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

The journey

Trip highlights

• 01 Climb Mount Kilimanjaro via the shortest Marangu Route
• 02 Take a side trip to Maundi Crater for views over Northern Tanzania and Kenya
• 03 Walk through the beautiful rainforest scenery of Kilimanjaro National Park
• 04 Stay in permanent sleeping huts at Mandara Hut, Horombo Hut, and Kibo Hut
• 05 Reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa

Hike the Marangu Route, the easiest and shortest route to Kili's summit, also known as the "Coca-Cola" or "tourist" route. Spend your nights in permanent sleep huts at Mandara Hut, Horombo Hut, and Kibo Huts as you make your way up the mountain. Along the way, enjoy Kilimanjaro's beautiful rainforest scenery, a side trip to Maundi Crater, and an extra acclimatisation day at Horombo. For added adventure, climb in the dark with headlamps or flashlights to Uhuru Peak, the highest peak in Africa, and admire the magnificent views from the summit.

For added adventure, climb in the dark with headlamps or flashlights to Uhuru Peak, the highest peak in Africa, and admire the magnificent views from the summit.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 6 Days

Tour type Private

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Included · Standard

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Cities Moshi, Mount Kilimanjaro, Marangu

Languages English, French, German, Spanish

Day by day

The itinerary

1

Day 01

Moshi to Marangu Gate and Trek to Mandara Huts

• Enjoy breakfast and receive a briefing from your guide.
• Leave Moshi at 9 AM and drive for 45 minutes to Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Kilimanjaro.
• Register with the national park and start hiking at 10:30 AM. Look out for towering eucalyptus trees, birdlife, and Colobus monkeys in the rainforest. These lower elevations can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and T-shirts should be sufficient, but keep your rain gear and warmer clothing handy.
• Stop halfway for lunch and reach the Mandara Huts at 2:00-3:00 PM.
• Unpack, rest, and enjoy some tea or coffee.
• Take a 15-minute side trip to Maundi Crater, an excellent way to see the surroundings, including Northern Tanzania and Kenya.
• Dinner is served in the early evening at 7:00 PM. Bathrooms with running water are available.

2

Day 02

Mandara Huts to Horombo Huts

• Wake up for a 7:30 AM breakfast and pack for your next trek.
• Break camp by 8:30 AM and hike for an hour through rainforest glades, then follow an ascending path through heathland, where you can look for giant lobelias and groundsels.
• Continue up into open moorlands, where small shrubs are the primary vegetation.
• Stop halfway for lunch and enjoy amazing views of Mawenzi.
• Arrive at the Horombo Huts by 3 PM, where you can see Kibo's summit.
• Rest, unpack, and prepare for dinner. Bathrooms with running water are available.
• You may start to feel the effects of altitude here. To aid your acclimatisation, you can choose to spend an extra day resting at Horombo or climbing to a basecamp below Kibo's sub-peak, Mawenzi.

3

Day 03

Acclimatisation Day at Horombo Huts

• Enjoy an extra day at the Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft), where you will spend a second night.
• Rest at the huts or stroll up to Mawenzi basecamp, then return to the Horombo Huts.
• This extra day will help you acclimate and better understand the mountain's weather and altitude.
• After this pause, you will continue up to the Kibo Huts on your fourth day for your midnight start to the summit.

4

Day 04

Horombo Huts to Kibo Huts

• Wake up for breakfast as usual, but if you rise early, you can get some great photos of the sunrise.
• Climb through the dwindling heathland, which gradually blends into a moonscape, as you enter the wide saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo.
• Stop for a delicious lunch. Later, as you cross this surprisingly large saddle, you can examine the summit climb up Kibo that you will begin in just a few hours. Be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.
• There is no running water at the Kibo Huts.

5

Day 05

Midnight Summit Ascent to Uhuru Peak and Return to Horombo

• Wake for a light breakfast at midnight, then prepare for your summit ascent. Climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise.
• Start climbing in the dark with headlamps or flashlights. It will be freezing until you descend, so you will need all your warm layers. This is by far the most challenging part of the trek.
• Leave at 1 AM and switch back up steep scree, or possibly snow, to reach Gilman's Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 5 and 7 AM. Here, views of the fabled crater and its icecaps greet you.
• Continue for another 2 hours along the crater rim near the celebrated snows to Kilimanjaro's true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 9 AM. This is Africa's highest point; you must travel more than 3,000 miles toward the Himalayas to find a higher peak. Be sure to have your picture taken at the summit to show your friends.
• Return to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your things, and recross the saddle to the Horombo Huts.
• Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep.

6

Day 06

Descend to Marangu Gate and Return to Moshi

• Wake up as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts.
• Have lunch there, then continue your triumphant recessional down through the lush forest to the park gate, which you should reach around 2 or 3 PM.
• Drive back to the Springlands Hotel in Moshi, where it is time for celebration.
• Transfer from the hotel to the airport to board your flight for your onward destination.

The route

Where you'll travel

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

• Two nights' accommodation at the hotel in Moshi, based on double or triple occupancy (before and after the climb)
• The first night includes breakfast
• The last night includes dinner and breakfast
• Qualified Kilimanjaro hiking guides with mountain crew
• National park fees
• Hut/camping fees and tents
• Tent foam sleeping pads, cooking equipment, and cutlery/crockery eating utensils
• Rescue fees (required by the National Park)
• Pulse oximeters
• First aid kit
• Salaries for guides, porters, cooks, and waiters
• Boiled water on the mountain
• Airport transfers (JRO - Kilimanjaro International Airport)
• All meals on the mountain (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Accommodation and entry fees on the mountain for guides, porters, waiters, and cook

What's Not Included

• Single room supplement at the hotel
• Tips for guides, porters, cook, and waiters
• Meals and drinks not specified
• Mountain equipment (e.g. sleeping bags)
• Gear for your climb. Some equipment is available for rent, so ask about the rental price list
• Car supplement of USD 145 per car for clients who go through Lemosho, Rongai, or Shira Routes
• Items of a personal nature (expenses)
• Emergency oxygen
• Additional nights beyond the two standard hotel nights included
• Extra activities (waterfall tour, cultural village visit)
• Visa fees and travel insurance
• Flight tickets

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point

Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania

Tour start

Moshi, Tanzania

Tour ends at the same location as the start point.