Marangu Route

A member of Jerry Tanzania Tours hospitality team greets you upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). He will drive you to Chanya Lodge, where you will have all the essentials for a comfortable stay after a long flight, such as: pleasant rooms with hot showers, a restaurant with delicious choices, genial service team and access to the Internet. Your briefing, in the course of which your guides will provide all the details of the forthcoming trek, takes place at the appointed time. They will answer your questions and make sure you are properly equipped for the trek, providing rental gear when necessary.

Journey time and Distance: 1 hour's drive, 40 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Moshi

After an early breakfast at Chanya (07.00hrs), you will depart one hour later and arrive at the Marangu Gate around 9.00hrs, ready for registration and the start of the trek. Excitement builds as the porters are loading up equipment and you are meeting the professional trekking team who will accompany you up the mountain. Starting on the south-east side of Kilimanjaro, at an altitude of 1,879 metres and finishing the day at 2,720 metres, your total walking time today to Mandara Hut – where you will spend the night – is around 3.5 to 4 hours (excluding breaks), during which you will cover just over 8 km/5 miles.

You will start the walk-in mid-morning, take your picnic lunch at around 13.00hrs, and then you will continue the walk until you reach the first high-altitude hut at 16.00hrs. Dinner will be served at 18.30hrs. Today’s walk, though almost entirely uphill, is a pleasant one, with perhaps the chance to see some blue monkeys or to admire the rainforest vegetation on the ascent. The rainforest is the chief feature of today’s landscape. Look out for the bright red impatiens kilimanjari flower, an iconic symbol of the mountain. At the end of the day, the giant heathers and bearded lichen begin to show themselves for the first time. The Mandara A-frame Huts, where you will sleep, feature solar-powered lighting, while water is supplied from a stream and there are flush toilets.

Hiking Time and Elevation: 3.5 – 4 hours’ walking, from 1,879 at Marangu Gate to 2,720 m at Mandara Hut

Your early 07.00hrs breakfast prepares you for a 08.30hrs departure and today your 11 km/7 miles walk will take between 5.5 and 6 hours of actual walking time (excluding breaks) and you will climb a total of 1,000 metres to the finishing-point at Horombo (altitude: 3,720 metres).

On the way you will enjoy your picnic lunch at 13.00hrs, before continuing your climb and arriving at the hut at Horombo around 16.00hrs. Dinner will be served at 18.00hrs. On today’s walk, you will note that the forest landscape is quickly replaced by moorland and heather, as your route takes us past the renowned Maundi Crater. Altogether, the scenery today becomes more barren, but nevertheless some of Kilimanjaro’s iconic plant species can be seen today. Look out for the fascinating giant groundsels, lobelias and proteas. If you are lucky enough to have a clear day, you should get the first chance to see the snow-capped peak of Kibo and also the distinctive Mawenzi peak. Like Mandara, Horombo also consists of A-Frame huts and caters for those on the way up the mountain and those on the way back down. Once again, you will be in dormitory accommodation.

Hiking time and Elevation:5.5 – 6 hours’ walking, from 2,720 m at Mandara Hut to 3,720 m at Horombo Hut

Today is your extra day for acclimatization, a very important part of your program as it allows vital extra time for adapting to the mountain air, which becomes ever thinner as you ascend. Everyone is given the option today to visit the Zebra Rocks (4,100 meters), which involves a 90 – minute climb and a return descent to the Horombo Hut (3,720 meters) for a second night. Don’t expect to see a zebra at these rocks, however, as they take their name from their stripy black and white colour, caused by the effects of mineral-laden water on the lava rockface.

Horombo is a busy stopover, being used by both climbers and descenders on Marangu, as well as those descending on the Rongai Route. The presence of abundant water at Horombo (3,720 meters) means that you have the ‘luxury’ of toilets and even washbasins! Look around you today and you will notice that you are reaching the point where the moorland scenery runs out, to be replaced by Alpine desert. And although there is definitely no zebra here, you may be surprised to find some species of rodents and birds this high on the mountain.

Hiking time and Elevation: 2-3 Hours, 3,720 m at Horombo Hut to Zebra Rocks at 4,100 m and return to Horombo Hut at 3,720 m

From your Horombo starting point a 3,720 metres, today, you will ascend a further 983 metres, covering around 9 km/6 miles and aiming to arrive at the hut at Kibo for your overnight stop by around 15.00hrs. Once again, you will start early, with a 07.00hrs breakfast and a 08.30hrs departure. Your walk to the Kibo Huts is expected to take you around 5-6 hours.

Where the path divides today, you are choosing to take the southern (left-hand) route. On this path you will take the opportunity to fill up your water reserves at the Maua River, the last useable water supply at a height of around 4,000 metres. At first today’s stage is rather steep, and there is less vegetation, but you will be rewarded with your first sight today of some of the famous ‘cones’ of Kilimanjaro. Picnic lunch is once again scheduled for 13.00hrs. After the Maua River, you will climb towards the Mawenzi Ridge and across the barren, dry terrain known as the Saddle and head for the huts, which are at the bottom of the Kibo summit. Dinner tonight will be at 17.30hrs and we advise you to get to bed early, in preparation for the midnight departure for the summit. Kibo Huts are made of stone and quite basic.

Hiking time and Elevation:  5 – 6 Hours ’walking, from 3,720 m at Horombo Hut to 4,703 m at Kibo Hut

Your schedule for your ‘Summit Day’ is very different. Rising at 23.00hrs, you will take your tea and biscuits (23.30hrs) before a midnight departure. Today, you will have 1,192 metres to climb, on what will be your toughest day, with around 10-13 hours of actual walking time and a total distance of 22 km/14 miles.

Your expectation is to reach the summit from 07.00hrs onwards. You will begin on a rocky path, and then climb via a series of zig-zags which get ever tighter as you climb.

Your reference points on your ascent today are, first, William’s Point (5,000 metres), Hans Meyer Cave (5,151 metres) and then Gilman’s Point (5,685 metres). The focus today is on walking pole pole – that is, slowly. On reaching the top (5,895 metres), you will take time to celebrate the successful climb, take photos and congratulate yourself, then you will make the descent to return to Kibo Hut (4,703 metres) for about 11.00hrs and take a very well-deserved, two-hour rest and enjoy a welcome brunch. You will set off again at 14.00hrs, you will continue your descent until you reach the now-familiar Horombo Hut at 3,720 metres for about 17.00hrs. Dinner today will be served at 19.00hrs.

Hiking time and Elevation: 11-13 hours’ walking, from 4,703 m at Kibo Hut to the summit at 5,895 m, then down to 3,720 m at Horombo Hut

After breakfast at your now-familiar time of 07.00hrs, you will take the chance to thank your hard-working guides and porters at the important ‘Tipping Celebration’. Afterwards, you will depart from Horombo Huts (3,720 metres) and start your descent down towards Marangu Gate (1,879 metres), stopping at Mandara Hut (2,720 metres) around midday for a cooked lunch.

Marangu Gate (1,879 metres) is usually reached by 16.00hrs, and today’s section is approximately 20 km/ 12 miles which will take you between 6.5 to 7 hours of walking time. Having reached Marangu Gate, you will be presented with your certificate, a fitting souvenir recognizing your tremendous effort. You will then return by vehicle to the Chanya Lodge, for your overnight stay and some deserved relaxation.

Hiking time and Elevation:6.5 – 7 hours’ walking, from Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate, descending from 3,720 m to 1,879 m.

After a good night’s rest at your hotel, you will take breakfast ready for the scheduled check-out by 10.00hrs.(If you wish to remain in the hotel during the day, please advise us of this when you book your trip and we will inform you of the cost for a ‘day room’ which allows you to stay until 18:00hrs, and then make the booking on your behalf.)

As the transfer services have been already included in this package, you will be collected from your hotel and dropped off at the airport. For those travellers who have booked to go on safari, our Jerry Tanzania Tours guide will be meeting you in the afternoon to provide you with a pre-safari briefing.