7-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Marangu Route Trek to Uhuru Peak

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you will be picked up and transferred to Springlands Hotel or a similar property for your overnight stay.

Overnight at Springlands Hotel (bed and breakfast) or similar.

Altitude: 1,800 m - 2,720 m

Hiking time: 4 hours

Leave Springlands Hotel at about 8:00 a.m. and drive 45 minutes to Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Kilimanjaro. Complete the necessary paperwork at the park gate, including registration. Begin hiking at about 10:30 a.m.

Hike through the rainforest from the park gate to Mandara Hut, which takes about 4 hours. Stop halfway for lunch. Reach the Mandara Huts at about 2 or 3 p.m. Unpack, rest, and have tea or coffee. Dinner is served during the early evening, at about 7 p.m.

A side trip to Maundi Crater, about 15 minutes away, is a good way to see the surroundings and enjoy views of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Bathrooms are available with running water.

Altitude: 2,720 m - 3,720 m

Hiking time: 5 - 6 hours

Wake up for breakfast at approximately 7:30 a.m. and pack for the next leg. Break camp at about 8:30 a.m. and hike to Horombo Hut. This leg should take 5 to 6 hours.

You will travel through lower heathland, where small shrubs are the main vegetation. Stop halfway for lunch. Views of Mawenzi are amazing, and the summit of Kibo can be seen from Horombo Huts.

Arrive at Horombo Huts at about 3 p.m. Rest, unpack, and prepare for dinner. Bathrooms are available with running water.

Altitude: 3,720 m - 4,720 m

Hiking time: 5 - 6 hours

Ascending, you now pass the last watering point, walking onto the saddle of Kilimanjaro between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. Vegetation begins with the upper heathland but gradually disappears into a "moonscape."

Dinner, rest, and preparation for the summit climb follow at Kibo Hut.

Altitude: 4,720 m - 5,895 m

Hiking time: 7 hours

Wake for a light breakfast around midnight, then prepare for the summit ascent. This part of the hike is carried out in the early morning before dawn so that climbers reach Uhuru Peak at sunrise.

Leave at about 1:00 a.m. and reach Gilman's Point at about 7:00 a.m. Climbers are rewarded with views of the crater from Gilman's Point, as it is on the Crater Rim. Another 2 hours of hiking brings you to Uhuru Peak at about 8:30 a.m.

From there, descend back to Kibo Huts, collect your belongings, and cross the saddle again to Horombo Huts, where you will spend the night. Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep.

Wake up as usual, pack, and descend to Mandara Huts. Have your lunch there and continue to the park gate, where your transport back to Moshi will meet you. You should reach the park gate around 2 or 3 p.m.

You will then drive back to Moshi for a long-overdue hot shower. Overnight at Springlands Hotel.

It is recommended to tip guides and porters, as this is highly appreciated at the end of the trip. Tips can be given to the main guide at Springlands Hotel. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reached Stella Point (5,759 m) are issued green certificates, and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) receive gold certificates.

Overnight at Springlands Hotel (bed and breakfast) or similar.

Depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania or Kenya. Zanzibar is a great trip to take after a hard climb. Other trips around Moshi and the Kilimanjaro region can be arranged at a reasonable price.