Kilimanjaro National Park is located at the highest altitude in Africa – almost 6000m. above sea level. A voluminous volcano, surrounded by plains, covered with snow, stretches over the savannah. The mountain is surrounded by mountain forest. Countless mammals, many of which are endangered, reside in the park. Kilimanjaro Park and Preserve is located near the border with Kenya, north of the center of the country. The park was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the German colonial government in 1910. In 1921 the park became a forest reserve, by 1973 it was classified as a national park. The park covers 75,353 hectares, is surrounded by a forest reserve of 107,828 hectares, and is managed by the Tanzania National Parks Organization. The height of the park ranges from 1830 m to 5895 m.

Peculiarities.
Kilimanjaro is one of the largest extinct volcanoes in the world, as well as the highest mountain in Africa, towering 5895 m above the surrounding savannas and covering an area of ​​388500 hectares. Kilimanjaro stands alone in northern Tanzania. It has three main volcanic peaks of different ages, located in the southeast of the mountain, and several smaller peaks. In the west there is the oldest peak of the Shira (3962 m.), Of which only the western and southern edges remain and which is a fairly flat plateau (6200 ha). The northern and eastern slopes are covered with later deposits. In the east is the Mawenzi peak (5149 m.). There are also two large gorges on the eastern slope – the Great Barranco and the Little Barranco. Kibo, the highest peak (5895 m), was last active in the Pleistocene and still shows signs of life. Between Kibo and Mawenzi is a 3,600 ha plateau called Sadle, which is the largest tundra zone in Africa.
The mountain is a combination of shield and volcanic structures. Time has given rise to different types of rocks in the area. The trachybasaltic type dominates in the Shire and Mawenzi. Later lava flows on Kiba gave rise to the nephelinite type. Numerous traces of erosion are visible on Mawenzi and the Shire. Since 1912, the mountain has lost 82% of its ice cover, and since 1962, 55% of its glaciers. Although Mawenzi and Kibo still have snow caps, they will be gone within 15 years. Signs of disappeared glaciers can be found on all three peaks, even at an altitude of 3600 m. Mountain remains an important source of water for both Kenya and Tanzania, but the disappearance of snow cover has already caused several rivers to dry up.

Climate.
Not so long ago in this area there were two wet seasons, from November to December and from March to May, and a dry season from August to October, but now this is no longer relevant. The higher the altitude on Kilimanjaro, the lower the humidity. On Kibo – 200 mm, almost like in the desert. The prevailing winds are from the southeast. The northern slopes are less humid. The warmest time is from January to March. Due to fog, humidity and temperature, conditions above 4000 m are extreme.

Flora.
There are five main vegetation zones on the mountain. Savannas at altitudes of 700-1000 (southern slopes) and 1400-1600 (northern slopes) m, covered with sub-mountain forests, mountain forests, sub-alpine marshland and alpine marshes. Above is the alpine desert. The mountain forest surrounds the mountain at an altitude of 1300 to 2800 m. Forests above 2700 m belong to the national park. There is a huge variety of plant life in these forests.
The submontane forest dominates at an altitude of 1300-1600 m in the west and at an altitude of 1600-2000 m in the north: Croton megalocarpus and Calodendron capense; slightly higher dominated by Cassipourea malosana. On the southern and southeastern slopes at an altitude of 1600 to 2100 m Ocotea usambarensis dominates; above – Ocotea usambarensis, Podocarpus latifolius, Cyathea manniana, reaching a height of 7 meters. At an altitude of 2400 to 2800 m, Podocarpus latifolius and Ocotea usambarensis dominate. The subalpine zone consists of thickets of Hagenia abyssinica, Podocarpus latifolius and Prunus Africana; on the northern slopes – Juniperus procera, Podocarpus latifolius and Hagenia abyssinica. Erica excelsa grows from 2800 to 3500 m.
There is neither a bamboo zone nor a Hagenia-Hypericum zone here. Above 4,600 m, very few plants can withstand the climate: Helichrysum newii grows even at 5,760 m.. Herbs grow very profusely, dominated by Cyperaceae. On flatter areas grow: Agrostis producta, Festuca convoluta, Koeleria gracilis, Deschampsia, Exotheca abyssinica, Andropogon amethystinus, and A. kilimandscharicus, as well as Adenocarpus mannii, Kotschya recurvifolia and Myrica meyeri-johannis. Various types of Helichrysum can be found here. At altitudes of approximately 3000 to 4000 m, Senecio johnstonii cottonii and S. johnstonii johnstonii can be found. At such altitudes, Senecio prefers sheltered areas, and in alpine swamps is associated with another notable plant reaching 10 m in height – Lobelia deckenii.

Fauna.
View from the top of KilimanjaroIn the national park, incl. in the belt of mountain forests, a large number of species of animals live. 140 species of mammals (87 – forest), incl. 7 primates, 25 predators, 25 antelopes, 24 bats. The most commonly seen are Dendrohyrax validus, Sylvicapra grimmia and Taurotragus oryx which live in swampy areas, Tragelaphus scriptus Cephalophus natalensis above forest level, Syncerus caffer buffaloes often emerge from forests to plains and marshes. The remaining 220 Loxodonta africana are distributed between the Namvai and Tarakia rivers, and sometimes appear on the upper slopes. Insectivores live mainly above the forest level. Three species of primates can be found in the forests: Cercopithecus mitis, Colobus polykomos abyssinicus and Galago, as well as Panthera pardus leopards, to name a few.
Despite the fact that 179 species of birds live on the mountain, there are very few of them in the upper zones – among them: Gypaetus barbatus, Cercomela sordida, Cisticola hunter, Nectarinia johnstoni. The most noticeable is Corvus albicollis. In the forests, the species Cinnyricinclus femoralis should be noted, as well as the butterfly Papilio sjoestedti, also known as the Kilimanjaro swallow, protected in Kilimanjaro, Ngorongo and Meru, although in fact this species is found only in Kilimanjaro.

At the moment, there are 7 zones in the park: excursion (2700 ha), walking (3750 ha), walking (plain) (7723 ha), daytime (598 ha), wild (150657 ha), mountain (2510 ha), cultural protection (259 ha), administrative (62 ha).