Tour around Africa: Stage 64 - Moi-Mombasa (HKMO) a Kilimanjaro (HTKJ)
MS Flight Simulator VFR Flight Plan
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In this VFR - GPS Flight Plan we take off from the runway 21 of the Airport of Moi-Mombasa (HKMO), fly to the northwest towards the Kilimanjaro mountain and land in the Kilimanjaro international airport (HTKJ)

In this journey around Africa I have used the Cessna 172S (Skyhawk)

Take off from the runway 21 of the Airport of Moi-Mombasa (HKMO).

Moi International Airport (IATA: MBA, ICAO: HKMO) is an international airport in Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya. In 2020, the airport was heralded as the "Best Airport in Africa" (with under 2 million passengers annually) by Airports Council International.

Moi International Airport serves the city of Mombasa and surrounding communities. It lies approximately 425 kilometres (264 mi), by air, southeast of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the country. Mombasa Airport is operated by Kenya Airports Authority. It was named after former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi during his tenure.

At 61 metres (200 ft) above sea level, the airport has two runways: Runway 1 (3/21) measures 3,350 metres (10,990 ft) in length and is equipped with an ILS instrument landing system. Runway 2 (15/33) measures 1,260 metres (4,130 ft) in length. Both runways are bitumen paved.

There are two terminals at the airport. Terminal 1 is primarily used for international flights, while Terminal 2 is used for domestic flights. Some airlines such as Kenya Airways use Terminal 1 for both domestic and international.

In September 2018, it was confirmed that Qatar Airways would be introducing four weekly flights to Mombasa operating with the A320. The first flight commenced on 11 December 2018, with a flight time from Doha of just over 6 hours. (*1)

Right after takeoff we turn inland to the northwest.

Some rain in our path. Flying towards the rainbow.

 

Approaching Ndara mountain (1,529m / 5,016ft a.s.l.) .
 

Passing by Mbololo mountain (2,220m / 7,218 ft).

Kilimanjaro mountain in the distance.

Flying towards the Amboseli park there are good views of the Kilimanjaro mountain and its highest peak (Uhuru).

Flying over the Amboseli park.

Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is a national park in Loitoktok District in Kajiado County, Kenya. It is 39,206 ha (392.06 km2) in size at the core of an 8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It harbours 400 species of birds including water birds like pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hamerkop and 47 raptor species. The local people are mainly Maasai.

The park protects two of the five main swamps and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semiarid vegetation.

Mount Kilimanjaro is in the background. In 1883, Jeremy Thompson was the first European to penetrate the feared Maasai region known as Empusel (meaning 'salty, dusty place' in Maa). He, too, was astonished by the fantastic array of wildlife and the contrast between the arid areas of the dry lake bed and the oasis of the swamps, a contrast that persists today.

Amboseli was set aside as the Southern Reserve for the Maasai in 1906 but returned to local control as a game reserve in 1948. Gazetted a national park in 1974 to protect the core of this unique ecosystem, it was declared a UNESCO site in 1991. The park earned $3.5 m (€2.9 m) in 2005. On 29 September 2005, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki declared that control of the park should pass from the Kenya Wildlife Service to the Olkejuado County Council and the Maasai tribe. Some observers saw this as a political favour in advance of a vote on a new Kenyan constitution; legal challenges are currently in court. The degazetting would divert park admission fees directly to the county council with shared benefits to the Maasai immediately surrounding the park. (*1)

Now flying towards the Kilimanjaro and entering Tanzania.

Ascending towards the Uhuru peak (5,895m / 19,340 ft). Due to the altitude limitation of the Cessna 172S it is not possible to fly over the summit, so we limit to ascending as much as possible and passing over one of the slopes.

The summit of the Kilimanjaro from the highest altitude the Cessna 172S can fly.

Mount Kilimanjaro (/ˌkɪlɪmənˈdʒɑːroʊ/) is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, situated at 5,895 m (19,341 ft) above sea level and 4,900 m (16,100 ft) above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere and the fourth most topographically prominent peak on Earth.

Kilimanjaro's southern and eastern slopes served as the home of the Chagga Kingdoms until their abolition in 1963 by Julius Nyerere. The origin and meaning of the name Kilimanjaro is unknown, but may mean "mountain of greatness" or "unclimbable". Although described in classical sources, German missionary Johannes Rebmann is credited as the first European to report the mountain's existence, in 1848. After several European attempts, Hans Meyer reached Kilimanjaro's highest summit in 1889.

The mountain was incorporated into Kilimanjaro National Park in 1973. As one of the Seven Summits, Kilimanjaro is a major hiking and climbing destination. There are seven established routes to Uhuru Peak, the mountain's highest point. Although not as technically challenging as similar mountains, the prominence of Kilimanjaro poses a serious risk of altitude sickness.

One of several mountains arising from the East African Rift, Kilimanjaro was formed from volcanic activity over 2 million years ago. Its slopes host montane forests and cloud forests. Multiple species are endemic to Mount Kilimanjaro, including the giant groundsel Dendrosenecio kilimanjari. The mountain possesses a large ice cap and the largest glaciers in Africa, including Credner Glacier, Furtwängler Glacier, and the Rebmann Glacier. This ice cap is rapidly shrinking, with over 80% lost in the 20th century. The cap is projected to disappear entirely by the mid-21st century. (*1)

 
Mount Meru and Arusha National Park, some miles away  to the west from Kilimanjaro.

Mount Meru is a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Kilimanjaro in southeast Arusha Region, Tanzania. At a height of 4,562.13 metres (14,968 ft), it is visible from Mount Kilimanjaro on a clear day, and is the fifth-highest of the highest mountain peaks of Africa, dependent on definition.

Mount Meru is located just north of the city of Arusha, in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. It is the second-highest mountain in Tanzania, after Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Meru is also the highest mountain/point in Arusha Region. The Momella route – which starts at Momella gate, on the eastern side of the mountain – is used to climb Mount Meru.

Mount Meru's lavas are alkaline in character and include nephelinite. Much of the mountain's height was lost about 7,800 years ago due to a summit collapse. Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption in 1910. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity. Mount Meru's caldera is 2.2 miles (3.5 km) wide.

Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, as well as monkeys and leopards.

The movie Hatari! was filmed at the foot of Mountain Meru. (*1)

Mount Meru's caldera.

Mount Meru's caldera is 2.2 miles (3.5 km) wide. Much of the mountain's height was lost about 7,800 years ago due to a summit collapse.

Flying over the city of Arusha while descending towards our destination.

Arusha is a Tanzania region, with a population of 2,356,255 per 2022 census. Its capital city, referred to as Arusha city, is populated with over 617,631 people.

Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha region has a temperate climate. The region is close to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru in the Arusha National Park.

The region is a major international diplomatic hub. It hosts the African Court of the African Union and is the capital of the East African Community. From 1994 to 2015, the region also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, but that entity has ceased operations. Currently, it hosts one of the branches of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.

Arusha is a multicultural region with a majority Tanzanian population of mixed backgrounds: indigenous African, Arab-Tanzanian and Indian-Tanzanian population, plus a small European and North American minority population. Religions of the Arusha region population include Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. (*1)

Final approach to runway 09 of the Kilimanjaro international airport (HTKJ).

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(*1) Credits: The descriptive texts are mainly an excerpt of those provided by Wikipedia. Visit Wikipedia to read the full descriptions.