5-Day Trek Mount Kilimanjaro via Marangu Route

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Marangu Gate - Mandara Hut

Your adventure begins at Marangu Gate, located on the southeastern side of Mount Kilimanjaro. After registration and a briefing from your guide, you enter the lush montane rainforest. This vegetation zone is characterized by tall evergreen trees, dense undergrowth, moss-covered trunks, ferns, and abundant wildlife including blue monkeys and colobus monkeys. The trail is well-defined and gradually ascends through humid forest conditions. After approximately 4–6 hours of hiking and gaining around 830 meters in elevation, you arrive at Mandara Hut, where you spend your first night on the mountain.

Elevation: 1,870m → 2,700m
Vegetation: Montane Rainforest.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Meals & Drinks:

• Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Mandara Hut - Horombo Hut

Leaving the rainforest behind, you climb into the heath and moorland zone. The landscape becomes more open, offering spectacular views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. Vegetation changes dramatically, featuring giant heathers, giant groundsels, lobelias, and alpine shrubs adapted to cooler temperatures and stronger sunlight. The trail steadily gains altitude as the air becomes noticeably thinner. This stage typically takes 5–7 hours and covers rolling terrain before reaching Horombo Hut, situated on a broad plateau with panoramic mountain views.

Elevation: 2,700m → 3,720m
Vegetation: Heath and Moorland.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Horombo Hut - Kibo Hut

Today's trek crosses the Saddle, a vast high-altitude plain located between Mawenzi and Kibo peaks. You enter the alpine desert zone, where vegetation is almost absent due to harsh conditions, low rainfall, intense sunlight, and cold nighttime temperatures. The terrain is dominated by volcanic rock, gravel, and dust. As you approach higher elevations, oxygen levels decrease significantly, making a slow pace essential. After 5–8 hours of hiking and nearly 1,000 meters of elevation gain, you arrive at Kibo Hut. After an early dinner and rest, preparations begin for the midnight summit attempt.

Elevation: 3,720m → 4,700m
Vegetation: Alpine Desert.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Kibo Hut - Uhuru Peak - Horombo Hut

Around midnight, you begin the most challenging part of the climb. The route ascends steep volcanic scree through the arctic zone, where there is no vegetation due to extreme cold, strong winds, and permanent ice near the summit. As dawn approaches, you reach Gilman's Point and continue along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 5,895 meters. After enjoying sunrise views and celebrating your achievement, you descend back through the alpine desert zone to Kibo Hut for a short rest before continuing to Horombo Hut for the night.

Elevation: 4,700m → 5,895m → 3,720m
Vegetation: Arctic Zone and Alpine Desert.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Horombo Hut - Marangu Gate

Our final day begins with a long descent through the heath and moorland zone before re-entering the lush rainforest. As elevation decreases, temperatures become warmer and oxygen levels increase, making breathing much easier. The vegetation becomes progressively denser, with giant heathers giving way to thick forest, towering trees, ferns, and diverse birdlife. After 5–7 hours of trekking, you arrive back at Marangu Gate, where summit certificates are awarded and your Kilimanjaro adventure comes to an end.

Elevation: 3,720m → 1,870m
Vegetation: Heath & Moorland → Montane Rainforest.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.