Wednesday, July 24, 2002
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Wednesday, July 24, 2002 |
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Visit Kilimanjaro without leaving Atlanta area By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
How would you like to see of the most amazing sights in all of Africa and never leave the metro Atlanta area? The IMAX Theatre at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History is showing the film, "Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa" through Sept. 20. Kilimanjaro is the largest freestanding mountain in the world at 19,340 feet. There are five distinct climate zones and ecosystems ranging from equatorial to arctic during the 55-mile climb to the summit, including rainforests, heath, moorlands, alpine deserts and glaciers. The film was made by the makers of the hugely successful IMAX film, "Everest," which ran at Fernbank several years ago. The film travels with trekkers led by a local Chagga guide along the Machame Route, deemed by many as the most beautiful trail on the mountain. The journey takes 11 days and allows audiences to experience the challenges of the climb and the mysteries of the mountain as well as a wide variety of animals that inhabit the lower parts of the mountain and the base. Kilimanjaro is one of the most popular mountains in the world. Each year more than 15,000 people attempt to climb the mountain to reach the summit and more than half fail. It was successfully scaled for the first time in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller. It is highly unlikely that one would be able to make the journey to Tanzania to climb the mountain this summer, but it is very feasible to take a journey to Atlanta to view this awe-inspiring film. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $9 for students/seniors and $8 for children ages 12 and under. Visit www.fernbank.edu/musuem to find out showtimes for "Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa." |
