5 days Marangu Route

Welcome to Tanzania! Most visitors will arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, where a friendly representative from Chalema Tanzania Safaris will be waiting to meet you. After retrieving your luggage, we’ll strike out for the short trip to Moshi. This town lies right on the doorstep of Mount Kilimanjaro, and we’ll arrive after about two hours on the road. Your accommodations tonight will be at the Parkview Inn, tucked away amongst verdant greenery right in the heart of Moshi. You’ll enjoy your first taste of Tanzanian cuisine sourced from local ingredients at the hotel’s excellent restaurant before getting a good night’s rest. Our adventure begins tomorrow!

Elevation: 1830m/6000ft to 2740m/9000ft

We’ll get an early start today to make the short drive to the Marangu Gate. (1 800 m) Our hike begins in the lush montane forests which blanket the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. As we walk beneath tangled canopies of tall trees, keen-eyed trekkers may be lucky enough to spot the bright plumage of a colorful sunbird as swallowtail butterflies drift through the morning air. After about four or five hours on the trail, we’ll reach today’s destination: Mandara Huts. We’ll get our gear unloaded before enjoying a well-deserved meal or taking a short walk to the jaw-dropping lookout of Maundi Crater. On a clear day, we can see the very summit of Kilimanjaro from here—a summit we’ll soon reach on our own feet.

Elevation: 2740m/9000ft to 3690m/12,100ft.

As dawn breaks to the gentle sound of birdsong in the forest, we’ll savor an early breakfast before shouldering our packs and hitting the trail. Our path leads up and out of the woodlands to enter a higher-altitude habitat of moor and heath. Today’s hike should take about six hours in total, and we’ll break up the day by stopping for lunch at a spot where we can see the still far-off peak of Mawenzi. When we reach the little lodges known as the Horombo Huts, we’ll get checked in before enjoying dinner and swapping stories of our adventures with other travelers. If you’ve got energy to spare, we can also make a short out-and-back hike to Zebra Rock. This formation of lava rock is named for the black-and-white striations running down its surface, which are the result of mineral-rich rainwater.

Elevation: 3690m/12,100ft to 4695m/15,400ft

Today’s hike will take us away from the open moorlands and introduce us to an alien, rocky landscape known as the Saddle. Nowhere else is the volcanic nature of Kilimanjaro more apparent, and this wide-open terrain reveals fabulous views all the way to the mountain’s summit. But when we talk about the summit of Kilimanjaro, we’re actually talking about three distinct volcanic cones: Mawenzi, Shira, and Kibo. Kibo is the tallest of the three, and it represents the ultimate destination of our Five-Day Marangu Route. The pinnacle of our hike is known as Uhuru Peak, and it can be found directly on the rim of Kibo’s crater. After five or six hours on the trail, we’ll stop for the evening at the aptly named Kibo huts, enjoying excellent views of the snow-capped peak we’ll aim to tackle in the morning.

Elevation: 4695m/15,400ft to 5895m/19,340ft

Descent to 3690m/12,100ft

Today is the culmination of your grandest dreams and the ultimate reward for your rigorous preparation. We’ll break camp at the stroke of midnight to make the ascent to the summit of Kilimanjaro. We’ll navigate the darkness carefully, taking our time and monitoring ourselves for any symptoms of altitude sickness. The climb is a steep one, but it’s worth our perseverance. When you’re standing at the very roof of Africa, awash with elation at your accomplishments and enjoying the celebratory camaraderie of your fellow hikers, you’ll know that the prize was worth the struggle. After snapping dozens of photos and enjoying the morning panorama to its fullest, we’ll begin the long descent back to Horombo Huts. One thing’s for sure—you’ll sleep well tonight!

Elevation: 3690m/12,100 to 1830m/6000ft

As our Five-Day Marangu Route draws to a close, we’ll take our time to make the final trek from the Horombo Huts to the Marangu Gate. Traversing this terrain in reverse presents a new perspective; each twist and turn through the montane forests of Kilimanjaro reveals a fresh scene of surpassing beauty. And with the mighty mountain at your back, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can cover the same ground that took two full days to navigate in the opposite direction. When we reach Marangu Gate, we’ll hang up our hiking boots and make the leisurely drive back to Arusha for a hard-earned meal and a drink to commemorate our achievements on the trail. Our accommodations tonight will be at the elegant and lively Arusha Planet Lodge in Arusha.

We’ll enjoy breakfast this morning as the sun rises over the foothills of the mountain we’ve just climbed. After we eat, we’ll depart from our hotel in time for your ongoing travel arrangements. Whether you’re departing Tanzania on an international flight or staying on for an exciting wildlife safari, we hope you’ve enjoyed the Five-Day Marangu Route with Chalema Tanzania Safaris. Guiding you to the top of Africa has been our pleasure, and we trust that you’ll look back on your accomplishments with satisfaction and pride.