Kilimanjaro Marangu Route

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be warmly welcomed by a member of Safariland Adventure’s guide, who will drive you to Safariland Cottages.
Renowned as the Safari capital of Tanzania, Arusha is tucked beneath the towering peaks of Mt Meru and Kilimanjaro. The town has numerous first class restaurant, bars and markets to browse and its ideal place to spend a day before your hike to acclimatize.
Later in the afternoon you will be met by your guide who will brief you on your anticipated climb.
For dinner you can have a pick of different restaurants, with varied cuisines from Tanzanian dishes to Italian, please just ask a member of staff for variations. If you would prefer to relax and not spend the night out of the cottages, Safariland also offers a menu on pre-order.

DAY 2 – ACCLIMATIZATIO -ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK (Optional)

Today you will be spending time in the Arusha National park; this place will keep you amazed whilst acclimatizing as it is surrounded by a stunning landscape in view of Mount Meru. The wildlife, old trees and parts of grassland truly reflect African surroundings. The national park also boasts its fame as the place where the filming of a Movie by John Wayne HATARI was shoot.

DAY 3 – ARUSHA- MARANGU GATE – MANDARA HUT

After a relaxing breakfast, you will be driven to Marangu gate, where the track begins. The path will take you through beautiful patches of coffee planation and dense rain forest. On the hike you will spot bright color birds, Colobus monkey and a number of stunning Flora and Fauna that are local to the area. The hike takes about 3 hours with casual rests, moving up to the elevation of 9,000 Ft to Mandara hut, where you will spend your dinner and over night.

DAY 4 – MANDARA – HOROMBO

Your second day on the mountain starts with as steep climb through the last swathe of rain forest and later rewarding you with beautiful views of the skyline, the Kilimanjaro twin peaks, Snow covered Kibo and rocky Mawenzi. Ascending through alpine meadows and grassland, the hike takes about 6 -7 hours with casual rest and a longer break for lunch. You will reach an elevation of 12,000 Ft at Horombo hut where you stop for dinner and over night.

DAY 5 – HOROMBO HUT

Today you will have a shorter hike of about 3 – 4 hours, spending time to acclimatize before moving to a hire elevation the next day. Acclimatization at this point gives you a better chance to make it to the top, as you will be moving to the altitude of 4600 m. The path is surrounded by zebra striped rocks giving you experience of all new surrounding.

DAY 6 – HOROMBO – KIBO HUT

Today’s trail becomes progressively rocky as you pass through the last water point. There you will continuously be amazed by spectacular mountain vegetation like giant cactus, groundsel and lobelia that appears on the way. The hike takes anything from 5 – 7 hours, with continuous breaks; moving to the altitude of about 4,703 M. Here you will stop and leave enough time to relax. In the evening your guide will brief you on the final ascend which begins at midnight.

DAY 7 – THE FINAL ASCEND (GILMAN’S POINT) – UHURU PEAK

The attempt on the summit occurs at midnight. The path will take you through zigzag rocky slops that have an amazing sight, when there are many hikers lighting their torch ascending upwards. This creates a beautiful sight of thousand of lentils lights in a snake like trail moving towards the roof of Africa. Today you will have a longer hike of about 5 – 6 hour to Gilman’s point and later 1-2 hours to the Uhuru peak, the highest point in Africa 5,895 M. This is all rewarded by a dramatic spectacle of the sun rising over the ice fields creating profusion colors and shapes on the view of Africa. You will later descend to Horombo hut for a well-deserved rest and a regained energy of you have made it.

DAY 8 – DESCEND FROM HOROMBO HUT TO MARANGU GATE

The final descend is through the alpine meadow and in through the rainforest with spectacular sights. The pace at the final ascend becomes quicker. At the Marangu gate, a member of Safariland Adventures will be waiting to drive you to Arusha, where you can relax for the night.