5 DAYS MARANGU ROUTE OVERVIEW
The Marangu route, also known as the "Coca-Cola" route, is the oldest, most well-established route on Kilimanjaro.
This is the only route that offers sleeping huts in dormitory-style accommodations instead of camping.
There are 60 bunk beds each at Mandara and Kibo Huts, and 120 bunk beds at Horombo Hut.
Guests are supplied with mattresses and pillows, but sleeping bags are still required.
The huts have communal dining halls and basic washrooms, ranging from flushing toilets and running water at the lower huts to long drop toilets and buckets of water at Kibo Hut. Many favor Marangu because it is considered to be the easiest path of the mountain, given its gradual slope and direct path. However, the short time frame of the route makes altitude acclimatization fairly difficult. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the southeast. Marangu is unfortunately less scenic than the other routes because the ascent and descent are along the same path. It is also the most crowded route for that reason.
ITINERARY
Arrival
Our representative will meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and escort you to tonight’s accommodations in Moshi. As local Tanzania our guides know the country with unrivaled familiarity, so you’ll be in good hands from the moment you land to the moment you leave.
• Transport: Private transfer (1 hour, 45km)
• Accommodation: Hotel
Day 1
MARANGU GATE (1860m) TO MANDARA HUT.
After breakfast, you will be collected from your lodge in Moshi and taken to the Marangu gate. Once the necessary paperwork has been completed, your trek can begin and you will soon be hiking through the dense rainforest. Alongside the impressive vegetation, you will have the chance to catch a glimpse of some primates as you head to the Mandara Hut. After a well-earned rest, your guide can take you to the Maundi Crater where you can enjoy the wonderful view of the Kenyan interior.
• Distance covered: 8.3km / 5.2mi
• Approx. time taken: 5 hours
• Accommodation: Hut
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 2
MANDARA HUT (2700m) TO HOROMBO HUT (3700m).
The day begins with an early breakfast. Shortly after you have left Mandara Hut, you will reach the timberline and then enter the heath and moor zone. Approximately 4 – 6 hours later, the Horombo Hut will come into sight, standing at an altitude of 3700m. From the hut, you will have fantastic views overlooking Mawenzi, Kibo, and the wide plain of the Masai steppe.
• Distance covered: 12.5km / 7.8mi
• Approx. time taken: 9 hours
• Accommodation: Hut
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 3
HOROMBO HUT (3700m) TO KIBO HUT (4700m).
Today’s stage is long and tough. The well-built trail passes the “Last Water point” which is followed by the so-called “saddle”. This nearly vegetation-less plateau joins the main summit of Kibo with Mawenzi. Today’s destination is the Kibo Hut which is usually reached in about 5 – 6 hours. Here, you will enjoy an early evening meal followed by an early night, as the night will be short.
• Distance covered: 9.5km / 5.9mi
• Approx. time taken: 7 hours
• Accommodation: Hut
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 4
KIBO HUT (4700m) TO UHURU PEAK (5895m)
& DOWN TO HOROMB HUT (3700m).
Today is “The Great Day” – the summit stage. You will begin your final ascent around midnight which will be long and strenuous. Passing the Hans Meyer Cave at 5220m, the climb slowly but surely goes upwards. At sunrise, you will reach Gillman’s Point (5681m) – the crater rim of Kilimanjaro – where the sun will slowly start to warm up the land. You will have soon forgotten the cold of the night and after a further hike of 1 – 2 hours, you will reach Uhuru Peak at 5895m. On your return to Kibo Hut, a warm meal awaits you followed by a 1 – 2 hour break before proceeding back down to Horombo Hut.
• Distance covered: 22km / 13.7mi
• Approx. time taken: 12 – 15 hours
• Accommodation: Hut
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 5
HOROMBO HUT (3700m) TO MARANGU GATE (1860m).
On our last day, we have a long trek mostly downhill through the tropical rainforest. Once at the park headquarters at Marangu gate, we collect our summit certificates. A vehicle will meet us here and drive us back to the hotel in Moshi.
• Distance covered: 20.8km / 12.9mi
• Approx. time taken: 8 hours
• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch Included
• Accommodation: Hotel
Includes
Depature
After a much-needed night’s rest, we will bid you goodbye. If you have arranged airport transfers with us or a safari /
Zanzibar trip, we will collect you in the morning for your onward journey.
• 3-star hotel accommodation before and after your climb on a bed & breakfast basis (Sharing basis)
• Transfers to and from the mountain
• National Park entry, huts, and park rescue fees.
• A fully supported climb (average ratio of support staff to climbers is 3:1)
• All meals and drinking water on the mountain.
• Access to first aid kit and emergency oxygen
• A certificate documenting your summit ascent
Exclude
• International flights and visas
• Tips for your guide and crew
• Travel insurance (you must be insured for trekking up to 6000m)
• Your personal trekking gears
• Snacks on the mountain
• Meals and drinks NOT on the mountain
• Airport transfer USD 50 per trip (up to 4 pax) and USD 80 per trip (up to 9 pax)
Options
• Additional hotel nights before or after your climb
• Single supplement
.
Add ons
• All Quality Mountain gears, and equipment can be rented
• Personal porter on the trip