The Marangu Route Kilimanjaro climb (6 Days | 5 nights )

MANDARA HUT 

Kilimanjaro Climb 6 Days Marangu Route Mount. This morning you drive (about 2 hours) through Kilimanjaro’s semi-tropical foothills to Marangu (1,372m). Situated on the south-eastern side of the mountain. As you drive, there are usually some excellent views of the snow-capped peak. On arrival at Marangu gate, you meet your team of guides and porters. Pick up any last minute supplies for the trek, and head to the entrance of Mount Kilimanjaro National Park to register for the climb. From the cluster of buildings at the gate it is some four to five hours walk through patches of coffee plantation and dense rainforest to Mandara Hut. The forest teems with brightly-coloured bird life, colobus and other varieties of monkey. The flora includes numerous mosses, lichens and flowers, as well as delicate orchids. If the skies are clear you may have fine views over the town of Moshi lying at the edge of the plain far below.

Mandara Hut is a collection of basic, A-frame mountain huts with bunk beds – quite adequate for your needs – where you inevitably meet up with fellow trekkers who are bent on the same goal.
Overnight stay at Mandara Hut – 1 night (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner).

HOROMBO HUT

(3,720m)
Your second day on the mountain starts with a steep climb through the last swathe of rainforest, though this soon gives way to rolling alpine meadow dotted with giant heather. Once you leave the forest canopy, Kilimanjaro’s twin peaks – snowcovered Kibo and rocky Mawenzi – lie directly ahead, dominating the skyline. Further on you cross a zone of open heath with stunted vegetation, before emerging onto bleak moorland. Today you gain roughly 1,000m in altitude, and your walk can take anything from five to seven hours – depending on your pace. Tonight you stay at Horombo Huts – another collection of buildings similar in style to those at Mandara – which offer shelter and basic accommodation to those on the mountain.
Overnight stay at Horombo Hut (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner).

HOROMBO HUT

A day here provides an opportunity for you to acclimatise gradually to the altitude. Statistics show that an acclimatisation day like this effectively doubles the chance of making it to the summit, so this time is well spent! The day is not exactly wasted as there are a few walks you can make in the vicinity of the hut – the most popular of which is to the base of Mawenzi Peak, the dramatic eastern summit of Kili. This walk takes four to five hours (round trip), and will get you to an altitude of 4,600m before you return to the hut – this will stand you in good stead later on.
Overnight stay at Horombo Hut (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner).

KIBO HUT

(4,705m)
The landscape becomes progressively more rocky and rugged as you leave the everlasting flowers and other bizarre alpine plants behind. Giant
groundsels and lobelias appear in the sparse moorland. Today’s trail up to Kibo will again take anything between five and seven hours. Skirting Mawenzi Peak, you pass Last Water then cross a stark, almost lunar landscape onto “The Saddle”, a broad tundra desert between the two peaks of
Mawenzi and Kibo. From here you start to get fantastic views of the upper reaches of the mountain before arriving at Kibo Hut (4,705m), a dry-stone-walled hut with dormitories and limited facilities. Tonight you prepare for tomorrow’s final assault – THE SUMMIT – re-packing to leave any non-essential items with the porters; you need to summon all your energy to get to the summit so there’s absolutely no point in carrying anything you don’t need! An early night is imperative as you must make a midnight start in order to reach the summit in the morning before the cloud cover settles, and then have time to get back down to the hut.
Overnight stay at Kibo Hut for 1 night (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)

BARAFU HUTS – UHURU PEAK

The final ascent starts at around midnight and this is so that trekkers can see the sunrise from the summit and also get enough daylight allowing for the long descent back. Although you can leave excess luggage at the Barafu Hut, it is unsafe and your equipment may freeze if not insulated. It takes around 6 hours up to Uhuru Peak and you should be there in time for a glorious, well-deserved sunrise! Point to reach Stella Point on the crater rim for sunrise another 40 minutes and you are at the highest point on the continent (Kibo:5900m), usually in the warm sunshine. Return on the Mweka descent route.

MWEKA GATE – ARUSHA

From Mweka campsite it is a 4 to 5 hours descent through the forest to the Mweka gate (depending on individual fitness) to collect certificates and meet the vehicle. Return to Arusha for the night.

The end of 6-days-kilimanjaro-machame-route-kilimanjaro-climb