Our search for a climb company began in early 2013 when we decided to tackle Kili. 

We started with our favourite travel agent but turned back to the internet when her wholesalers were unable to cater to our preferences for route and number of days or guarantee small group numbers. 

Armed with a check list we found Majestic Kilimanjaro. The daunting task of booking it ourselves was made easy being able to talk to the Australian partners who answered all our questions. And when it came time to liaise with Tumaini for the finer details via email we found it just as easy despite being on the other side of the Indian Ocean. 

For the final summit he led us out of camp at 4am rather than midnight to avoid the worst of the cold night air. The only forfeit was not being at the summit for sunrise but more importantly we made it to the Uhuru Peak, coaxed to the sweet end despite fatigue and exhaustion! 

If we had attempted this with a big group and large operator we would most likely have failed. Despite our attention to training it was our preparation and, most importantly, the choice of Majestic Kilimanjaro that ensured our success. Tumaini was also an excellent guide on our three-day safari proving very knowledgeable and passionate about his country. As a bonus we not only got an awesome holiday we felt like our money was going to the right people, staying in Tanzania.

We successfully climbed Mt Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route in 8 days with Majestic Kilimanjaro on October 19th. I can't praise the company and head guide Tumaini enough. He has just started this company but has been guiding for some time. Our total crew of 12 were a very happy lot and obviously enjoyed working with Tumaini.

He organised everything to perfection (including a 3 day safari) and he took great care of our well-being. We are aged 54 and a week off 57 when doing the trek. Food was excellent with often four courses most meals. Delicious soup twice a day (lunch and dinner) and it was never the same. Eggs every morning and fruit and vegetables every day. Plus plunger ground coffee in bed every morning! What more can you ask for?! We never had any tummy troubles.

Thick thermorest mats were provided but we took an extra one each as we like our comfort and this worked well. I mentioned I was cold at night, so a hot water bottle was produced the next evening using a heavy-duty water bottle!

Both Tumaini and assistant guide Leonard were very knowledgeable on the varied fauna and flora.
To acclimatize properly, Tumaini took us on extra walks such as via Shira Cathedral, to the 4000m mark above Shira 2 and the Lava Tower. As we weren't getting too many headaches we decided against taking Diamox. However, I took garlic tablets which I'd read about. Who knows if it helped but I got there!

Would recommend having a portable toilet - worth the extra expense. And definitely go in a small group. A group of 42 started the same day as us and the first camp was a nightmare - so overcrowded. Luckily they went ahead of us the next day.

A bonus was that there is internet/phone access on the mountain, so Tumaini was able to keep our friends up-to-date with our progress on Facebook.

It was hard, especially that last section around the rim and coming down - hard on the knees and toes but definitely worth it if you have a reasonable level of fitness. We spent our last night at Millennium camp rather than the more popular Mweka which is lower down. This made our summit day slightly easier.
Only disappointments were the large number of people and the rubbish. However, we did see people employed to pick up rubbish in some areas.

We would definitely recommend the 8 day Lemosho Route with Majestic Kilimanjaro.

Janette & Harry Asche

This post was based on Janette & Harry's Tripadvisor review. To see this review Click Here

All photos are the property of Janette Asche. If you would like to see more of her photos, Click Here to be taken to Janette's Flickr page