The Marangu route on Kilimanjaro – a day-by-day itinerary

The Marangu is one of the oldest and most popular Kilimanjaro route. It's sometimes called the Coca-Cola route because you stay in huts and can buy a Coke en route.

The Marangu route approaches the summit of Kilimanjaro from the southeast. Overall it's a relatively easy route, having very few steep climbs. But it doesn't let you acclimatise well, so trekkers using this route often develop altitude sickness and don't make it to the summit.

The Marangu route can be completed over five or six days and is 72 km (45 miles) in total. It approaches the summit of Kilimanjaro by ascending the southeastern slope.

The Marangu is the only one of the seven Kilimanjaro routes to offer hutted accommodation. On all of the other routes you must camp. (That said, you could choose to camp on the Marangu route if you wish.)

Given the hut situation, Marangu trekkers are the only ones who use the same route for their descent. This makes the Marangu the route with the least varied scenery. The scenery that you do see is nonetheless very beautiful!

The Marangu route sees you climb through a handful of distinct climatic zones, namely rainforest, moorland, alpine desert and arctic summit.

The graph below shows the six-day Marangu route in profile. The five-day route profile doesn't have a dip in its profile – instead it's just one steady incline. As we discuss later on, this feature where you climb up and then drop back down in elevation is actually very good at helping you to acclimatise well.

Some Kilimanjaro tour operators offer a five-day Marangu route, but we don't feel that this is safe, as the acclimatisation time on such an itinerary is too short. We therefore outline the more responsible, six-day Marangu itinerary below.

Map showing the six-day Marangu route on Kilimanjaro

On Day 1 of your Kilimanjaro trek you hike though dense rainforest, though at points there are openings in the vegetation that offer views of the farmlands which cover the base of the mountain outside of the Kilimanjaro National Park. The day's trail ends at Mandara Hut, where you overnight.

A section of the Marangu route on Day 1

On Day 2 you trek through more beautiful rainforest, but soon the forest gives way to moorland. The snowcapped peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi can be seen. After trekking for six to eight hours you reach Horombo Hut, where you stay for the night.

A blue monkey spotted in the forest on the Marangu route

Your third day on the mountain can be split into two parts: a climb to Mawenzi Ridge, followed by a return to Horombo Hut. The reason for this is that it's in keeping with the 'climb high, sleep low' acclimatisation strategy that helps your body to better adjust to the demanding elevation.

This part of the day's trek sees you climb from Horombo Hut up into the heath zone of Kilimanjaro. The turning point of the climb comes when you reach the horseshoe-shaped Mawenzi ridge.

You ascend from forest to heath on today's hike

When you reach Mawenzi ridge, you spend some time taking in the breathtaking views before heading back down to Horombo Hut for another night. As already mentioned, climbing high and then sleeping low is an important acclimatisation strategy.

During the trek you should strive to climb slowly and steadily. Kilimanjaro is not a race!

Today you traverse the so-called Saddle, a five-mile stretch of rubble and relative emptiness that connects the craters of Mawenzi and Kibo. You spend the night at Kibo Hut.

Trekkers traverse the so-called Saddle of Kilimanjaro

Similarly to Day 3, today's trek consists of two parts. For the first part, you strike out for the summit! Having hopefully successfully reached it, you start your descent down the mountain, stopping at the now familiar Horombo Hut for the night.

Your guide wakes you up around midnight to get ready for the ascent. Today is usually the most mentally and physically challenging part of the entire Kilimanjaro climb. The route ascends northwest into the dark night. Within about six hours you reach Stella Point and enjoy the sunrise. After that, you trek for about another hour on a snow-covered trail to reach Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m (19,341 ft) at the very top of Africa!

Glacier near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

After reaching the summit, you descend to Horombo Hut for the night. Having hiked for about 12 to 15 hours, you’ll fall asleep immediately, trust us!

A little bird spotted in the alpine zone of the Marangu route

Today you do the last bit of hiking down through the rainforest to the foot of the mountain, where your driver is waiting for you. Time for a beer and a great celebration dinner!

During your research you may have heard that the Marangu route is the cheapest, easiest and most popular route up Kilimanjaro. This is, in fact, an outdated view, and we feel quite the opposite. The Marangu route is probably one of our least favourite Kilimanjaro climb routes. Whilst offering rewarding views from the Saddle (a high-altitude desert), it's less scenic than other Kilimanjaro routes because you ascend and descend via the same trail.

The Marangu route is the only Kilimanjaro route to offer hut accommodation. On all other routes you must camp. On the Marangu route you sleep in dormitory-like huts that provide mattresses and other basic amenities. This makes the route a popular choice for budget operators that don’t have camping equipment.​ We only recommend choosing this route if you really don't want to camp.

A high section of the Marangu route in the alpine desert

The Marangu route is less scenic than the other Kilimanjaro routes because you ascend and descend along the same path.

That said, the scenery is still very beautiful! You pass through rainforest, moorland, high-altitude desert, and an arctic summit. It's just worth noting that other routes offer more variety in the way of scenery because their ascent and descent routes differ.

Tangled trees in the rainforest band of the Marangu route

The Marangu route has a reputation for being an 'easy' climb, but this perception is actually misleading. Yes, it offers amenities like hut accommodation and, yes, it's a comparatively shorter route and, yes, you don't have to scale the steep Barranco Wall. But it demands you ascend quickly and so many people climbing this route suffer from poor acclimatisation and thus don't make it to the summit.

The Marangu route actually has one of the lowest summit success rates of all the seven Kilimanjaro routes, meaning the percentage of folks using this route that actually reach Uhuru Peak is poor. Whilst there are no official statistics, the average summit success rate across all Kilimanjaro operators for the Marangu route is around 50%.

Trekkers crossing the Saddle

The Marangu route is a popular choice among the seven Kilimanjaro ascent routes because it's seen as an easier climb, given its gradual slope and direct path. It's also popular with those who don't like camping. And it can be a cheaper trek since your tour operator doesn't need as many porters given the fact that camping equipment isn't necessary.

The Marangu is therefore a busy route and can get crowded. If you want to avoid the crowds, this Kilimanjaro route is not for you. We suggest considering the Northern Circuit if you're keen for a really quiet trek.

Trekkers making their way up the Marangu route

The Marangu route is the only route to offer hut accommodation. That said, it's also possible to camp at the hutted campsites.

There are 60 bunk beds at both Mandara and Kibo Huts, and 120 bunk beds at Horombo Hut. You must bring your own sleeping bags, but you're supplied with mattresses and pillows at the various huts. You should check to see if your chosen tour operator has a winter sleeping bag you can use.

Some of the communal huts on the Marangu route

The huts themselves have communal dining halls and washrooms. The latter range in quality: you can expect running water and flushing toilets at the lower huts, and buckets of water and long drops at Kibo Hut.

Having read all we have to say on the Marangu route, we recommend that you read The seven different Kilimanjaro routes – pros and cons of each to see how this route stacks up against the others in terms of its difficulty, summit success rate, and more.