7-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Trek via Marangu Route to Uhuru Peak

• Get picked from Kilimanjaro International Airport/Bus station and transfer by shuttle bus to Moshi.

• Drop off at your hotel and enjoy the stupendous view of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Bed & Breakfast.

• After breakfast and briefing, drive to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate (45 minutes), register and commence the climb. 

• Walk through the rain forest to the Mandara encampment located at 9000 ft/2740 m. 

• A side trip to Maundi Crater is a good way to see the surroundings, including Northern Tanzania and Kenya. In the rain forest, look for towering Eucalyptus trees, birdlife, and colobus monkeys.

2740 m; 5-7 km; 4-5 hours; Montane Forest

• After about 1 hour, you will leave the glades of the rain forest and follow an ascending path on the open moorlands to the Horombo encampment.

• Views of Mawenzi and the summit of Kibo are amazing. Look for giant lobelias and groundsels.

• You will start to feel the effects of the altitude. (Here, an extra day for acclimatisation is recommended.)

3700 m; 11 km; 6-8 hours; Heathland

• After breakfast, start your hike up to the Mawenzi Hut. Just outside the Hut Area, you will find a split in the road. 

• Today, you will go right and pass the Zebra rock, one of the many landmarks found in the Kilimanjaro National Park.

• This day must be used to walk high and sleep low (the best way to acclimatize). Although this day can be excluded from your itinerary, it is highly recommended to increase your chance of reaching Uhuru Peak. 

• After reaching the Mawenzi Hut, return to Horombo Hut for dinner and rest.

3720 m to 4600 m to 3720 m; Alpine Desert

• Ascending, we now pass the last watering point, walking onto the saddle of Kilimanjaro between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. Vegetation begins with upper heathland but then disappears into “moonscape”. 

• Have dinner, take a rest, and prepare for the summit climb.

3700 m to 4700 m;10 km; 6-7 hours; Alpine Desert

• Very early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), commence the climb to the summit on steep and heavy scree or snow up to Gilman’s Point located on the crater rim at 18640 ft / 5861 m (4-7 hours). 

• Continuing, we ascend to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa: 19340 ft / 5895 m (1-2 hours). Unbelievable views at every turn get your picture taken at the summit to show your friends. 

• From here, we now descend, stopping for lunch and a rest at Kibo before continuing to the Horombo encampment for dinner and a tired but happy overnight (1-2 hours).

• This beginning of this climb is done in the dark and requires headlamps or flashlights. It will be freezing until you start descending, so you will need all of your warm layers. This is, by far, the most difficult part of the trek with many switchbacks. “Pole pole” and an optimistic attitude will get you there!

4700 m to 5895 m (and down to 3700 m); 4 km up / 14 km down; 10-15 hours; Alpine Desert

• After breakfast, a steady descent takes us down through moorland to Mandara Hut (2700m / 8858 ft), the first stopping place at the Marangu route. 

• Continue descending through lovely lush forest on a good path to the National Park gate at Marangu (1830 m / 6004 ft). At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy). 

• A vehicle will meet you at Marangu village to drive you back to your hotel in Moshi. Don’t forget to tip your Tanzanian guides and porters. It is time for celebration!

3700 m to 1700 m; 18km; 5-7 hours