Tanzania Mountain Climbing
The East African mountains have created a micro-climate around themselves and the
rain-shadow created to their South and East supplies the beautiful and superbly fertile land
in which the towns of Moshi and Arusha are situated, full of banana groves and coffee
plantations. Tanzania contains two of the highest peaks in Africa, Mount Meru,
and the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. Climbing these peaks is the dream of
many visitors to Tanzania. The first European to record a sighting
of Meru was the German explorer, Karl von der Decken, who
reached this area in 1862. The mountain was later
seen and described by other explorers,
including Gustav Fischer in 1882,
and Joseph Thompson the
following year.
Tanzania's Usambara Mountains are a beautiful series of mountain ranges between Moshi in the west and
Tanga in the east. They are home to an unspoiled tropical forest that is very rare in eastern Africa
and of great ecological interest. Some of the tops rise to well over 2000m where between steep
cliffs and rocky hilltops are set small communities of the pastoral Usambani tribe. Mount
Oldonyo Lengai, Ngrongoro highlands, Uluguru and Udzungwa mountains provide the best
hiking experience Tanzania has to offers. |