It can be a bit overwhelming trying to decide on the right touring company for the big climb. There are literally hundreds of websites out there claiming to be the best, cheapest or most popular company around. Unfortunately, not all of them live up to their claims. Over the past few months, Dad and Mom and Rich and I have been collecting itineraries and quotes from several companies. At first, we started online, read reviews and looked into which route we wanted to do. However, we quickly found there is a lot of contradictory information out there and that we needed to talk to people who had actually done the climb and see who they used.
We're still deciding exactly which company is "the one" for us, but here are the options right now based on price, route, climb dates and of course suggestions from friends and family that have gone before us on this journey!
1) Africa Travel Resource (www.africatravelresource.com)
ATR came highly recommended by a friend of mine from college who'd done the climb a few years ago. He liked that the company focused on a moderate climb pace, offered single or double-occupancy options and had climbs going throughout the year. I found their website to be extremely helpful for planning purposes and have visited it frequently trying to figure out which route would be best for our group. Also, they staff at ATR have been really terrific to work with, despite being headquartered in England.
Route: Shira
Days climbing: 7
Distance: 110 kms
Cost: $2,835 USD per person excluding flights
Description: The 7 night, 8 day Shira approaches from the far west of the mountain and is a tough undualting route of approximately 110kms. Starting across the stunning wilderness of the Shira Plateau and Lent Hills the route skirts the southern face of Kibo before following the old Machame route to the summit. Although it gets quite busy once you join the Machame route for the last few days, we stagger our campsites to avoid staying at the busier ones.
2) World Wide Trekking (http://www.wwtrek.com/)
This one came to me as a recommendation from a friend on Twitter and LinkedIn who had just finished the trip with his wife. My good friend @Ginidietrich recommended I reach out to Ces for insight on what to and not to do in terms of booking a travel company. Ces has already been a huge resource in picking a good company to use and I hope to continue to ask him questions as the trip approaches and I prepare to purchase gear and start training. What's great about this company is that they have an all-inclusive Kilimanjaro hike and safari in one trip. Now wouldn't that be fun!
Route: Machame
Days climbing: 8
Days on safari: 5
Cost: $5,900 USD per person excluding flights
Description: 14 days / 13 nights, 7 nights lodging, 6 nights camping, 3 meals a day, all transportation, all park fees, guides and staff, consultation, gear lists and trip preparation.
CA is headquartered in my hometown of Calgary, Canada. Several of my parent's friends' that have climbed Kili have used this company and had rave reviews. One really appealing thing about CA is that they have a 96% success rate on reaching the summit. That's well above industry standards and demonstrates that they care about making each traveler's trip a success. Also, this company incorporates a safari at the end.
Route: Machame
Days climbing: 8
Days on safari: 7
Cost: $4,600 USD per person excluding flights
Description: Kilimanjaro calls many adventurers to its slopes every year. Trekking to the peak takes you from the plains of Africa through rainforest, heather and moorland, and finally to the glaciated peak that rises above the clouds at 5,895m. Reaching the summit is both a physical and a mental challenge.
So now the tough part begins-- which one do we go with?
