Tanzania · Guided climb · Mountain trek
The hut route, with an acclimatisation day
The Marangu route with an extra acclimatisation day at Horombo Hut, giving your body more time to adjust before the summit.
Price on request
The journey in brief
The experience
The six-day Marangu climb adds a full day at Horombo Hut. You walk a short circuit higher on the mountain and return to sleep lower, which helps you acclimatise before the final push.
You stay in huts throughout, with a guide, porters and a cook supporting the climb.
Acclimatisation day at Horombo
Hut accommodation throughout
Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) via Gilman's Point
Summit certificate on a successful climb
The route
Arusha
Marangu Gate
Mandara Hut
Horombo Hut
Kibo Hut
Uhuru Peak
Arusha
Arusha → Marangu Gate → Mandara Hut → Horombo Hut → Kibo Hut → Uhuru Peak → Arusha
Day by day
Walking times and distances are approximate and depend on your pace and conditions on the mountain.
Day 1 / Arusha → Marangu Gate → Mandara Hut
Meet your guide, porters and cook, then drive from Arusha to Marangu Gate on the south-eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro to register for the climb. The first walk is a gentle introduction, following a well-made trail through lush montane rainforest. Look out for black-and-white colobus monkeys and forest birds as you climb to Mandara Hut at 2,740 m, a cluster of wooden huts in a forest clearing where you spend the first night.
Day 2 / Mandara Hut → Horombo Hut
Leave Mandara Hut and the forest and climb onto the open heath and moorland, where giant heathers, lobelias and groundsels grow among the grasses. The views open out as you go, with Kibo's broad summit dome and the jagged spires of Mawenzi rising ahead. Reach Horombo Hut at 3,700 m, your home for the next two nights, often with the clouds spread out below.
Day 3 / Horombo Hut
This extra day is what makes the six-day Marangu climb kinder on the body. With your guide, walk higher towards Mawenzi, the mountain's second peak, gaining altitude before returning to Horombo Hut to rest and sleep lower down. This 'climb high, sleep low' approach helps your body adjust to the thinner air. Use the rest of the day to relax, drink plenty of water and keep warm.
Day 4 / Horombo Hut → Kibo Hut
Leave Horombo and cross the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo, where the vegetation gives way to a stony alpine desert under a vast sky. The walking is steady rather than steep, but the altitude makes every step count. Reach Kibo Hut at 4,700 m, eat an early dinner and rest, as the summit attempt starts in the early hours.
Day 5 / Kibo Hut → Uhuru Peak → Horombo Hut
Leave Kibo Hut between 2 and 3am and climb slowly by head torch up the long scree slope to Gilman's Point on the crater rim. From there, the route follows the rim, with glaciers in view, to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), Africa's highest point, aiming to arrive around sunrise. The extra acclimatisation day helps, but altitude still affects everyone differently, and your guide decides whether to continue or turn back. After time at the summit, descend all the way to Horombo, a demanding day of 12–15 hours.
Day 6 / Horombo Hut → Marangu Gate → Arusha
The final descent leads from Horombo through the moorland and rainforest to Marangu Gate, where you collect your certificate if you reached the summit and say goodbye to the guide, porters and cook who supported you. A transfer then takes you to Arusha or Moshi, the town at Kilimanjaro's foot, for a well-earned rest.
Where you stay
Nights are spent in the huts or campsites on the route, with your crew preparing meals.
Kilimanjaro · 1 night
Kilimanjaro · 2 nights
Kilimanjaro · 1 night
Kilimanjaro · 1 night
This safari is priced for your exact dates. Lodge rates, park fees and availability vary through the year, so we confirm a written price once we know your dates and party size.
Prices can depend on travel dates, party size, accommodation availability and changes to park fees. All terms are confirmed in writing before you book.
The details
Before you travel
Uhuru Peak is 5,895 m. Altitude affects everyone differently, regardless of fitness. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water and tell your guide early if you feel unwell. Descending is the most effective response to serious symptoms.
You do not need climbing experience, but you should be comfortable walking for six to eight hours on consecutive days. Speak to a doctor before booking if you have any heart, lung or blood-pressure condition.
Bring a warm down jacket, waterproof layers, broken-in boots, a head torch, gloves, a warm hat and a four-season sleeping bag. Gaiters and trekking poles help on the muddy lower trails.
Check passport validity and entry requirements for every country on your route with official government sources before you travel.
Ask a travel-health professional about vaccinations and malaria precautions, and take out travel insurance that covers your activities.
Walk slowly, drink plenty of water and tell your guide early if you feel unwell. Speak to a doctor before booking a high-altitude trek.
Questions travellers ask
Often, yes. Tell us what you would like to change and we will confirm what is possible for your dates.
Prices for this safari depend on your dates, party size and accommodation availability, so we quote for your exact trip.
We reply with availability, any suggestions for your dates and a written quote. Nothing is booked until you have agreed the quote and booking terms.
No technical climbing experience is needed on this route, but you should be fit and prepared for long days at altitude. Speak to a doctor before booking.
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The next step
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability and send a written quote; nothing is booked until you agree.
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6 days · Tanzania
Price on request
