Kilimanjaro National Park (Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Kilimanjaro, in Swahili) is a national park of Tanzania situated about south of the equator in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, near the region of Moshi. The park includes the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro above the tree line and the surrounding montane forest belt above . It was established as a national park in 1973. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987 and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa in 2013.
The Park Headquarters is at Marangu, about 44 Km from Moshi town and 86km from Kilimanjaro International Airport
The park generated US$51 million in revenue in 2013, the second-most of any Tanzanian national park, and was one of only two Tanzanian national parks to generate a surplus during the 2012–2013 budget year. (The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which includes the heavily visited Ngorongoro Crater, is not a national park.) TANAPA has reported that the park recorded 58,460 tourists during the 2012–2013 budget year, of whom 54,584 were foreigners.
History
In the early twentieth century, Mount Kilimanjaro and its surrounding forests were declared a game reserve by the German colonial government.
Fauna
A variety of animals can be found in the park. Above the timberline, the Kilimanjaro tree hyrax, the grey duiker, and rodents are frequently encountered.