5 Days Kilimanjaro Trek – Marangu Route

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From $1,260 USD

Duration

5 Days / 4 Nights

Difficult Level

Challenging

Minimum Age

10 Years

Best time

January

Tour Overview

The Marangu Route, often called the "Coca-Cola route", is the oldest and best-established trail on Kilimanjaro. It is the only route with sleeping huts instead of tents, which makes it popular with climbers who prefer a proper bed and a dining hall at the end of each day.

This 5-day itinerary climbs and descends by the same trail on the south-eastern side of the mountain, passing through rainforest, heath and moorland, and the stark alpine desert of the Saddle, before the summit push from Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). The gradient is gentle, and the path is well maintained throughout.

Because it is the shortest itinerary on the mountain, it also gives your body the least time to adjust to altitude. It suits fit hikers who have limited time or who have trekked at altitude before. If you have one more day, we strongly recommend our 6-day Marangu itinerary, which adds an acclimatisation day at Horombo Hut and noticeably improves your chances of reaching the top.

Your climb is led by experienced, licensed Licaon Safaris mountain guides, supported by porters and a cook who prepares fresh, hearty meals every day. You sleep in the park's hut system, with bunk beds and mattresses, and eat in communal dining halls. Your guides carry a first-aid kit and a pulse oximeter and check your health every morning and evening.

Kilimanjaro can be climbed all year, but the best conditions are in the dry seasons, from late June to October and from January to early March, when the trails are drier and the skies clearer. April, May and November are the rainy months; the mountain is quieter then, but expect wet forest sections and cloud.

At a Glance

The Highlights of Your Journey

Hut Accommodation

Sleep in mountain huts with bunk beds and dining halls every night, the only Kilimanjaro route with no camping needed.

Every Climate Zone

Walk from lush rainforest through heath and moorland and the stark alpine desert to the icy summit, all in five days.

Sunrise at Gilman's Point

Reach the crater rim at dawn and watch the sun rise over Mawenzi before walking on to Uhuru Peak, the Roof of Africa.

The Fastest Way to the Top

The shortest Kilimanjaro itinerary, ideal for fit hikers with limited time or previous experience at altitude.

Summit Certificate

Everyone who reaches Gilman's Point or Uhuru Peak receives an official Kilimanjaro National Park summit certificate.

Expert Mountain Crew

Climb with experienced mountain guides, porters and a cook who look after your safety, meals and comfort every step of the way.

Itinerary details

Day 1

Marangu Gate (1,860 m) – Mandara Hut (2,720 m): about 8 km / 4–5 hours

Elevation: 1,860 m → 2,720 m (+860 m)
Distance: about 8 km
Hiking time: 4–5 hours
Habitat: Montane rainforest
Overnight: Mandara Hut
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Your Licaon Safaris guide collects you from your hotel in Moshi or Arusha after breakfast for the drive to Marangu Gate on the south-eastern side of the mountain. While your guide completes the park registration, your porters and cook weigh and pack the loads. You carry only a light daypack with water, a rain jacket, a warm layer, snacks and your camera.

The trail climbs gently through tall rainforest draped in moss and old man's beard. Listen for turacos and watch the canopy for black-and-white colobus and blue monkeys. After a relaxed walk you reach Mandara Hut, a cluster of A-frame wooden huts in a forest clearing. If you still have energy in the late afternoon, take the short detour to Maundi Crater for your first views over the Kenyan plains. Dinner is served in the dining hut.

Guide’s tip: Start drinking from the very first hour. Aim for 3–4 litres of water a day, and keep your rain jacket at the top of your daypack, because the forest can turn wet in minutes.

Mandara Hut

Day 2

Mandara Hut (2,720 m) – Horombo Hut (3,720 m): about 12 km / 6–7 hours

Elevation: 2,720 m → 3,720 m (+1,000 m)
Distance: about 12 km
Hiking time: 6–7 hours
Habitat: Heath and moorland
Overnight: Horombo Hut
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The forest thins quickly above Mandara, and within an hour you step out into open heathland dotted with giant heather. The landscape opens up, and on a clear morning the snow-capped dome of Kibo appears ahead for the first time, with the jagged peaks of Mawenzi to the east. Your guide keeps the pace deliberately slow; "pole pole" (slowly, slowly) is the golden rule on Kilimanjaro.

The path crosses a series of gentle ridges and streams into the moorland zone, home to the giant groundsels and lobelias that grow nowhere else on earth. Horombo Hut sits on a sunny terrace with sweeping views over the clouds. It is a lively camp, where climbers heading up meet those coming down from the summit. Expect temperatures near freezing after sunset.

Guide’s tip: Walk at a pace where you can hold a conversation without gasping. If you are breathing hard, you are going too fast. Wear a sun hat and sunscreen once you leave the forest; the sun is fierce at this altitude.

Horombo Hut

Day 3

Horombo Hut (3,720 m) – Kibo Hut (4,720 m): about 10 km / 6–7 hours

Elevation: 3,720 m → 4,720 m (+1,000 m)
Distance: about 10 km
Hiking time: 6–7 hours
Habitat: Alpine desert
Overnight: Kibo Hut
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Above Horombo the vegetation fades away and you enter the stark alpine desert of the Saddle, the wide plateau between Kibo and Mawenzi. Fill your water bottles at the Last Water Point, as there is no water source higher up. The walking is not steep, but the altitude makes every step count, so keep drinking and keep a steady rhythm.

Kibo Hut is a stone building at the foot of the summit cone. After an early dinner, your guide briefs you on the summit night: what to wear, what to carry and what to expect. Lay out your warmest layers, head torch and spare batteries, then try to sleep for a few hours before the wake-up call just before midnight.

Guide’s tip: Eat even if you are not hungry. Appetite often drops at altitude, but your body needs the energy for summit night. Keep snacks in your pocket and nibble every hour.

Kibo Hut

Day 4

Kibo Hut (4,720 m) – Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) – Horombo Hut (3,720 m): about 6 km up, 16 km down / 6–8 hours up, 5–6 hours down

Elevation: 4,720 m → 5,895 m (+1,175 m), then → 3,720 m (−2,175 m)
Distance: about 6 km up, 16 km down
Hiking time: 6–8 hours up, 5–6 hours down
Habitat: Scree, snow and ice at the summit
Overnight: Horombo Hut
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Around midnight, after hot tea and biscuits, you set off by head torch up the steep switchbacks of the summit cone. The night is cold and quiet, the pace very slow. You pass Hans Meyer Cave (5,150 m) and reach Gilman's Point (5,685 m) on the crater rim around dawn. The sunrise over Mawenzi is unforgettable. From here the trail follows the rim past glaciers and ice cliffs to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), the highest point in Africa.

After photos at the famous summit sign, you descend the same way to Kibo Hut for a short rest and a hot drink, then continue down across the Saddle to Horombo Hut. It is a very long day of 11 to 14 hours, but the thicker air makes each step easier, and dinner at Horombo tastes like a celebration.

Guide’s tip: Wear all your layers, including down jacket, warm gloves and a balaclava, and keep your camera and phone batteries inside your jacket so the cold doesn't drain them. Small, steady steps and slow breathing will get you to the top.

Horombo Hut

Day 5

Horombo Hut (3,720 m) – Marangu Gate (1,860 m): about 20 km / 5–6 hours

Elevation: 3,720 m → 1,860 m (−1,860 m)
Distance: about 20 km
Hiking time: 5–6 hours
Habitat: Moorland and rainforest
Overnight: Hotel in Moshi or Arusha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast and a farewell song from your mountain crew, you descend through the moorland and back into the rainforest, passing Mandara Hut on the way. Trekking poles take much of the strain off your knees on the long descent. Take the time to enjoy the birdsong and the monkeys you may have missed on the way up.

At Marangu Gate you sign out of the park, and climbers who reached Gilman's Point or Uhuru Peak receive their official summit certificates. Your driver then takes you back to your hotel for a long hot shower and a well-earned celebration.

Guide’s tip: Keep a few dollars in your daypack for a cold drink at the gate. Tipping your crew usually happens at the end of the trek, and your guide will explain the customary amounts.

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Emmanuel, Travel Consultant

Tour Costs

Per person Sharing

Number of PAX

Solo Traveler

2 People

3 People

4 People

5 People

6 People

Price

$1,620

$1,300

$1,290

$1,280

$1,270

$1,260

Price includes

All meals and accommodations during the entire safari
A very high quality safari land cruiser with pop-up roof
A professional English speaking safari guide
Unlimited mineral water during the entire safari
Kilimanjaro tea/coffee during game drive
All park fees for all the national parks
Unlimited game drives
All transfers
Flight from Arusha to Zanzibar
Zanzibar activities as in the itinerary
Mto wa mbu cultural walk
Flying doctors rescue cover

Price excludes

Visas
International flights
Lodge and Guides Tips
Drinks at the lodges
All personal related