Country: 
TANZANIA
Days: 7
Today you will be Picked up your hotel in Arusha at 8.00 am drive to Moshi then on the Marangu gate. After registration formalities, this is the set of point for your three hour hike to Mandara Hut in which you cover 9 km. Here, the altitude is at 2,774m above sea. Overnight Mandara Hut.
After breakfast, start your trek, that will take you to Horombo Hut. Trekking time is about 8 hours, however you will your lunch en route. In clear weather Mawenzi and Kibo peaks can be seen. Dinner and overnight at the hut, 3,761m.
You will spend a second night at Horombo. This is an extra day which has been added to improve your chances of reaching the peak which is your ultimate goal. The entire day will be spent here acclimatizing, in the morning trek up for about 3 hours, then start descending to arrive at your base in time for lunch, after lunch relax, spend rest of the day relaxing, in the evening have a small walk along the valley, return to the Banda for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, you have a long hike, that is 13 km to Kibo hut at an elevation of 4,732 m above sea level in an average hiking time of 6 hours. You will now get a chance to encounter spectacular mountain vegetation like Lobelia, giant cactus and groundsel.
This is the day you have been waiting for, you are nervous but excited. Wake up at 02.00 a.m. for a pre-down attempt of the summit. It will take you about 5 hours to reach Gilman’s Point at 5,681 m above sea level. From Gilman’s it takes 1 hour to summit Uhuru Peak, the highest point in African at 5,896 m above sea level. After reaching Uhuru Peak spend sometime taking photos and watching as the African sun rises from the horizon. Afterwards descend to Horombo hut for overnight.
After breakfast, descend further down to the Marangu Park Gate via Mandara. At the gate you will be issued with certificates and your Kilimanjaro crew from Big Expeditions will join you in celebrating your success. On this day dancing is a must and after spending 5 days with your porters, you are already used to their dancing and singing which makes your forget all the pain and focus on your climb. After a colourful short ceremony organized by Big Expeditions to thank your climb, you sadly leave your crew behind and head to your hotel where you find a room reserved for you to refresh till late evening, when your driver collects you from the hotel and transfer you to Kilimanjaro Airport to board your International flight.
Marangu or “Coca-Cola” route is the most popular route on Kilimanjaro today. It is the only route where overnight stays are in huts. It makes Marangu a good option for hiking during the rainy season. The route takes its start at the south-east of Mt Kilimanjaro. The ride there takes about 1.5 hours. Being the most popular and the least expensive, the route may be crowded in July-September and December – March.
Read MoreWhether you are looking to explore the wildlife of the Serengeti, or begin your expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro, we have something suitable for all of you. Get in touch with us today and our team of specialists will help build your experience of a lifetime to Tanzania
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