Safari NameMarangu Route: 5-Days/4-Nights on the Mountain
Tour CodeTATS-ADV-KIL-101
DestinationTanzania

Full Itinerary

The Marangu route also known as ‘Coca-Cola’ route is the most popular thus a high-traffic route on Kilimanjaro. It is the only non-camping route on Kilimanjaro where trekkers sleep in dormitory-like huts. Marangu is mistakeably considered as the easiest route and due to this reputation, it is often selected by many unprepared and inexperienced trekkers. As a result, only a migre 35% of climbers using this route actually make it to the summit at Uhuru peak.   Scenically, Marangu route has great views of the rain forest, Mawenzi peak, and the landscape below as well as the magnificient vista from the summit.

Marangu route is ideal for those who are not confident in their ability to hike over steeper paths and are not comfortable sleeping under a tent. The route takes five days minimum to complete although six days is more practical and recommended.

Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Moshi Base Hotel

Pick up from Arusha town or Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Moshi town. Half Board accommodation at a Base Hotel in Moshi.

Day 2: Moshi to Mandara Hut:-(9,020ft/2750m)  

After breakfast and a short tour briefing from the guide, we will depart to Marangu gate of Kilimanjaro National Park (it is a 45-minute drive from Moshi to the Marangu Gate). Upon registering with park authorities, our climb will officially commence with a four-hour walk to the Mandara encampment. We will pass through a thick rainforest zone, where there is a high chance of rain in the afternoon. We will spend the night at Mandara Hut (2,750m), an attractive collection of buildings. Bathrooms are available with running water.

Day 3: Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut:- (12,200ft/3720m)  

Today we will continue our ascent through the forest for a short time, before reaching the heather and moorland zone at roughly 3,000m (approximately a six-hour walk). Enjoy stunning views of the mountain peaks at this altitude. We will spend the night at Horombo Hut (3,720m), which lies in a valley surrounded by giant lobelia and groundsel, flora which are characteristic of this semi-alpine zone. Bathrooms are available with running water.

Day 4: Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut:- (15,420ft/4700m)

Our trek continues past the final watering point, and ascends onto the saddle of Kilimanjaro, between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. The vegetation thins out as we enter the desert-like alpine zone (approximately 4,000m) and, once we cross the saddle, Kibo peak comes into view. The saddle is an alpine desert that resembles a lunar landscape. Be careful to notice signs of altitude sickness. This seven-hour walk will be taken at a slow pace. We will spend the night at Kibo Hut (4,703m), a comfortable stone construction (no running water at Kibo Hut). This semi-desert zone receives an annual rainfall of under 250mm; the ground often freezes at night, but ground temperatures soar to above 30 degrees Celsius by day. Few plants other than lichens and grasses survive in these conditions.

Day 5: Kibo Hut to Summit- Horombo:- (19,340ft/5895m):

Shortly after midnight, we will commence our climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro, since it is easier to climb the scree slope to Gillman’s Point (5,861m) on the crater rim when it is frozen and an early start for the six-hour hike improves our chances of reaching the summit in time for sunrise. From Gilman’s Point, it is a further two-hour round trip along the crater’s edge to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. From the summit, it is downhill all the way to Horombo Hut where we will spend our last night on the mountain.

Day 6: Horombo to Moshi

Today’s descent continues past the Mandara encampment to the bottom of the mountain, where each hiker will receive a well-earned certificate. From here, you will be transferred to a Base Hotel in Moshi for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Moshi to Arusha-Departure

After breakfast, transfer back to Arusha town where our services end. If heading  back home, you will be dropped at the airport.

Details of the Huts used along Marangu Route: Mandara, Horombo and Kibo
Mandara hut 2700m. This is a group of comfortable, wooden A-frame huts. The largest cabin has a downstairs dining area and an upstairs dormitory with bunk beds and mattresses; smaller huts sleep 8 each. The total capacity is 60. Water is piped into site from springs above and flush toilets are behind the main cabin. Horombo Hut 3720m. The buildings are similar to Mandara, but total capacity is 120. Water is piped from the stream behind the huts. There are platform toilets south-east of the main hut, about 80 m down the slope and new flush toilets have been built within the complex of small huts. Kibo Hut 4703m This stone built block house with a small dining-room and a number of dormitory rooms leading off a main corridor has bunk beds and mattresses for 60 people.

  • Park entry fees.
  • Food on the mountain (B/L/D).
  • Experienced cooks, guides and porters.
  • Transport from Moshi to the Mountain gate.
  • Drinking water (Not Mineral water) & fruit juices
  • Fees of national park approved guide and porters.
  • Tents, dining or mess tents, camping table and chairs.(On camping routes only).
  • Ground transfers with pick up and drop off from Arusha or JRO to/from base Hotel in Moshi
  • 2 Nights hotel in Moshi HB (B/A the climb) in either Park View Inn or Sal Salinero Hotel depending on availability.
  • 24hours support of our Tours staff throughout the safari.

  • Tips.
  • Visas.
  • Laundry.
  • Insurances.
  • Airport taxes.
  • Airline tickets.
  • Xmas and Easter Holiday Surcharge: quoted separately.
  • Excursions/services/activities not mentioned in this program
  • Personal expenses e.g. laundry, telephone calls, Drinks, Tips etc
  • Other equipments on the mountain:-Mountain gear (other than tents, camping table and chairs).
  •  NOTE: Additional SRS for single tent will apply of Camping routes
  • Other beverages apart from fruit juices and mineral water given on the first day of the climb
  • Boiled water is given during the climb

To get costs for this tour, contact our Sales Office Team on sales@trailsofafrica.co.ke stating the Safari Tour Code and name of the safari you want to book and we shall revert back with safari costs and availability status.

 

The best game viewing areas on the continent of Africa is a highly debated topic, but Tanzania with its attractions including Serengeti, wildebeest migration, Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, Mount Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar Beaches, is one obvious contender. Tanzania is a fascinating travel destination that has been blessed with real beauty and it offers something for everyone. Mt Kilimanjaro, with its 5895 metre altitude is the highest mountain in Africa. The Serengeti National Park with its seemingly endless plains, is one of the best wildlife resorts in the world and then there is the Ngorongoro Crater with its unbelievable density of animals.

It is also the site of Olduvai Gorge, where Professor Leakey discovered the earliest known footprints of hominoid man.

The “Northern Circuit” includes Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Oldupai Gorge and the Serengeti National Park. The northern parks, are justifiably world-renowned, especially if you are there to witness the enormous herds of the Great Migration or to take a balloon or riding safari across the vast grassy plains. The escarpment of the Great Rift Valley creates a dramatic volcanic landscape and some of the most fertile grazing grounds on earth; thus this is home to the largest herds on the planet, and the highest concentration of predators in the whole of Africa.

Contact us for Eastern and Southern Africa safaris, price inquiries and booking availability

Destination Tanzania:….…the land of Serengeti & Mt. Kilimanjaro… Seriously adventurous
Tanzania invokes thoughts of endless rolling plains, open savannah grasslands teaming with wildlife and the highest mountain in Africa. The landscape is stunning and its beauty unmatched; Mt. Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest mountain, Lake Tanganyika – Africa’s deepest lake, Lake Victoria – the world’s second largest lake and the source of the Nile, the Great Wildebeest Migration Herds, the Ngorongoro Crater, Birds of Lk Manyara, etc.

Arusha National Park
Dar Es Salaam City Tour
Lake Manyara National Park
Mikumi National Park
Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Ruaha National Park
Selous Game Reserve
Serengeti National Park
Tarangire National Park

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