Marangu Hotel — Hotel in Kilimanjaro

Marangu Hotel - five stars for a fantastic Klimanjaro adventure! ||||Our group of 8 recently embarked on a 7-day trek along the quieter Rongai Route to Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro, organized by the incredible team at Marangu Hotel. We also stayed at the hotel for a few additional days. The 7-day Rongai iloption provided ample time to acclimatize to the altitude and allowed us to enjoy the solitude of the route, seeing few other hikers until joining the Marangu Route from Kibo Hut. The diverse landscapes were awe-inspiring, reminding us of nature's wonder and the importance of preserving it for future generations.  ||||Guides and Support Team: We were led by our chief guide, Geofrey, whose leadership, expertise, and encouragement were exceptional. Supporting him were 29 team members, including assistant guides Rumisha, Joy (an ambulant botanist), Anna, and Kundael, along with cook Joseph, waiter Lennard, and 22 porters. Their camaraderie and dedication ensured we were well-fed, safe, and motivated throughout the trek. They exemplified respect, kindness, and the highest level of service. Special thanks to the team for their swift and caring support to a group member who had to descend due to altitude sickness; she recovered quickly under their attentive care. We were happy to supplement our planned tips to the team, as a gesture of appreciation for their exceptional contribution.||||Private Loo Tent: Paying extra for a private loo tent was a good decision. It was set up conveniently close to our sleeping tents, sparing us from having to navigate the often distant and dirty national park toilets—a luxury well worth the cost.||||Weather Conditions: We were fortunate that the short rainy season, though delayed and lingering, only brought rain (and some snow on the peaks) on the first three days, mainly at night. This left us with clear skies for most of the trek and a breathtakingly beautiful snow-covered summit. By the time of the final ascent, the snow on the steep path to Gilman’s Point had melted, making the climb less treacherous underfoot.||||Summit Day: Due to the altitude and resultant oxygen availability, the final ascent from Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak was incredibly tough but immensely rewarding. We began our march at 11:45 PM and reached Gilman’s Point around 6 AM. From there, it took approximately 1.5 hours to reach Uhuru Peak. Watching the sunrise while enduring storm winds blowing snow into our faces was both challenging and awe-inspiring. Despite the freezing conditions, 7 out of 8 of us made it to the summit—an achievement we’ll treasure forever.||||Additional Support from Marangu Hotel: Desmond and the staff of the Marangu Hotel were exceptionally generous. Over the course of nearly a year, Desmond corresponded with us regularly, offering invaluable advice and support. The Hotel lent us (for free) equipment and warm clothing such as sleeping bags, travel mattresses, snow jackets, balaclavas, gloves, sunglasses (for sunlight on snow), etc., with Omega being the excellent quarter-mistress. They did, however, advise us to bring our own well-worn boots and other personal gear. ||||On our arrival back, we rented a cottage through Desmond for USD100 a night. During our stay, Desmond was also wonderfully helpful with provisions and advice, and Katie and Anton were supportive, ensuring everything ran smoothly.||||Overall Experience: The organization and attention to detail provided by Marangu Hotel were top-notch, blending professionalism with a charming old-style informality that added to the overall experience. From the pre-trek briefings to the post-climb celebrations, the team ensured we had everything we needed for a safe and memorable experience. The Rongai Route itself was a beautiful and varied trail, offering both tranquility and stunning vistas of Kilimanjaro.||||We wholeheartedly recommend Marangu Hotel for anyone planning to take on the challenge of Kilimanjaro. Their expertise, hospitality, and focus on safety made our journey not only successful but also...

Marangu Hotel is a family owned operation with beautiful grounds and friendly, attentive service. The hotel arranges airport pickup/drop offs with their own drivers who deftly navigate the poorly lit roads and bold motorcyclists.

Breakfast and dinner are served in the dining area. There is no published food menu so dinner is always a series of courses that were all tasty, pleasant surprises (usually soup and bread followed by an entree made to specify any dietary restrictions, then dessert). Breakfast was my favorite with fresh, local fruit, eggs made to order, toast with a delicious marmalade, and local Arabic coffee, served in an airy, sunlit room with beautiful views of the garden and birds flitting and perching about.

Tap water is not potable but each room is provisioned with glasses and a pitcher of drinkable water. Electricity is solar powered so voltage flowing through outlets is sometimes very low and shower water is not always hot. There is a nice-looking pool out back. The hotel can handwash and air dry your laundry (no machines). Wi-Fi is most reliable in or near the bar.

Bugs weren't too bad in December; they easily crawl in under your room door but beds are protected with netting.

On clear days closer to dawn and dusk, you can see Mt. Kilimanjaro on the horizon from the lawn and garden out back. Walking or lounging on the grounds outside is very pleasant; even in the dark well after sunset, you feel safe and relaxed. There is a guard posted at the entrance and we saw another one patrolling around.

Some staff members will try to go out of the way to assist you and you may feel compelled to tip individuals; the hotel owner encourages putting something into the tip jar instead, which gets equally distributed among all staff members on occasion. Most staff members speak enough English to get by.

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We had a group of 11 friends and family arrive to hike the 7 day Rongai route. Desmond and Katie answered many questions and had us well informed to arrive to Tanzania prepared for this extreme adventure.|Katie was extremely helpful upon arrival, addressing every need and answering every question we had to provide confidence for this hike.|We had 2 of our group stop after day 1 due to unrelated illness, and Katie made sure they were cared for medically while the rest of us continued the climb.|We had an exceptional Guide team, led by Philipo, and included the experienced guides Simon, Nick, Stephen, and Sia, and later joined by Barraca when a member of our group had to go down with Sia due to altitude sickness and severe vertigo. (Of note, we all planned for emergency evacuation insurance-very worth it! And Katie again made this run smoothly)|All 8 of us who made it to Kibo hut successfully made it to Uhuru peak. It was challenging but Philipo was greatly encouraging, knowing what was just fatigue, and that we were all well enough to continue even if we found it daunting!|The national park incorrectly printed Gilman on one certificate, and Philipo went out of his way to have it corrected and meet us so a 17yo could go home with her correct summit certificate!|A memory of a lifetime and we can’t thank the staff at Marangu or MH Safari guides more!|*of note: the toilet porter was worth every penny for a group of 10 women and 1 man (we had 2 toilets); the food was amazing-our cook was a magician on the mountain; we all took Diamox for altitude and glad we did; we felt the rest day at Mawenzi Tarne made summit day successful...