8-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Adventure Via Marangu Route
Take on an 8-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Adventure via the Marangu route. This is the most popular and direct of the Kilimanjaro routes, and the only one serviced by mountain huts, offering protection from the elements. With one guide for every two trekkers and a team of porters, all you have to do is focus on the incredible views and keep your footing, while the crew keeps you safe. Trek through forests and alpine meadows, over rocky ravines and past lunar-like landscapes to the spectacular summit of Africa’s highest mountain – the panoramic views from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro must be seen to be believed.
Climbing Tour Highlight
- Traveling with experienced guides and trained porters, you will be in good hands, with one guide for every two hikers.
- Hike Mount Kilimanjaro’s climactic last stretch by lamplight and give yourself as much chance as possible to watch a sunrise over ice fields from behind the highest point in Africa.
- Sleep in mountain huts during your trek and enjoy an included acclimatization day at Horombo Hut to give you the best chance of reaching the summit.
- Trekking through vast grasslands, giant cacti fields, and alpine meadows, all against dramatic mountain backdrops, the Marangu Route is popular for good reason.
8-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Adventure Itinerary
Day 1: Marangu
Welcome to Tanzania. Your 8-day Kilimanjaro climbing adventure begins in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Marangu. Your hotel is a short walk from the village’s busy market and some excellent coffee shops. It is also near beautiful waterfalls and ancient Chagga caves. Be sure to arrive at your hotel by early evening, as your adventure starts with a briefing and gear inspection by an experienced Mount Kilimanjaro climber. This will happen before dinner, usually around 6 pm. If one of your fellow trekkers is late, the meeting might have to be rescheduled for the next morning.
Accommodation: Hotel (1 night)
Meals: Dinner
Included activities
Complimentary Sleeping Bag and walking pole hire
Mount Kilimanjaro – Trek Briefing
Day 2: Mandara Hut
After a satisfying breakfast, make your way to Marangu Gate, the entrance of the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park at 1860 meters, and meet your guides and porters. With introductions and assignment of porter loads taken care of, it’s time to embark on your hike. The route, also commonly known as the “Coca-Cola route,” is the oldest track on Mount Kilimanjaro. Look out for the resident wildlife and enjoy the vast landscape as you hike.
Accommodation: Mountain hut (1 night)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Included activities
Fully catered trek including National Park entrance fees, climbing fee, mountain huts & rescue services (5 days)
Mount Kilimanjaro – Services of experienced English-speaking Mountain guides (first-aid qualified), cooks, and porters (a minimum of 1 guide to every 2)
Mount Kilimanjaro – Return transfers from hotel to park gate
Mount Kilimanjaro – Porterage of 1 bag (9kg)
Mount Kilimanjaro – Emergency oxygen and comprehensive first aid kits
Day 3-4: Horombo Hut
The second day of the 8-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Adventure involves a long hike over a slightly steeper path. The total hiking distance is 12 km, around 5to 7 hours. Today, you will see the rainforest zone give way to open and rolling alpine meadows studded with giant heather trees.
Once out of the forest canopy, the two snow-tipped peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi lie directly ahead. These are two of the three great cones of Mount Kilimanjaro (the other being Shira).
During the day’s walk, you will pass through several ravines before arriving at the hut, which is set in a rocky valley. You will have time to enjoy a wide variety of vegetation and changing landscapes en route to Horombo Hut (3780 metres). You will spend the next 2 nights here at the hut.
Accommodation: Mountain hut (1 night)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Kimbo Hut
Today you will walk the 10 kilometers or so from Horombo to Kibo Hut (around 5–7 hours). As the hike progresses, you will notice the landscape gradually becoming more rugged and rocky, and the air noticeably thinner. You will have to soften your pace a little to accommodate these environmental changes.
Marvel at giant lobelias and groundsels as you travel across the sparse moorland zone. Skirt Mawenzi Peak and marvel at the stark lunar landscape of the Saddle, arriving at Kibo Hut in the afternoon (4740 meters), take the chance to have an early night in preparation for a very early (or late?) wake-up call.
Accommodation: Mountain hut (1 night)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Uhuru Peak
Your guides will wake you up at around 11 pm, and hot tea will be served. Prepare for the last leg of the hike – to the summit. The distance from Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak is 6 kilometres (around 6 to 8 hours), and the descent to Horombo will be approximately the same amount of time. The trek starts as you wind your way up a large scree slope, guided only by torchlight, to reach Gilman’s Point (5685 meters).
With some luck, you will arrive in time for dazzling views of the sun rising behind Mawenzi Peak. This is the stretch that many Kilimanjaro trekkers find the hardest, and you must be prepared for a very cold morning.
The breathtaking spectacle of the sun rising over the ice fields of the crater will make the early start worthwhile. For those who still have the energy, it’s a further walk (approximately 2 hours) along the rim of the crater to Uhuru Peak (5895 meters), the highest point in Africa. From here, there are impressive views of the crater, ice fields, and plains below. After photos and time to catch your breath, return to Horombo Hut for a well-deserved rest.
Accommodation: Mountain hut (1 night)
Meals; Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Maragu
On the 7th day of the 8-Day adventure, proceed via the alpine meadows and rain forest to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. The distance from Horombo to Marangu Gate is around 20 kilometers (approximately 5–6 hours). Here your driver guide awaits, and you will return to the hotel for a relaxing shower – a real treat after the physical exertions of the last few days! Over a celebratory meal, you can relive and share your experiences of the past 5 days on the mountain.
Day 8: Departure
Since no activities or hiking are scheduled for today, a local transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Uganda can be arranged for either mountain gorilla trekking or a relaxing beach holiday in Zanzibar. Please let us know your preference
Inclusions
Meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
Accommodation: Hotel (2 nights), Mountain hut (5 nights)
Complimentary Sleeping Bag and walking pole hire (must be requested at time of booking)
Mt Kilimanjaro – Trek Briefing
Fully catered trek including Park entrance fees, climbing fee, mountain huts & rescue services (5 days)
Mt Kilimanjaro – Return transfers from hotel to park gate
Mt Kilimanjaro – Porterage of 1 bag (9kg)
Mt Kilimanjaro – Emergency oxygen and comprehensive first aid kits
Mt Kilimanjaro – Services of experienced English-speaking Mountain guides (first-aid qualified), cooks, and porters (a minimum of 1 guide to every 2)
