The Marangu Route
The Marangu route, otherwise known as the Coca-Cola route or the “Tourist” route, is the oldest and most established climbing route on Kilimanjaro. The total distance traveled is about 82 kilometers from gate to gate.
It is the only route which offers huts in dormitory style accommodations instead of camping in tents. During the rainy season, usually April and May, this route may be the preferred option so you are not staying in tents and can avoid the rain and wind. There are 60 bunk beds in each hut at Mandara and Kibo Huts, and 120 bunk beds at Horombo Hut. You’ll sleep in bunk beds equipped with a simple mattress and pillow; you will need to provide your own sleeping bag. A variety of of candy bars, bottled water, and soft drinks are available for purchase at the huts. Bringing the correct equipment on a trek such as this, is essential - you can read our blog post about climbing essential equipment.
Highlights of Marangu Route
Of all the routes, this is the least popular climb for our company. The main drawback is that the Marangu Route has the exact same route ascending as descending, so you’re seeing less variation in scenery compared to the other routes. Also, the route can be quite crowded during peak season. Many tourists believe that this route is the easiest, so often inexperienced trekkers choose this route.
That said, this route offers a slow, steady climb to each of your daily hut accommodations, earning the reputation for being an easier trek than other routes up Mount Kilimanjaro. This trail cannot be underestimated though, towards reaching the final camp this trek offers a steady 1000m vertical climb until you reach the Horombo Hut accommodations, to prepare for your summit journey.
One advantage of the Marangu route is that you’ll pass through very lush rainforest at the start of your climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. During the main rainy season, the rains are often concentrated on the south-eastern corner of the mountain, so you’ll see waterfalls and streams, attracting a lot of wildlife such as colobus and blue monkeys. On the second morning you’ll pass Maundi Crater, which is lush with wildflowers and vegetation.
Also, as one of the shorter treks up to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, it is possible to climb Marangu in only 5 days; however we only support 6 days to best allow for acclimatization for a safe experience summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. A short trek means you don’t have as much chance to acclimatize to altitude; as such, this route has the highest failure rate of any of the routes up the summit. Specifically, the five-day average success rate is a low 50%, but the six-day option increases the success rate to more than 90% overall; our company’s success rate using this route is about 92%. For shorter days trips, Kilimanjaro On Foot has 4-5 day trips up the Marangu route for seasoned climbers, and beginners too.
