8-day adventure The Marangu Route

All trekkers need to organise their own flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). From JRO we will arrange a private transfer to your hotel. That night or early the next morning you will meet your Guide  and have a full pre-climb briefing.

After breakfast we will collect you from your hotel for your transfer to Marangu Gate for registration. Our porters prepare and pack our supplies and luggage before we start our ascent on a cleared ridge trail through the rainforest. The forest, covered with mist and dripping with beards of moss, is also where most of Kilimanjaro’s animals are found. We will spend our first night at Mandara Hut, a group of wooden A-framed huts set in a forest clearing.

• Transport: Private transfer (1 hour, 40 km)
• Hiking time: 3 – 4 hours
• Ascent: 720 m
• Max. altitude: 2700 m
• Accomodation: Hut
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

From Mandara Hut the trail passes through a short stretch of forest, skirting the base of the Maundi Crater emerging into the transition zone from rain forest to moorland. After about 6 hours we arrive at Horombo Hut.

• Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours
• Ascent: 1020 m
• Max. altitude: 3720 m
• Accomodation: Hut
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

This extra day and night at Horombo is ideal for good acclimatisation. A hike towards Mawenzi, passing the Zebra Rocks on the way (about 3 hours up and 1.5 hours down) is strongly recommended as it will further assist with acclimatisation.

• Hiking time: 4 – 5 hours
• Ascent: 300 m
• Descent: 300 m
• Max. altitude: 4020 m
• Accomodation: Hut
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

We continue our ascent into the Alpine desert zone passing the last place where water is available at 4130m. From Kibo Hut, the summit is now a further 1195m of ascent. We will make our summit ascent tonight so we will go to go to bed early to get as much rest as possible.

• Hiking time: 5 – 6 hours
• Ascent: 980 m
• Max. altitude: 4700 m
• Accomodation: Hut
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

We will wake up around 23:30 hours, and after some tea and biscuits we shuffle off into the night, and this is where the going really gets tough. The first section of the trail consists of a rocky path to the Hans Meyer point (5250m), also a good resting spot. The path then zigzags up to Gilman’s Point (5681m), which is located on the crater rim. This section is very steep with a lot of stone scree, requiring a great physical and mental effort.
From Gilman’s Point we will normally encounter snow all the way up to Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa. Weather conditions on the summit will determine how long we will be able to spend taking photographs before the 3 hours descent back to Kibo Hut. After a short rest we gather all the gear we left behind for the ascent and head down to Horombo Hut, a further 3 hours. Later in the evening, we will enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

• Hiking time: 12 – 14 hours
• Ascent: 1195 m
• Descent: 2175 m
• Max. altitude: 5895 m
• Accomodation: Hut
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Your final day on the trek, departing after breakfast we descend a further 1740m to Marangu Gate to pick up your summit certificates from the Park Headquarters. Transfer to your hotel for a well-earned shower and celebration.

• Transport: Private transfer (1 hour, 40 km)
• Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours
• Descent: 1740 m
• Max. altitude: 3720 m
• Accomodation: Hotel
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

After a good night’s sleep in your hotel, you’ll have breakfast ready for your 11 a.m. check-out. (If you want to stay in the hotel during the day, let us know when you book your trip and we’ll give you a quote for a ‘day room,’ which allows you to stay until 18:00 hrs., and then make the reservation for you.)

Because this package includes an airport transfer, you will be picked up from your hotel and dropped off at the airport. Our Ihana safaris guide will meet you in the late afternoon to provide you with a briefing for those who have booked to go on safari.

After a much needed night’s rest, we will bid you goodbye. If you have arranged airport transfers with us or a safari / Zanzibar trip, we will collect you in the morning for your onward journey.

• Transport: Private transfer (0.8 hour, 40 km)
• Meals included: Breakfast