Shira Plateau

A collapsed volcano you can drive to the edge of

Shira is the oldest of Kilimanjaro’s three cones and the only one that no longer exists as a peak. TANAPA gives Shira as 3,962 metres and describes it as the oldest peak, which collapsed and now forms the Shira Plateau — a broad, high, open shelf on the mountain’s western side with, in the authority’s own phrase, outstanding scenic beauty.

The plateau is high moorland: giant groundsel and lobelia, everlasting flowers, and enormous open views across to Kibo on one side and out over the plains on the other. At nearly four thousand metres it is above the forest and below the alpine desert, and it is one of the most distinctive pieces of ground on the mountain.

Large animals at four thousand metres

The detail that surprises people is the wildlife. TANAPA states that the Shira Plateau is inhabited by several kinds of migratory large mammals — it names buffalo, elephant and eland. These are not animals most trekkers expect to encounter above the treeline, and sightings are a matter of luck rather than expectation, but the plateau is genuinely used by them.

The park overall holds around 140 mammal species and more than 179 bird species, with white-necked raven, lammergeier and alpine chat common at altitude.

The plateau without a summit permit

This is the part worth knowing for anyone who wants the mountain but not the climb. TANAPA lists a Shira Plateau day visit among the park’s tourism activities, and it permits mountain cycling in two places: the Kilema route for summit-bound visitors and the Shira Plateau for those not going to the summit.

That makes Shira the one high-altitude part of Kilimanjaro reachable without committing to a five-to-nine-day trek. Altitude still applies at nearly four thousand metres and anyone arriving there quickly should treat it seriously. See mountain biking and day hiking.

The plateau on a climb

Three routes cross Shira. The Lemosho and Shira routes both start on the western side and traverse the plateau before joining the southern circuit; the northern circuit uses the same approach before swinging around the back of the mountain. Both Lemosho and Shira are entered via Londorossi Gate.

Shira Camp sits at 3,505 metres, a figure published by Coffman and colleagues in 2019 and one of the very few camp altitudes on the mountain with a citable source behind it. The long, gently rising traverse of the plateau is one of the best acclimatisation days available on Kilimanjaro, which is a large part of why the western routes have the reputation they do.

Common questions