Mt. Kilimanjaro Expedition Companies
Kilimanjaro Skydive
One of the tour providers in Tanzania is now offering skydiving around Kilimanjaro. I have to say, it’s a great to see some new options for viewing Kilimanjaro that haven’t been thought up. It’s a great mountain that needs to be utilized in other ways besides climbing. Personally, I think it would be great to see Kilimanjaro, Meru and the Africa plains from the sky, although $399 seems a wee bit expensive.
My only issue with skydiving around Kilimanjaro is that you probably need to be doing your jump either around sunrise or sunset to get the best view of Kilimanjaro. …
Date: October 23rd, 2006 |
1 comment
Outfitter profile; Tusker Trail & Safari
I must have studied 15 different trekking companies while doing the research for my trip to the roof of Africa. This first blush was primarily for me to understand my points of decision and important criteria. All of it was done one year in advance but I reckoned careful study would only enable our chances. I looked at all the routes, weather seasons, climbing time vs. success rate, if they had an outhouse…the whole lot. Then distilled my information down to these four key factors…
Acclimatization Time – I knew how important this was …
Date: October 13th, 2006 |
3 comments
Good Tents - Make Sure You Have Them
How can you tell a good mountaineering company from a bad one? Ask the company about their tents and request to see them if possible. While climbing on Mt. Kilimanjaro, you should have good four-season waterproof tents, with a good rain fly and hopefully a nice vestibule to store your dirty boots and bag.
If you don’t have a solid tent, you are going to be miserable on the mountain - there is often heavy rain, storms, and gnarly wind. The last thing you need is a cheap tent - one that is beat up, with a zipper that doesn’t …
Date: February 7th, 2006 |
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Climb and Safari Company Reviews
If you climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro or went on a safari in East Africa, we want to hear from you. We want to know the following:
1. Name of the outfitter company
2. Type of Tour
3. Did you have high end tour, mid-range, or budget adventure?
4. Where did you go? How many days? What was the number of people?
5. Would you recommend this company to other travelers?
6. Why or Why Not?
7. What’s one piece of advice for going on an adventure?
Please fill out our company review form and you can share your experiences with others travelers.
Date: December 1st, 2005 |
1 comment
Should you choose a budget tour operator?
This is a great debate for many independent travelers coming to Tanzania. Should you choose to go with a local budget operator and pay less? Or, should you choose to climb with a Western-based operator and pay more?
Most backpackers coming through Tanzania try to save every penny and tend to shop around for the cheapest possible climb up the mountain. The question is, “Is it a good choice?”
Here are some things to consider:
A typical climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro should run anywhere between $700 to $2000 per person, depending upon which type of company you choose. Some local companies will say they charge less and some high-end Western based companies will charge more.
The reason is Kilimanjaro is so expensive is due to a number of factors. First, and probably the most important, the government parks fees PER PERSON are around $450 dollars. That means, if a budget tour operator approaches you in Arusha or Moshi and said that you can climb Kilimanjaro for $600, they are actually only using $150 in operating costs. That means, the operator is going to pay the guide, the porters, buy your food, and make a profit off $150. That’s downright impossible, unless there are other “fees” that you don’t know of, or your safety, food, equipment and services will be compromised, which is usually the case.
Date: August 23rd, 2005 |
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The Red-Hot Poker
Following the Lemosho Trail, our second and third nights on Kilimanjaro were spent at Shira 1 Camp (11,500 ft.). The third day we took an acclimatization hike to the 13,000 ft top of Johnsell Point. From our perch we could gaze across the Shira plateau all the way to Kibo where Kilimanjaro’s summit resides 22 miles away (As seen in the background of the picture). As we wandered around after our lunch we discovered this beautiful fiery topped plant called “Red-Hot Poker” standing there all by itself. This was just one of many …
Date: October 19th, 2006 |
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Say Hello To Tusker Trails
We want to say “Karibu” to a new Kilimanjaro Blog sponsor - Tusker Trails, whose beautiful picture of Kilimanjaro is in the upper right hand corner. You can click on the picture, and go to their website. If you are headed to Kilimanjaro, I would encourage you to check out some of the options they have for trips and safaris. Eddie Frank looks like an honest dude, who runs a quality company.
From the looks of their site, it look as though they have the “first and only Kilimanjaro cam.” It’s pretty sweet, you can see what Kilimanjaro …
Date: July 7th, 2006 |
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BootsnAll Tanzania Trip
On the first sunrise of 2006, on the top of the highest mountain in Africa, more than 20 BootsnAll members successfully made it to Kilimanjaro’s summit, Uhuru Peak. It was a tough grueling climb – one that had been planned and discussed for almost a year – but in the end, all of the work, time and energy, made the six days of hiking in the rain, sun, and wind well worth it. As we made it to the summit, all of the glaciers on Kilimanjaro turned pink from the sunrise over the Great Rift Valley. It was a remarkable …
Date: January 30th, 2006 |
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How to Pick a Winner
What should you look for in a Kiliamanjaro operator? How do you pick a good one? What are things to look for? What are some of the questions you should ask the company?
As you can see from this company list, there are hundreds and hundreds of outfitters who provide climbing services in Tanzania. It can be daunting to determine which one to use.
Here are important things you should look for when you pick a Kilimanjaro outfitter:
Date: September 28th, 2005 |
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Tanzania Tour Operators
Here is a list of many of the tour operators in Tanzania, some which are great, and others which are awful. This is by no means the entire list, as many are added and subtracted every year depending upon if they stay in business. Some of these companies only have a few groups per year and others do hundreds per month. Some of these companies only specialize in Mt. Kilimanjaro, others specialize in just Zanzibar.
If you want to write a company review about your tourism experiences with ANY tourism company in East Africa, please fill out our review form.
Date: June 5th, 2005 |
7 comments
