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Maasai Wanderings
Sep 20, 2010
Maasai Wanderings: A Review of our Kilimanjaro outfitters.
At 5,895m, Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest freestanding mountain and one of the 'Seven Summits'. This said, it is also one of the most accessible peaks because it does not require technical climbing experience. It is however a mountain that needs to be taken seriously.
We decided to attempt the Machame Route (Whiskey Route) over seven days. This route begins with rain forests before reaching the dry area of Shira Plateau, the Barranco area with its senecios (mountain cactus), the Karanga Valley with its streams and finally the rocky and inhospitable Barafu before making the final ascent to the summit. This route was extremely picturesque and each day we were presented with different terrain to tackle.
After extensive research of various operators we chose to attempt our summit of Kilimanjaro with Maasai Wanderings, based in Arusha, Tanzania. Our principal reasons being;
1. They are a local company who use their profits to fund various local community projects
2. They are a company who believe in Porter Protection and are a member of IMEC's Partnership for Responsible Travel Program
3. They are an extremely knowledgeable outfitter with vastly experienced guides and porters
Our expedition was one of the most memorable trips that we have undertaken and this is largely down to Maasai Wanderings, their organisation and the wonderful support team we had. The entire experience, from planning the trip to, reaching the summit right down to completing the trek at Mweka Gate, was accompanied by sound advice, prompt responses, flawless organisation, delicious food, a friendly team and two incredible guides, Julius and Ronald.
Our initial contact with Donna Duggan, one of the founders, reaffirmed our decision to go with Maasai Wanderings as she provided further details of the trek, the knowledge and experience of their staff and of the community projects that they are involved with. Donna also assisted us with finding accommodation for our stay in Arusha before and after the climb.
The night before we left for Machame Gate we had a briefing session with our lead guide, Julius. His experience and enthusiasm for the Mountain was infectious and he did a great job of fielding all of our questions. Although our group of four was made up of mixed ages, fitness and experience levels he assured us that the support team would accommodate everyone's requirements.
Our support crew (17 strong), comprising two guides (medically trained), a chef, a tent team and porters were extremely friendly worked tirelessly each day to ensure our kit, tent, water and food were at each camp for us. The food was nutritious, varied and plentiful - we couldn't have asked for more.
The love of Kilimanjaro and of their jobs demonstrated by our crew was abundant in everything that they did and you could really sense that they wanted us to succeed in our attempt, which was confirmed on our return from the summit where we were greeted by a delighted team and later by song and dance.
Highly recommended for trekkers of all ages and experience.
If you would like any more information on a Kilimanjaro trek please contact Donna or send me a message.
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