Mount Kilimanjaro rises majestically from a rolling plain close to the Indian Ocean -- from a hot, tropical savanna to a barren, frigid peak (19,340 ft.).

It's the highest mountain in Africa.

Kilimanjaro stands 205 miles south of the equator, on the northern boundary of Tanzania.

Equatorial to arctic conditions are present on Kilimanjaro.

The journey through different climates begins with the warm, dry plains where average temperatures are around 85F. Continuing up the mountain, one finds an area of wet tropical forestland. Further up the mountain, one experiences ecosystems of decreasing average air temperatures and decreasing average rainfall. At the summit, permanent ice and freezing temperatures persist year round-- although global warming is causing these glaciers to break up and melt. This melting is a recent phenomenon that is taking place on glaciers all around the world.