Kilimanjaro Marangu Route

Marangu Route:Overview, 5 & 6 Days

Intrepid explore Tanzania
Route Information

Known as the “Coca-Cola” route, the Marangu route is a classic trek on Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the oldest, most well established route. Many favor the Marangu route because it is considered to be the easiest path on the mountain, given its gradual slope. It is also the only route which offers sleeping huts in dormitory style accommodations.

Recommended Trekking Days

The minimum days required for this route is five, although the probability of successfully reaching the top in that time period is quite low. Spending an extra acclimatization day on the mountain is highly recommended when climbing Klimanjaro using the Marangu route.
However, despite its immense popularity, we avoid leading climbs on the Marangu route. The route has the least scenic variety of all the routes because the ascent and descent are done on the same path and it is the most crowded route for that reason. Marangu is favored only during the rainy season, where the hut accommodations are preferred.

5 Days Kilimanjaro Trekking via Marangu Route Itinerary & Price

Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), where you will meet an Intrepid Treks representative, and transfer to the hotel under the rate. In the evening there will be a briefing with our managers, who will also make sure you are ready to begin the climb.

After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, leave Moshi at 8 AM, drive for 45 minutes to the Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Kilimanjaro, register with the national park, and begin hiking at 10:30 AM. In the rainforest, look for towering Eucalyptus trees, bird life, and Colubus monkeys. At these lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts should be sufficient, but keep your rain gear and warmer clothing handy. Stop halfway for lunch, and reach the Mandara Huts at 2 or 3 PM. Unpack, rest, and have some tea or coffee. A 15 minute side trip to Maundy Crater is a good way to see the surroundings including Northern Tanzania and Kenya. Dinner is served during the early evening at 7 PM. Bathrooms with running water are available..

Change in Elevation: Moshi (915 m/3,000 ft) to Marangu Gate (1,830 m/6,000 ft) to Mandara Huts (2,740 m/9,000 ft)
Hiking distance: 7 km
Zone: Montane Forest
Hiking time: 4–5 hours

Wake to a 7:30 AM breakfast, and pack for your next trek. Break camp by 8:30 AM, hike for an hour through rainforest glades, then follow an ascending path through heath land where you can look for giant lobelias and groundsels. Continue up into open moorlands where small shrubs are the main vegetation. Stop halfway for lunch, where you can enjoy amazing views of Mawenzi. Arrive at the Horombo Huts by 3 PM, where you can see Kibos summit. Rest, unpack, and prepare for dinner. Bathrooms with running water are available. You may start to feel the effects of altitude here, and to aid your acclimatization, you can choose to spend an extra day resting at Horombo or climbing to a base camp below Kibos sub peak Mawenzi.

Change in Elevation: Mandara Huts (2,740 m/9,000 ft) to Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft)
Hiking distance: 11 km
Hiking time: 6–8 hours

Wake to breakfast as usual, but if you wake early you can get some great photos of the sunrise. The first part of the days hike climbs through the dwindling heath land that blends into a moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo. When you stop for lunch, and later when you cross this surprisingly large saddle, you can examine the summit climb up Kibo that you will be starting in just a few hours. Be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness. There is no running water at the Kibo Huts.
Change in Elevation: Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft) to Kibo Huts (4,695 m/15,400 ft)
Hiking distance: 10 km
Hiking time: 6-8 hrs
Zone: Alpine Desert

Alpine Desert Wake at midnight to a light breakfast, and then prepare for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. Leave at 1 AM, switchback up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Gilmans Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 5 and 7 AM. Here, views of the fabled crater and its icecaps greet you. Another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows takes you to Kilimanjaro true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 9 AM. This is Africas highest point, and you would have to travel more than 3,000 miles toward the Himalayas to find a higher peak! Be sure to have your picture taken at the summit to show your friends. After your summit stay, descend back to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your things, and re cross the saddle to the Horombo Huts. Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep! You do the beginning of this climb in the dark with headlamps or flashlights. It will be very cold until you start descending, so you will need all of your warm layers. This is, by far, the most difficult part of the trek. Slowly slowly, or, pole pole, and an optimistic attitude will get you there!
Change in Elevation: Kibo Huts (4,695 m/15,400 ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m/19,340 ft) to Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft)
Hiking distance: 4 km up, 14 km down
Hiking time: 10-15 hours

Wake as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. Have lunch there then continue your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to the park gate, which you should reach around 2 or 3 PM. Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here. A vehicle will take you back to your hotel in Moshi, where it is definitely time for celebration!
Change in Elevation: Horombo Huts to Marangu Gate to Moshi (890 m/2,920 ft)
Hiking distance: 18 km down
Hiking time: 5-7 hours

Rest in the hotel and transfer to the airport.
Note:
Hotel check-out is at 11:00 AM. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, there is the option to extend your hotel stay for an extra fee.

Route's Price Per person - (In US Dollar)

  • GROUP SIZE : PRICE
  • 1 Person : $ 1560
  • 2-3 People :$ 1500
  • 4-6 People : $ 1450
  • 7-10 People : $ 1400
  • 11++ People : $ 1340
Let's climb together Inquire

INCLUDED IN TREKKING PACKAGE.
Kilimanjaro trekking according to the itinerary
Professional, English-speaking Wilderness First Responder & CPR certified Guide
Proper Ration of Mountain crew (Cook & Porters)
Pre and Post accommodations (2 nights Bed and Breakfast)
Airport Transfers
Meals according to the itinerary
Drinking water and Full Board Meals
All National Park & Hut Fees, Crew Permits and VAT
Fair and Sustainable Salary Crew Wages
Gate Transfers
Complimentary Oxygen Cylinder
Portable Private Toilet and Porter

EXCLUDED IN TREKKING PACKAGE.
<*> Flights
<*>Visa fees
<*>Travel or Medical Insurance is required and you should ask for Recommendation
<*>Gamow Bag
<*> Medication
<*> Tips for mountain crew ($20 for guide,$15 for cook, $10 for porter are Standard Recommended)
<*>Personal spending money for souvenirs etc.
<*>Energy food & beverages, alcoholic and soft drinks
<*> Personal hire gear such as trekking poles, sleeping bags, etc.
<*> Additional lodge nights if early descent

6 Days Kilimanjaro Trekking via Marangu Route Itinerary & Price

Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), where you will meet an Intrepid Treks representative, and transfer to the hotel under the rate. In the evening there will be a briefing with our managers, who will also make sure you are ready to begin the climb.

After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, leave Moshi at 8 AM, drive for 45 minutes to the Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Kilimanjaro, register with the national park, and begin hiking at 10:30 AM. In the rainforest, look for towering Eucalyptus trees, bird life, and Colubus monkeys. At these lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts should be sufficient, but keep your rain gear and warmer clothing handy. Stop halfway for lunch, and reach the Mandara Huts at 2 or 3 PM. Unpack, rest, and have some tea or coffee. A 15 minute side trip to Maundy Crater is a good way to see the surroundings including Northern Tanzania and Kenya. Dinner is served during the early evening at 7 PM. Bathrooms with running water are available..
Change in Elevation: Moshi (915 m/3,000 ft) - Marangu Gate (1,830 m/6,000 ft) - Mandara Huts (2,740 m/9,000 ft)
Hiking distance: 7 km
Hiking time: 4–5 hours
Zone: Montane Forest

Wake to a 7:30 AM breakfast, and pack for your next trek. Break camp by 8:30 AM, hike for an hour through rainforest glades, then follow an ascending path through heath land where you can look for giant lobelias and groundsels. Continue up into open moorlands where small shrubs are the main vegetation. Stop halfway for lunch, where you can enjoy amazing views of Mawenzi. Arrive at the Horombo Huts by 3 PM, where you can see Kibos summit. Rest, unpack, and prepare for dinner. Bathrooms with running water are available. You may start to feel the effects of altitude here, and to aid your acclimatization, you can choose to spend an extra day resting at Horombo or climbing to a base camp below Kibos sub peak Mawenzi.
Change in Elevation: Mandara Huts (2,740 m/9,000 ft)-Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft)
Hiking distance: 11 km
Hiking time: 6–8 hours

Wake to breakfast as usual, but if you wake early you can get some great photos of the sunrise. The first part of the days hike climbs through the dwindling heath land that blends into a moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo. When you stop for lunch, and later when you cross this surprisingly large saddle, you can examine the summit climb up Kibo that you will be starting in just a few hours. Be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness. There is no running water at the Kibo Huts.
Change in Elevation: Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft) - Kibo Huts (4,695 m/15,400 ft)
Hiking distance: 10 km
Hiking time: 6–8 hours
Zone: Alpine Desert

Alpine Desert Wake at midnight to a light breakfast, and then prepare for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. Leave at 1 AM, switchback up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Gilmans Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 5 and 7 AM. Here, views of the fabled crater and its icecaps greet you. Another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows takes you to Kilimanjaro true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 9 AM. This is Africas highest point, and you would have to travel more than 3,000 miles toward the Himalayas to find a higher peak! Be sure to have your picture taken at the summit to show your friends. After your summit stay, descend back to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your things, and re cross the saddle to the Horombo Huts. Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep! You do the beginning of this climb in the dark with headlamps or flashlights. It will be very cold until you start descending, so you will need all of your warm layers. This is, by far, the most difficult part of the trek. Slowly slowly, or, pole pole, and an optimistic attitude will get you there!
Change in Elevation: Kibo Huts (4,695 m/15,400 ft)-Uhuru Peak (5,895 m/19,340 ft)-Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft)
Hiking distance: 4km up,14km down
Hiking time: 10–15 hours
Zone: Alpine Desert

Wake as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. Have lunch there then continue your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to the park gate, which you should reach around 2 or 3 PM.
Change in Elevation: Horombo Huts (3,690 m/12,100 ft) to Marangu Gate (1,830 m/6,000 ft) to Moshi (890 m/2,920 ft)
Hiking distance: 18km down
Hiking time: 5-7 hours

After breakfast, finish the trek with a descent to Marangu Gate. Your last hike on Kilimanjaro is a beautiful one, passing through Kilimanjaro's cloud forest. Watch your step during the descent, as the trail can be slippery. Our vehicles will be waiting at Marangu Gate to take you back to Moshi. You will be able to buy t-shirts and sodas at the gate.
Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here. A vehicle will take you back to your hotel in Moshi, where it is definitely time for celebration!
Change in Elevation: Horombo Hut (3,720m/12,200ft) to Marangu Gate (1,800m/5,905ft)
Hiking distance: 18 km

Rest in the hotel and transfer to the airport.
Note:
Hotel check-out is at 11:00 AM. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, there is the option to extend your hotel stay for an extra fee.

Route's Price Per person - (In US Dollar)

  • GROUP SIZE : PRICE
  • 1 Person : $ 1640
  • 2-3 People : $ 1600
  • 4-6 People : $ 1550
  • 7-10 People : $ 1500
  • 11++ People : $ 1440
Let's climb together Inquire

INCLUDED IN TREKKING PACKAGE.
Kilimanjaro trekking according to the itinerary
Professional, English-speaking Wilderness First Responder & CPR certified Guide
Proper Ration of Mountain crew (Cook & Porters)
Pre and Post accommodations (2 nights Bed and Breakfast)
Airport Transfers
Meals according to the itinerary
Drinking water and Full Board Meals
All National Park & Hut Fees, Crew Permits and VAT
Fair and Sustainable Salary Crew Wages
Gate Transfers
Complimentary Oxygen Cylinder
Portable Private Toilet and Porter

EXCLUDED IN TREKKING PACKAGE.
<*> Flights
<*>Visa fees
<*>Travel or Medical Insurance is required and you should ask for Recommendation
<*>Gamow Bag
<*> Medication
<*> Tips for mountain crew ($20 for guide,$15 for cook, $10 for porter are Standard Recommended)
<*>Personal spending money for souvenirs etc.
<*>Energy food & beverages, alcoholic and soft drinks
<*> Personal hire gear such as trekking poles, sleeping bags, etc.
<*> Additional lodge nights if early descent

Route's summary

  • Trekking Days 7 , 8 & 9 Days
  • Success Rate : 98%
  • Toughness : Easly
Price : Start From $1700 Inquire

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