5 Day of Mount Kilimanjaro Climb via Marangu Route.
Price starts $1,780 USD P/P
Zazu Tours guides trek up the Marangu Route, which is the easiest and shortest route to Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit and is known as the “Coca Cola” or “tourist” route.
This is the only route on mount Kilimanjaro with solar-powered sleeping huts and comfortable beds at every camp. The huts are communal, and each bunk has a sponge mattress and pillow. Bathrooms and running water are available at the two lower huts; basic men’s and ladies’ latrines are available at the last camp.
The dining area is usually shared by all climbing groups, often from several countries around the world. Soft drinks, bottled water, and beer may be for sale at the huts. Small bills of Tanzanian currency can be useful when you to purchase these items, but keep in mind the prices might change when you approach the higher elevation.
The minimum time to complete this route is usually 5 days, but you can do it in 6 days for better acclimatization. In case you choose to do it in 6 days, then you can spend your extra day resting at Horombo or climbing to a basecamp below Kibo’s sub peak Mawenzi.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival!
Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by one of our experienced driver guides, ready to greet and escort you to Green Mountain Lodge in Arusha.
Day 2: Marangu Gate (1,828 m) to Mandara Huts (2,740 m/9,000 ft.)
We meet our guides and porters after breakfast and sort out all our gear before we set off for our 1-hour transfer by road to the Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Mount Kilimanjaro, register with the national park, and begin hiking at around 10:00 AM. In the rain-forest, look for towering Eucalyptus trees, bird life, and Colobus monkeys.
Stop halfway for lunch, and reach the Mandara Huts (2,740 m/9,000 ft.) at around 2 or 3 PM. Unpack, rest, and have some tea or coffee. Dinner is served during the early evening at 7 PM. Bathrooms with running water are available.
Day 3:
Mandara Huts (2,745 m/9,000 ft.)
to Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft.)
11 km, 6-8 hours Heath-land
Today breakfast is served around 7:30 AM and after pack for your next Mount Kilimanjaro trek. Break camp by 8:30 AM, hike for an hour through rain forest glades and then follow an ascending path through heath-land where you can look for giant lobelias and groundsels. Continue up into open moorlands where small shrubs are the main vegetation. Stop halfway for lunch, where you can 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.
There are possibilities of feeling the effects of altitude here, and to help your acclimatization, you can choose to spend an extra day resting at Horombo or climbing to a base camp below Kibo’s sub peak Mawenzi.
Day 4:
Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft.)
to Kibo Huts (4,695 m/15,400 ft.)
10 km, 6-8 hours Alpine Desert
Begging your day with an early breakfast thereafter set up for another day of your hike. The first part of the day’s hike climbs through the dwindling heath-land that blends into a moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo the two peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro.
During your lunch stop, you can examine the summit climb up Kibo that you will be starting in just a few hours. Be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness. Please note that at the Kibo Huts there is no running water.
Day 5:
Summit Day! Kibo Huts
(4,695 m/15,400 ft.)
to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m/19,340 ft.)
to Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft.)
4 km up, 14 km down
10-15 hours
Alpine Desert
Wake up just before midnight for a cup of tea and snacks, ready for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro for sunrise. Leave at 12 midnight, switchback up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Gilman’s Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft. at around 5 AM. Here, views of the fabled crater and its icecaps greet you.
Another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows take you to Mount Kilimanjaro true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 6:30 or 7 AM.
After your summit stays, descend back to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your belongings, and recross the saddle to the Horombo Huts. Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep!
Day 6:
Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft.)
to Marangu Gate (1,830 m/6,000 ft.)
to Moshi (890 m/2,920 ft.)
18 km, 5-7 hours
Rise up early in the morning, as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. After the lunch break continue your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to Marangu gate which will be the end of your mount Kilimanjaro climb adventure.
Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, at the end of your trip. Our driver will pick you up at the gate and transferred back to Arusha or Airport, where it is definitely time for celebration!
End of the tour!!
Trip Inclusions/Exclusions
- 1 nights hotel accommodation in Arusha (before climb)
- Group transportation to/from the ascent and descent gate
- Kilimanjaro National Park permits, camping & hut fees, rescue fees
- All the government taxes
- Professional mountain guides, assistant guides, porters and chiefs.
- Supplementary oxygen
- Mountain tents, double occupancy
- Three meals a day
Exclusive:
- Airfare
- Personal Gear & equipment
- Tips for your guides, cooks, and porters
- Lunch or dinner at the hotel
Costs of additional services:
- Single supplement, for a single tent, per trip $200
- An extra night of hotel accommodation
- Sleeping bag available for rental, per trip $30
- trekking poles available for rental, per trip $20
English (UK)