Much has been written about Kilimanjaro – about its great beauty and the gruelling ascent to its summit. Less often has Kilimanjaro received the treatment it deserves in film.
On this page, we’ve highlighted some of our favourite clips of Kilimanjaro, from professional documentaries to amateur film diaries.
Kilimanjaro documentaries
Directed by David Breashears and originally broadcast at the IMAX cinema, Kilimanjaro: To The Roof of Africa remains the most impressive documentary on Kilimanjaro to date. The 40-minute film follows five climbers to the summit of Kilimanjaro, and features spectacular footage throughout. The full video is available on DVD.
A rather more dry but nevertheless informative American documentary on Kilimanjaro, with an emphasis on Kilimanjaro’s retreating glaciers, produced by PBS Nova. The narration is poor, but the footage stunning and the message important.
The Extreme Africa event was organised by our own Jeremy Gane and took place in June 2002. One of the toughest extreme sports events ever devised, it saw eight challengers climb three mountains (Kilimanjaro, Meru and Longido) and run the equivalent of four marathons over the course of two weeks, in the intense Tanzanian climate. This half hour film, commissioned by the MS Society, documents the event. (See also our 2009 Kilimanjaro climb for Comic Relief).
Kilimanjaro climb journals
There are innumerable amateur video journals of Kilimanjaro. This clip by Patti Schulze is among our favourites – it offers a great insight into the highs and lows of a week on the mountain, as well as some lovely photos.
Photo tours / time-lapse photography
Time-lapse photography really brings out the changing colours and the beauty of Kilimanjaro. Here are a few of our favourite clips: