MARANGU ROUTE EXPERIENCE ON KILIMANJARO

Marangu is one of the more popular, first-born, shorter-timed routes utilized by uninformed holiday trekkers in Africa who are on a low budget, and those mislead by its “easy” reputation. Ironically, its incorrect easy reputation is actually meant for mountain operators who find it easy to organize this route as they do not have to supply extra camping equipment and additional porters to carry the latter, allowing them to save on operational costs.

Accommodation is done in permanent huts where basic hostel-style beds and pillows are provided. Though, climbers need to bring their own sleeping bags and other personal mountain equipment like every other route. Known as the “Coca Cola” route for the wayside huts that originally supplied this commodity, it has the worst success rate of all Kilimanjaro summit routes because it has fewer duration days to ascend and also the speed at which altitude is gained, (around 2800 meters or 9185 feet in 3 days) considering it is one of the longest in distance to the summit (around 72 km ascent and descent).



Some operators still offer a 3.5 day ascent and 1.5 day descent. More responsible teams take longer, but still more than 60% of all Marangu climbers fail to summit, even though of an extra acclimatization day to take a short uphill ascent for 3 hours and 1.5 hour descent return for an extra night at a previous hut. This is because the height differential is insufficient to be really effective as there has been a steep ascent of a total of 2800 meters for the first three consecutive days.

Starting from Marangu Gate, the trail enters tropical rain forest where light clothing is sufficient. Trekking poles are needed if paths are muddy. At Mandara Huts, you may hike to Maundi Crater for a spectacular view. The route offer tolerable beds in huts with solar power, but these are lacking in security as team staff are not able to remain near their clients to guard their possessions. The huts are nodal points for shared visitors annually ascending or descending on their ultimate Tanzanian hiking vacation.



The same trail is used on descent; therefore, you are missing out on seeing a different wilderness path on your return down. At the first hut, Mandara, there are 70 beds and 148 at Horombo. These two basic quarters have running water and bathrooms. But overcrowding is a problem with queuing for dining and hygiene facilities. Drinks are available on route, but, for logistical reasons, it increases in price with height. Horombo Hut is in the heathland region where towering lobelia and giant groundsel give way to smaller alpine heathers.

Sunrise is surreal, days are searing when not cloaked in mist, and nights are freezing. Between Mawenzi and Kibo, the saddle area is a moonscape. Climbers falter between here and Gilman’s Point, where around 60% turn back due to altitude sickness. At Kibo, the last stop before the summit, there are 58 bed for a reason (low success rate of the trail), but toilets are long-drop outhouses. Despite its drawbacks, Marangu is still the least cost option for anyone wishing to climb Kilimanjaro, and who has completed an acclimatizing ascent trek of Mount Meru organized via Uhuru Trails by AfricanMecca.

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