Wildlife of Kilimanjaro National Park
The wildlife of Kilimanjaro National Park includes warthogs, hippos, impalas, dik-diks, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, and giraffes as well as less common elands and gazelles. Cheetahs, lions, and leopards are much in evidence as well as jackals, hyenas, monkeys, baboons, and mongooses.
The more exotic fauna of East Africa does occasionally venture onto the mountain. It just doesn’t happen very often, with most animals preferring to be somewhere where there aren’t 35,000 people marching around every year. So in all probability, you will see virtually nothing during your time on the mountain beyond the occasional monkey or mouse. Nevertheless, keep your mouth shut and your eyes open and you never know…
Animals are more numerous down in the forest zone than anywhere else on the mountain; unfortunately, so is the cover provided by trees and bushes, so sightings remain rare.
As with the four-striped grass mice of Horombo (see below), it tends to be those few species for whom the arrival of man has been a boon rather than a curse that are the easiest to spot, including the blue monkeys, which appear daily near the Mandara Huts and which are not actually blue but grey or black with a white throat.
Blue monkeys, these primate concentrations are highest in the clouded forest at the base of the mountain. However, the trees and bush cover is dense, so chances of seeing them are still pretty rare. The most commonly sighted primate is the blue monkey, which is actually dark grey, not blue. They aren’t as shy as other wildlife and can often be spotted along the Marangu and Rongai routes high in the treetops.
Colobus monkeys, these beautiful monkeys have a distinctive black and white coloring with a long bushy tail. Far more elusive than their blue cousins, rare sightings have occurred in the forest above the Mandara Huts.
Honey badger’s appearances can be deceptive. Despite its cute looking face and small size, the honey badger is a tenacious carnivore and one of the most fearless animals in Africa. They’ve even been known to attack lions.
Galago most commonly known as bushbabies, these long-tailed wide-eyed primates are most likely to be heard rather than seen a night. Their distinctive ‘shriek’ is unmistakable, and a little unnerving.
Four-striped grass mouse the further up the mountain you go, the less wildlife there is. Rodents however can withstand the harsh, barren landscape of the upper slopes. One resident is the four-striped grass mouse, which can also be found scurrying under tables in the huts on the Marangu Route. They actually look more like a chipmunk, thanks to the distinctive stripes on their back.
Large mammals long gone are the days when forest elephants and black rhinos roamed the forests at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, although it’s not impossible to still see the odd elephant in the north-east Ambroseli side of the mountain. Buffalo can occasionally be spotted on the Shira Plateau on the Rongai Route. Giraffes and occasionally lions have also been known to wander onto the lower slopes from time to time. Wildlife of Kilimanjaro National Park is stunning to encounter while on safari.