Day 1 : Marangu Gate (1860m) – Mandara hut (2715m)

The day begins with a drive from your lodge to the gate of Kilimanjaro National Park through the village of Marangu, which lies on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro and this route is named after it.

Once you reach the park gate, report to the park office and final preparations for the climb will begin. Your accompanying porters will arrange the luggage. They load the groceries, water, cooking gas, camping gear and most of your equipment, allowing each porter to carry a maximum weight of 15kg.

From the park gate, we ascend on a cleared ridge trail through the rain forest where you will see most of Kilimanjaro’s animals. An alternative and more scenic parallel forest trail branches off to the left a few minutes after the gate. This trail follows the edge of a stream through the undergrowth and offers you the option to rejoin the main trail either after 1.5 hrs hiking, or 1 hr before Mandara hut where you will spend the night. Depending on your condition, the hiking time is 5 hours on average.

Overnight is at Mandara Hut, which is a group of A-shape wooden huts in a forest clearing. Each of these cabins has 6-8 sleeping berths with solar powered lighting. The total capacity of the camp is 60 climbers. The water is fed into the camp from springs above. There are flush toilets behind the main cabin.

Day 2 : Mandara Hut (2715m) – Horombo Hut (3750m)

From Mandara Hut the trail passes through a short stretch of forest, circles the base of Maundi Crater and then enters a transition from rainforest to moorland. It is worth making a short detour to climb up the rim of Maundi Crater and get your first impressive view of the Kibo Crater. On a clear day, Mount Kibo will shimmer in the morning sun with majestic glaciers in the distance.

Once in the open moorland you will have the opportunity to see some of Kilimanjaro’s most spectacular plants – the endemic giant lobelia which grows up to 3 meters tall and giant ragwort (Senecia kilimanjari) which can reach a height of 5 metres. After about 6 hours of hiking, you will reach your overnight accommodation at the Horombo Huts.

Day 3: Horombo Hut (3750m) – Acclimatization day around Horombo hut

Horombo Hut is a hut village on a small plateau with similar buildings to Mandara and a capacity of 120 climbers! Horombo is full of hikers, guides and porters with an atmosphere of adventure and excitement. Here you will meet both ascending and descending hikers. This extra day and night in Horombo is for acclimatization to the altitude. A hike to the Mawenzi hut, passing the zebra rocks on the way (approx. 3 hours up and 1.5 hours down), is highly recommended.

Day 4 : Horombo Hut (3750m) – Kibo Hut (4750m)

After breakfast, we continue our ascent into the alpine desert habitat. From Horombo there are two paths to the “saddle” (which refers to the area between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo). There is an upper route (right fork) and a lower route (left fork) to choose from. You should already be familiar with the upper route, as you climbed most of it towards the Mawenzi Hut the day before. This section is very rocky and eroded.

The recommended lower route is much easier and almost an hour shorter. This route also passes the last water point at 4130m where you fill your water bottles with all the water you need until you return to Horombo hut in two nights. Your hike is approximately 6 hours.

In the barren alpine desert lies Kibo Hut, a stone-built log cabin with bunk beds for 60 climbers. There are pedestal toilets behind the hut. You can buy mineral water and soft drinks in the camp office.

The summit is now another 1195m high and you will complete your final ascent that same night. You will prepare your gear, ski poles and thermal clothing for the summit ascent. This should include replacing your headlamp and camera batteries and making sure you have a spare set on hand as well. To prevent your trinking water from freezing, it is advisable to transport the water in a thermos flask.

Day 5: Kibo Hut (4750m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Horombo Hut (3750m)

You will get up around 11:20 p.m. After fortifying yourself with tea, you will shuffle off into the night. The first section of the trail consists of a rugged rocky path to the Hans Meyer cave (5150m). The trail then zigzags up to Gillman’s Point (5681m) which is located on the crater rim. This section is very steep with a lot of boulders and requires great physical and mental effort. This is probably the most demanding section of the entire route.

From Gillmans Point you will typically encounter snow up to Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa. Weather conditions at the summit will dictate how long you can spend photographing before the 3-hour descent back to Kibo Hut. After a short break at Kibo Hut, collect all the gear you left for the climb and head down to Horombo Hut (3 hrs) for your overnight stay. The Returning to Horombo Hut will appear surprisingly fast compared to ascension. The total time you spend walking this day is around 14 hours. So be prepared for a very tiring day. Later in the evening you will have your last dinner on the mountain and sleep well into your well-deserved sleep.

Hiking time: 7 to 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak | 6 to 8 hours to descend to Horombo

Day 6: Horombo Hut (3750m) – Marangu Gate (1860m)

After breakfast, you continue your approximately 6-hour descent past Mandara Hut down to Marangu Gate. You will receive your summit certificates at Marangu Gate. Those climbers who have reached Gillman’s Point (5685m) will receive green certificates and those who have reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) will receive gold certificates. You then drive back to your accommodation for a long overdue hot shower, dinner and celebration.