1 day · Day trip
Kilimanjaro Day Hike to Mandara
Walk on Kilimanjaro without committing a week to it: through the rainforest from Marangu Gate up to Mandara Hut and back.
Is this trip for you?
Trip type
Private departure
A single day, planned around your pickup time and your interests, with your own vehicle and guide.
Ages
All ages
Day trips are the easiest way to travel with small children or with anyone who would rather not sleep under canvas.
Fitness
Easy to moderate
Most day trips involve an hour or two of walking on uneven ground. The Kilimanjaro day hike is the exception and asks for a full day on your feet.
Group size: 1 to 7 travellers per vehicle
Day by day.
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1
Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
A short drive from Moshi to Marangu Gate, then a walk of around three hours through dense rainforest to Mandara Hut at 2,700 m, with blue and colobus monkeys overhead. A short extension leads to the Maundi Crater rim and, in clear weather, a view towards Kenya. Picnic lunch, then back down and to Moshi by evening.
- Overnight
- Your own hotel
- Where
- Kilimanjaro National Park
- Driving
- About 45 minutes each way to the gate
- Meals
- A picnic lunch
Where you sleep.
Not applicable
Day trips return to your own hotel in Moshi or Arusha the same evening. If you have not booked one yet, tell us and we will suggest somewhere in the right part of town for your pickup.
We book against availability for your dates rather than naming a property we may not be able to get you into. Your written quotation names every lodge and camp before you pay anything.
What is included
- All park entrance and administrative fees
- A packed lunch
- 1.5 litres of drinking water
- Transfers from and to your hotel
- 4x4 transport for the day
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Staff fees
Not included
- International airfares and departure taxes
- Visa fees
- All items of a personal nature
- Tips and gratuities for your driver and guide
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
When to go.
Year-round
Every day trip on this page runs in any month. Waterfalls are at their most impressive during and just after the rains, and the Chemka springs are warm whatever the weather is doing outside.
Questions about this trip.
Do we reach the summit?
No. This is a day walk to Mandara Hut at 2,700 m on the Marangu route, or the Shira Plateau by vehicle and foot. The summit is a week-long expedition.
Do we still pay park fees?
Yes, and they are included in the price. Kilimanjaro National Park charges a full day rate whether you walk for one day or eight.
Is it a useful test before booking a climb?
It is a good honest look at the terrain and the forest, but it tells you almost nothing about how you will handle 5,000 m. Nothing at this altitude does.
On this route
Where you will be.
Compare
Other day trip journeys.
Materuni Waterfall & Coffee Tour
The best single day out from Moshi: a green walk to a waterfall, then a Chagga coffee tour where you take the beans from tree to cup yourself.
- Materuni waterfall and cold pool
- Pick, roast and pound your own coffee
- Chagga village and lunch
Pricing on request View itinerary
Chemka Hot Springs
A spring-fed pool of clear turquoise water under fig roots, about an hour from Moshi. The right thing to do the day after a climb.
- Clear, warm spring water
- Fig tree roots and rope swing
- Picnic lunch at the pool
Pricing on request View itinerary
Arusha National Park Day Trip
Game drive, walking safari and canoeing in one day, in a park that sits under Mount Meru less than an hour from Arusha.
- Walking safari with an armed ranger
- Canoeing on the Momella lakes
- Colobus monkeys in the forest
Pricing on request View itinerary
Plan it with us
Make this itinerary yours.
Add days, drop a park, change the pace. This is a starting point, not a fixed departure.