The Marangu Route is the most popular route up Kilimanjaro. It is a well travelled path through the rainforest into the heath and moorland and onwards into the alpine desert of the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo. The final ascent is to the crater rim at Gillman's Point, which only half of all trekkers reach. It is a relatively smooth trail, winding through some beautiful scenery, which changes quite dramatically every day.

The route is covered typically in five days, and is physically challenging for most people, because the time to acclimatize is very short and the overnight trek to the summit requires mental and physical toughness. The trail from the highest hut to the summit moves through steeper, rockier terrain, and is challenging for most people.