Kilimanjaro Factfile
Chagga & Climbers - the peoples of Kilimanjaro

The lower slopes of Kilimanjaro - exceedingly rich in flora and fauna - have been inhabited by African peoples for hundreds of generations. It is probable that the first hunter gatherers were displaced by later waves of Bantu and Nilotic peoples. Today the main African tribe to inhabit the Kilimanjaro region is the Wachagga people. They are agriculturists and make good use of the fertile lower slopes to grow tea, coffee, bananas and corn.

Early European explorers and missionaries of the mid nineteenth century brought Kilimanjaro to the attention of the world. One hundred and fifty years ago Johannes Rebman, a German born missionary, saw the snow-capped Kilimanjaro and was later ridiculed in Europe for believing that snow could fall on the equator. Thirteen year later Baron von der Decken and British geologist Richard Thornton proved the presence of snow. Hans Meyer made the first successful climb to the summit in 1889. Since then the mountain has been scaled by hundreds of thousands of travellers via a myriad of new routes, including difficult technical routes, have been opened up.