On this day trip, you will hike on the Marangu Route up to Mandara Hut for lunch. This trek is NOT to the summit.
All short treks are offered on a private basis, and you can start on any day of the year.
The short treks are geared for people who like to hike but reaching the summit isn’t a “must do”, and allow one to experience the excitement of hiking on the highest peak on the African continent.
All trekking inside of the Tanzania National Park require the services of a certified Kilimanjaro guide, and the Marangu route is the only route where short treks are allowed.
After breakfast at your hotel, you will meet your guide, drive to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate (about 1 hour), register and commence the climb. Walk through the rainforest to the Mandara encampment. A side trip to Maundi Crater is a good way to see the surroundings including Northern Tanzania and Kenya. In the rain-forest, look for towering Eucalyptus trees, bird life, and Colobus monkeys.
After lunch, hike back to park gate and drive back to Moshi.
Elevation: 1860m/6100ft to 2700m/8875ft
Distance: 8km/5mi
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours up / 2-3 hours down
Habitat: Montane Forest
Meals: L
We recommend arriving one day early (what we refer to as “arrival day”).
This will give you time to relax, meet your fellow trekkers, and get a proper briefing before the climb starts. More importantly, if there’s any delay to your flight or your luggage goes AWOL, there’s enough wiggle room so that this delay doesn’t derail your climb. Seriously – this extra day really is a good idea, especially with post-pandemic airlines being in a little bit of a pickle right now.
All that said, we understand that travelling to Kilimanjaro can be a challenge. So we’ll accommodate your arrival time as best we can (for example, if you only arrive late at night the day before the climb starts, we’ll still be there to collect you!).
Yes, most foreigners need a Tanzanian visa to visit the country. US, Canadian, British and most European citizens can simply obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport. The cost is US$100 for US passport holders and $50 for others. US citizens do get a longer visa, however.
If you’re a citizen of a different country, please check with your embassy if you can obtain a visa upon arrival – of if you even need one. Certain African nationals, for instance, can enter Tanzania without a visa.
Please also note that you need a passport that’s valid for at least six months after your departure date.
There are no specific vaccine requirements for entry into Tanzania. However, be aware that the Government of Tanzania requires proof of yellow fever vaccination upon arrival if you are travelling from a country with risk of yellow fever.
While it’s not mandatory by any means, we suggest you talk to your doctor about getting the following vaccinations (which are standard in developed countries): Hepatitis A & B, typhoid, yellow fever, tetanus, polio, MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and meningococcal meningitis (Africa and Asia).
There are seven different Kilimanjaro routes up the mountain. We recommend the eight-day Lemosho, seven-day Machame and nine-day Northern Circuit routes. These routes offer the best balance of a high success rate and beautiful scenery.
Kilimanjaro requires no technical climbing experience nor climbing equipment. This makes it the most accessible of the Seven Summits in many ways.
Any decently fit person can summit the mountain. That said, for most people, it will be one of the most difficult things they ever do in their lives!
Kilimanjaro is climbable all year round. Yippee!
The best months to climb, however, are July to October and December to February, as these are the warmest and driest months respectively.
