6-day Marangu route
The hut route with an extra acclimatization day at Horombo. Join a group or climb privately.
The route at a glance
This is your chance to stand on the Roof of Africa: Uhuru Peak, 5,895 m.
On our 6-day Marangu group departure you climb with adventurers from around the world who share the same date. You will laugh, struggle and summit together, and make friends for life. Prefer to climb with just your own group? We run it privately too.
From the lush rainforest at Marangu Gate to the arctic desert of the Saddle and the sunrise at Uhuru Peak, every day is a new world. Our crew takes care of your safety, food and comfort; you just focus on one foot in front of the other.
Back in Moshi: a celebration dinner, a hot shower and your summit certificate. Want more of Tanzania? Add a short safari to Ngorongoro or a few days in Zanzibar.
Detailed itinerary
- DAY0
Arrival in Tanzania: karibu
You land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where your Wildecho Exped driver meets you and takes you to a hotel in Moshi for a hot dinner, a warm shower and the pool. In the evening, our mountain coordinator gives your pre-climb briefing, checks your gear and answers your questions.
Overnight: Hotel in Moshi - DAY1
Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
After breakfast, drive about one hour to Marangu Gate. After registration, hike through beautiful rainforest; listen for colobus monkeys. An easy, steady 4–5 hour climb.
Altitude1,843 → 2,700 mDistance8 kmTime4–5 hrsHabitatRainforestOvernight: Mandara Hut - DAY2
Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut
Breakfast in the forest, then the trail opens into moorland with giant lobelias and senecios. You see both Kibo and Mawenzi for the first time.
Altitude2,700 → 3,720 mDistance12 kmTime5–6 hrsHabitatHeathOvernight: Horombo Hut - DAY3
Acclimatization day at Horombo: the Wildecho advantage
We don't rush. Rest, or hike 2–3 hours to Zebra Rocks (3,980 m) and back to give your body time to adjust to the altitude. Your guide explains the signs of altitude sickness. Hot lunch back at Horombo.
Altitude3,720 → 3,980 → 3,720 mTime2–3 hrsHabitatHeathOvernight: Horombo Hut - DAY4
Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut
Cross the famous Saddle, a huge lunar desert between Kibo and Mawenzi: no plants, just rock and wind. Early dinner and early sleep at Kibo Hut, because you wake at midnight.
Altitude3,720 → 4,700 mDistance10 kmTime5–6 hrsHabitatAlpine desertOvernight: Kibo Hut - DAY5
Summit day: Uhuru Peak, then down to Horombo
Wake around 11:30 pm for hot tea and biscuits, then pole pole: about 6 hours of tough climbing in the dark by headlamp. Reach Gilman's Point (5,685 m) around sunrise, then walk about 1.5 hours along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). Photos, tears and hugs, then back to Kibo for lunch and down to Horombo for the night. The longest day.
Altitude4,700 → 5,895 → 3,720 mDistance22 kmTime12–15 hrsHabitatArctic to heathOvernight: Horombo Hut - DAY6
Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate
A final breakfast on the mountain, then an easy 6–7 hour descent through moorland and rainforest. At Marangu Gate you receive your summit certificate from Kilimanjaro National Park. Drive back to Moshi for a hot shower, a cold Kilimanjaro beer and your summit celebration.
Altitude3,720 → 1,843 mDistance20 kmTime6–7 hrsHabitatRainforest
6-day Umbwe route
Short, steep and direct from day one, with near-total solitude until you join the other routes at Barranco.
7-day Lemosho route via Morum
The beautiful western approach, with a 4×4 drive to 3,400 m so you start on the Shira Plateau, then Lava Tower, the Barranco Wall and the summit.
7-day Machame route
The popular Machame route at a kinder pace: an extra night at Karanga Camp before Barafu gives you a better chance of the summit.