The Marangu Route is the most popular route up Mount Kilimanjaro, and also considerably easier than any of the other trips to the summit. Climbers usually cover the 34km each way over a period of at least four or five nights on the mountain, making use of three stages of wooden huts for overnight accommodation en route.
Day 1: Arusha to Marangu gate (1860m) to Mandara Hut (2700m)
Climate: Montane forest
Distance: about 8kms
Time taken: about 3-4hrs
Early in the morning after delicious breakfast at your lodge/hotel, depart for registration and trekking arrangement at Marangu gate. There you will find our professional English-speaking Mountain guide, Chef and porters who will help you all days at Kilimanjaro. Through mountane forest you will enjoy to see birdlife, colobus monkey and eucalyptus tree species. Recommended to eat and drink well to compensate the lost water through sweating. Shorts and t-shirt usually will suffice at this altitude but you have to keep your rain gear and warm clothes in your daypack just in case. You will stop for lunch in halfway through your trek before continue to mandara hut.
Day 2: Mandara Hut (2700m) to Horombo (Hut 3750m)
Climate: Moorland
Distance: about 11kms
Time taken: barely 7hrs
Rise and shine in the morning at Mandara hut, after enjoy hot breakfast prepared by our Chef; you will continue to ascend heading to Horombo hut through the moorland climate. Your trek began through ascending tropical rainforest glades before ascending through heathland and on into the open moorland, where vegetation is spurse with small shrubs. Stop halfway for lunch overlooking the view of mawenzi. You will arrive at horombo huts around 3pm.
Day 3: Acclimatization Day
You may beging to feel the effects of altitude at Horombo, this is why Gideon Tanzania Safaris we use this day as an aid to your acclimatization. Depend on how you are feeling , your guide will recommend whether to stay in hut or hiking up to mawenzi base camp and return to Horombo huts for the second night.
Day 4: Horombo Hut (3750m) to Kibo Hut (4690m)
Climate: Alpine desert
Distance: about 8kms
Time taken: about 4hrs
In the morning after breakfast at Horombo huts, kip on ascend to Kibo hut across the Alpine desert climate, together with guide, Chef and Porters. They day treakbeging through the heathland and quickly turn into moonscape when you enter the saddle between Kibo and Mawenzi. Stopover in the mid of the journey for lunch, whereby you will start to see the summit and prepare your body to face.
Day 5: Summit day, Kibo hut (4690m) to Uhuru Peak (5895m)
Climate: Glacial
Distance: about 6kms ascending and 8kms descending
Time taken: about 5hrs ascending and 9hrs descending
Rise up early in the mid-night for summit ascent. Start trekking around 1 am in the night aiming to summit in 7 am in the morning. From Gillman’s Point you 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 you will be able to spend, taking photographs, before the 3 hour descent back to Kibo hut. The return to Horombo hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent. The total time spent walking on this day is around 14 hours, so be prepared for a very tough day. Later in the evening you enjoy your last dinner (with soft drinks and beer for sale at the camp office) on the mountain and a well-earned sleep, filled with memories and stirring emotions.
Day 6: Horombo Hut (3750m) to Mandara hut (2700m) to Marangu gate (1860m)
Climate: Moorland to Montane forest
Distance: About 18kms
Time taken: about 7hrs
Wake up early in the morning for breakfast, then descending through moorland to mandara huts for lunch. It is strongly recommended not to pay your porters any tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely. Click here for more info on tips. At Marangu gate you sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Gillman’s Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m), receive gold certificates. You now drive back Arusha for a long overdue hot shower, dinner and celebrations.