Katesh (Jorodom) Route

The Katesh Route starts just above the small town of Katesh, at the southern foot of Mount Hanang, and is named after the Jorodom area where the trail begins. The mountain lies inside the Mount Hanang Nature Forest Reserve, managed by the Tanzania Forest Services Agency, and a local guide accompanies every climb.

From Farmland to the Ridge

The trail leaves the fields and pastures around Katesh and climbs steeply through montane forest, then heath and open grassland. Above the treeline it follows the crest of the old crater rim, a long, airy ridge with several false summits before the true top at 3,420 m.

One Day or Two

Strong walkers can climb Hanang and return in a single day of about nine to ten hours, starting before dawn. Taking two days is more enjoyable: you camp on the mountain, reach the summit for sunrise and descend at an easier pace.

The View From the Top

Hanang stands alone above the plains, so the summit view is uninterrupted: the soda flats of Lake Balangida to the north, the wall of the Rift Valley escarpment and, in very clear weather, the distant outlines of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro.