How High Did You Just Climb? Visualizing 19,341 Feet

If you’re trying to explain just how high Kilimanjaro is to someone, here are a few quick comparisons.

Taller than the 16 Tallest Buildings in the US Combined

Have you ever visited One World Trade Center or the Empire State Building or The Ledge at Willis Tower? The panoramas from these buildings are impressive, but they’re nothing compared to the Roof of Africa.

If you stacked One World Trade Center on top of Willis Tower and added the next 14 tallest buildings in the country to that, the structure still wouldn’t reach Kilimanjaro’s peak, which is roughly 110 feet taller than the 16 tallest buildings in U.S. combined.

In fact, it’s over seven times taller than the tallest manmade structure on Earth – the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa.

Roughly 7,000 Feet Higher than a Typical Skydive

When you fly out to Tanzania, your plane will cruise somewhere above 33,000 feet. But if you went skydiving tomorrow, your pilot would take you up to around 12,000 feet – less than two-thirds of Kilimanjaro’s height above sea level.

A short flight might not go as high as Kilimanjaro’s summit either, depending on a few variables. For example, it would be normal to fly up to just 18,000 feet in a midsize jet going from Boston to New York City.

Of course, it’s possible to parachute from higher altitudes. Interestingly enough, the first ever Kilimanjaro BASE jump occurred just a few years ago. BASE jumper Valery Rozov used a wingsuit to jump from the Western Breach Wall at 17,931 feet.

Kilimanjaro Compared to the Highest Point in Your Home State

Take a look at the highest points in the country state-by-state and you’ll see there’s no place in the U.S. quite like the Roof of Africa.

Denali, the highest mountain in North America, is the only peak that comes close to Kilimanjaro’s height, but it’s a remote, glaciered peak that requires a significant amount of experience and a multi-week expedition to summit.

The highest peaks in each of the other 50 states are several thousand feet lower than Kilimanjaro. Find your home state below to see how much lower your highest mountain is in comparison.