6-Day Kilimanjaro Trek to Uhuru Peak via the Marangu Route

• Get picked up from the hotel and drive to Marangu Gate. En route, enjoy excellent views of the mountain.

• Meet your Kilimanjaro trekking guides and porters at the gate. In the surrounding forests, you could spot bright-coloured birds, Colobus monkeys, and other species, along with moss, lichens, and delicate orchids. If the skies are clear, you can also see the town of Moshi lying further down at the edge of the plain.

• Complete the registration formalities and leave the park buildings behind to start the ascent. The walk takes 4-5 hours through coffee plantations and thick rainforest.

Reach Mandara Hut for dinner and an overnight stay.

• Start the second day on the mountain just after breakfast with a steep climb through the last stretch of rainforest, which soon gives way to a rolling alpine meadow dotted with giant heather.

• Once you leave the forest shade behind, Kilimanjaro's two peaks - snow-covered Kibo and rocky Mawenzi - lie straight ahead on the skyline.

• Further on, cross a zone of open moorland with diminutive vegetation. Today, you will gain roughly 1000 m in altitude. The walk can take 5-7 hours, depending on your pace.

Have dinner and stay overnight at Horombo Hut.

• Spend the day here to acclimatise to the altitude. It is known that an acclimatisation day effectively doubles the chance of a successful summit, so the time is well spent. The day is not simply for resting, as there are several walks you can take in the vicinity of the hut.

• You will take one of the most popular acclimatisation walks, which leads to the base of Mawenzi Peak, the dramatic eastern summit of Kilimanjaro. The round trip takes 4-5 hours and reaches an altitude of 4600 m.

Return to Horombo Hut for dinner and an overnight stay.

• See how the scenery becomes rockier and rougher as you leave Horombo behind. Massive groundsels and lobelias appear in the sparse moorland. The trail up to Kibo takes between 5 and 7 hours.

• Skirt Mawenzi Peak as you pass the last water point.

• Cross a stark, almost lunar landscape to the saddle, a wide tundra desert between the two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Here, you will find fantastic views of the upper ranges of the mountain before arriving at Kibo Hut (4705 m), a dry-stone-walled hut with dorms and limited facilities.

• Prepare for the next day's final assault. Repack and leave non-essential items with the porters. You need to summon all your energy to get to the summit, so there is no point in carrying anything you do not need. An early night is imperative, as you must make a midnight start in order to reach the summit in the morning before the cloud cover settles.

Overnight stay at Kibo Hut.

(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)

• Get ready, as the guide will wake you soon after midnight.

• Start out in the darkness and extreme cold, zigzagging up a long scree slope by the light of your torch. At this time of day, the scree is still frozen, which makes it easier to walk on.

• Hike for around two hours to reach Hans Meyer's Cave, named after the German geologist who made the first successful ascent in 1889 and found the remains of a frozen leopard. The gradient then gets steeper, and after another three hours - the hardest stretch of the climb - you should reach the crater rim at Johanne's Notch.

• From here, it is a short scramble to Gillman's Point (5685 m) in time for dawn. Your reward is the dramatic spectacle of the sun rising over the ice fields and the craggy peaks of Mawenzi. The profusion of colours and shapes makes all the suffering seem worthwhile. For those who still have the energy and drive, it takes another couple of hours along the crater rim to reach Uhuru (Freedom) Peak (5896 m).

• Descend in approximately 3 hours and retrace the route down past Kibo Hut to Horombo Hut for a well-deserved rest.

Overnight stay at Horombo Hut.

(Breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

• See how the pace quickens as you continue your way back down across alpine meadows, past Mandara Hut, and through the rainforest to Marangu Gate, where you can board the vehicle and return to Moshi.

• Return to Moshi, where you check in to the day room or for an overnight stay before departing for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania.