Animals On Kilimanjaro

Animals on Kilimanjaro, You have to be very lucky to see much fauna on Kilimanjaro. The more exotic fauna of East Africa does occasionally venture onto the mountain.  Most animals prefer 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 eyes open and you never know…

Forest and cultivated zones  Animals on Kilimanjaro
Blue monkey

Colobus monkey

Heath, moorland and above    Animals on Kilimanjaro
Just as plant-life struggles to survive much above 2800m, so animals too find it difficult to live on the barren upper slopes. Yet though we may see little, there are a few creatures living on Kilimanjaro’s higher reaches.

Four-striped grass mouse

Buffalo

Buffalo are occasionally seen, particularly on the Shira Plateau and the Saddle and near Kikelelwa Camp on the Rongai Route

Kilimanjaro bird life  

Hartlaub’s turaco Animals on Kilimanjaro

In the forest, look out for the noisy dark green Hartlaub’s turaco (there was one nesting near the first-day lunch stop on the Machame Route).

White-necked raven

Further up the slopes, the noisy, scavenging, garrulous white-necked raven is a constant presence on the heath and moorland zones, eternally hovering on the breeze around the huts and lunch-stops on the lookout for any scraps.

The malachite sun bird

Metallic green save for a small scarlet patch on either side of its chest, this delightful bird can often be seen hovering above the grass, hooking its long beak in to reach the nectar from the giant lobelias or feeding on the lobelias.

Lammergeyer

These are impressive birds in themselves – especially if you’re lucky enough to see one up close – though neither is as large as the enormous crowned eagle and the rare lammergeyer, a giant vulture with long wings and a wedge tail.

Alpine chat

The alpine chat, also called moorland chat or hill chat, is a northeast African endemic found in grassland and moors, mostly above 3000 m.

Silvery-cheeked hornbill

The silvery-cheeked hornbill is a rather large bird that lives in the forest, but also around houses and plantations. (It likes to eat fruit.) You may see them on Kilimanjaro, but you may also see them on the grounds of your hotel like we did.