5 Days Mount Kilimanjaro – Marangu Route

Itinerary at a Glance

The most popular and easiest way to reach the summit is a five-day trek with huts along the route, no technical skills are required. You can extend it to six days for acclimatization with an extra day at Horombo Hut. Please specify the mountain or location for more details.

Day 1: Marangu Gate – Mandara Hut

Starting at the gate, you follow a well-maintained ridge trail, formerly a vehicle track leading to Mandara Hut. This cleared path is the quickest route to Mandara but may offer limited opportunities to spot wildlife or fully immerse yourself in the forest due to heavy foot traffic. Alternatively, you can choose to ascend along a parallel forest trail and then descend on the primary trail.

The forest trail branches off to the left just a few minutes after passing the gate, meandering along the stream’s edge through the undergrowth. Around the midpoint, approximately one hour from the trailhead, with an option to either cross the stream to rejoin the main trail or continue along the forest path. These two routes run on opposite sides of the stream and eventually converge approximately one hour before you reach Mandara Hut on the Marangu-Mandara route.

This trek covers an elevation range from 1,830 to 2,700 meters and typically takes 3 to 4 hours to complete. After arriving at Mandara Hut, your first overnight stop, you will then be transferred to Marangu Gate, is situated at an altitude of 1,860 meters. The trail to Mandara Hut, passing through the captivating rainforest, can take up to four hours.

Day 2: Mawenzo – Horombo Hut

Mandara-Horombo Hut. 2700m-3720m. 5-7 hours trek. 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 giant sceneries or groundsels. Leaving behind the forest and following the ascending path through alpine meadows onto the slopes of Mawenzi. Horombo Hut is reached after about six hours and is 11km from Mandara.

Day 3: Kibo Hut

Horombo Hut-Kibo Hut. 3720m-4703m. 5-6 hours trek. From Horombo Hut there are two trails to the Saddle. The right fork is characterized by its rocky and eroded terrain and serves as the most direct route to the Saddle and Mawenzi. From the Saddle (about 2 hrs from Horombo), there are trails to Mawenzi Hut ( hr) or Mawenzi Tarn Hut (2 hrs) and across the length of the Saddle to Kibo Hut (3 hrs). The left fork, which begins at Horombo Hut, offers an easy trail and brings you to the Saddle, much closer approximately one kilometer from Kibo Hut. The landscape now becomes more rocky and rugged until the Saddle is reached. Kibo Hut is the overnight stay.

Day 4: Gillman’s Point

Kibo Hut-Gillman’s Point (5680m)-Uhuru Peak (5892m)-Horombo Hut. 10-12 hours trek. The trail to the summit lies directly behind Kibo Hut, to the west. It is normal to start this day’s climb at 2 a.m. or earlier. (The reasons for this are 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 that leads to the Hans Meyer Cave, a good 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 Gillmans Point. From there, the trail continues along the rim past Stella Point to Uhuru Peak. An early (2.00 am) start to make the steep and demanding final ascent through the snow. By daybreak, you should be at the rim of the crater at 5,685m. Time and weather permitting the final push to Uhuru Peak should take about 45 minutes. At the top, there are stunning views of the ice walls offset by rugged rocks. After a fast descent to Kibo Hut for a meal and rest continue to descend to Horombo Hut