01
Day 01
Arrive, and briefing in Moshi
Arrival, kit check and a full briefing with your guide. Hire anything you are missing this afternoon rather than at the gate.
- StayHotel in Moshi or Arusha
- MealsBed and breakfast
01 · Overview
About this climb
Marangu is the only route with huts. You sleep in bunk-bedded dormitories with mattresses and a dining hall, which is why it suits people who would rather not camp, and why it is the route most often attempted in too few days.
It is the shortest path up and down — you return the way you came — and the gradient is gentle. That gentleness is deceptive: the standard five-day version has one of the lowest success rates on the mountain, because it barely acclimatises anyone.
This version adds a full acclimatisation day at Horombo, walking up towards Mawenzi and the Zebra Rocks and sleeping back at 3,720 m. It changes the odds considerably.
Tour length7 days / 6 nights
Start / endMoshi → Moshi
PlacesMarangu Gate, Mandara, Horombo, Kibo Hut
AccommodationHotel, mountain hut
Meal planFull board; Bed and breakfast
CrewGuide, assistant guides, cook and porters
Group sizeTo confirm
02 · The price
What the price covers — and what it doesn't
Included 6 items
- Kilimanjaro National Park entry, camping or hut fees and rescue fees
- A licensed mountain guide, assistant guides, cook and porters
- All meals on the mountain and drinking water treated daily
- Sleeping tents, mess tent, table and chairs, and a portable toilet
- Transfers between Moshi or Arusha and the route gate
- A pulse oximeter and emergency oxygen carried by the crew
Not included 6 items
- Flights, visa and travel insurance — insurance must cover trekking to 6,000 m
- Personal climbing gear and sleeping bag (hire can be arranged)
- Tips for the mountain crew, which are budgeted separately and paid at the end
- Hotel nights before and after the climb unless a day lists one
- Drinks, laundry and personal spending
- Anything not listed as included
03 · At a glance
Itinerary highlights
- Day 1Arrive, and briefing in Moshi
- Day 2Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
- Day 3Mandara to Horombo Hut
- Day 4Acclimatisation day at Horombo
- Day 5Horombo to Kibo Hut
- Day 6Summit day, and down to Horombo
- Day 7Down to Marangu Gate
04 · Prices
Prices and what moves them
Every quote is written for the dates and the number of people travelling, because park fees, season and vehicle sharing move the figure more than anything else. We itemise it: park fees, accommodation, vehicle, meals.
Private climb
Private climb
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
Children. Child rates depend on age and the route. Child policy to confirm
05 · The route
The route, day by day
02
Day 02
Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
Registration at 1,860 m and four or five hours through rainforest to Mandara at 2,700 m. An afternoon walk to the Maundi Crater if you have the legs.
- StayMountain hut, Mandara 2,700 m
- MealsFull board
03
Day 03
Mandara to Horombo Hut
Out of the forest into moorland with giant lobelia and groundsel, five or six hours to Horombo at 3,720 m.
- StayMountain hut, Horombo 3,720 m
- MealsFull board
04
Day 04
Acclimatisation day at Horombo
The day that makes this itinerary worth booking: a walk up towards Mawenzi and the Zebra Rocks at about 4,000 m, then back down to sleep at Horombo.
- StayMountain hut, Horombo 3,720 m
- MealsFull board
05
Day 05
Horombo to Kibo Hut
Across the saddle — a high, bare, lunar crossing — to Kibo at 4,703 m. Early dinner and a few hours of sleep.
- StayMountain hut, Kibo 4,703 m
- MealsFull board
06
Day 06
Summit day, and down to Horombo
Up around midnight for Gilman’s Point and on around the rim to Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m, then the long descent all the way back to Horombo.
- StayMountain hut, Horombo 3,720 m
- MealsFull board
07
Day 07
Down to Marangu Gate
Five or six hours down through moorland and forest to the gate, certificates, and the transfer to your hotel.
- StayNone — the climb ends today
06 · Camps
Where you stay
On the mountain you sleep at the route’s own camps or huts. The hotel before and after is named in your quote.
Night 1
Hotel in Moshi or Arusha
Bed and breakfast.
Night 2
Mountain hut, Mandara 2,700 m
Full board.
Nights 3, 4 & 6
Mountain hut, Horombo 3,720 m
Full board.
Night 5
Mountain hut, Kibo 4,703 m
Full board.
07 · Add-ons
Optional add-ons
Not in the standard price. Arranged on request and priced in your quote.
After the climb
A few days on safari
Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater are a short drive from Moshi and Arusha.
After the climb
Zanzibar beach extension
A short flight to the coast, for days with nothing to track.
Before the climb
An extra night in Arusha
Useful after a long-haul flight, so the first day does not start tired.
08 · The ground
Where this climb takes you
01
Moshi
Kilimanjaro’s town on the southern slope — the briefing, the kit check and the drive to the route gate.
03
Mandara
2,700 m at the top of the rainforest, three hours above Marangu Gate and the usual turnaround for a day walk.
04
Horombo
3,720 m in the moorland — the hut camp where Marangu takes its acclimatisation day, among giant groundsel and lobelia.
05
Kibo Hut
4,703 m in the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo, where the Marangu summit push begins just before midnight.
06
Uhuru Peak
The summit, reached at sunrise after six to eight hours in the dark, with the Rebmann and Furtwängler glaciers still on the crater rim.
09 · Season
Best time to take this climb
Jan – mid Mar
Clear and colder
A quieter window, with a good chance of snow near the summit.
Jun – Oct
The main dry season
The most settled weather, and the busiest trails.
Apr · May · Nov
The rains
Wet forest, cloud and mud. Possible, but harder and less rewarding.
10 · Flights
Flights
Arrive
Kilimanjaro International Airport
The international airport for Moshi and Arusha. Transfers between town and the route gate are included.
Depart
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Tell us your flight time and the last day is planned around it.
11 · Extras
Budget for these extras
Not in the package price, and worth planning for before you travel.
Most visitors need a Tanzania visa. What applies to your passport, and how to apply, is on our visas and vaccinations page.
Take a policy that covers trekking to 6,000 m and medical evacuation. More on our travel insurance page.
Tipping is customary but yours to decide. Our tipping guide sets out what is usual for guides, cooks and camp staff.
Personal climbing gear and a sleeping bag are not included. Hire can be arranged.
Drinking water is treated daily on the mountain. Drinks at the hotel, laundry and souvenirs are paid locally.
12 · Why us
Why book this with us
01
Every route is a draft
Add a night, cut a day, finish on the coast. Most trips we run started as one of these and then moved.
02
Every quote itemised
Park fees, accommodation, crew and meals, line by line, for your dates and group.
03
A full mountain crew
A licensed mountain guide, assistant guides, a cook and porters.
04
Planned from Arusha
Ask on WhatsApp and you reach the people who plan the trip.
13 · Reviews
Reviews
Guest reviews for this route will appear here. To confirm
14 · Questions
Asked about this trip
Basic and dry: bunks with mattresses, a dining hall, and shared washrooms. There is no heating and no hot shower.
The walking is easier. The summit is not, and the standard short version acclimatises you poorly. Do not take the five-day option unless you have climbed at altitude recently.
It is the route most often used in the wet months, because huts beat tents in the rain. April, May and November are still hard going.
Yes, which some people dislike and others prefer, because you know exactly what is coming.
