When I decided to finally stop procrastinating and actually book a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, I was overwhelmed by choices.
The biggest choice was who to pick to guide my trip. Although I love to hike solo most of the time, you can’t climb to Kilimanjaro’s summit without using a guide.
But, which of the many of local outfitters would fit my needs? Heck, what were my personal needs? Soon I was down the rabbit hole researching and trying to pick a suitable guide service.
After reading a lot of reviews from other climbers, I eventually developed a handful of criteria that were really important to me:
- A reputable operator who focused on safety
- A company that takes good care of its guides and porters
- English-speaking groups
- Smaller group sizes
What’s their reputation?
Picking a reputable tour operator from afar is probably easier now than ever before.
The internet allows climbers to share their honest feelings about their experience and reach other prospective customers. We no longer have to rely on slickly produced promo materials from the tour operator themselves.
Picking a company who has a reputation for safety and successfully getting people up the mountain was my #1 priority.
My best advice is to read testimonials and any reviews you can get your hand on. If the reviews are not positive, ask yourself why. Was it due to someone’s unreasonable expectations or was there a legitimate problem with how the company operates?
Are they people-focused?
How well the company takes care of its guides and porters was a really important aspect narrowing my search. In many developing countries, outdoor companies and the tourism industry treat their local employees poorly.
I don’t want to pay money to a company that doesn’t care about health and safety protocols for their own people. These things matter. Like making sure all their guides have appropriately warm clothing for the summit. Or enforcing reasonable limits on how much their porters have to carry.
It can be hard to screen this factor from afar. But one way you can filter the choices is by looking at which companies spend time talking favorably about their employees.
After all, you are paying for a service. If the people providing that service are unhappy or treated poorly, it’s undoubtedly going to impact your overall experience on the mountain.
What language do you speak?
Most Kilimanjaro guides can speak several languages and clearly communicate with climbers.
My preference for an English-speaking tour was less about the guides, and more about the group of people I’d be climbing with. I wanted to be able to competently communicate with the other members of my climbing group.
Speaking a common language helps you share the experience with those around you. After all, climbing a mountain is about more than getting to the summit. Sharing the journey is equally important.
To help ensure I’d be climbing with people I could talk to, I focused on picking a tour operator that was based in (or doing business) in the U.S., Canada, or the U.K.
Smaller group sizes
When summiting Kilimanjaro, I wanted an outdoor experience in nature. I didn’t want to feel like I was in a giant commercialized tour group visiting Disneyland.
Therefore, picking a company that limited the size of its groups to 8-12 people helped to ensure I’d be more likely to get the personal experience I wanted on this trip.
Size also helps balance the group dynamic. Too large of a group, and you start break down into smaller cliques. Too small of a group, and you might find yourself spending all your time with someone who grates on your nerves with nowhere to hide.
Many people climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with a friend or partner, and I was no exception. I was booking this trip with my best friend, Sean. So, opting for a group of 8-12 meant we’d likely be amongst 4-5 more duos.
So who did I pick?
After a lot of research, I opted to book my Mt. Kilimanjaro climb with Ultimate Kilimanjaro.
Their reputation for safety, putting their climbers health first, and detecting the signs of altitude sickness was a big deal for me. It helped build my trust that they weren’t going to put money or my climbing ambitions ahead of anyone’s personal safety.
Their reputation for hiring extremely skilled and qualified guides was another plus in my book. Moreover, their guides wear proper clothing and gear, and they strictly enforce the 17 kg weight limit on what their porters can carry. They also pay their porters better than many other outfitters, which shows their company values people.
As a U.S. company based in Las Vegas, Ultimate Kilimanjaro operates English-speaking tours, and attracts mostly North Americans and Western Europeans. This meant the group I would be hiking with wouldn’t have a language barrier with me.
Another bonus with Ultimate Kilimanjaro is the number of routes they offer to the summit. I already knew wanted a less crowded alternative than the popular Marangu and Machame routes. Their Lemosho route was exactly what I was looking for. Not only was it less crowded, but it allowed a few additional days for me to acclimate to the altitude.
Update (November 2016)
Now that my trip is complete, the obvious question is, “would I choose Ultimate Kilimanjaro again?”
My answer: Absolutely!
I left Tanzania with the best feelings possible about this tour operator. They really did put safety first, from the twice daily health checks to making sure any struggling climbers were still safe to be on the mountain. Their experience and professionalism left a highly favorable impression on me.
The group that I climbed with consisted of 12 people, and 75% of them were well-traveled women in their 30s. I’m not sure if this particular group was representative of all their trips, but I think they were attracting the exact demographic I was looking for. There was no friction in our group, no attitudes, and no drama.
Another surprise was their food choices. Food wasn’t a major consideration when I picked this company, but I have to say the cuisine on the mountain was excellent. They catered to vegetarian diets and served large portions for even the sturdiest of appetites.