Traveling to Tanzania but don’t have the time or desire to trek to the summit of hike mount Kilimanjaro? Still want to experience a taste of the highest free-standing mountain in the world? Spend just one day before or after your safari hiking through the lush, cool rainforest that covers the foot of this impressive mountain. This experience offers a great chance to stretch your legs after your long journey to Tanzania or days spent in a safari jeep.
The day hike mount Kilimanjaro will take you up the Marangu Route, Kilimanjaro’s original ascent route forged by Tanzanian guide Yohani Lauwo and his German patron Hans Meyer in 1889. You will traverse the second eco climatic zone – the montane forest – at an altitude of 1600 m/6,100 ft to 2700 m/8,860 ft above sea level.
The verdant rainforest is home to abundant flora and fauna. You will hear streams flow and waterfalls crash while birds sing high up in the forest’s canopy. There is a great chance of spotting the black and white colobus monkey and blue monkeys and if you are lucky, the elusive duiker.
The Day’s Schedule
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Moshi town at 8:00 am for a one-hour drive to Marangu village at the mountain’s base. Upon arrival at the gate, your guide will proceed with park formalities and thereafter you will begin your hike. A 14 km/8.7 miles roundtrip journey, it takes an average of 4 hours to ascend and 3 hours to descend. You will enjoy lunch at Mandara Hut and then ascend a little further to Maundi Crater where you can catch views, clouds permitting, of one of Kilimanjaro’s three peaks, the jagged Mawenzi Peak, before turning around for the hike down, where your vehicle will be waiting to return you back to Moshi.
