6 Days Kilimanjaro Marangu Route
Day-by-Day Itinerary
6 Days Kilimanjaro Marangu Route
- 1
Day 1: Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
1,860 m to 2,700 m, about 8 km, 4 to 5 hrs
Transfer from Moshi to Marangu Gate (1,860 m) for registration and the start of the climb. Four to five hours through dense montane forest, wet, green and full of the calls of black and white colobus monkeys. Arrive Mandara Hut (2,700 m) in the afternoon, with time before dinner to walk the twenty minutes up to Maundi Crater for a first look at Kibo across the moorland.
- Accommodation
- Mandara Hut, dormitory A frame
- Meals
- Lunch box on the trail, hot dinner at the hut
- 2
Day 2: Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut
2,700 m to 3,720 m, about 12 km, 6 to 7 hrs
Out of the forest within the first hour and into heath and moorland, with giant heather, lobelias and the strange silvery senecio plants. Long, steady climb with the summit cone of Kibo visible for most of the day. Arrive Horombo (3,720 m) in the mid afternoon.
- Accommodation
- Horombo Hut
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 3
Day 3: Acclimatisation day at Horombo
3,720 m to 4,020 m and back, about 6 km, 3 to 4 hrs
A dedicated acclimatisation day. Climb high, sleep low. We walk up to Zebra Rocks (4,020 m) or on toward the base of Mawenzi Ridge and return to Horombo for a second night. This day is the single biggest factor in the improved summit success rate of the six day itinerary.
- Accommodation
- Horombo Hut, second night
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 4
Day 4: Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut
3,720 m to 4,703 m, about 10 km, 5 to 6 hrs
Cross the last of the moorland and step onto the Saddle, a wide alpine desert between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Almost no vegetation, wind exposed, otherworldly. Arrive Kibo Hut (4,703 m) in the mid afternoon. Early dinner around 17:00 and into sleeping bags by 19:00 for a few hours rest before the midnight summit attempt.
- Accommodation
- Kibo Hut
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, early dinner
- 5
Day 5: Summit day, Uhuru Peak and back to Horombo
4,703 m to 5,895 m to 3,720 m, about 22 km, 12 to 14 hrs
Midnight start. Long, slow ascent of the scree slope above Kibo Hut to Gilman's Point on the crater rim (5,681 m), typically reached around sunrise. From Gilman's, a 90 minute walk around the rim brings you to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), the highest point in Africa. Descend back to Kibo for a hot brunch, then continue down to Horombo Hut for the night. The longest day of the climb in both distance and hours.
- Accommodation
- Horombo Hut
- Meals
- Hot tea before start, hot brunch at Kibo after summit, dinner at Horombo
- 6
Day 6: Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate
3,720 m to 1,860 m, about 20 km, 5 to 6 hrs
A long but easy walk of six hours back down through moorland and forest to Marangu Gate. Collect your summit certificate and transfer to your hotel in Arusha for a hot shower, cold beer and dinner with the crew.
- Accommodation
- Hotel in Arusha
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch at the gate
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