Driving to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is one of the most thrilling ways of getting to the conservation area. The park is home to Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro it is also recorded among the 7 best summits in the world and it gives a challenging hike, the mountain rises to 5895m above sea level, mountain features different vegetational parts (Bushlands, rain forest, heath and moorlands). The park is found in the rainforest zone, straddling the country’s border with southern Kenya, it covers an area space of approximately 1,688 square kilometres, and it is home to abundant wildlife species despite numbers not being as much as those of the Serengeti National Park.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is a famous destination for mountain climbing, it was first gazette in 1973 as a national park during a time when the country was known as Tanganyika, it is being managed by Tanzania Parks Authority, animal species of the park include African elephants, leopards, black rhinos, lions, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, Kilimanjaro tree hyrax, grey duiker to mention a few and over 150 species of birds have been recorded in the park, despite these animals being present it is rare to see them.
Driving to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park depends on which direction you are arriving from, Arusha it takes approximately 2 hours to drive through the countryside of Tanzania, from Serengeti National Park the drive takes 4-5 hours while when coming from Lake Manyara National park the drive is about 4-6 hours. Driving can be done by your tour operator car types used include 4×4-wheel car drives to wind around the tough terrain of the African wilderness. It is more than possible to do a personal drive to Mountain Kilimanjaro National Park.
The other alternative is to fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport after which drive to the national park, the airport supports most international flights into Tanzania, and from here your tour guide can take you to the nest destination. It takes about 86 kilometres from Moshi town, and the park can only be reached by road as most flights stop in Moshi or Arusha.
The best time to drive to Kilimanjaro national park is during the dry season, this happens between the months of December –February and June- September when the trails of the park are much drier and easier to trek, this time is also regarded as a high tourism time hence expect more travellers coming in from different destinations, many people might be wondering on where they will sleep while inthe park well there is available accommodation ranging from the best budget to midrange facilities, most of these are within Moshi the nearest town to the National park.
Things to do in Mount Kilimanjaro National Park include mountain climbing, bird watching, mountain cycling, and wildlife views along the slopes of the mountain, to mention a few. These activities can be arranged through a ground-handling tour operator to ensure smooth times and less difficulty in making bookings.
In conclusion, Driving to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is one of the most scenic drives as pass through the coffee and banana plantations of the Chagga people, the backdrop of the mountain is not to miss.