Kilimanjaro - Marungu Trek with Acacia Africa

5 days trekking - mountain huts


The most direct and popular Kilimanjaro climb, this path is well defined and ‘climber friendly’ to make your adventure a little easier. Camps on the route have solar-powered sleeping huts and beds with pillows, in communal dorms. The trail runs via rainforests and waterfalls onto high moorland, where you trek amongst amazing giant plant life! The final steep push takes place on the morning of the fourth day, before you stand, elated, on the Roof of Africa! The descent follows the same route down.

Day 1 Nairobi - Moshi
From Nairobi we travel by scheduled bus to Moshi. You will be collected between 07:15am – 07:30am (selected departure points only) and you should arrive in Moshi in the late afternoon. The shuttle crosses the Athi Plain and continues to the border point at Namanga. Once formalities are complete we continue to Arusha where you may be asked to change buses for the final drive 80km to Moshi. The remainder of the day is at leisure – to relax and prepare for the following days trek.

Day 2 - Trek to Mandara Hut
After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, we leave Moshi and drive 45 minutes t6o Marangu Gate on the eastern side of the mountain. We begin our trek here, walking through forests tall eucalyptuses, home to a range of birdlife and colobus monkeys which we may see jumping though the canopy. It can be muddy here, so trekking poles and gaiters may help. After a stop for lunch we may have the time to detour to Maundi Crater, from where there are beautiful views across the surrounding region, including Southern Kenya across the border. We aim to reach Mandara Huts, our first camp in the late afternoon. Our porters and cook arrive at camp before us to start setting up and preparing dinner.

Day 3 - Trek to Horombo Hut
We rise early and continue our trek after breakfast, hilking through rainforests glades and follow an ascending path up through unique mountain heathland on the slopes of the Mawenzi massif consisting of giant lobelias and groundsel vegetarian, some which reach over 3 meters high. Continuing on we enter the area of low shrubs and moorlands where we take lunch. Although a long and quiet strenuous walk, there are amazing views of Mawenzi from the moorland and by the time we reach our huts we have views of Kibo itself. We arrive at Horombo Huts at approximately 3pm where there is time to rest before dinner.

Day 4 - Trek to Kibo Hut
If feeling energetic you could rise early this morning and catch great photos of the sunrise over Kilimanjaro. After breakfast we set off and climb through the dwindling moorland which blends into a rocky moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo. Stopping for lunch we have great views of the peak and will be able to view the summit route we’ll be taking early tomorrow morning. This afternoon we cross the surprisingly wide saddle of alpine desert, to the foot of Kibo at Kibo Huts. This evenings camp does not have running water so our porter will prepare washing water for us. We will also eat early so you have as much sleep as possible before our very early start for the summit. At this altitude we will be looking out for signs of altitude sickness. While many people are affected by mild altitude sickness, the guides will advise if symptoms are acute and summit should not be attempted

Day 5 - Summit & Descend to Horombo Hut
We wake at midnight to a light breakfast and leave the camp at 1am for the ascent. Our goal is to climb before dawn so that we reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. Setting off, we take switchbacks across a large scree slope and reach Gillman’s Point on the crater rim at 5686m between 5-7am. Here, views of the fabled crater and possible ice caps great you. After another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim you have the final push to reach Kilimanjaro’s true summit at Uhuru Peak. This is Africa’s highest point and the highest for approximately 500 kilometres!

On the summit we enjoy our accomplishment and enjoy the view of the surrounding plains as they wake up to the day before our descent back down. It is another 7-8 hours descent back to Horombo but a new view looking down! We arrive back, eat dinner prepared by the cook and get some well earned sleep.

Day 6 - Trek to Marangu Gate and return to Moshi
Today after a healthy breakfast we descend back through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. We have lunch there before our triumphant return back through lush forest to the park gate. We should reach there by approximately 2-3 pm. Saying our goodbyes and tipping our cooks, porters and guides we transfer back to our hotel in Moshi, where its definitely time for a celebration and relax!

Day 7 - Transfer Moshi to Nairobi
After a leisurely morning we board a scheduled shuttle bus back via Arusha, to Nairobi. The expected time of arrival back in the Kenyan capital is 18:30 – 19:30. The tour ends on arrival in Nairobi.

Acclimitisation Day: It is possible to add an acclimitisation day onto this itinerary where you stay an extra night at Horombo and take a short day hike in order to get used to the altitude so increasing your chances of reaching the summit. This however MUST be pre-booked. Please contact our reservation staff for more detail and information regarding this.

Moshi Start: It is possible to start this itinerary in Moshi, thereby avoiding the road transfer from Nairobi. Various airlines fly into Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) and you are able to arrive any time on day 1 and leave any time after breakfast on the final day. Please bear in mind however it is advisible to leave adequate time to rest after your flight prior to attempting climbing the mountain.

Acclimatisation Day

If you are unaccustomed to trekking at high altitudes it is recommended that you take an extra day on the mountain to acclimatise. This day, useful for resting or taking easy, localised walks with your guide, is added to day 3 of the tour and helps increase your chance of reaching the summit. It can be added to any of the routes, but must be requested and paid for when you book.

Porters on the Mountain

Porters help us on trek by carrying food and equipment, preparing group meals and putting up our tents, where necessary. We use porters who come from the villages around the base of the mountain, to bring employment to local families and support their economy. There is a weight limit on the mountain, but luggage you don’t need can be kept in the hotel in Moshi while you trek.

Kili & Serengeti Safari

Combine your trek with a 6-day classic safari to Tanzania's famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. See Tanzania Game Parks for more information, or ask your tour consultant or agent for details of tour code TGP6.