Linh & Gareth Chin, Australia
In September 2013, my husband and I successfully summited Mt Kilimanjaro (Uhuru peak) and followed this up with a 5 day safari through the Tarangire national park, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Nothing that I write here will do justice to the absolutely amazing experience we had with Majestic Kilimanjaro and I cannot recommend them enough.
We did the Lemosho 8 day route to maximise our ability to acclimatise. It is a beautiful route with magnificent views along the way. Do it to give yourself the best chance to succeed. We look at our photos regularly and are still amazed at what we have seen and what we have achieved. It was one of the toughest physical and mental challenges we’ve ever done and we couldn’t have done it without Tumaini, Nelly (our assistant guide) and the team. Several times a day Tumaini would check on us to make sure we were eating enough, drinking enough and that we felt fit and healthy. With Majestic Kilimamjaro, you can be confident that you are in safe hands.
There are so many different outfitters offering climbs and safaris. Ultimately, most groups will probably get you up there (subject to your general fitness and acclimatisation of course) and from what we observed, everyone follows a pretty standard formula. At the end of the day, we saw many larger outfitters on the mountain taking up large groups of people and were very grateful to be with a smaller team on a private climb with such a great bunch of people. The Majestic Kilimanjaro team have years of experience and an attentive level of service which means you never find yourself wanting for anything.
We started planning our trip about 10 months before we left and enquired with a range of outfitters. Majestic Kiliminjaro were quick in their responses, happy to accommodate all our requests and most importantly, we liked the fact that profits stay in Tanzania. Their standard package includes everything you can possibly need to stay comfortable on the mountain. You are well fed (over fed), you have plenty of drinking water, you get sleeping mats and a private toilet. (Don’t underestimate the value of a private toilet!) Their equipment is in excellent condition and the team are super friendly. After a gruelling summit night, it was lovely to be welcomed back to base camp with a hot cup of tea and some congratulatory hugs from our cook and porters. The safari was an equally amazing experience. Tumaini is incredibly knowledgable and was keen to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see. He would tell us little tidbits of information about every animal we saw and could name every bird and every plant. We were lucky enough to see some truly amazing animals up close and personal including elephants, lions, leopards, a cheetah, giraffes, zebras, hyenas….and the list goes on.
Once we booked with Majestic Kilimanjaro we had nothing left to organise. Tumaini himself picked us up from the airport, led our climb, took us on safari and then dropped us off at the airport when it was all over. It wasn’t a mish mash of tour groups, it was personalised service from start to finish and always with a smile. Tumaini is genuine and hard working with a lovely sense of humour. I would not hesitate to recommend Majestic Kilimanjaro and hope this review encourages you to consider letting the team look after you on your climb/safari. Asante sana Tumaini and Majestic Kilimanjaro. |