Marangu

Marangu sits at around fourteen hundred metres on the southern side of Kilimanjaro among banana and coffee gardens, and it is the gate for the oldest and most used route up the mountain, the one with huts rather than tents. Beyond the climb the village has its own attractions: waterfalls in the forested gullies, Chagga underground caves dug as refuges, coffee smallholdings that show the whole process from tree to cup, and a small museum of Chagga life.

What you actually see

• The Marangu route gate - the start of Kilimanjaro's oldest and hut-served route.
• The Chagga caves - underground refuges dug into the slopes.
• The waterfalls - falls in the forested gullies around the village.
• The coffee farms - smallholdings showing the process from picking to cup.

When to go

June to October and January to February are the main climbing seasons. The village itself is pleasant year round though wet from March to May. Mornings are clearest for mountain views.

Honest expectations

Guides and touts approach visitors constantly in the village. Waterfall and cave sites each charge separately and prices are negotiated. Kilimanjaro itself is often hidden in cloud from here.

Nearby

Moshi is west, and Materuni is northwest.