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Bushmen Safari |
Camping Safari |
Mountain Trekking |
Testimonials |
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You will be
taken 2000ft down the crater by a 4wheel drive vehicle,
explore the crater before ascending back... |
Day 6: 6:00
am. Sunrise game drive looking for predators, then
drive to the heart of Serengeti. |
The Marangu
Route is the main route and by far the most popular ....
Accommodation is also the "best". |
Where to stay? What to do? How far in advance to plan? You have questions, we have answers. |
THE MARANGU ROUTE
The Marangu
Route is the main route and by far the most popular way up
Kilimanjaro. The majority of the route is a wide graded
trail. The accommodation is also the "best"., i.e. bunk beds
are provided in "A" frame huts (all other routes are tent
only). The forest is very beautiful and Maundi Crater is
worth a visit just for the flowers and scenery. The route
also affords wonderful views of Kibo and Mawenzi Peaks.
This route is the easiest and should be taken by those who
feel less confident with their climbing ability. However the
trail is the most heavily used trail and one may not feel
alone in the wilderness. This is a benefit in some
situations as this is the only route with emergency
evacuation. The Marangu Route often books out in the high
season, pre-booking is therefore necessary. It generally
takes five days for the round trip:
Day 1: Marangu to Mandara Hut
Day 2: Mandara to Horombo Hut
Day 3: Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut
Day 4: Kibo Hut to Summit to Horombo Hut
Day 5: Horombo Hut to Marangu
The schedule, trails and accommodation are designed to allow
visitors to acclimate. An extra day at Horombo, Mawenzi or
Kibo Huts is recommended for additional altitude
acclimatization.
Itinerary
Day 1: After an early morning pick up from your hotel in
Moshi or Arusha will drive to the Marangu Gate. We will
spend 1-2 hours at the Park Headquarters at Marangu Gate for
registration, payment of fees and final packing. After as
somewhat leisurely walk you will arrive in Mandara,
hopefully avoiding the rain showers that sometimes fall in
the afternoon. From the gate, you ascend a cleared ridge
trail, formerly a vehicle track to Mandara Hut. The cleared
trail is the fastest way to Mandara, but opportunities to
see wildlife or enjoy the forest are limited due to the
heavy foot traffic. An alternative is to ascend along the
parallel forest trail and descend on the main trail. The
forest trail branches off to the left, a few minutes after
the gate, and follows the edge of a stream through the
undergrowth. About halfway (1 1/2 hrs from the gate) you can
choose to cross the stream and rejoin the main trail, or
continue on the forest trail. Both trails continue on
opposite sides of the stream, merging about one hour before
Mandara Hut.
Day 2: From Mandara Hut the trail passes through a short
stretch of forest and skirts the base of Maundi Crater,
crosses a meadow and a wooded stream, then emerges into
grassland. It is well worth the short detour to scramble up
to the rim of Maundi Crater for a superb view of the
mountain and its surroundings. The trail crosses numerous
moorland ravines before ending at Horombo Hut, which is set
in a rocky valley with a fine stand of giant senecios.
Day 3: From Horombo Hut there are two trails to the Saddle.
The right fork is very stony and eroded, but is the most
direct route to the Saddle and Mawenzi. From the Saddle
(about 2 hrs from Horombo), there are trails to Mawenzi Hut
(1/2hr) or Mawenzi Tarn Hut (2 1/2 hrs) and across the
length of the Saddle to Kibo Hut (3 hrs). The left fork from
Horombo Hut is an easier trail and emerges on the Saddle
much closer to Kibo and about one kilometer from Kibo Hut.
Day 4: The trail to the summit lies directly behind Kibo
Hut, to the west. It is normal to start this day's climb at
2 am or earlier. (There are three reasons to do this: to see
the sun rise over Mawenzi from the top of Kibo, the loose
stone scree is frozen —making it easier to climb, and you
can get back in good time). The first part is an uneven
trail which leads to the Hans Meyer Cave, a good rest point.
After that, the trail makes more regular switchbacks most of
the way to the top, with a last scramble over rocks to
Johannes Notch and Gilman's Point. From there, the trail
continues along the rim past Stella Point to Uhuru Peak.
As you descend the scree from the rim back to Kibo Hut, it
is tempting to run fast, but this can result in clouds of
irritating dust and even unpleasant falls. The return to
Horombo Hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the
ascent.
Day 5: Descend from Horombo Hut. You can easily make Mandara
Hut by lunchtime, and continue to the Park gate and Marangu
in the afternoon. We will meet you and return you to your
hotel...for that long awaited hot shower.
Distances
Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut 3-4 hrs (The forest trail is
slower)
Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut 5-7 hrs
Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut 5-6 hrs
Kibo Hut to Giliman's Point 5-6 hrs
Gilman's Point to Uhuru Peak: 1-2 hrs
Huts
Mandara Hut - 2700 m. This is a group of comfortable, wooden
A-frame huts. The largest cabin has a downstairs dining area
and an upstairs dormitory with bunk beds and mattresses;
smaller huts sleep 8 each. The total capacity is 60. Water
is piped into site from springs above and flush toilets are
behind the main cabin.
Horombo Hut - 3720 m. The buildings are similar to Mandara,
but total capacity is 120. Water is piped from the stream
behind the huts. Do not use this stream or its valley as a
waste disposal area. There are platform toilets south-east
of main hut, about 80 m down the slope and new flush toilets
have been built within the complex of small huts.
Kibo Hut - 4700 m. This stone built block house with a small
dining-room and a number of dormitory rooms leading off a
main corridor has bunk beds and mattresses for 60 people.
Water: None, so we bring an adequate supply from the 'Last
Water' stream above Horombo Hut. Platform toilets are behind
the hut (to the southwest).
All huts are fairly basic and heavily used, but they provide
more comfort than sleeping in a tent. All other routes up
Kilimanjaro use backpacking tents.
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