Are you thinking of climbing Kilimanjaro and conquering its peak? Well, if that’s the case, you better consider doing it rather quickly before Africa’s famous glaciers disappear!

You may wonder how this is possible since African nations are the ones contributing less to the climate’s deterioration and the worldwide rise of temperatures that occur in the last decades, a phenomenon that is going to be the number one issue in the years to follow. Well, this article will give you a clearer picture along with some tips to organize your trip while you still have time.

So, follow through.

WMO’s report predicts a bleak future for Africa

A great concern is triggered by the World Meteorological Organization’s latest report on Africa’s climate state. The report predicts that Africa’s well-known glaciers (in Mountains Kilimanjaro, Kenya, and Rwenzori) will disappear by 2040, and the effects of climate change are expected to reduce Africa’s GDP by 3% by 2050. Africa’s future picture is presented to be really bleak since the continent will have to adapt to more and more frequent natural disasters like floods and droughts, as estimated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

As Petteri Taalas, the WMO’s general secretary, stated in a foreword to the report,

“the rapid shrinking of the last remaining glaciers in eastern Africa, which are expected to melt entirely in the near future, signals the threat of imminent and irreversible change to the Earth system.”

How Africa is Impacted by the Climate Change

The bizarre thing is that despite the low merit that African nations have in global greenhouse gas emissions (it has been measured to be less than 4 percent), they suffer the most from the world’s current climate change. Environmental pollution and the greenhouse effect create a domino effect on the continent; floods are getting worse, droughts are becoming more intense and last longer, and temperatures continue to escalate in the thermometers.

As a result, Africa’s glaciers, nature’s creation that has long been an object of awe, are receding at a high speed, a condition that will lead to their disappearance within two decades, according to another relevant report issued by the U.N. This in turn, will affect the living conditions of millions of African residents the majority of whom live under a $1.9 a day. People will have to face even more challenges in the future to obtain food for their families, along with struggling with political instability and economic or health crises. Famine stemming from climate shift, in particular, is expected to threaten more than 1.5 million Africans and force so many others to leave their homes due to climate disasters.

The extinction of African glaciers — that rise above the otherwise steamy tropics of the continent – and that are found in Tanzania (Mount Kilimanjaro), in Kenya (Mount Kenya) and between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Rwenzori Mountains) is already happening day by day, inch by inch and will culminate soon if urgent measures are not taken. Mount Kenya, in particular, is expected to vanish a decade earlier, being the physical manifestation of human-induced climate change and one of the first entire mountain ranges to lose glaciers.  

Tips to Consider if Thinking of Traveling to Kilimanjaro

Going on a mountain climb to Kilimanjaro can be a revitalizing and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To make the most of it, however, take into account the following tips:

• Since you are going to climb, make sure you have a government-approved guide, and you do it within a group. It will be safer and more amusing; Tanzanian porters tend to keep spirits high with Swahili songs and humor.
• Climbing Kilimanjaro Company comes with guides, porters, and cooks, while supplementary equipment like tents and emergency gear (e.g., stretchers, supplemental oxygen, and hyperbaric chambers) are also available.
• To enjoy the best view, organize your trip during summer and especially in June, which is the clearest month. But, dress very warmly because, despite the good visibility, the cold is more intense, with rainy and snowy days of severe wind chill.
• There are some Kilimanjaro climbs that need only up to five days. However, a slower climbing pace allows you to better acclimate to the altitude and thus increases your chances of conquering the summits.
• Treating yourself after the climb is equally important. Following your mountain adventure, you can choose to go on one of the Tanzania Safaris in Tarangire National Park or at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. And if you have more time, you can always prefer to enjoy the wild fauna on a longer safari. The choice is yours.
• Last but most important, do it soon because, as things are unfolding, unfortunately, there won’t be any glaciers left to see.