Of all the routes that lead to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, there is something rather special about the Marangu Route. It was the first established There is a lot of history on Kilimanjaro, and perhaps nowhere is it more evident than on the Marangu Route. Long before there were well-marked trails, mountain huts and organised trekking companies, people were making their way up the slopes of Kilimanjaro. The mountain had already been part of the lives of the people living around it for generations when European explorers began arriving with the ambition of reaching the summit.
The first confirmed European ascent took place in October 1889, when German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller finally reached the summit of Kibo after several attempts. Their approach came from the south-eastern side of the mountain, broadly following what we now know as the Marangu Route. They were not alone, however. Local guides and porters were an essential part of the expedition, just as they would be for generations of climbers who followed.
This is one of the things I find fascinating about Marangu. When you walk this route today, it is easy to think of it simply as one of the seven established routes up Kilimanjaro. But beneath your feet is a trail with more than a century of climbing history.
There is even another chapter to the story. For many years, the Outward Bound School in Kenya operated from Loitokitok, on the northern side of Kilimanjaro, and groups of students climbed the mountain from the Kenyan side. Thousands of young people passed through the programme over the years, making their own journeys onto the mountain. So perhaps calling Marangu the “first route” is too simple. What we can say is that the south-eastern approach became the route associated with the first confirmed European summit ascent, and over time it developed into the Marangu Route we know today.
It is also the route that acquired the rather charming nickname of the Coca-Cola Route. The name comes from its popularity and, more importantly, from the fact that Marangu is the only Kilimanjaro route where climbers sleep in mountain huts rather than tents. This has given it a reputation for being the more comfortable route, although anyone who has climbed Kilimanjaro will tell you that there is nothing particularly comfortable about dealing with altitude at nearly 6,000 metres.
The journey begins at Marangu Gate and almost immediately you enter the rainforest. After the excitement and activity around the gate, the forest feels like another world. The trail winds beneath tall trees and through thick vegetation, with birds calling from above and, occasionally, monkeys moving through the canopy.
It is a beautiful way to begin a climb of Kilimanjaro because you don’t feel as though you are climbing a huge mountain yet. You are simply walking through a forest. As you gain altitude, the forest gradually gives way to moorland and the landscape opens up. The first night is spent at Mandara Hut, before continuing towards Horombo the following day.
Horombo is where Kilimanjaro really begins to reveal its scale. Behind you are the forests and plains of Tanzania, while ahead are the great volcanic peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. If you have chosen a longer itinerary, this is also where you can spend an extra day acclimatising, something I strongly believe is worthwhile on Kilimanjaro.
The mountain has a way of teaching patience. Pole pole, as the guides say.
Slowly slowly.
From Horombo, the trail continues across the Saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo. The vegetation becomes increasingly sparse and the landscape takes on an almost otherworldly appearance. Kibo dominates the view ahead, and although it seems to remain at exactly the same distance for hours, you know that every step is taking you closer.
Eventually you reach Kibo Hut, your final stop before the summit. After an early meal and a few hours of rest, you set out again, usually around midnight.
There is something unforgettable about summit night. The mountain is dark and silent, except for the line of headlamps stretching upwards ahead of you. The pace is deliberately slow, and as the altitude increases you begin to understand why the guides insist on taking it easy. After several hours, the darkness begins to lift and the first light appears over Africa. You reach the crater rim and continue towards Stella Point before following the trail towards Uhuru Peak.
And then you are standing at 5,895 metres, on the highest point in Africa.
For some people the summit is a moment of celebration, for others it is simply relief, and for many it is surprisingly emotional. After days of walking through forest, moorland and alpine desert, you have finally arrived at the place you have been thinking about since the beginning of the journey.
There is something particularly satisfying about standing there and remembering that more than a century ago, Meyer and Purtscheller were looking at this same mountain, although the climb they faced was a very different one. There were no huts, no marked trails and none of the equipment or knowledge that modern climbers take for granted. And yet, with the help of their local support team, they found their way to the summit.
Of course, reaching the summit is only part of the day. Eventually you turn around and start walking down and as you descend in altitude, breathing becomes easier, the landscape becomes greener and the mountain slowly begins to feel less formidable. Before long, you are back among the trees, heading towards the gate and the world you left behind a few days earlier.
Marangu is sometimes described as the “easy” route, but I have never thought that was a particularly good description. The trail is relatively gradual and the huts certainly make life easier, but the mountain itself remains the same Kilimanjaro. And besides, no route on Kilimanjaro is ‘easy.’
At 5,895 metres, altitude does not care which route you chose.
Perhaps that is what makes Marangu so interesting. It combines the history of Kilimanjaro with the experience of climbing it today. You walk through landscapes that have changed little in generations, following an approach that has carried explorers, students, adventurers and thousands of modern trekkers towards the summit.
And when you eventually stand at Uhuru Peak, looking out across Tanzania, you become part of that long story.
Not the first.
Not the last.
Just another person who came to Kilimanjaro with a dream of reaching the Roof of Africa.
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