Here's a startling look at the impact that climate change is having on the snow levels on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the "rooftop of Africa". All part of NBC's green marketing program, this video takes a look at the receding glaciers on the mountain, and it's not pretty. They have shrunk an incredible amount over just the last 7 years, and as anyone following the situation near the city of Arusha, which relies on the treks and expeditions as a major source of tourism, the glacier is widely expected to vanish by 2020, just over 10 years from now. Which such a short time horizon, I fear that even with tremendous efforts to reduce carbon emissions, we may be too late for Kilimanjaro's snow caps.

11/28/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Kilimanjaro, Africa, Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro, global warming, climate change, glaciers, glacier

 

From National Geographic is this short and interesting look at Mount Kilimanjaro. Also called the rooftop of Africa, this mountain in eastern Tanzania is the highest African summit and provides greatly needed local drinking water and tourist income for Tanzanians. There are some startling photos taken from NASA only 7 years apart that demonstrate the massive shrinking of the glacier, adding to the nearly 80% disappearance of ice in the last 90 years. We didn't summit Kilimanjaro, but we did see it from the air as we traveled between Nairobi (Kenya) and Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean, and from the ground in Moshi. It is still a sight to be seen and I hope scientists are proven wrong and that ice remains on the mountain past 2020.

07/24/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Kilimanjaro, Africa, Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro, global warming, climate change, tourism

 

If you ever wanted a 5-minute tour of toilets (aka loos, bathroom, john, etc.), the rooftop of Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - is as good a location as any! In this video, our female host guides us through one toilet at a time on the Shira Route portion of Kilimanjaro. It's quite an amusing and detailed look at one of the least discussed yet most memorable aspects of doing this trek and climbing the summit. Enjoy!

06/25/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Kilimanjaro, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, summit, hike, trek, toilet, loo, bathroom

 

Here's a poignant time-lapse video of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. As the "rooftop of Africa", the glaciers on the mountain are projected to be completely melted and disappear within the next 10 years or so, which would be incredibly sad. This was one of the reasons we decided to travel to Tanzania last year to do the Kilimanjaro Marathon - so that we could see and remember when this majestic mountain had snow...

05/08/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, glaciers, ice, global warming

 

What a neat clip, showing the capability of technology to provide great virtual tours! This video is of various Google Earth renderings of the Rongai Route up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. You can see not only the exact path taken from an aerial view, but each major milestone by day and explanation. I managed to hike Kilimanjaro in less than 4 minutes!

04/14/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, summit, hike, trek, google earth, Rongai