Not every hike in or around Kilimanjaro has to be a summit attempt – if you'd like to hike on Kili but don't fancy going for the top there are various other trails you can follow.

My favourite is this two-day hike to the Horombo escarpment. The trail begins by following the first part of the Marangu route, and you spend the night at the Mandara Huts. On day two you can hike as high as the Horombo escarpment, and then go back down.

Along the way, you encounter narrow trails through the rainforest, amazing views of for example Mawenzi Peak and open moorlands with giant lobelias and groundsels. The ridged trail is narrow as you wander through the rainforest. It’s lush and misty, with the trees adorned with moss. The canopy overhead is alive with birdsongs and a colobus monkey or two.

The hike to the Mandara Hut takes four to six hours at a good walking pace, and it's possible to add a one-hour walk to the Maundi Crater to that. If you are lucky, you see tree hyraxes on the way and on a clear day, the views to the east over Taveta and to the northwest of Mawenzi Peak are stunning.

On day two you will see the glades of the rainforest and follow an ascending path on the open moorlands towards the Horombo escarpment. Views of Mawenzi and the summit of Kibo are amazing. Look for giant lobelias and groundsels. This hike up takes you three to four hours, then you go five to six hours back down again. You stop at the Mandara Huts for lunch, then hike back to the Marangu Gate where the walk ends and you drive back to the hotel.