Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro Mountain 

History

The name Kilimanjaro is thought to be a combination of the Swahili word Kilima, meaning “mountain,” and the Kichagga word “Njaro”, loosely translated as “whiteness,” giving the name White Mountain. Swahili is a local language widely spoken by most people in the East Africa and Kichagga is one of the many dialects spoken by people living on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The mountain was known to local Africans and non-Africans since antiquity. Many Non-Africans reported about the existence of a huge mountain on the East Africa coast. However, the first people in recorded history to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania were German geology professor Hans Meyer (1858-1929), and Ludwig Purtscheller (1849 –1900) an Austrian mountaineer. They reached Kibo on 6th October, 1889. Professor Han Meyer was his third attempt.

The mountain was known to local Africans and non-Africans since antiquity. Many Non-Africans reported about the existence of a huge mountain on the East Africa coast. However, the first people in recorded history to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania were German geology professor Hans Meyer (1858-1929), and Ludwig Purtscheller (1849 –1900) an Austrian mountaineer. They reached Kibo on 6th October, 1889. Professor Han Meyer was his third attempt.

Climbing record

The fastest ascent and the fastest roundtrip have been recorded by the Swiss-Ecuadorian mountain guide Karl Egloff. On 13 August 2014, after guiding a party to the summit the previous days, he ran from Umbwe Gate to the top in 4 hours and 56 minutes and returned to the Mweka Gate at 1,630 metres (5,350 ft) in a total time of 6 hours, 42 minutes and 24 seconds. Previous records, using the same route, were held by Spanish mountain runner Kílian Jornet (ascent in 5:23:50, roundtrip 7:14 on 29 September 2010) and by Tanzanian guide Simon Mtuy (an unsupported roundtrip in 9:21 on 22 February 2006). 

The female roundtrip record is held by Fernanda Maciel from Brazil in a time of 10 hours and 6 minutes. Her ascent time of 7:08 was broken on 23 February 2018 by the Danish ultramarathon runner Kristina Schou Madsen with a time of 6:52:54 from Mweka Gate. 

The oldest woman to reach Uhuru Peak was Angela Vorobeva (Russian) on 29 October 2015 aged 86 years and 267 days. The oldest man to summit the mountain is the American Robert Wheeler, who was 85 years and 201 days when he summited on 2 October 2014. 

The youngest person to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro is Keats Boyd from Los Angeles who reached the summit on January 21, 2008 at the age of 7. This record was equaled by Montannah Kenney from Texas in March 2018.

Wheelchair user Bernard Goosen from South Africa scaled Kilimanjaro in six days in 2007. In 2012 Kyle Maynard, who has no forearms or lower legs, crawled unassisted to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.