The Kilimanjaro does haver a global appeal. It is the highest mountain, snowcapped. Some kilometers to the north the second highest mountain in Africa resides, it is Mount Kenya. When the first travellers from Europe in the 19th century wrote about snow in Africa they did not meet with much enthousiasm. Snow, just south of the equator? Impossible.

Nowadays hikers try to reach the highest point of the mountain, everyday people start the climb. About 10% of those who start reach the top in the end. Many people fall sick, or do not have the stamina to continue. In the area south of the Mount the industry connected to the mountain has grown in a very strong way. Here you will find hotels, caterers, climbers, guides, wellwishers.

A few people from Belgium made plans to travel by hot air balloon over the Kilimanjaro. This book is the result of that attempt, their trials and temptations. The book shows the dire need of proper preparations started in due time. They encountered the problem of getting enough bottled gas to get the balloon floating. And the best site to start the journey with the balloon was not in Tanzania, but in Kenya.

Finally their plan came together. The book is well written, with loads of pictures.   

Walter Gansemans – Over de Kilimanjaro. Het verhaal van de trans-Kilimanjaro expeditie – 1991 – 159 pages