Kilimanjaro National Park protects the upper slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, from the montane forest belt above about 1,820 m to the 5,895 m summit. It was established in 1973, opened to the public in 1977 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987; it covers 1,688 km² in Kilimanjaro Region, near the town of Moshi and roughly 300 km south of the equator. The park exists chiefly for climbing. Seven designated routes — Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Shira, Rongai, Umbwe and the Northern Circuit — lead through the forest and moorland to the summit crater, and every group must be accompanied by a licensed guide and registered porters. Around 50,000 people enter the park each year, and in 2012–13 some 16,400 attempted the summit. The forest belt holds blue monkeys, colobus, bushbuck and duiker, with elephant, buffalo and leopard present but rarely seen. Day walks from Marangu Gate to the Mandara Huts and the Maundi Crater give non-climbers a taste of the mountain.
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