6 Days
Kilimanjaro’s original route, and the only one with mountain hut accommodation instead of camping — a gentler trail with a genuinely tough summit night.
Marangu is the only route that ascends and descends the same path, which means less scenic variety — but hut accommodation is a real comfort after a long day on the trail.
We pick you up from Kilimanjaro or Arusha airport and transfer you to your hotel in Moshi. Plan to arrive at least a day before the trek starts — we’ll use this time for a full briefing and to check and rent any last equipment you need.
We depart Moshi for Marangu Gate to complete park formalities before beginning the trek. The trail climbs through beautiful tropical rainforest — keep an eye out for blue monkeys near the upper edge of the forest — before widening onto scenic hillsides leading to Mandara Hut.
The trail continues through forest before opening into high moorland. This is often the day you get your first views of both Kibo and Mawenzi — two of the three volcanic peaks that make up Kilimanjaro’s summit.
A built-in rest day, spent day-hiking toward Zebra Rocks on the Mawenzi Ridge. The landscape here offers striking views of both Kibo and Mawenzi before we return to Horombo Hut for a second night.
A gradual climb across the lunar ‘Saddle’ between Mawenzi and Kibo. Kibo Hut sits at the base of the crater wall — we rest and eat an early dinner here to prepare for the summit push.
We start around midnight for the push to the summit — the most physically and mentally demanding stretch of the climb, with extreme cold and wind. At Gilman’s Point (5,681m) sunrise breaks over Mawenzi Peak, and from there it’s on to Uhuru Peak itself. After taking it in, we descend all the way back down to Horombo Hut for a well-earned final night on the mountain.
A long, mostly downhill trek back through the rainforest to Marangu Gate, where summit certificates are issued. A vehicle meets us there to drive back to your hotel in Moshi.
