Kilimanjaro Region Travel Forum

can anyone tell me the cheapest company to book a trek with ???

Hello VTers with Tanazania experience,

It has been a long and difficult journey to come up with a realistic itinerary to Tanzania for July 2010. I have come up with the following itinerary through consultations, but now turn to you for help on any suggestions, amendments, kudos, etc. you may have. ANYTHING!

Here is the masterpiece...what do you all think?

Day 1: 30th June: Dar es Salaam Arrival
Arrive 8:10pm. Transfer to hotel after evening airport arrival.
Overnight at the Movenpick Palm Royal hotel.
Day 2: 1st July: Dar es Salaam – Arusha,
Pick up at the Movenpick Palm Royal for airport transfer. Morning flight with Precision Air to Arusha Airport. Upon arrival transfer to Arumeru River Lodge. Climb briefing and gear check with Kilimanjaro guide. Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner.
Day3: 2nd July Arusha National Park.
Leave after breakfast to ANAPA. This tour will give me time to recuperate from my international flight. Moreover, by adding this day, it will give you time to find me and you extra gears if needed or incase of any luggage delays.

Day 4: 3rd July: Arusha – Londorossi Gate – Big Tree/Forest Camp (10,000ft)
In the morning drive from hotel to Londorossi Gate and after registration drive to the dropping off point for Lemosho to meet porters and begin the trek to the Big Tree (Forest) Camp. Overnight stay in tents throughout the climb (Tents must include; sleeping bags and sleeping pads/Thermarests). Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner included all days
Day 5: 4th July: Shira 1 Camp (up to 11500ft- descend to 1100ft)
Day 6: 5th July: Moir Camp (13200ft )
Day 7: 6th July: Lava Tower camp (14500ft)
Day 8: 7th July: Lava Tower Extra day ( Acclimatization day)
Day 9: 8th July: Arrow Glacier Camp (16000ft)
Day 10: 9th July: Crater Camp (18500ft)
Day 11: 10th July: Summit in the morning, overnight Mweka hut (10000 ft).
Day 12: 11th July: Depart early morning to Mweka gate. Lunch at the gate. After signing out, drive for about 2.5 hours to Arusha, and then drive to Bougainvillea lodge in Karatu.


Day 13: 12th July: Lake Eyasi Hadzabe tour.
With an early start on this day, drive to Lake Eyasi. There visit the tribe while accompanied by a Hadzabe liaison Guide together with my own driver Guide. Participate in activities with Hadzabe tribe. Driver guide will help interpret for me what the tribe guide will be talking about. Later drive back to Bougainvillea lodge. Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner


Day 14: 13th July: Ngorongoro Crater
Early morning departure for game drive in Ngorongoro Crater. Spend the day exploring Crater. Hopefully see the rhino, as well as many other animals. In the evening, visit the Maasai boma and learn about this tribe. Overnight Bougainvillea Lodge again. Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 15: 14th July: Serengeti National Park
En route to Serengeti after breakfast. This should be a full day game drive. However, on the way to Serengeti, stop at Oldupai archeological site. The plan is to get to central- north Serengeti, Seronera area. I understand that July is not a migration season, but seronera area should be rich with wildlife and if it rains, there is a big chance that I will be able to see the beginning of wildlife migration moving in from the north. ( Masai Mara area). Seronera Wildlife Lodge, Mbuzi Mawe tented camp, or any similar lodges should be used. Please select a good accommodation that is not too expensive. I know choices are limited but I am looking for good value and good location. Overnight. Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 16: 15th July: Serengeti National Park:
Full day game drive in the Serengeti, in search of animals as well as the migration. Seronera Wildlife Lodge or Mbuzi tented camp or any similar. Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 17: 16th July: Serengeti National Park
This will be another full day game drive. Overnight at Seronera Wildlife Lodge, Or Serena lodge or Mbuzi Mawe tented camp, Located in the central Serengeti. The lodge should be close to Seronera Air strip. Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

Day 18: 17th July: Fly Serengeti-Arusha-Zanzibar.
Fly from Serengeti to Zanzibar. After arriving at Zanzibar Airport transfer to the Tembo Hotel in Stone Town.
Overnight stay at Tembo Hotel. Breakfast only.

Day 19: 18th July: Stone Town
Spice tour as well as tour of historical Stone Town. Overnight stay at Tembo Hotel. Breakfast only

Day 20: 19th July: Stone Town – Fly to Dar es Salaam – Depart for USA
Transfer to the Zanzibar Airport for flight to Dar es Salaam and then evening international flight home. In the morning of this day arrange a guided trip to Jozani for me in the morning and take an afternoon flight back to Dar. Fly back to USA from Dar at 9:20pm.


Any comments? Any? Thanks so much.

Hello VTers,

I'd like to hear from folks who have already climbed the Western Breach or the Shira/Lemosho Route because I am in a dilemma about which route to use because of all the contradictory information out there.

I know the bad rap that the Western Breach got because of the 3 Americans who were killed 3 years ago as well as the rock slippage that has happened recently.

However, the Western Breach acclimatization process on a daily basis seems to be more practical than the Shira Lemosho route, and the final ascent seems to be less daunting than the Shira/Lemosho route and the Western Breach seem sto be really amazing in terms of views and finally, the distances you walk each day on the Western Breach route are much less than the Shira/Lemoshor route.

On the other hand, the Western Breach may require more rock scrambling than the Shira/Lemosho and may have more risk involved due to rock slippage.

So, any suggestions on which route to take.

Things to consider: I am NOT a professional climber, hiker or trekker. I have been to Peru, Bolivia and Tibet before with minimal altitude sickness issues. I am not a sporty guy, do not really work out, but am not overweight (average build) and have good energy for what I want to do.

I am really in a dilemma because each company poo-poos the Western breach route here in USA, but many other companies say there is a higher success rate tha the Shira/Lemosho route because of better acclimitization process (not major asecnts any day.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Nathan

Hi all. I am taking my wife and two daughters to Tanzania and then to Moshi to visit some schools. This however will only take a day or two adn we would like to spend another 3 days on a Safari or the like. As I have my family Id like to organise a responsible guide to collect us from the aiport, help us during our time there, book lodgings etc and then return us to the airport.

Can anyone suggest a reliable source for this type of service.

Hi there,

A group of us are climbing Kili in three weeks. YAY!!!

Just some last minutes questions id really appreciate some help with.

Is there somewhere we can hire gear for the trek OTHER than through our tour company (they arent based in Tanzania)????????????????

We were hoping to hire sleeping bags,, waterproof jackets, and maybe gloves. ???

Also can anyone tell me what the weather is like in february? As in how many layers of clothing we will need on the mountain?

Any MUSTS that we should have to ensure wekeep warm and may need on the trek????? I dont want anything to get in the way.

Thankyou so much for your help

hi,
can someone tell if the services that the marangu hotel provide for the trek to the Kili are good ? we will we taking the marangu route, any recommendation ? can you recommend some other agencies ?
many thanks
Nina

I am planning a 8 day Kili trek via the Western Breach in Feb 2009 and I am looking at Kiliwarriors (www.go-kili.com). Has anyone used Kiliwarriors and if yes, I would love to know your thoughts on using them, your experiences in general and whether you would recommend using them. Thanks so much -- Sam

Hi, I have a question about Marangu. It is known as the easiest route on Kilimanjaro, yet it has the worst % of summit success of what I have read. Why is that? Is it because a lot of unprepared climbers use this path?

Has anyone here climbed Marangu? I'm thinking of going to Kili in June. Does anyone have any opinion about going during that month?

Thanks!

My husband and I are possibly thinking of climbing Mt Kili, but I really don't know where to start?

Just some basic questions:

-personal fitness
-risk factor (i want to see my kids again!)
-exactly how gruelling is it?
-best time of year to go
-etc

We are both early 30's and somewhat fit. We have hiked out in BC/AB on various mountains a couple of yrs ago without any problems, and I have also done the half dome(yrs ago). We live in Toronto, so there are not many mountains to climb, just a ski hill nearby, which may help with descent practice.

thx

Hi! I climbed kili in 2007 with 8 friends and when we came back we decided to collect technical mountain clothing for the porter association in Moshi.
Now we're looking for someone who will be there when the packs arrive and make sure that they will get the association.
Anyone who can help us to do that, please contact me by email and we'll arrange the ship date.
Thank you!

chiara

Hi everybody...I would like to go to see Mt. Kili and not climb it. The reason for me is altitude; I climbed Mt. Whitney in California (14,495 Ft.) and I know for an absolute fact that getting to the top of Kili is not going to happen. I am in shape, but the altitude kills me. My question is...is there someplace reasonably close to Kili where I could get photos of it, including one of myself with Kili in the background? I am familiar with the Park entrance fees and would prefer to avoid them since I know I won't be climbing. Thanks for your help.

Hello,

I'm currently planning a trip to Kilimanjaro in July 2008. Can anyone tell me, if I should bring my own sleeping bag or if the tour operators also provide sleeping bags?
If I can rent them, are they suitable for the low temperatures above 4000m or are they not so high qualitative?

Thanks, Streli

greetings,

my husband and i are planning to trek kili from about december 20 - 25. i know this is an extremely busy time on the mountain so i have a few questions. we are planning to book it once we arrive in tanzania (december 12) because we've heard this is a good option if you're on a budget and want to shop around a bit and also know exactly what you're getting. i'm just concerned that it might be too busy at that time of year and we won't be able to get on a trip?

also because it's an incredibly busy time, will we have any trouble renting any gear that we need? (sleeping bags, tents, walking poles)? we are also going to go on a budget safari on the same trip. will we want our own sleeping bags and tent anyway?

thank you so much.

kstar

Hi Folks,
we (3 guys of 34) are planning a 3 weeks tour to Mt. Meru, then Kili (Lemosho) and then Safari in the Ngorongoro crater. Has anyone been there recently and has some tips or knows some dont's?
Is anyone going there between 20 Jan 2008 and 7 Feb 2008?
Our base camp between the trips will be Moshi. How is the town? Is there anything going on?
best wishes,
Thilo

Hi there!

I'm looking to do Kilimanjaro in 2009. What trekking company would you recommend? And why? I am interested in doing both a trek and a safari in the Serengeti. Any useful tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!! :)

I've looked into Thomson Treks, Wilderness Travels, and Alpine Ascents so far. They all seem soooo expensive!


-Bruingirl-

2 Weeks to go until I fly out to tanzania now. I will be climbing the lemosho route from the 4th Septmber.
I will be taking diamox with me but what I wanted to know from the veterans out there is when I should start taking the medicine. I have read that people who take it early on will lose a lot of valuable sleep by staying up all night peeing however, as it is essentially a prophelaxis is taking it as early as possible a good idea or is it better to wait until I feel the effects of the altitude.


Any other info about the drug (or the climb in general) will be greatly appreciated.

I promise this will be my last question!

Thank you in advance

Graham

Hi,

On september 5th my collegue and I are going to Afrika for klimbing the Kilimanjaro. My collegue became sick so we are not shore that he will be able to go.

So I want to get to know some people who also start the climb on september 6th on the Machame-route.

Grtz

Hi there,

I am hoping to climb kilimanjaro this september, myself and another memeber of the party have reached a sticking point and I would like your help to settle it.
(I won't tell you what my opinion is to kep this fair).

We have had two quotes for the lemosho route from africa travel resources and mem tours of $1900 and $1300 respectively.
We have spoken directly to african travel resources and they seem like a very professionally run company and seem to offer a good package, they seem confident that they will give us the best chance possible of reaching the summit.
We have been supplied much less detail from mem tours ,although it does seem similar in many respects and, although there is little evidence to the contrary, we aren't so sure that they will be as supportive on the climb with respect to food and watching how we go.

I would like to know your opinions on which we should go for, especially from people who have used either company, although everyone is welcome.
Does $1900 sound too much or is $1300 too little?
How much did you pay and did you book in tanzania or in your home country?
Which would YOU go for?

By the same token we have been offered a 5 day safari by both for $1300, how does that price sound?

I would really, really, appreciate some help with this so we can move forward and (finally) book our flights.

Cheers, I really appreciate your help.

Graham

Hi,

Anyone have experience with Tropical Trails or African Travel Resources for Kilimanjaro Expedition?

Zaidi

Hi all,

I'm planning to climb the Kili (machame route, 6 days) between the 11 and 13 of December 2006. I'm looking for a person or group to climb with!

Originally I was planning to climb together with a friend, but unfortunately I had to postphone because of Bilhartzia (wurms in your body).

I already did some research on which tour operator I want to climb with. But I'm more than interested to hear about other offers. My budget is $ 1000 or lower. Tour operators which had good offers: Victoria Expeditions (arusha, meru inn, $900, incl all equipment & clothes) or Bobby Safari's (arusha, $ 850, incl all equipment but without raingear)

If you are interested to join me, please contact me ASAP: fredhulleman@hotmail.com

OR: +254727067417

Hope to hear from you, and looking forward to reach the summit!

Fred

Hello - I had surgury on my ankle 6 months ago (severed tendons) and I just got the go ahead from my doctor to climb Kili in January. I have not exercized in 6 months except the last three days I did a 5 mile run, 2.5 and 2.5. What are all your recomedations for physica training, altiutude sickness and building up confidence. Our climb date is January 15.

Thank you for any assistance

I gather that the first part of a Kili trek can be pretty wet, muddy etc so I've been going for gore-tex lined boots for my climb planned for mid October.

Problem is the first set I bought weren't all that waterproof ($200). I walked for a few minutes along the beach and got wet from water seeping through the gusseted tongue. I returned those boots and got a different manufacturer's gore-tex boots ($185) but encountered the same problem. Water seeped through the gusseted tongue when I let some water from a garden hose run on the boot for about a minute. I considered getting some kind of seam sealer for the tongue but the mountain equipment store I bought the boots at said this was a bad idea.

I'm thinking waterproof should mean waterproof... am I being naive here or do they all leak?

Second question... are waterproof boots actually essential, nice to have, or not really needed in the first place? I will also be using gaiters that go almost to my knees... the kind that clip to the laces and fasten underneath the boot with a strap.

Hi,

We're planning on doing a mini documentary of our upcoming climb on Kili, and I've been trying to figure out the best way for us to pack our photo and video equipment. We're not trekking with a production crew so it would just be us climbers with the gear. I've read various tips that the freezing temperatures at the summit can damage camera equipment....and yet I've also seen some stunning photos on the summit.

Would we be able to do some filming in those temperatures?
(Would we even have the strength to do so?? ;-)

Any advice from those who experienced the climb would be appreciated!

Thanks everyone,

G_G

Anyone have any experience with either Good Earth Tours or Tropical Trails for Kili climbing tour companies? Thanks!

Hi there,

I did get some replies on my last post about tour companies in tanzania, unfortunately my vt email account has decided to delete them so can you all please give me some reccomendations for tour groups?

I would prefer it if they:

- cover the machame route
- are based in moishi
- are fully licensed
- take good care of their porters, and give them the right equipment / fair wages

Thanks for your help.

Graham

can any1 tell me the cheapest deal to climb kili...theres 4 of us going,we dont even plan to get the porters,maybe just the guide....how much is the entrance fee for the park anyway?

Hello everybody!

I would like to do the climbing of the Kilimanjaro...one problem: I am afraid of heights! Is this a problem? And which route should I choose best given my height fear: Marangu or Machame?

Thank you Marco Polo's!

Hi all!

My friend and I are planning to climb Mt. Kili this Fall. We did Machu Pichu a year ago, and I understand it is nothing in comparison to Mt. Kili in terms of stamina required. So we are looking for the best ways to prepare ourselves. I had an idea to sign up for a marathon training, but wonder if that kind of training will help with climbing. Please share your tips.

Thank you all!
Cheers,
A

Does anyone have any experience of this firm based in Moshi?

Hi there,

It seems I've agreed to climb mt. kilimanjaro, sometime in 2007. SO I need as much advice as possible please:

- I live in Manchester, are there any packages available that fly from Manchester to Tanzania.

- Is it possible to arrange the trek directly with the local travel companies? If so who? And what sort of price are we talking?

- How much does it cost per day to be on the mountain?

- What is the cheapest way of doing the trip (without it becoming unsafe).

- What kind of training did you undertake? Do they have any altitude training places in the u.k.?

- I would also like to do a spot of diving in lake malawi whilst I am out there. Is it fairly accesible from kili?

Any other advice would be really welcome. I'm just starting out with planning this so I may have even overlooked the small things.

Thanks for your support

Graham