Hiking Kilimanjaro’s Marangu Route in Tanzania – To the top of Africa

1. Climbing at full moon offers a great advantage to the final night’s hike, so schedule your dates to coincide if you can. The route will be slightly busier on these dates.
2. Bathroom conditions are beyond basic. Bring hand sanitiser and baby wipes. As one of the very few on the trip to stay healthy and germ-free, trust me that it’s worth overdosing it on hygiene to ensure you give the challenge everything you’ve got.
3. Your guide, cook and porters will be awaiting your gratitude at the end of the adventure. To avoid being unprepared and facing that awkward expectation, have a small stash available for tips.

Day 1 (approx. 5 hours): Marangu Gate (1860m) – Mandara Hut (2715m)

Here we met our guide and porters, who became our family for the following 6 days. When you go, make sure you don’t give your porters your daypack here because your porters will quickly disappear ahead of you and you will definitely need your water, snacks, and extra clothes.

Today’s hike is a real adventure. The route winds through the rainforest and throughout the day you will see many changes in the vegetation. After a few hours, we saw the forest change to dry trees and shrubs. Some people even spotted monkeys along this path.

Every night on the Marangu route is spent in relatively luxury accommodation. There were even flushing toilets at the first few camps. On the first night, we slept in huts that fit up to 8 people. The first stop is the Mandara hut, where we were cooked a warm meal before resting for the night.

Day 2 (approx. 6 hours): Mandara Hut (2715m) – Horombo Hut (3705m)

Today we left the forest behind and found ourselves walking through moorland. The clear skies and lack of tall trees gave us a beautiful view of Kibo and Mawenzi. We also saw some of Kilimanjaro’s unique plants, like the giant Lobelia and the even bigger Groundsel, which reaches up to 5 metres high.

Day 3 (approx. 4 hours): Horombo Hut (3705m) – Acclimatisation hike towards Mawenzi

On this hike, we passed by many beautiful sights and it was a nice short 4-hour hike. Make sure you get to bed early as this is the last good night’s sleep you will have on this trip.

Day 4 (approx. 6 hours): Horombo Hut (3705m) – Kibo Hut (4730m)

The walk to today’s destination, the Kibo Hut, was not long but it was hard. The path doesn’t look steep, but I could feel my lungs struggling. I was thankful for my preparation on the treadmill the few months before, that’s for sure. Despite this, the views were breathtaking. Big, rolling clouds and open skies as far as the eye can see.

Day 5 (approx. 15 hours): Kibo hut (4730m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Horombo hut (3705m)

We were lucky to have a full moon lighting our path. The climb was slow. I’m no athlete so I really understood the meaning of the “Kili-shuffle”. I took it one step at a time, letting others pass ahead of me. There is no point rushing this climb, it’s more important that you make it to Uhuru peak.

The first big checkpoint is Gilman’s Point. With some tour groups, you are awarded a certificate here, because simply reaching this point is an achievement in its own right. From that point on, it’s another hour-and-a-half until you reach the peak.

The journey is tough, but the view is worth it. Surrounded by glistening ice-capped mountains, with the morning sun shining, you feel like you can conquer anything. We spent a few minutes taking in our surroundings (as well as taking the mandatory group photo or two.) Everyone reacted differently at this point. I was in awe of where I was, many were emotional at having reached nearly 6000-metre altitudes.

Unfortunately, the descent was almost harder than the climb. It’s a long day back to camp but, the hard work was worth it. All any of us could think of on the way down was the warm food waiting for us.

Day 6 (approx. 6 hours): Horombo hut (3705m) – Marangu Gate (1860m)

All in all, anyone lucky enough to get to Tanzania would miss out on an incredible life experience if they did not attempt to climb Kilimanjaro.

Africa offers an impressive collection of incredible peaks. Living in Southern Africa has allowed me easy access to the Drakensburg Mountains inland, all the way to the southernmost tip of Africa. The Table Mountain National Park and Garden Route along the Cape coast offer breathtakingly beautiful views and trails that have kept me exploring tirelessly over the years. Of all my hiking adventures, Kili has been the most extreme and memorable. Although I don’t plan to return, it has left me with an immovable belief in my ability to conquer any challenge I face.

Need to Know

Have you hiked Mount Kilimanjaro? Got it on your bucket list? If you have any stories, updates or corrections, please let us know by commenting below.