The highest mountain in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro which is in Tanzania. It has a height of 5,895 meters or 19,341 feet above sea level. It sits a long distance below the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest which has a height of 8,848m and is located in the Himalayas in Nepal.
It is most likely that you already know the place of Mount Kilimanjaro as the tallest mountain in Africa but there are other high mountains on the continent you probably have not heard about.
What is the Highest mountain in Africa?
1. Mount Kilimanjaro
- Elevation: 5895m (19,341ft)
- Location: Tanzania
Mount Kilimanjaro is famous as the tallest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world. Its highest point is Kibo Peak (5895m | 19,341ft).
The mountain is located in Tanzania in East Africa. This mountain has three volcanic cones namely Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.
Mount Kilimanjaro has been listed as one of the most visited places in Africa, allowing climbers from different parts of the world. According to statistics, the mountain has an estimation of over 50,000 climbers every year.
While some of these people have been able to climb the top of the mountain, others stop halfway. Climbing is usually allowed by the Tanzanian government.
Mount Kilimanjaro apart from being the highest mountain in Africa, it is also blessed with many resources. It is one of the few locations in Africa where the temperature can go very low and it also snows.
Other resources found are water and different species of plants and animals. It comprises rock (which is composed of silicon dioxide with large quantities of basalt and andesites), lava, and ash.
2. Mount Kenya
- Elevation 5,199 m (17,057 ft)
- Location: Mount Kenya National Park, Kenya
Mount Kenya is the second-highest and the highest in Kenya. It is an extinct volcano and a popular tourist site – with approximately 15,000 climbers yearly.
Despite the many visits and fame of the mountain, it has caused the death of many. For instance, it killed an extended US family on Holiday and two South African pilots in a plane crash.
The mountain is responsible for the death of over 150 people since 1985. The deaths are associated to:
altitude sickness and some even to suicide by jumping off cliffs.
Other problems leading to the death of people on the mountain are freezing weather and wild animals.
Mount Kenya’s peak is now the intersection of Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, and Tharaka Nithi counties. The highest peaks are The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 meters (17,057 feet)), Nelion (5,188 m (17,021 ft)) and Point Lenana (4,985 m (16,355 ft)).
In the surroundings, there are numerous plants and animals, including many endemic plants.
The mountain has also been designated a National Park and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. Mount Stanley, Uganda, and DR. Congo
- Elevation 5,109 m (16,762 ft)
- Location: Uganda, and DR. Congo
Mount Stanley is also known as Mount Ngaliema. It is a mountain located in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park in both DR Congo and Uganda. The peak forms the boundary between DR Congo and Uganda.
The Park where the mountain is located is named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The mountain is the third-highest in Africa mountain in Africa. It is a fault block mountain in the African Rift System.
Mount Stanley consists of twin summits and it forms Margherita on a tour to Uganda. Its peaks are Alexandra, Albert, Savoia, Ellen, Elizabeth, Phillip, Moeniu, Great Tooth, and Magheritah which is its highest peak.
4. Mount Speke, Uganda
- Elevation: 4,890 m (16,040 ft)
- Location: Ruwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda
Mount Speke was named after John Speke – an English explorer who mapped the source of the White Nile in 1862.
The mountain is the second-highest in the Ruwenzori Mountains National Park. It is also joined with Mount Baker and Mount Stanley – forming a triangle encircling the upper Bujuku Valley.
Around the mountain, there are many natural things such as water streams, rivers, and vegetation.
5. Mount Baker, Uganda
- Elevation: 4,844 m (15,892 ft)
- Location: the Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda,
Mount Baker is also known as Kiyanja Mountain or Mountains of the Moon.
This mountain is named after an English explorer Samuel Baker. It has multiple jagged peaks, with the highest called the Edward Peak.
6. Mount Emin, DR. Congo
- Elevation: 15,741 feet (4,798 meters)
- Mountain Range: Rwenzori Mountain Range
- Location: Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Named after the explorer, Mohammed Emin Pasha, Mount Emin is one of the most renowned mountains in Africa and the 6th tallest on the continent. It is one of the Rwenzori Mountains and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The mountain has two peaks Umberto (1574ft) and Kraepelin (15720ft). Mount Emin is on the border between Uganda and Congo. However, climbing the mountain has proven to be easier on the Congo side than in Uganda.
7. Mount Gessi, Uganda
- Elevation: 15,469 feet (4,715 meters)
- Mountain Range: Rwenzori Mountain Range
- Location: Uganda
Mount Gessi is found along the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is also found in Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
The mountain is well-known for its volcanic formation at higher levels and also harboring vegetation and animals.
Mount Gesi has twin peaks of Iolanda (15,470 ft) and Bottego (15,418 ft).
Climbing the mountain is accessible through the Rwenzori mountain climbing routes.
8. Mount Meru, Tanzania
- Elevation: 14,980 feet (4,566 meters)
- Mountain Range: Meru Mountain Range
- Location: Tanzania
Mount Meru is located in southeast Arusha Region in Tanzania. The mountain shares a proximity with Kilimanjaro, only 70 kilometers away.
The mountain is a dormant stratovolcano. In 1910, it had a minor eruption.
Mount Meru is one of the mountains with the most obvious changes in Africa. For instance, the mountain lost a lot of its height in thousands of years.
Regardless, the mountain is known for its fertile slopes which host many plants. The surrounding savanna has over 400 species of birds among other animals.
9. Mount Semien, Ethiopia – Ras Dashen peak, 4,550 metersRas Dashen, Ethiopia
- Elevation: 14,872 feet (4,533 meters)
- Mountain Range: Simien Mountain Range
- Location: Ethiopia
The ninth tallest mountain in Africa is Mount Ras Dejen (or Ras Dashen). It is also the highest point in Ethiopia, one of the only two countries in Africa not colonized.
The mountain is found in Simien Mountains National Park – the largest national park in Ethiopia. It is located in the Amhara Region.
The name of the mountain is in Amharic which is used by the system of the Ethiopian Mapping Authority (EMA). It means the general who fights in front of the Emperor.
Also, the mountain contributes to why Ethiopia is known as the Roof of East Africa.
10. Mount Karisimbi, DR. Congo, and Rwanda
- Elevation: 14,786 feet (4,507 meters)
- Mountain Range: Virunga Mountain Range
- Location: Democratic Republic of Congo/Rwanda
Mount Karisimbi is a famous high mountain in Africa. It is a stratovolcano in the Virunga Mountains which is situated on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The mountain is an inactive volcano. It experiences snow in some seasons.
Mount Karisimbi has other volcanos such as Mikeno Mountain, Nyamulagira, Nyirangongo, Muhabura, and Sabinyo.
Like many other high mountains in Africa, Mount Karisimbi is home to many plants and animals. It is well known for being a habitat of golden monkeys.
