giving way to colorful lichens - even in ice-capped regions. These heath forests are known to be one of Africa's highest cloud forests.

One of the unique plants seen on the Kilimanjaro is the water holding cabbage, found in the tussock grassland. Surprisingly, the Kilimanjaro - unlike the other high mountains in Africa - does not have much bamboo growing on its land. However, the number of endemic species - species growing only on the mountain or the set of surrounding mountains - on this mountain is much lower than usual, due to causes that have not yet been identified.

Mount Kilimanjaro would have had much greater forests if not for the hand of man, who has felled most of the trees on the wet southern slopes to make room for settlements. Perhaps human habitation is also responsible for the lack of bamboo slopes on the mountain. Overall, witnessing for oneself the Kilimanjaro and its vegetation reminds us that the planet is a borrowed space. It needs to be taken care of to keep its beauty and wonders intact.




Climb Kilimanjaro . Specialists for Kilimanjaro and Meru Treks, Kilimanjaro by all routes: Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Rongai, Shira, Umbwe.