Interested in the highest mountains in Africa? It’s a well-known fact that Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa… but what about Africa’s other large mountains?
There are dozens of mountain ranges in Africa, from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. Africa also has some of the oldest mountains anywhere – the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa is believed to the oldest mountain range in the world, dating back around 3.6 billion years.
The list below shows the 10 tallest mountains in Africa, along with the country or countries they’re located, and their highest peak name and elevation in meters. Some of the mountains listed have additional peaks that are higher than other mountains, but to keep the list simple we haven’t included these. For example, Mount Kilimanjaro has a second peak, Mawenzi, which at 5,148 meters is the third highest peak in Africa, but we’ve only included Kibo, Mount Kilimanjaro’s highest peak (and, of course, the highest peak in Africa).
Another note about this list of Africa’s highest mountains is that in the Ethiopian Highlands there are a number of peaks (Tullua Dimtu, Ancua, and Kidus Yared) where surveyance is not robust, and heights on maps can differ by up to 500 meters. For this reason, we’ve only included the Rash Dashen peak.
So, with these caveats in mind, here is our list of the 10 highest mountains in Africa:
#1. Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Kibo peak, 5,895 meters
Situated in Northern Tanzania close to the Kenya border, Mount Kilimanjaro – also known as ‘the roof of Africa’ or simply as ‘Kili’ – is the tallest mountain in Africa and the highest freestanding mountain in the world, with the summit about 4,900 meters from its base. Kibo peak at the top of Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa.
This tallest mountain in Africa is a near-perfect cone 40 kilometers across, reaching almost six kilometers to the sky from sea level. The East African mountain is actually made up of three volcanic cones – Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, and because of it’s shape and ease of summiting has around 50,000 visitors attempt to reach its peak each year.
#2. Mount Kenya, Kenya
Bastian peak, 5,199 metres
Mount Kenya is the second-highest in Africa, and Kenya’s highest peak. This extinct volcano is located in the middle of the country, in Kenya National Park. The pristine wilderness surrounding this World Heritage Site is truly stunning, with lakes, glaciers, dense forest, mineral springs, and a broad range of African wildlife.
Referred to as ‘Place of Light’, Mount Kenya has three summits – Batian, Nelion, and Lenana, the highest of which is 5,199 meters. Like Mount Kilimanjaro, it’s possible for inexperienced climbers to summit Mount Kenya, and there’s a range of guided trek options available.
#3. Mount Stanley, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo
Margherita peak, 5,109 meters
The third largest mountain in Africa is UNESCO World Heritage Site Mount Stanley, located in the vast Central African Ruwenzori Range which forms the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The mountain consists of two twin summits and several lower peaks, and, like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, is high enough to support glaciers.
#4. Mount Meru, Tanzania
Socialist peak, 4,562 meters
Tanzania’s second-highest mountain, Mount Meru, is located 60 kilometers west of Mount Kilimanjaro, surrounded by the safari hot-spot Arusha National Park. The lower slopes rising from the savanna are fertile forests, home to abundant wildlife including leopards, monkeys, and over 400 bird species.
The mountain is actually a dormant volcano, and because of its lower height and similar shape is used by many people as a warm-up before attempting to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.
#5. Mount Semien, Ethiopia
Ras Dashen peak, 4,550 meters
In the Horn of Africa lie the Ethiopian Highlands – a range of rugged mountains that form the largest elevated area in the continent, stretching across Ethiopia and Eritrea, and cut in two by the Great Rift Valley.
The Western Highlands range from heights of 1,500 meters up to 4,550 meters at the Ras Dashen peak in the Semien Mountains, part of which has been designated the Simien Mountains National Park. At lower elevations, the highlands are made up of agriculturally productive and densely populated tropical savannas and grasslands, whilst the craggy and isolated higher elevations are home to large amounts of native wildlife and birds.
#6. Mount Karisimbi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda
Mount Karisimbi, 4,507 meters
At 4,507 meters Mount Karisimbi is the tallest mountain of the eight volcano chains in the Virunga Mountains, on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The chain is part of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift.
Mount Karisimi is one of the major sources of relief rainfall in the region, and, unusually for African mountains, snow forms on top of the mountain during the dry season (June to August). It’s possible for inexperienced climbers to summit Mount Karisimbi, though the hike is a tough three days through bamboo forests and steep climbs.
#7. Mount Elgon, Kenya and Uganda
Wagagai peak, 4,321 meters
Mount Elgon lies on the border between Kenya and Uganda, though its highest peak – known as Wagagai – lies on the Ugandan side of the border. The mountain is an extinct shield volcano and has an intact caldera which is one of the largest in the world.
#8. Mount Toubkal, Morocco
Mount Toubkal, 4,324 metres
Toubkal is the highest peak in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, in the South West of the country. The mountain separates the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines of North Africa, and Toubkal is an extremely popular destination with hikers and climbers alike.
#9. Mount Guna, Ethiopia
Mount Guna, 4,120 meters
Located in the Northern Amhara region of Ethiopia, Mount Guna is a shield volcano with a prominent peak. The mountain is the source of a number of rivers, including the Gumar and Rib, which flow down the mountain to form the wetland ecosystem around Lake Tana, an important freshwater source for most of Ethiopia.
#10. Mount Choqa, Ethiopia
Mount Choqa, 4,324 meters
Mount Choqa is situated in Northern Ethiopia, with its slopes cultivated up to 3,000 meters, and a further barren, non-forested 1,100 meters up to its peak.
Mountain ranges in Africa
Read all about Africa’s highest mountains and still want more? Below we’ve pulled together a list of all of the mountain ranges in Africa:
Algeria
Amour Range
Atlas Mountains
Aurès Mountains
Babor Mountains
Belezma Range
Bibans
Dahra Range
Djurdjura
Edough Massif
Gueltara Mountains
Hodna Mountains
Hoggar Mountains
Khroumire
Ksour Range
Mons Feratus
Mountains of Daïa
Mountains of Tlemcen
Mounts of Saida
Ouarsenis
Ougarta Range
Ouled Naïl Range
Saharan Atlas
Tadrart Rouge
Tassili n’Ajjer
Teffedest Mountains
Tell Atlas
Trara Mountains
Angola
Crystal Mountains (Africa)
Serra da Chela
Serra da Leba
Benin
Togo Mountains
Burundi
Albertine Rift
Eastern Rift mountains
Cameroon
Atlantika Mountains
Bakossi Mountains
Mandara Mountains
Rumpi Hills
Chad
Tibesti Mountains
DRC
Rwenzori Mountains
Virunga Mountains
Republic of Congo
Chaillu Mountains
Crystal Mountains
Egypt
Gilf Kebir
Gabal El Uweinat
Equatorial Guinea
Crystal Mountains
Ethiopia
Bale Mountains
Ethiopian Highlands
Semien Mountains
Gabon
Chaillu Mountains
Crystal Mountains
Ghana
Agumatsa Range
Togo Mountains
Tongo Hills
Guinea
Nimba Range
Simandou
Ziama Massif
Ivory Coast
Monts du Toura
Nimba Range
Kenya
Aberdare Range
Cherang’any Hills
Chyulu Hills
Eastern Arc Mountains
Eastern Rift mountains
Matthews Range
Nandi Hills
Ngong Hills
Ol Doinyo Orok
Taita Hills
Lesotho
Drakensberg
Maloti Mountains
Liberia
Nimba Range
Libya
Acacus Mountains
Gabal El Uweinat
Nafusa Mountains
Tibesti Mountains
Madagascar
Andringitra Massif
Ankaratra
Lavasoa-Ambatotsirongorongo Mountains
Malawi
Matundwe Range
Misuku Hills
Viphya Mountains
Mali
Bambouk Mountains
Mauritius
Moka Range
Morocco
Anti-Atlas
Atlas Mountains
High Atlas
Jbel Saghro
Middle Atlas
Moroccan Meseta
Rif
Tell Atlas
Mozambique
Bvumba Mountains
Chimanimani Mountains
Choa Mountains
Eastern Highlands
Lebombo Mountains
Matundwe Range
Namibia
Baynes Mountains
Great Karas Mountains
Klinghardt Mountains
Naukluft Mountains
Tsaus Mountains
Niger
Aïr Mountains
Blue Mountains
Nigeria
Atlantika Mountains
Kukuruku Hills
Mandara Mountains
Oban Hills
Sankwala Mountains
Shebshi Mountains
Rwanda
Albertine Rift
Eastern Rift mountains
Virunga Mountains
Sierra Leone
Lion Mountains
Loma Mountains
Somalia
Cal Madow
Cal Miskaad
Golis Mountains
Habeeno
Karkaar
Miskat
Ogo Mountains
South Africa
Drakensberg
Komsberg
Kouga Mountains
Lebombo Mountains
Magaliesberg
Makhonjwa Mountains
Sneeuberge
Steenkampsberg, Mpumalanga
Steenkampsberg, Northern Cape
Witwatersrand
South Sudan
Imatong Mountains
Sudan
Gabal El Uweinat
Marrah Mountains
Nuba Mountains
Tanzania
Albertine Rift
Eastern Arc Mountains
Eastern Rift mountains
Kipengere Range
Mahale Mountains
Mahenge Mountains
Mbeya Range
Nguru Mountains
Nguu Mountains
Pare Mountains
Rubeho Mountains
Southern Highlands
Udzungwa Mountains
Ukaguru Mountains
Uluguru Mountains
Umalila Mountains
Usambara Mountains
Uvidunda Mountains
Togo
Togo Mountains
Tunisia
Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
Jebel Dahar
Mogods
Tell Atlas
Chaîne du Thaljah
Uganda
Rwenzori Mountains
Virunga Mountains
Albertine Rift
Eastern Rift mountains
Imatong Mountains
Rwenzori Mountains
Virunga Mountains
And that’s our take on Africa’s largest mountains. Have you visited any of these stunning peaks? Let us know in the comments section below!
Mt Kilimanjaro is shared between Kenya and Tanzania. The article only mentions Tanzania. Please edit to include Kenya
Hi Bill, Mount Kilimanjaro is geographically placed in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenya border, but definitely not in Kenya itself.
I believe you know it is not shared between two countries. I believe you know any body can easily google mount Kilimanjaro and all sources will say it is in Tanzania only.
Nice job bro
What about Mount Ng’iro?