6 Days Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Marangu Route

At 8:00 am, you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro National Park Gate. After completing the necessary paperwork, your trek commences. The national park's gate (1,830 m) lies at the edge of Marangu, which is an attractive village with many small coffee and banana plantations.

After completing the entrance formalities, we begin the hike up through an attractive and unspoilt forest to reach the clearing, where lies Mandara Hut (2,700 m.), our stop for the day.

At the hutment, the largest cabin has a downstairs dining area and an upstairs dormitory outfitted with comfortable mattresses. There are also smaller huts that can accommodate eight persons. The total capacity of the huts is sixty persons. There is also a running water and flush toilet facilities, courtesy of the spring just above the encampment.

Also, the volcanic remains of Maundi Crater are nearby, which makes for a good afternoon excursion site. An alternative is to rest and enjoy the beautiful forest. There is a rich bird-life at the huts and monkeys are often seen as well.

After an early breakfast, we will leave Mandara Hut and soon reach the crossroads between Horombo Hut and Maundi Crater. Heading in the direction of Horombu Hut, the vegetation will change to shrubs and you will cross the open moorland to reach your destination. Looking back, our path will already be shrouded in clouds and looking forward we will catch glimpses of Mawenzi Peak, Kibo Peak and Masai Steppe.

After evening meal, we will drift off to sleep.

Zebra Rocks is on the agenda today. It's a short hike, which will help our bodies acclimatize to the altitude. Zebra Rocks (3,980 m) is named so after the distinct black and white stripes covering the rock formation.

We will return to Horombo Hut just in time to enjoy a hot lunch. The rest of the afternoon is for rest and leisure. Enjoy the spectacular views around you and regain your strength for tomorrow’s hike.

After breakfast, a long and tough journey to Kibo Hut awaits us. As our hike progresses, the vegetation slowly changes into alpine desert and we will pass the “last water point” on our way to the so-called “saddle”, a plateau situated between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo.

We will arrive at the Kibo Hut in about six hours and go to bed straight after dinner, as the summit calls for an early start at 23:00 hrs.

The summit day has finally arrived! At around midnight, when the lava ash is still frozen, we will start our ascent. Our path will be strenuous with only our headlight to light the way. We will pass the Hans Meyer Cave at 5,200 meters and slowly make our way up. We will reach Gilman’s Point at 5,715 meters as the sun rises over the crater rim.

We will soldier on for another two hours or so to reach Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). The cold is soon forgotten as we stand on the “Roof of Africa”, basking in the rays of the morning light. After a well-deserved photo opportunity, we will descend along the same path. The lava ash will now have thawed, allowing for a faster descent.

Upon our arrival at Kibo Hut, a warm meal awaits us. We will rest for a couple of hours afer lunch before continuing down to Horombo Hut.

We return today after breakfast. The surrounding vegetation becomes greener as we continue our descent and soon we will arrive at Mandara Hut, where a hot lunch awaits us. The journey back to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate gives us another chance to observe the beautiful tropical rainforest and spot anything we have missed on the way up, like the Impatiens Kilimanjari Flower, is endemic to the rainforest on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro.

Arriving at the gate, we will say our goodbyes to our mountain crew and journey back to the Venus Premier Hotel. Enjoy a shower and celebrate your success of reaching the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro once you have arrived at the hotel.