This park is located in the northeastern part of Tanzania on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. It covers an area of about 756 square kilometers and includes all of Mt Kilimanjaro from 1,800m above sea level right up to its twin snow-capped peaks. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain peak in Africa. A dormant volcano, it has two peaks: the higher one, Kibo, reaches an altitude of 5,895 m (19,340 ft) above sea level, while the Mawenski rises up to 5,149 m (16,892 ft) above sea level. Kilimanjaro has an additional volcanic center called Shira. Interestingly, the mountain rises only 3 degrees south of the equator. However, its altitude ensures that the Kibo crater is snow covered throughout the year. The climb up the mountain is a very rewarding experience, and is a must for fit adventure-seekers. Experienced guides, accompanied by porters, lead visitors to the top of the mountain via various routes, passing through a variety of vegetation - forests, alpine vegetation, semi-desert, moorland - before reaching the icy top. Visitors can arrange such tours from Moshi or Arusha. The climbs can take anywhere from 5-8 days. While the mountain can be climbed all the year round, the most popular time is around December-January. April, May and November should be avoided, because rainfall is heavy at that time.