Kilimanjaro National Park
- Flora, Fauna and Avifauna -
Climbing up Kilimanjaro takes you through 5 spectacular and distinctive vegetation zones.
Bellow is a description of the various zones and flora (Plant life), fauna (Animal life) and avifauna (Bird life) on the mountain. We have only included some of the enormous variety of what is actually on the mountain. Some species are rarer in the 'human' areas of the mountain and there is not much animal life above 2800m as conditions are difficult to survive in.
Coverage: 20%
Altitude: 800m to 1,800m (2,600ft to 6,000ft)
Precipitation: 500mm to 1,800mm (20" to 70")
This zone include cultivated land, grasslands and populated human settlements
Coverage: 21%
Altitude: 1,800m to 2800m (6000ft to 9,200ft)
Precipitation: 1,000mm to 2,000mm (40" to 79")
The forest area receives the most greatest rainfall on the mountain and has the supports a great variety of fauna and flora.
Flora
Camphor wood, fig, podocarpus, juniper trees, olive trees, ferns, old mans beard, llex mitis, Impatiens kilimanjari, viola eminii and Impatiens pseudoviola.
Fauna
Blue monkeys, colobus monkey, olive baboons, civets, leopards, mongoose, servals, aardvark, honey badger, porcupines, bushbabies, genet and tree hyrax
The forest zone ends immediately followed by the heath and moorland
Avifauna
Ross's Turacao, hornbills, mousebirds, trogon, robin chat, and bulbul.
Coverage: 19%
Altitude: 2800m to 4000m (9200ft to 13,200ft)
Precipitation: 530mm to 1,300mm (21" to 51")
The Heath and moorland are overlapping zones, also known as the 'low alpine zone', where temperatures can drop to below 0 degrees Celsius. Most precipitation here is from the fog and mist at this altitude.
Flora
Erica excelsa, erica arborea, protea kilimandscharica, kniphofia thomsonii (red-hot poker), helichrysum species, mariscus kerstenii, philippia trimera and senecio kilimanjari.
Fauna
Four-stripped grass mouse, harsh-furred, climbing mouse and the mole rat
Avifauna
White-necked raven, alpine chat, streaky seed-eater, alpine swift and malachite sun-bird.
Coverage: 20%
Altitude: 4,000m to 5,000m (13,200 ft to 16,500ft)
Precipitation: <200mm (<8")
This area receives little water and with the cold night-time temperatures and intense daytime sun plants find survival here difficult. Temperatures in the desert can vary from freezing at night to 100F in the day.
Flora
Asteraceae
Fauna
Lions (Shira Plateau or Rongai route), elephants, grey and red duikers, elands, bushbucks. Leopards, wild dogs, giraffes and buffaloes take day trips to this altitude.
Avifauna
Mountain, augur buzzards, crowned eagle and lammergeyer
Coverage: 20%
Altitude: 5,000m to 5895m (16,404ft to 19,341ft)
Precipitation: <100mm (<4")
Ice and rock are the main inhabitants of this zone. Nights are extremely cold and the day's sun is strong. The oxygen at this altitude is half of that at sea level. Almost nothing lives or grows.
Flora
Helichrysum newii
Fauna
Spiders and other insects
Avifauna
None
