6 Days Marangu route | Climb Kilimanjaro
Marangu route – Climb Kilimanjaro 6 Days |Mount Kilimanjaro Climb Routes| Kilimanjaro Lemosho route | Kilimanjaro Packages
Marangu Overview
Marangu Itenerary
Kilimanjaro Preparations
Before Kilimanjaro Climb
Marangu Overview
The Marangu route, also known as the “Coca-Cola” route, is the oldest, most well established route on Kilimanjaro. This is the only route which offers sleeping huts in dormitory style accommodations in lieu of camping. There are 60 bunk beds each at Mandara and Kibo Huts, and 120 bunk beds at Horombo Hut.
Guests are supplied with mattresses and pillows, but sleeping bags are still required. The huts have communal dining halls and basic washrooms, ranging from flushing toilets and running water at the lower huts to long drop toilets and buckets of water at Kibo Hut. Many favor Marangu because it is considered to be the easiest path on the mountain, given its gradual slope and direct path.
However the short time frame of the route makes altitude acclimatization fairly difficult. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the southeast. Marangu is unfortunately less scenic than the other routes because the ascent and descent are along the same path. It is also the most crowded route for that reason.
Marangu Itenerary
Marangu Route 6 Days
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Day 1; Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
- Day 2; Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut
- Day 3; Horombo Hut to Mawenzi Ridge
- Day 4; Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak
- Day 5; Uhuru Peak to Horombo Hut
- Day 6; Horombo Hut to Marangu Gate
Kilimanjaro Preparations
Top 5 Things to Prepare for Kilimanjaro:
Your trek may be right around the corner or months down the line, but it’s never too early to start getting ready. We could give tips on everything from which boots to buy to which songs to download (hey, it matters!), but no matter what, we’d tell all our guests to make sure they’ve done the following before boarding the plane to Tanzania:
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1. Wear Your Hiking Boots as Much as Possible
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2. With All of Your Gear On you backpack and try everything.
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3. Hike Up AND Down…
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4. Practice the Rest Step
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5. Sleep Outside in a Tent
Before Kilimanjaro Climb
Top 10 Things to Consider before Kilimanjaro Climb:
- 1. Climb during the dry season.
- 2. Book a local tour company.
- 3. Choose your route carefully.
- 4. Budget plenty of money.
- 5. Tip the porters.
- 6. Pay for the optional bathroom tent.
- 7. Gather your gear.
- 8. Bring meds.
- 9. Take time to acclimatize.
- 10. Respect the mountain.
Browse all Kilimanjaro Iteneraries
Know Kilimanjaro Mountain
Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, rises on the Tanzania – Kenya border, well into the Eastern half of the African continent. Towering above the Tanzanian plains so close to the equator (3.04 degrees South), the snowclad mountain leads a spectacular existence on the African plains. So spectacular that well into the nineteenth century, much of mainland Europe refused to believe eyewitness accounts of its existence. In our own time, Kili (as it is affectionately called by the climbing community) is a proud member of two exclusive clubs viz. seven summits of the world (composed of the tallest mountain in each of the seven continents) and seven natural wonders of the world.
December end to March and June to beginning of October when the weather is more likely to be dry are the popular climbing season for Kilimanjaro. These months also tend to be the busiest on the mountains.
Fact about Marangu Route
The downside to this is that it doesn’t provide as much of an opportunity to acclimatize to the altitude. Because of this, Marangu route has the highest failure rate of any of the routes up Mount Kilimanjaro. Keep that in mind when choosing this option for your Kilimanjaro trek.
The Marangu Route is also the only route that uses the same path going up and coming back down. That means that while the trail is a scenic one, trekkers will experience the same sites going up as they do going back down. And because it has traffic going both directions, Marangu can also get overly crowded at times too.
Still, for a classic Kilimanjaro experience, it is tough to top this tried and true route to the Roof of Africa.
Climbing Kilimanjaro offers Marangu as five or six day private climb. The five day variation does not have an acclimatization day on day three at Horombo Hut.
Kilimanjaro Marangu Route FAQ's
This route is attempted by many novice hikers every year as it offers comfortable hut accommodations, as opposed to other routes that require you to sleep in mountain tents. Many people attest that this route is less difficult compared to other hikes to the top of Kilimanjaro.
Marangu route common misconception for trekkers is perceive a 5-day hike to be easier than a 6-day hike. However, the 5-day options can be very difficult as it does not allow for much time to acclimate to the altitude.
The 6-day option is much easier, but a good level of fitness is still required.
The exact distance on the Marangu Route is 82km or 50 miles. The shortest number of days required for the Marangu Route is 5 days, however, when you take into consideration the arrival and departure days, it is 9-10 days. As the Marangu Route is the shortest route on the mountain, it is best to complete the journey over 6 days to increase your chances of success.
As it is one of the shortest routes on the mountain, the Marangu Route has the lowest summit success rates. This is mainly because of the unprofessional local tour guides who take groups up the mountain on the shorter 5-day hike. Because of this, the 5-day average success rate is 50%! We advise our hikers with this in mind, so we only take the 6-day option which increases the success rate to over 90%!
The Marangu route ascends through the rainforest, moorlands, and alpine areas before ending in the glacial zone. This trek is very beautiful and is the only route that allows you to descend the same way you ascended.
Are there showers in the Marangu route?
Yes, there are showers and flushing toilets available at some of the huts in the Marangu route. However, the showers are cold and are available at Mandara hut and Horombo hut.
Between July and September is the best time to climb Kilimanjaro. The weather is the most stable during this period and encountering rain is less likely. Since it is close to the equator, it is possible to climb the mountain at any time during the year. Be cautious, April and May are the wettest months, so this period is best avoided.
LOVED the Kili Climb! Very well organized, the food was amazing! FRESH fruits and veggies at every meal, and they even accommodated dietary restrictions!! GF, Vegan and dairy (just to name a few) in our group of 14! The morning ritual of GINGER TEA was my fav, for sure!!! Sandeep is a great team builder, the group or climbers were so amazing, helpful and cheery the entire time!!! I will climb with Trip Insight Tanzania again! Wish you could experience this for yourself, it is a once in a lifetime experience!!!
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