Kilimanjaro - Marangu Route
Marangu Route
- UNESCO World Heritage
The south-eastern route up Kilimanjaro from Marangu Gate to Uhuru Peak, the only route on the mountain with huts instead of tents.
At a glance
- Starts in
- Marangu Gate
- Ends in
- Uhuru Peak
- Length
- 34 km
- On foot
- ≈ 1–2 days
- Countries
Tanzania- Best months
- December–February and July–September
About the trail
Hans Meyer's party set out from Marangu for the first recorded ascent of Kilimanjaro in 1889, and it is still the only route on the mountain where walkers sleep in huts rather than tents. Its nickname, the Coca-Cola route, reflects its reputation as the more comfortable option, although the summit day is as hard as on any other route.
From Marangu Gate the trail climbs through montane rainforest to Mandara hut, then through heath and moorland to Horombo hut, and across the high alpine desert of the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo to Kibo hut. The final night climb leads up to the crater rim and along it to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.
Tanzania National Parks says climbs to the summit take five to nine days depending on the route, and names the dry seasons from late June to September and from December to early March as the best times. The Marangu huts at Mandara, Horombo and Kibo are provided by the park; climbs are organised through licensed operators.
Length measured on the OpenStreetMap line; no official figure checked yet.
No source gives the days on foot, so they are worked out from the length at 20–25 km a day.