Kilimanjaro National Park (Tanzania)
Kilimanjaro is unique in the pantheon of great mountains, in that it can be scaled by virtually anyone with the drive to do so -- no mountaineering skills or special preparations are needed, and most people entering this park are intent on conquering the summit (though only some 60% actually make it). Even if you're not interested in ascending Africa's highest mountain, the sight of Kili's snowcapped dome -- when she deigns to appear from behind the clouds that swaddle her for much of the day -- is a source of amazement; a result, perhaps, of the viewer being physically immersed in equatorial heat, while towering 5,895m (19,336 ft.) above the plains is the other-worldly glow of snow and ice. |
|