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Kilimanjaro:
Trek up the World's Largest Free-Standing Mountain Pole! Pole!' chant the
Chagga guides during treks up Mount Kilimanjaro. Meaning
'Slowly! Slowly!î in Swahili, this phrase is a mantra
the guides use to remind trekkers to tread cautiously as
they ascend the great mountain. Every year 15,000 people
attempt to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro, and almost half
fail. Located 3 miles south of the equator in Tanzania,
Kilimanjaro is the largest freestanding mountain in the
world at 19,340 feet, so it's no wonder why explorers travel
here to scale Africa's 'Mountain of Greatness.' Join a team of trekkers as
they travel to the roof of Africa in the new large-format
film Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa. Photographed in the
world's largest and most evocative motion picture format,
this film allows audiences to experience up close the
immense distances, the countless challenges and the profound
mysteries of Mount Kilimanjaro. There are many routes
leading up the mountain, ranging in level of skill from
basic trekking, walking or hiking, to professional
mountaineering, which occurs on steeper trails and requires
rope and hardware. Although Kilimanjaro is not a challenge
for seasoned mountaineers, the more than 55-mile climb is a
test of endurance and the ability to adjust to the
mountain's drastic climate changes is critical. In the film the trekkers
travel along the Machame Route, deemed the most beautiful
trail on the mountain. During their 11-day journey, the
trekkers experience the conditions of five climactic zones
ranging from equatorial to arctic. Once the Machame Route
ends, they continue their trek to the summit on the
challenging Arrow Glacier Route. No matter which path
visitors choose to ascend, they must first obtain a permit,
pay fees and hire a guide. Kilimanjaro climbers are not
allowed on the mountain without a guide. Although supplies
can be rented on site, it is best to bring along the most
standard equipment, such as sleeping bags and cooking
gear. While the mountain is open
to visitors year round, the best months to climb are
January, February, August and September during the drier
seasons when the skies are fairly clear. January and
February are warmer, while August and September are cooler.
Kilimanjaro's heaviest rainy season occurs from March
through June. During this time the summit is often covered
with clouds; snow falls in the higher altitude and rain at
lower altitudes. A shorter rainy season occurs October
through December that typically brings afternoon
thunderstorms. Evenings and mornings are generally
clear. The large-format film
Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa is an adventure of the
human spirit that follows the journey of five trekkers led
by a local Chagga guide up the mountain. The film is
scheduled for a March 2002 release, in tandem with a
National Geographic Society book, Kilimanjaro: Journey to
the Roof of Africa, authored by trekker Audrey
Salkeld. Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of
Africa is a David Breashears film produced by Kilimanjaro
Inc., in collaboration with the Houston Museum of Natural
Science; the Denver Museum of Nature & Science; Museum
of Science, Boston; and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. The
Houston Museum of Natural Science is the executive producer
and worldwide distributor of Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of
Africa. Travel from the
Amazon to the Antarctica The new large-format film
Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa takes its viewers to the
expansive slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro where they can endure
the exceptional conditions of this mystical mountain.
Photographed in the world's largest and most evocative
motion picture format, this film allows audiences to
experience up close the immense distances, the countless
challenges and the profound mysteries of Mount
Kilimanjaro. The area surrounding the
mountain contains rich volcanic soil in which natives grow
coffee and bananas. Common plants found in this area include
elderberry, veronia, begonias and colorful herbs. Impatiens
Kilimanjaro is an orange-red flower that grows nowhere else
in the world but in this cool, moist climate. Dense rainforests occupy
the first zone of the mountain. This forest zone receives
the highest amount of rainfall of all the zones, receiving
as much as 80 inches a year. Lichens, mosses and ferns
dangle from trees making a dense canopy that harbors
brightly colored insects, colorful flowers, hornbills,
colubus monkeys and leopards. On the upper edge of the
forest, smaller shrub-like trees begin to replace the tall,
straight-trunked trees in the second zone. The forest
abruptly opens up into an area of rolling, unfertile land
that consists predominantly of dense heather. There are
splashes of color throughout the heath zone ñ wild
gladiolas, wild iris, wild orchids and exotic, spikey orange
or yellow flowers called ìred-hot pokers.' In what may seem like the
setting of a science fiction movie, giant
prehistoric-looking groundless and lobelia lie on the boggy
grou n d o f t h e m o o r l a n d z o n e . T h e u n f a m
i l i a r - l o o k i n g t r e e s i n t h i s t h i r d z
o n e l o o k a s t h o u g h t h e y b e l o n g i n a D r
. S e u s s "! b o o k , a c c o r d i n g t o o n e o f t h
e t r e k k e r s i n t h e f i l m . A s a n o t h e r t r
e k k e r d e s c r i b e s i t , t h e p l a n t s l o o k
l i k e g r e a t c a n d e l a b r a s w i t h p o m - p o
m s on top.' The colorful flowers scattered amidst this
miniature forest seem like the only tie to actually being
someplace on Earth. Buffalo, elephants, elands, common
duikers and the yellow-crowned canary are just some of the
wildlife here. The fluctuation in
temperature causes desert-like conditions in the fourth
zone. Temperatures may range from below freezing at night to
simmering during the day. The alpine desert zone receives
only 10 inches of rain per year. Only the hardiest organisms
can survive this climate. Vegetation is slim, including moss
balls, lichens and a few tough flowering plants called
'everlastings.' Although not much wildlife lives here,
elands and leopards sometimes pass through. Thin air and
strong winds make flying too difficult for most
birds. Starkly beautiful glaciers
straddle gaping volcanic craters in the summit. This fifth
zone is almost completely void of vegetation due to its
arctic climate, except for some red and gray lichens
that have adapted for survival.
The arctic zone receives less than four inches of
precipitation per year, usually in the form of snow. The
presence of snow so close to the equator has often been a
fascination for explorers. However, many scientists believe
these glaciers will disappear within 15 years. The large-format film
Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa is an adventure of the
human spirit that follows the journey of five trekkers led
by a local Chagga guide up the mountain. The film is
scheduled for a March 2002 release, in tandem with a
National Geographic Society book, Kilimanjaro: Journey to
the Roof of Africa, authored by trekker Audrey
Salkeld. Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of
Africa is a David Breashears film produced by Kilimanjaro
Inc., in collaboration with the Houston Museum of Natural
Science; the Denver Museum of Nature & Science; Museum
of Science, Boston; and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. The
Houston Museum of Natural Science is the executive producer
and worldwide distributor of Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of
Africa. FOR INFORMATION
CONTACT Natalie Rivera
(Natalie@vollmerpr.com) Charlotte Lazenberry
(clazenberry@hmns.org) Houston Museum of Natural
Science (713) 639-4725 Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of
Africa Scheduled for Release March 2002
in David
Breashears' Latest Large-Format Film Adventure
Kilimanjaro:
To the Roof of Africa
in David Breashears'
Latest Large-Format Mountain Adventure
HOUSTON
(Nov. 15, 2001) . It's
like traveling from the Amazon to Antarctica in just a few
days. A contradiction of nature, Mount Kilimanjaro's vast
slopes host five distinct climate zones and ecosystems,
ranging from equatorial to arctic conditions. These zones
include rainforest, heath, moorlands, alpine desert and
arctic. Each zone occupies approximately 3,000 feet of the
mountain and boasts its own unique plant and animal species.
As the altitude increases, rainfall and temperatures
decrease, affecting the vegetation on each zone.
VOLLMER (713) 546-2230
