Mt. Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain 5790 m and the highest free standing mountain in the world. Snow capped and shrouded by clouds, the local Chagga people called it Kilema Kyaro meaning 'that which cannot be conquered' or 'that which makes a journey impossible. Today, it is the dream of every adventurer to conquer its summit and stand on the roof of Africa. People who are in good shape can make the ascent to its summit in a matter of days, passing through five ecological zones along the way. The lower slopes of the mountain are defined by coffee and banana fields that end where the mountain’s forest begins. An average of 200 cm of rainfall a year make the forest home to some botanical treats. Tree ferns in this region are known to grow up to 50 cm, and giant lobelia often reaches 76 cm. At an altitude of about 2700 m, the forest gives way to grasslands and shrubbery, and elephant can sometimes be spotted roaming the high slopes. At about 2740 m life begins to recede, a result of extreme weather conditions inhospitable to anything more than small mosses and lichens.