Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain on earth, rising 5,895 metres straight from the plains in a single, snow-capped massif visible for a hundred miles. Reaching the summit, Uhuru Peak, requires no technical climbing, which is part of its draw: it is a long, high-altitude trek through five distinct ecological zones, from cultivated foothills and rainforest, up through heath and moorland and high-alpine desert, to the glaciers and volcanic ash of the crater rim. Several routes lead up — Lemosho and Machame for scenery and acclimatisation, Marangu for its huts, the northern circuit for quiet — and success depends far more on a sensible number of days on the mountain than on raw fitness. It is one of the world’s great walks and a fitting bookend to a northern safari.