Kilimanjaro National Park Travel Forum

Call me crazy...this is my attempt to climb Mt. Kili. Any ideas where I should being looking or preparing?
Has anybody had experience with Marangu Hotel as a guide?

I reached the summit of Kili with my Marangu Hotel guide on Thankgiving day 2003 via the Machame route, and I recommend them most highly. They claim a success rate of 70-80% compared to the average 30%, and I can understand why.

Everything is first rate. First they checked my gear and offered to loan me better gear from their warehouse. I got an extra sleeping bag and ended up using both high up on the mountain. They also told me that I did not have enough diamox and offered me more. When my buddy had to retreat at 5000m, we had enough guides and porters so that we could safely split up.

When I wanted to start the final day of climbing at 11:45pm rather than midnight to try to be the first to the summit that day, my guide was ready and willing. Luckily the dozen other climbers on the mountain must have started at 15 min after midnight, so I had the mountain all to myself for a half hour. During the rest of the night I could see their lights far down on the mountain. That was enough of head start for me to beat them to the crater rim at dawn.

Have a great trip!

I've just come back from the Rongai route and yes, I went with the marangu hotel. They are excellent! I cannot recommend them highly enough.