Marangu Route

6 Days Itinerary

Day 1:

Marangu Gate (1,860m/6,102ft) to Mandara Hut (2,700m/8,858ft)

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be taken to Marangu Gate, where you will register with the park authorities and meet your team of guides and porters.
Hike through the rainforest zone, you might be lucky to catch a glimpse of the thumbless black and white colobus monkeys scrambling through the lush vegetation.
The trek on the first day is relatively easy, covering a distance of about 8.3 kilometers (5.2 miles) in approximately 4-6 hours
Reach Mandara Hut, which is the first overnight stop. The huts provide basic accommodation facilities.

Day 2:

Mandara Hut (2,700m/8,858ft) to Horombo Hut (3,720m/12,205ft)

The day starts with an early breakfast, before you set off to continue through the rainforest and enter the heath and moorland zone.
Pass by Maundi Crater, which offers a scenic viewpoint of the surrounding landscape including the border of Tanzania & Kenya.
The total distance covered on this day is approximately 11.6 kilometers (7.2 miles) in approximately 5-7 hours
Arrive at Horombo Hut which offers fantastic views overlooking Mawenzi, Kibo peak, and the Masai steppe. You will spend the night here. The huts are slightly larger than those at Mandara and offer better amenities.

Day 3: Acclimatization Day at Horombo Hut

Spend the day acclimatizing at Horombo Hut.
You will take short hikes to Mawenzi Ridge or Zebra Rock to help with acclimatization, before returning to Horombo Hut for the night
This helps improve your chances of successfully summiting.

Day 4:

Horombo Hut (3,720m/12,205ft) to Kibo Hut (4,703m/15,430ft)

The hike to Kibo Hut is challenging as it involves a steep ascent as you leave the moorland and enter the alpine desert zone where the landscape becomes more barren.
The trail passes through the "Saddle," a vast, flat area between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo taking around 5-6 hours to cover the 9.5 kilometers (5.9 miles).
Kibo Hut is situated close to the Kibo Crater, and it serves as the base camp for the final summit attempt.

Day 5:

Kibo Hut (4,703m/15,430ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m/19,341ft) and descent to Horombo Hut (3,720m/12,205ft)

This is the most challenging day as you'll make your summit attempt.
You'll start the ascent around midnight. After a short break at Gilman's Point (5,861m/18,640ft) you will continue onto Stella Point before making your way to the summit at Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Kilimanjaro.
The climb to the summit, approximately 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) can take 6-8 hours, and you'll witness a breathtaking sunrise from the top.
After celebrating your achievement, you'll descend back to Kibo Hut for a short rest and then continue down to Horombo Hut a total of 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) taking approximately 4-6 hours.

Day 6:

Horombo Hut (3,720m/12,205ft) to Marangu Gate (1,860m/6,102ft)

On the final day, you'll descend through the moorland and the rainforest.
The descent is approximately 20 kilometers and will take about 5-6 hours, and you'll arrive at the Marangu Gate.
At the gate, you'll receive your summit certificates and bid farewell to your mountain crew.

You now drive back to Moshi for a long overdue hot shower, dinner, descent bed and celebrations!!