Marangu Route | Mount Kilimanjaro Hike.

DAY 1

We go through beautiful, untouched forest to get to the area with (2,700 m.) after going through the necessary steps at the National Park gate (1,830 m.). The close volcanic remains of Maundi Crater are a nice place to spend the afternoon. You could also just take a break and enjoy the beautiful forest around you. Make camp at Mandara Hut. (3–5 hours of walking)

DAY 2

The first part of the walk goes up steeply through a forest. Soon, though, the road opens up into grassy moorland, from which you can see Kibo and Mawenzi peaks when the weather is clear. We slowly climb through the moorland area, which has giant heather and some stands of groundsel, until we reach the Horombo (3,720 m.) hut complex. This spot often has beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It is close to Kibo’s glaciated dome, and you really feel like you are above the clouds. [4 to 6 hours of walking]

DAY 3

We spend the day going on a trip to the base of Mawenzi Peak, which is rarely visited but has great views of Kibo and our path up to Gillman’s Point on the crater rim. Mawenzi is an older volcano than Kibo, so it has been worn down even more, making a very rough slope with some very tall peaks. The scenery looks and feels more like the Alps, and it’s quieter here than in other places along this path. We spend a second night at Horombo Hut to help our bodies get used to the weather. (4–5 hours of walking)

DAY 4

We slowly make our way up to the Saddle, which is between Mawenzi and Kibo and looks like the moon. The ground turns to scree, and you can feel the wildness at a high elevation. At the bottom of the crater wall, at Kibo Hut (4,700 m.), we usually get there by noon. The afternoon is free (to think about the climb to the top!!). Resting and eating for the rest of the day gets you ready for the last climb, which happens very early at night. [4 to 6 hours]

DAY 5

We will begin our climb by flashlight around 1 a.m. so that we can reach Gillman’s Point before dawn. It takes about five or six hours to get to Gillman’s (5,685 m.) at a slow but steady pace, even though the first part of the climb is steep over loose volcanic scree. We’ll take a break there and watch the sunrise for a while. From here, it takes three hours to go around the crater rim and reach Uhuru Peak (5,896 m). Along the way, you’ll get to see the beautiful glaciers that still cover most of the peak. The way down is fairly quick, and we spend the night at Horombo Hut again. (11 to 15 hours walking)

DAY 6

We walk back the way we came, first through a nice grassland path to Mandara and then through a lovely forest path to the Nat Park gates. The rich greenery of the forest is a beautiful contrast to the day you spent at the top of Kilimanjaro, and it shows you how varied the scenery is. (walking for 5–6 hours)

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