6-Days Marangu Route

Arrival at the airport 

Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro airport, you will be met by GATE’s representative who will take you to your accommodation in Moshi for an overnight stay.

• Destination: Moshi
• Accommodation: Your Pre-booked Accommodation
• Meal plan: Meals not included

DAY 1: Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut

After breakfast, we will drive to Marangu gate for registration and the start of the ascent. You will carry a backpack with essentials such as a camera, drinking water, extra clothing, skin oil, medications, a rain jacket, and other personal items that will be necessary during the trekking. The rest of the stuff such as food, water, tents and additional clothes will be carried by porters. Porters and cooks usually walk ahead to ensure your tents and dinner are ready on time.

After registration, your guide will provide additional information and begin your ascent to Mandara Hut through the rainforest saturated with beards of moss. The weather at Mandara Hut isn’t too cold and normal dressing and a warm jacket is usually enough. With the exception of Kibo Hut, the other huts have a group of wooden A-framed huts in a forest clearing. Each hut features 6-8 sleeping bunkers with solar-generated lighting. The total capacity of the camp is 60 climbers. 

• Hiking time: Approximately 5 hours
• Distance: About 11 km
• Habitat: Rain forest
• Elevation: From 1869m at Marangu Gate to 2715m at Mandara Hut

DAY 2: Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut

Early in the morning after breakfast, you will start climbing towards Horombo hut with your picnic lunch. From Mandara hut the trail passes through a short stretch of forest, and then heads around the base of the Maundi Crater where you will leave the forest and enter the moorland.

We recommend you take a short detour up to the rim of the Maundi Crater – from here you see the impressive Kibo Crater, and on a clear day you will also be able to see the glaciers of Kibo. This is a great photographic opportunity. In the moorlands you will also encounter some of Kilimanjaro most spectacular and strange plants in the open moorland – with giant lobelia and groundsel growing to heights of 3 and 5 metres respectively! Later in the afternoon you reach Horombo Hut to stay for hot dinner and an overnight. Temperatures during the night will be around freezing point

• Hiking time: 8 hours
• Distance: About 12 km
• Habitat: Moorland
• Elevation: From 2715m at Mandara Hut to 3705m at Horombo Hut

DAY 3: Acclimatization at Horombo Hut

To give you a better chance to conquer Kili, this itinerary gives you an extra day at Horombo Hut for better acclamitization. Today in the morning you will spend about 3 hours hiking 4-6 km (2.5-3.7 miles) and return to Horombo for your lunch. You will spend the rest of the afternoon resting and regaining your strength. 

• Hiking time: 3 hours

DAY 4: Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

At this altitude, the oxygen levels begin to drip considerably and the climb starts to become tougher. To begin the day you can take one of the two trails to the “Saddle”, located between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. We recommend sticking to the lower route, which is much easier and has the added benefit of taking you past the last watering point and it is strongly recommended to stock up drinking water adequately here. You can also buy mineral water at Kibo Hut but the next water point will be at Horombo Hut on your descent the night after the summit. Once again, remember to drink enough water through small but frequent sips. It will take 7 to 8 hours to reach Kibo Hut where you will rest and have dinner. This barren area experiences extreme conditions, with nighttime temperatures sometimes dropping below freezing and daytime temperatures being relatively high. This afternoon, prepare your equipment for the final ascent. You will need a ski stick, extra thermal clothing, and a functional headlamp and camera batteries with spares. Use a thermal flask for water to prevent freezing. Be in bed by 7:00 pm for a needed rest before the early wake-up call in four hours.

• Hiking time: 7-8 hours
• Distance: About 9.5 km
• Habitat:  Alpine deserts
• Elevation: From 3705m at Horombo Hut to 4730m at Kibo Hut

DAY 5: Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak and down to Horombo Hut 

This day will by far be the toughest one. You will be woken just before midnight and soon head off into the cold night up a rocky path towards the Hans Meyer Cave at 5150 metres – you may take a short rest here before continuing your ascent up to Gillman’s Point at 5685 metres. This is probably the most demanding section of the entire route as it is very steep and stony, there go slowly and carefully here. From Gillman’s Point, you will more than likely be walking through snow for the next 2 hours to reach the summit of Uhuru Peak at 5895 metres.

Cold and fatigue will set in quickly, so take a moment to enjoy your Kilimanjaro conquest and take some pictures before starting the long descent. The first part of the descent to Kibo Hut takes about 3 hours. After a short rest and brunch, you will continue for another 4 hours to Horombo hut where you arrive in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay, feeling proud and exhilarated.

• Hiking time: About 7-8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak and 6-8 hours to descend to Horombo Hut
  
• Distance: About 5.4 km to Uhuru Peak and 15km to descend to Horombo Hut
• Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
• Elevation: From 4730m at Kibo Hut to 5895m at Uhuru Peak, down to 3705m at Horombo Hut.

DAY 6: Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate

After an early and well-deserved breakfast, you continue your descent passing the Mandara hut, down to the Marangu gate – this will take the best part of seven hours. At Marangu gate, you will sign your name and details in a register. To make your achievement official, you will receive a summit certificate. If you reached Gillman’s Point you will be presented with a green certificate, and if you made it to Uhuru Peak you will have earned yourself a gold certificate. You will have a hot lunch at the gate, and a celebration with your mountain crew.

After signing out at the park gate, you will be transferred to a hotel in Moshi or Arusha for a hot shower, dinner and an overnight.  Otherwise, in the evening, you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight back home

• Hiking time: 7 hours 
• Distance: About 19 Km
• Habitat: Moorland + Rain Forest

Departure