Mount Kilimanjaro Trekking Via Marangu Route
Price Starts $ 1,760 USD
Zazu Tanzania Safaris offers treks up the Marangu Route, which is the easiest and shortest route to Kilimanjaro’s summit and is known as the “Coca-Cola” or “tourist” route.
This is the only route on 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 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 want to purchase these items, but keep in mind that 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 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.
Depending on the time of the year at these lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles can be helpful. 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 (2,740 m/9,000 ft.) at 2 or 3 PM. Unpack, rest, and have some tea or coffee.
A 15-minute side trip to Maundy Crater is a good way to see the surroundings, including Northern Tanzania and Kenya. 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 Heathland
On this day breakfast is served around 7:30 AM, then pack up for your next 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
Wake to breakfast as usual, but waking up early on this day can give you a great chance of getting photos of the sunrise. 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.
When you stop for lunch, and later when you cross this surprisingly large saddle, 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 just a few minutes before midnight to a light breakfast, and then prepare for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak 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.
After another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows, you reach Kilimanjaro’s true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 6:30 or 7 AM. This is Africa’s highest point, and you would have to 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.
After your summit stay, 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!
You do the beginning of this climb in the dark with headlamps or flashlights. It will be very cold until you start descending, so you will need all of your warm layers. This is, by far, the most difficult part of the trek. A slow pace is crucial at this stage, and an optimistic attitude will get you there! But don’t worry (Hakuna Matata) — you will have our expert team with you!
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
Wake as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. Have lunch there then continue your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to Marangu gate, which you should arrive at around 2 or 3 PM.
Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here. Our driver will pick you up at the gate and take you back to the hotel in Arusha, where it is definitely time for celebration! Accommodation and meals at Green Mountain Lodge
End of the tour!
Price: Per person USD $1,760
Trip Inclusions/Exclusions
- 2 nights hotel accommodation in Arusha (before & after the climb)
- Group transport to and from the ascent and descent gate
- Kilimanjaro National Park permits, camping & hut fees, rescue fees
- All government taxes
- Professional mountain guides, assistant guides, porters, and chiefs.
- Supplementary oxygen
- Private portable toilet
- Mountain tents, double occupancy
- Three meals a day
Not included in price:
- Airfare
- Personal Gear & equipment
- Tips for your guides, cooks, and porters
- Lunch or dinner at hotel
- Beverages at hotel
Costs of additional services:
- Single supplement, for single tent, per trip $200
- Extra night of hotel accommodation
- Sleeping bag available for rental, per trip $40
Trekking poles available for rental, per trip $20
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