Mt. Kilimanjaro - Marangu Route | 7 Days Tour with 1 Review by Expect In Africa Safari

7 daysDuration

Private TourPrivate experience, no group joining

10 peopleMaximum group size

2 peopleMinimum to book

18 - 60 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Moderate

Involves sustained activity requiring a reasonable level of fitness and endurance.

5895mHighest point reached

Starts

Arusha, Tanzania

Ends

Arusha, Tanzania

Highlights

Specialist hiking guide in Kilimanjaro National Park

Enjoy the most spectacular landscape

Marangu Route is the easiest and shortest route to Kilimanjaro’s summit

Itinerary

Seeking an approachable yet rewarding Kilimanjaro trek? The 7-Day Marangu Route is famed as the friendliest path to Africa’s highest summit. Known as the ‘Coca-Cola Route,’ it stands out for its solar-powered sleeping huts and beds at each camp, offering trekkers communal dining and restful accommodations—unique comforts on the mountain.

Mandara and Kibo Huts each host 60 climbers, while Horombo Hut welcomes up to 120, all equipped with mattresses and pillows for a good night’s sleep. Bathrooms and running water are available at the lower camps, while basic facilities await at the higher elevations. Trekkers can even purchase soft drinks or beer along the way—just remember small Tanzanian bills for convenience.

Although typically completed in five days, this tour package recommends a six or seven-day trek for better acclimatization, with opportunities to rest at Horombo or explore Mawenzi’s base camp. Designed with young adults in mind, the Marangu Route uniquely combines comfort, camaraderie, and summit success, making it the ideal introduction to Kilimanjaro trekking.

day 1 - Arrive Kilimanjaro International Airport

You will be met at the airport and transferred to a hotel that suits your budget in Arusha for dinner & overnight. Your guide will come and brief you at the hotel in preparation for the next day’s climb.

Accommodation:3 Star Hotel

Meals:Lunch, Dinner

day 2 - Arusha to Marangu Gate

After breakfast depart Arusha to Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Kilimanjaro, register with the national park, and begin hiking by 10:30 a.m. The rain forest here is characterized by towering Eucalyptus trees, bird life, and Columbus monkeys. At these lower elevations, it gets wet and muddy, thus gaiters and trekking poles come in quite handy. Shorts and t-shirts should be sufficient, but keep your rain gear and warmer clothing available. You will stop halfway for lunch, to reach Mandara Huts between 2 and 3 pm. Have some rest & enjoy tea or coffee. You will be served dinner at 7 pm. Bathrooms & running water is available for showers.

Accommodation: Sleeping huts

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

day 3 - Mandara Huts (2,740 m) to Horombo Hut (3,690 m)

Have an early breakfast at 7:30 am and get ready for your next trek. Break camp by 8:30 am, hike for an hour through rain forest glades, 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.

You may start to feel the effects of altitude here, and to aid 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.

Distance covered: 11 km

Duration:6-8 hours

Accommodation: Sleeping huts

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

day 4 - Horombo Huts (3,690 m) to Kibo Huts (4,596 m)

Enjoy an early breakfast & get the opportunity of getting some great photos of the sunrise, to begin your trek. 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. Kindly note there is no running water at Kibo Huts, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.

Distance covered: 10 km

Habitat: Alpine Desert

Duration:6-8 hours

Accommodation: Sleeping huts

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

day 5 - Summit Day

Wake at 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 shortly after sunrise. Leave at 1 am, switchback up steep scree or possibly snow, and 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. Another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows takes you to Kilimanjaro true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 9 am. This is Africa’s highest point, and climax of your trekking! After your summit stay, descend back to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your things, and re cross 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. Slowly slowly, or, “pole pole,” and an optimistic attitude will get you there!

Kibo Huts (4,695 m) to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft)

Distance covered: 4 km up, 14 km down

Habitat: Alpine Desert

Duration:10-15 hours

Accommodation: Camping

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

day 6 - Horombo Huts (3,690 m) to Marangu Gate

After breakfast and refreshing; descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. Have lunch there then continue your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to the park gate, which you should reach around 2 or 3 pm. Kindly tip your guides and porters as you will be leaving them here. A vehicle will take you back to your hotel in Arusha.

Distance covered: 18 km

Duration:5-7 hours

Accommodation: Hotel

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 7 - Depart for the airport or other destinations

Depart for the airport or other destinations of your choice. A transfer to the airport can be arranged at a reasonable fee. A beach excursion is a better way to recuperate, we can arrange!

Meals:Breakfast

Mt. Kilimanjaro - Marangu Route | 7 Days

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What's Included

Night accommodation in ArushaQuality, waterproof mountain sleeping tents (depending on the route)Professional, experienced, mountain guidesAll park feesRescue feesAll meals while on the Mountain

What's Excluded

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Sistema di prenotazione semplice e intuibile. In caso di necessità le istruzioni presenti sul sito sono risultate utili e chiare. Nessun problema riscontrato

3 days ago

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Highlights

Itinerary