Marangu route

Marangu route

Marangu route is among the hiking routes on Mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain of Africa at 5895 meters and it is located in the northern part of Tanzania.

Tourists from different parts of the world go to Mount Kilimanjaro to engage is hiking activities along the different routes such as Marangu route which is also the oldest hiking route on the mountain.

The Marangu route is the only route on Mount Kilimanjaro which has hut accommodations. It takes about 5 to 6 days to hike to the summit of the mountain and to descend from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The nearest town to Mount Kilimanjaro is Moshi town where most of the hiking safaris begin. The locals who live in the neighboring area and along the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro include the Chagga people who practice agriculture.

Mount Kilimanjaro has 5 climatic zones such as the cultivated zone or the bushland zone between 800 meters to 1800 meters, the rainforest zone between 1800 meters to 2800 meters, the moorland zone between 2800 meters to 4000 meters, alpine desert zone between 4000 meters to 5000 meters and the arctic zone at 5000 meters to 5895 meters.

The mountain is found in Mount Kilimanjaro national park which is also in the northern part of Tanzania that covers about 1588 square kilometers. 

Hikers who use the Marangu route to climb Mount Kilimanjaro take few days compared to hikers who use other hiking routes on the mountain. An itinerary of hiking along Marangu route is as follows for a 6 day hike on Mount Kilimanjaro; 

Day 1; Marangu gate to Mandara hut, Day 2; hiking from Mandara hut to Horombo hut, Day 3; hiking from Horombo hut to Mawenzi route and back to Horombo hut which is also the acclimatization day.

On the fourth day of hiking hikers start from Horombo hut to Kibo hut and on the 5th day, hikes start from Kibo hut to Uhuru peak and back to Horombo hut. On day 6 of hiking, descend begins from Horombo hut to Marangu gate

Hiking for 5 days along the Marangu route is as follows; Day 1; Marangu to Mandara hut, Day 2; hike from Mandara hut to Horombo hut, Day 3; hike from Horombo hut to Kibo hut, Day 4; Hike from Kibo hut to the summit and back to Horombo hut and on Day 5; descend from Horombo hut to Marangu gate.

The different hut accommodations along Marangu route include Kibo hut, Horombo hut and Mandara hut. Mandara hut and Kibo hut have 60 bunk beds and Horombo hut has about 120 bunk beds.

The same route used for ascent on Mount Kilimanjaro on the Marangu route is the same which is used during descent. The Marangu route can also be used for hiking by both inexperienced hikers and experienced hikers. 

Other hiking routes of Mount Kilimanjaro 

The routes which are used during hikes on Mount Kilimanjaro apart from Marangu route include the following;

Lemosho route

The Lemosho route is considered the most scenic route of Mount Kilimanjaro. The route starts from the western side of the mountain and is also a route which has fewer crowds compared to other routes.

When hiking along the Lemosho route, hikers start their hike from Londorossi gate through the rainforest to Shira ridge, through Shira plateau, and then it joins Machame route near the Lava tower to Barafu and the descend takes place via the Mweka route. 

Hiking along the Lemosho route takes about 8 days to get to the summit of the mountain and to descend.

Machame route

The Machame route is another popular route on Mount Kilimanjaro and it is steeper compared to other hiking routes. Machame route starts from the south and it takes about 6 to 7 days of hiking to get to the summit and back during hikes on Mount Kilimanjaro.

This route attracts more hikers on Mount Kilimanjaro and it is also scenic. Machame route starts from the south and begins from Machame gate through rainforest to Shira plateau and then along the southern circuit to the summit and descend is via the Mweka route.

Rongai route

Rongai route on Mount Kilimanjaro starts on the north eastern part of the mountain and is found close to the Kenya and Tanzania border. This route is a 73 kilometers hiking route and is also a remote route.

The route goes through forest and the form of accommodation where hikers stay is in tents. Rongai route starts from Rongai gate to Rongai first cave, from Rongai first cave to Kikelewa camp, from Kikelewa camp to Mawenzi tarn where you can also acclimatize, from Mawenzi tarn to Kibo hut, from Kibo to Uhuru peak to Horombo hut, from Horombo hut to Marangu gate.

Umbwe route

Umbwe route is the shortest and steepest route to Uhuru peak on Mount Kilimanjaro. This route starts from Umbwe gate to Umbwe cave camp, from Umbwe cave camp to Barranco camp, from Barranco camp to Karanga camp, from Karanga camp to Barafu camp, from Barafu camp to Uhuru peak and back to Mweka camp, from Mweka camp to Mweka gate.

It is also the most direct route to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and can take about 5 to 7 days of hiking. 

Shira route 

Shira route is another route used for hiking on Mount Kilimanjaro and it approaches the mountain from the west. 

This route is in a way similar to the Lemosho route on Mount Kilimanjaro and it takes about 6 to 8 days to hike to the summit and back along the Shira route which begins from Shira gate to Shira camp via montane forest, from Shira camp to Lava tower to Barranco camp, from Barranco camp to Karanga camp, from Karanga camp to Barafu camp, Barafu camp to Uhuru peak to Mweka camp and descend from Mweka camp to Mweka gate. 

Visit Mount Kilimanjaro and engage in hiking on the highest mountain of Africa as you enjoy a safari around the northern part of Tanzania.