Mt. Kilimanjaro Opinion
Candid opinions about anything that deals with climbing on Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro Company Review: Kilimanjaro Tanzanite Safaris
This local company in Tanzania has been spamming my Kilimanjaro blog with their links, so I thought I would do a proper review and see what they have
to offer.
Well, to be brutally honest, it looks like this company, Kilimanjaro Tanzanite Safaris, is a standard Tanzanian company - they offer everything, but nothing that’s different from anyone else. It’s just meat and potatoes tour. They have copied a bunch of material, text and pictures from around the Internet and then posted it in no logical order with lots of strange colors, fonts and advertisements. It fact, I have even …
Date: January 16th, 2007 |
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Please Note: Tanzania Tour Reminder
This is a pretty standard reminder we give people before going on safari and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s basically a reminder to sit back, chill, and enjoy the experience. I guarantee that usually guides are late, distances are much longer than expected, and problems do happen.
PLEASE NOTE:
While we strive to make your trip the best possible, and pride ourselves on trying to cover every detail of your trips, it’s important to understand that Tanzanian business, time and culture operate in a different manner throughout East Africa. With an adventure trip this long and …
Date: January 10th, 2007 |
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Cheaper Safaris, Cheaper Climbing on Kilimanjaro
As the cost of going on safari and climbing on Kilimanjaro continue to skyrocket, more and more people - especially independent travelers and backpackers - are looking for ways to get a cheaper safaris or a cheaper rate up Mount Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, you can’t do either of these anymore “for cheap.” Even if you show up and book when you arrive, the cost of safari and climbing Kilimanjaro are going to cost you a lot of money. It will cost at least $1000 to climb Kilimanjaro. The average price of safari would be around $140 per day, per person. There …
Date: November 26th, 2006 |
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Renting Sleeping Bags - Gear on Kilimanjaro
I recently received a question on whether we could supply sleeping bags for a climb up Kilimanjaro. Unlike Nepal and other mountain regions where you buy sleeping bags in the city, you pretty much can’t buy, rent, or find sleeping bags in Tanzania. There might be a few outfitters that have a stash of sleeping bags, but in general, these are hard to find. If somebody does know something that does exist, please let me know!
If you do get some used sleeping bags arranged from the mountaineering company, remember that these are …
Date: October 12th, 2006 |
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The Lovely Kitchen
You would be surprised - except for the lunches - most of the breakfasts and dinners on Kilimanjaro can be better than expected. You often wonder how these guys pull off such amazing meals. Are you really hungry and anything tastes good? Or do these guys really know how to cook?
I would say, it’s a little bit of both.
If you ever get a chance and want some real lively action and to get “some culture”, wander over to the “Cook Tent” where you will hear a bunch of quasi-cooks, part-time porters …
Date: October 9th, 2006 |
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Travel Insurance: Should you have it?
While Kilimanjaro is one of the easier mountains to climb in the world, it does not mean you should forgo travel insurance. Travel insurance is usually required by all foreign expeditions companies, but not required by local companies (generally speaking). Fortunately, since you do not use any specialized equipment going up Kilimanjaro, it’s considered that you are hiking, or trekking, and therefore you can get most travel insurance that covers outdoor adventure.
Travel insurance is pretty cheap normally - and the extra $50 you spend, is well worth the safety and security to know that you are covered. One …
Date: January 12th, 2007 |
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REI Adventure in Tanzania
I stumbled across REI’s Adventures website today announcing one of their Kilimanjaro and safaris in Tanzania. See REI’s Kilimanjaro Prices. The total cost for the trip, assuming you an REI member, is $5394, because you have to pay for the park fees separately.
REI, just like many companies, is not based in Africa nor do they have an actual company there. They are partnering with another company, which I think is Tusker Trails or Abercrombie & Kent, and then selling the trip for more because they have the audience. If I calculate the total cost of this trip, …
Date: January 5th, 2007 |
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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 |
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Barranco Wall on Kilimanjaro
Here is a view of the Barranco Wall as you are approaching from Shira Camp. After you stay the night at Barranco Camp, you will hike up this wall early in the morning. This is perhaps the steepest and one of the harder points of the Machame route. Hiking up a fairly small trail with enormous cliffs on one side (and porters passing you from time to time), you will use your hands and feet to climb up parts of the wall. Most of it is manageable but there are a few spots …
Date: October 11th, 2006 |
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Crater Camp 18,800 ft., not just another campsite
One of the perks of climbing the Western Breach was the chance to explore the top of the mountain and camp just an hour or so below the true summit, Uhuru, at Crater Camp (18,800 ft.).
The summit plateau itself is like walking around on the moon and you can stroll right up to the glaciers and touch them if you wish. We were very gentle with the ice, of course, because the “experts” say it will be gone by around 2015. Like the glaciers in Wisconsin 30,000 years ago, they are, indeed, leaving us for whatever the reasons and when I’m even older and grayer I will cherish the photos of me standing next to them.
Date: September 21st, 2006 |
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