Flora and Fauna of Mt Kilimanjaro

One of the highest peaks at Kilimanjaro has a line of snow-capped mountains with rocks on its sides. The heart of Tanzania is home to a plethora of flora and fauna, which adds to the beauty of the place. It is worth witnessing them when climbing to such a height to witness the mesmerizing beauty of the mountain peaks. The final destination has 5 different environments with a different set of flora and fauna in the ecosystem. The details of the plants and animals to witness here are enlisted below.

Details of wildlife vegetation

1. Rain forest

The humid rain forest starting from 800 to 1800 meters is the place for sparse vegetation making the place colorful. It is fertile land due to showers and excellent quality of nutrient soil. Some common crops of the place are beans, yams, bananas, maize and potato. Some flower species of the place are elephant trunk flower and poisonous lantana. The place is also home to a delicious coffee plantation.

2. Heath zone

This place is known for shrubs with a maximum of flower plants, and this shows the colorful face of wildlife here. It reaches up to 2800 meters in tropical forests, and the plantation is mainly on forest humidity.  Here, veils of lichens, puff flowers, lemon-scented begonias are common.

3. Grassy moorland

This third layer extends up to 4000 meters with golden flowers, giant lobelias, and groundsel. Even golden daisy is suitable for the dry and wet weather here. The strange plantation is worth watching, and the plants can withstand even the hot and cold weather of the place.

4. Near alpine deserts

Cactus is common here with papery flowers. The soil here tends to get humid during the night, giving place to algae and fungus.

5. On arctic or summit

The place has huge blocks of ice, and here, lichens are surviving for years, withstanding the rough and tough weather. It grows slowly and, thus, is one of the oldest species here.

Wildlife details on Mount Kilimanjaro

The national park at situated at the foothills of Kilimanjaro, where 3 out of 5 animals are seen, such as elephants, cape buffalo, and leopards. In addition, blue monkey, white and black colobus monkey is also common.

Endemic species

People visiting this place wish to see endangered species such as cheetah, wild dog, black rhino, etc. The epidemic species are genet, civet, crested porcupine, Young Aardvark and Tree Hyrax. Some of the unique animals are found in this lowland place.

What are the bird options found in Kilimanjaro?

Tropical African birds like Hartlaub, Violet Turaco, Schalow’s Turaco, Narina Trogan and checked hornbill are common here. By supporting 5 distinct environmental conditions, the animals and birds have become adoptable to the situation. Therefore, they show different life possibilities.

These are some of the options you can witness here, along with the beauties of Mount Kilimanjaro. When a group and experts accompany the climb, it would be easy for you to identify the species here and get a close glimpse of them on the trek.

To get the latest updates visit our blog and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest .