Marangu / Mandara Hut (2.700 m)

Day 1: Arrival at the Park Headquarters at Marangu Gate for registration and payment of fees. It is recommended that you start this route in the morning, because this allows a leisurely walk to Mandara, avoiding the rain showers that sometimes fall in the afternoon.
From the gate, you ascend a cleared ridge trail, formerly a vehicle track to Mandara Hut. The cleared trail is the fastest way to Mandara, but opportunities to see wildlife or enjoy the forest are limited due to the heavy foot traffic. An alternative is to ascend along the parallel forest trail and descend on the main trail. The forest trail branches off to the left, a few minutes after the gate, and follows the edge of a stream through the undergrowth. About halfway (1 1/2 hrs from the gate) you can choose to cross the stream and rejoin the main trail, or continue on the forest trail. Both trails continue on opposite sides of the stream, merging about one hour before Mandara Hut.

Day 2: From Mandara Hut the trail passes through a short stretch of forest and skirts the base of Maundi Crater, crosses a meadow and a wooded stream, then emerges into grassland. It is well worth the short detour to scramble up to the rim of Maundi Crater for a superb view of the mountain and its surroundings. The trail crosses numerous moorland ravines before ending at Horombo Hut, which is set in a rocky valley with a fine stand of giant senecios or groundsels.

Day 3: From Horombo Hut there are two trails to the Saddle. The right fork is very stony and eroded and is the most direct route to the Saddle and Mawenzi. From the Saddle (about 2 hrs from Horombo), there are trails to Mawenzi Hut (1/2hr) or Mawenzi Tarn Hut (2 1/2 hrs) and across the length of the Saddle to Kibo Hut (3 hrs). The left fork from Horombo Hut is an easier trail and emerges on the Saddle much closer to Kibo and about one kilometer from Kibo Hut.
Trail to the summit where Africa touches the sky.

Day 4: The trail to the summit lies directly behind Kibo Hut, to the west. It is normal to start this day's climb at 2 am or earlier. (You can see the sun rise over Mawenzi from the top of Kibo, the loose stone scree is frozen - making it easier to climb, and you can get back in good time).

Day 5: The first part is an uneven trail which leads to the Hans Meyer Cave, a good rest point. After that, the trail makes more regular switchbacks most of the way to the top, with a last scramble over rocks to Johannes Notch and Gilman's Point. From there, the trail continues along the rim past Stella Point to Uhuru Peak. As you descend the scree from the rim back to Kibo Hut, it is tempting to run fast, but this can result in clouds of irritating dust and even unpleasant falls. The return to Horombo Hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent.

Day 6: Descend from Horombo Hut. You can easily make Mandara Hut by lunchtime, and continue to the Park gate and Marangu in the afternoon.

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