The 6-day Marangu Route, often called the “Coca-Cola Route,” is the only Kilimanjaro trail with hut accommodations, making it a popular choice for trekkers seeking a more comfortable climb. This classic route follows a gradual ascent, passing through lush rainforests, alpine meadows, and volcanic landscapes before reaching the icy summit of Uhuru Peak (5,895m). Unlike other trails, you’ll stay in wooden mountain huts with bunk beds, offering a warmer and drier experience compared to tent camping. With an extra acclimatization day at Horombo Hut, this itinerary improves your chances of successfully reaching the summit while allowing you to fully enjoy the journey.
This route provides stunning scenery along the way, from the towering trees of Marangu Forest to the Mawenzi volcanic peak and the breathtaking glaciers of Kibo. The well-maintained trail makes it accessible to both beginner and experienced hikers, but the final summit push remains a challenging and rewarding feat. The Marangu Route’s round-trip format (ascending and descending on the same path) offers a unique opportunity to retrace your steps and appreciate the changing landscapes on your descent. With expert guides and well-planned logistics, this trek ensures a safe, enjoyable, and unforgettable Kilimanjaro experience.
Any group size
Hotels
Private group tour
VAN
Arusha
Arusha
15
Unlike other routes, you’ll stay in mountain huts with bunk beds, offering a warmer, drier, and more comfortable experience compared to tent camping.
The Marangu Route features a gentle ascent with a clearly defined path, making it one of the easier routes to navigate, ideal for beginners and those who prefer a steady climb.
This 6-day itinerary includes an additional night at Horombo Hut, allowing your body to adjust to the altitude and increase your chances of reaching the summit.
Unlike other Kilimanjaro routes, the Marangu Route uses the same trail for ascent and descent, allowing you to retrace your journey and appreciate the landscapes from a new perspective.
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Your adventure begins with arrival in Moshi, the gateway town to Mount Kilimanjaro. Upon arrival, you will check into your hotel and meet your experienced trekking guide, who will conduct a detailed briefing about the climb. This includes checking your gear, discussing the route, and answering any last-minute questions. If you need to rent any trekking equipment, this is the perfect time to do so. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for the exciting journey ahead.
After an early breakfast, you’ll be driven to Marangu Gate (1,860m), where you’ll complete registration before starting your trek. The hike begins through the lush rainforest, where you may spot Colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and various exotic birds. The trail is well-defined, offering a gradual and scenic ascent towards Mandara Hut (2,700m). Upon arrival, you can take a short hike to the Maundi Crater, which offers a stunning panoramic view of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. After dinner, enjoy a comfortable night in the wooden huts.
Leaving the rainforest behind, the landscape transitions into heath and moorland, with giant lobelias and senecios dominating the scenery. As you ascend, the air becomes thinner, but the path remains manageable with a moderate incline. If the weather is clear, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of Mawenzi Peak, one of Kilimanjaro’s three volcanic cones. After a steady trek, you’ll reach Horombo Hut (3,720m), where you will spend the night. This hut is much larger and often busy with climbers both ascending and descending the mountain.
To improve acclimatization, you will spend an extra night at Horombo Hut. Today includes an optional hike to Zebra Rocks (4,200m), a striking rock formation with black-and-white stripes caused by mineral deposits. This short hike allows your body to adapt to the altitude while enjoying spectacular views of Kibo Peak. After returning to Horombo Hut, you’ll have time to rest and prepare for the higher altitudes ahead.
Today’s trek takes you into the sparse and rugged alpine desert, where vegetation is minimal, and the landscape is dominated by rocks and volcanic dust. You’ll pass the Saddle, a vast, barren area between Mawenzi and Kibo peaks, before reaching Kibo Hut (4,703m). The high altitude makes this stretch more demanding, and it’s essential to stay hydrated and move at a steady pace. Upon arrival, you’ll have an early dinner and get some rest, as the summit attempt begins at midnight.
Summit night begins around midnight, with headlamps lighting the way as you slowly ascend the steep, zigzagging path toward Gilman’s Point (5,685m) on the crater rim. This is the most challenging part of the climb, due to the freezing temperatures and thin air. From Gilman’s Point, you’ll push forward to Stella Point (5,756m) before reaching Uhuru Peak (5,895m), the highest point in Africa. Standing at the summit as the sun rises over the continent is an unforgettable experience.
After capturing photos and taking in the incredible views, you’ll begin your descent back to Horombo Hut (3,720m), where you’ll have a well-earned rest after a grueling but rewarding day.
After breakfast, you’ll trek back down to Marangu Gate, retracing your steps through the moorland and rainforest. Once at the gate, you will receive your summit certificates before driving back to Moshi for a well-deserved shower and celebration. You can spend the evening relaxing at your hotel or exploring the town before departing the next day.
This marks the end of an incredible Kilimanjaro adventure, leaving you with unforgettable memories of conquering Africa’s highest peak.
1 Person
2 people
3 people
4 people
5 people
6 people
7 people
$1,837
$1,459
$1,437
$1,428
$1,417
$1,391
$1,372
9 – 18 people
$1,350
2 nights’ accommodation
Professional, experienced, mountain;
All Park fees and Rescue fees
All meals while on the Mountain
Arrival and Departure transfers
Guides, Porters, cook salaries and park fees
Large portions of fresh, healthy, nutritious food
Clean, purified drinking water
Fair and ethical treatment of porters
Tanzania Visa
Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone, beverages, etc)
Optional Tours
Tips and any items of personal nature
International and Local Flights
Yellow fever vaccinations
Tanzania’s weather varies based on the season and altitude.
Best time to trek:
Temperature variations:
Expect warm temperatures at lower altitudes and freezing conditions at the summit.
Essential Gear
Clothing (Layering System)
Sleeping & Accessories
For a detailed packing list, we will provide a comprehensive checklist upon booking.
Ljubica B2025-01-14Verified Absolutely incredible and a bucket list item checked! Incredible experience. My friends and I had a goal of reaching Uhuru Peak of Mt Kilimanjaro on New Years Day and to see the first sunrise of 2025 on top of the mountain and that is exactly what we got. Our guides were incredible. Setting a great pace that allowed us to walk for longer periods without too many breaks. They were so knowledgeable and very considerate and caring of our wellbeing. Overall a wonderful experience and I would recommend Leken Adventure to anyone attempting to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. Xavier M2025-01-10Verified 10 Day Kilimanjaro, Tarangire and Ngorongoro Extravaganza Wow, just wow, what an amazing experience.Guided by Aggrey, Benny and Atana, myself a 4 friends undertook the 7-day machame route to climb Kilimanjaro. They were incredibly knowledgeable, kind and astute guides, and made sure we were happy and safe at all times. Supported by Samson, Eli, Patrick, Bruce and many others, we were incredibly well fed and looked after. This culminated in a successful summit day with all 5 of us topping out, with only minor altitude struggles.Asante sana once again to all you amazing people.We were then looked after by Joachim for two days and shown around the Tarangire national park and the Ngorongoro crater. We saw all sorts of animals but the highlights were several big herds of big elephants and an almost touching distance encounter with 3 lions (their trajectory was skilfully predicted by Joachim).I could not recommend Leken more to anymore looking for an adventure in East Africa. abl2025-01-07Verified Amazing Kilimanjaro and safari tour I had an amazing Kilimanjaro and safari tour with Leken Adventure. Alex ensured a seamless trip with a well-planned itinerary. Thanks to the professional guides, I reached Uhuru Peak and saw the Big Five. Highly recommend! Alessandro R2024-12-08Verified Kilimanjaro trip We have climbed Kilimanjaro through Marangu Route (6 days). It has been a great and emotional experience. Our guides ( Aggrey and Leonard) were amazing and professional. A mention also to all the porters that help us during this adventure. Really recommended.Also the accommodation before and after the hike is very good. Abigail S2024-11-08Verified DON'T HESITATE- BOOK IT. Amazing!! We booked with Leken about a year before our travel. They were very responsive and informative with all our questions—and we had a lot! The support was impressive from the time we booked, throughout our travels and continued after we left. They easily accommodated a few glitches during our trip. I found them very responsive, affordable and reliable.We summited Kilimanjaro via the Machame route, a seven-day trek. Our guide, Aggrey, was outstanding! He and his team—guides Ben and Jose, Chef Eduardo, assistant George, and all the amazing porters—supported our trek to the top with encouragement, excellent food, laughs, stories, singing and smiles. One of our group had the sole of his hiking boot fall off on day 2 of our trek. Eduardo SEWED IT BACK ON! With what? How? I have no idea, but it held through to day seven and allowed us all to summit together. They were a true dream team! We were then taken on an amazing 4 day safari with guide Joachim and our chef, Inocent. Muah!! THE ANIMALS!! THE BEAUTY OF THIS COUNTRY CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. If you are taking the time to go to this part of the world, just go ahead take the time to go on Safari. You will not regret it. Camping in Serengeti National park was an activity of a lifetime. We misunderstood our dates, and found on our arrival that we would have an extra day in Africa after our adventures. Leken scheduled us an activity on that day with transport, lunch and a second night in our hotel at minimal expense. That last day was swimming in a true local osasis that we we never could have experienced without them. This company is not offering the fancy or luxurious packages that the expensive companies tout, but all the accommodations were more than adequate and the customer service of every single person affiliated with Leken was 5 star. Marina T2024-09-26Verified climbing Kilimanjaro Vary good organisation of our whole Kilimanjaro experience. Without Aggre Mhalu and Leonard Lyimo, I would not have achieved my dream of being on top of Africa. Everyone who took care of us was extremely helpful, caring and positive. Highly recommend, these are your Kilimanjaro people! Яна Ч2024-09-24Verified The best experience ever Big thanks to the entire team that took care of us during the Kilimanjaro adventure. Especially to our guides Aggre and Leonard, who were with us and provided us with an incredible experience." Melissa M2024-08-15Verified Amazing adventure Me and my boyfriend decided to climb Kilimangiaro almost a year ago. During all this time we were followed in every request. Even during the adventure, the team supported us with every problem and helped us during the most intense times. The food was delicious, we never felt hungry!The guides are well prepared and kind.If we managed to do the climb is also thanks to them! Dressed t2024-08-14Verified Strong team and wonder safari We have gone with Leken Adv. to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro in a 4 days safari. Everything just goes way better than our expectation. Me and my wife just finished a safari in Masai Mara and forced to change the original Kilimanjaro trekking to safari for personal reasons. We actually did not expect that much, as this could be very similar to what we had in Masai Mara. But things are not so after we spent the four days with our chef and our guide.We told our guide, Anwar, to show us more small animals and birds as the beginning, cause we have seen the big five. I knew it’s very hard, cause the grass is just too long after the rain season. But he had made it! Sometimes, we just didn’t know why we stopped the car, until he shown us what’s going on with some tiny animals in the near.Also I should say, Leken Adv. is a strong team, there could always be this and that issue during the safari, but our guide is always able to find someone helpful. One more thing, don’t feel bad about camping in Simba campsite, especially after you read about the reviews in TripAdvisor about that place. The facility is not perfect, but you will have a chance that a zebra, a warthog or even a rhino just sleeps (or runs) 5 metre away from your sleep bag. The only separation is the wall of the camp. This is something you won’t have elsewhere!Again, thank you so much to the whole team of Leken! Vadim C2024-07-27Verified A unique experience, reliable organizer, i recommend! We climbed Mount Kilimanjaro on the Machame route and we did two days of safari in Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater Nature Park. Everything was well organized, Asante Sana!
EXCELENT From 60 reviews on Tripadvisor