Marangu Route Day Trip

Overview

There are a few major ways to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Marangu Route is certainly one of the most popular. This option is actually nicknamed the Coca-Cola Route, or Tourist Route, thanks to its relative ease and comfortable bunkhouse accommodations. But even this accessible climb requires spending about a week on the mountain, since your body needs time to acclimatize gradually to the extreme altitude of Kilimanjaro’s summit. The time-consuming nature of a proper Kilimanjaro trek has long made it difficult for travelers to combine a Tanzanian safari with the opportunity to visit the mountain—until now. With our enticing day trip add-on, you can enjoy the chance to get a taste of what it’s like to embark upon a trekking expedition to Africa’s highest mountain. And with your hiking crew from Chalema Tanzania Safaris, it’s all in a day’s work.

Day Trip:

On the morning of your adventure, a friendly guide from Chalema Tanzania Safaris will pick you up at your accommodations in Arusha; we’ll drive for just over two hours before arriving at the foot of Kilimanjaro’s southeast face. To condense an epic ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro into an enjoyable day hike, we’ll start our trek at the Marangu Gate to Kilimanjaro National Park, and we’ll venture as far as the first stop on the larger Marangu Route: the Mandara Huts. This will take us from the lower slopes of the mountain to about 2,700 meters in elevation, and our ascent from the emerald green of Kilimanjaro’s scattered lowland farms to the exceptional beauty of its montane rainforest should take about three or four hours. When we arrive at the Mandara Huts, we’ll enjoy a packed lunch while we watch trekkers coming and going from their ascents and descents of the mountain. After lunch, we’ll make a short side trip to visit Maundi Crater. From here, we’ll enjoy gobsmacking views of Kilimanjaro’s two summits, as well as an astounding panoramic vista of the African plains that stretches all the way to Kenya. After taking in the splendid scenery, we’ll descend from the mountain using the same path we followed this morning. While we’ll be retracing our steps, the rainforests of Kilimanjaro may yet have a few surprises in store for us. As we trek beneath the shadowed canopy of leaves, stay on the lookout for sunbirds, butterflies, and even black-and-white colobus monkeys. After a final few hours on the trail, we’ll return to Marangu Gate and make our return drive to Arusha. Thank you for choosing Chalema Tanzania Safaris to arrange your Kilimanjaro day trip. We hope that you’ve enjoyed your visit to Africa’s tallest mountain—and if this hike has whet your appetite for further adventure, we’ll be ready to welcome you back once again to try for the summit!