One early-morning buzz around snow-topped Mount Kenya later, we landed near a glacial lake for a bracing bit of fly-fishing.

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Spectacular Mount Rainier is an active snow-capped volcanic peak that looms large to the south, dominating the landscape when not shrouded in clouds.

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The best place to stay is at the nearby Solio Lodge, a 35km drive east at the base of snow-capped Mount Kenya, which organises regular day trips to the park as well as activities including horseback rides, helicopter trips and spa treatments.

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Japan's near-symetrical snow-topped volcano, Mount Fuji, looks likely to become a Unesco World Heritage site, officials say.

BBC: Japan's Mount Fuji 'set for Unesco listing'

"Everyone has had to get tighter on their numbers, " said Jacob Silvis, a snow-removal entrepreneur in Mount Pleasant, Pa.

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In the acacia-dotted savannahs of the Solio Private Reserve, beneath the snow-capped horn of Mount Kenya, we were hoping to catch a glimpse of a solitary black or white rhino tending to its young.

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But it first attracted wide public attention in 2001 when Professor Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University forecast that Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) will have lost its famous snow-capped peak by 2015 if current predictions on global warming are maintained.

UNESCO: 83e