Mountain Trekking 
The "Coca-Cola" Route
Marangu Route
The only Kilimanjaro route with shared mountain huts instead of tents, on the gentlest gradient up the mountain.
Days5–6
Distance72 km
DifficultyModerate
SleepingMountain huts
CrowdsBusy
About the route
Marangu is the oldest route on Kilimanjaro and the only one where you sleep in huts: A-frame bunkhouses at Mandara and Horombo, and a stone block at Kibo Hut. The path climbs at a steady, gentle gradient from the south-east, and the ascent and descent use the same trail.
Its gentle look is deceptive. Because Marangu climbs steadily without dropping back down to sleep, it gives the body less help with acclimatisation, and the five-day version has a lower summit success rate than longer routes. We strongly recommend the six-day climb, which adds an acclimatisation day at Horombo Hut with a walk towards Mawenzi.
Good for: climbers who prefer a bed and a roof to a tent, and those climbing in the rainy months, when the huts are drier than camping.
Highlights
- Sleep in mountain huts, not tents
- Gentle, steady gradient
- Maundi Crater and the saddle between Kibo and Mawenzi
- Summit via Gilman's Point
Map
Map of the Marangu Route
Press a camp on the map or in the list below to see its altitude.
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Trail lines and camps: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Altitudes from park signposts where available.
Altitude profile
Day by day
The Marangu Route in 6 days
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Day1
Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
From Marangu Gate (1,860 m) a wide path climbs through rainforest to the wooden huts of Mandara. In the afternoon a short walk leads to the rim of Maundi Crater.
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Day2
Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut
You leave the forest for open heath and moorland dotted with giant lobelias and groundsels, with Kibo and Mawenzi rising ahead, to Horombo Hut.
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Day3
Acclimatisation day at Horombo
A rest day spent walking up towards Zebra Rocks and the saddle below Mawenzi and back to Horombo to sleep. This day is what makes the six-day Marangu climb much more likely to succeed.
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Day4
Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut
You cross the lunar landscape of the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo to Kibo Hut, the summit base. Dinner is early, followed by a few hours of rest.
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Day5
Summit day: Uhuru Peak, then down to Horombo Hut
You start around midnight and climb the steep scree in switchbacks to Gilman's Point (5,685 m) on the crater rim, reached around sunrise. The rim path leads past Stella Point to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) in another one and a half to two hours. You return to Kibo Hut for a short rest and continue down to Horombo Hut.
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Day6
Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate
A long but easy descent through moorland and rainforest, past Mandara Hut, to Marangu Gate, where you collect your summit certificate.
Our climbs
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Guided climbs on fixed itineraries, each one tailored to your dates and pace.
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