When planning for your Kilimanjaro climb, the choice of the guide company you use is one of the most important decisions on this trip. So, if you are like me and have never done this before, here is a step by step guide I created after doing many hours of research on the topic.
5 Easy Steps to Choosing a Kilimanjaro Guide
1. Identify the route you would like to use
The first step to choosing your Kilimanjaro climb company is to identifying the kind of climb you would want to have.
This involves:
- Choosing the route you would like to have: routes vary in lengths, difficulty, crowds and most importantly, cost. Most established climbing companies have climbs on all routes but they charge differently for each of them.
- Your level of comfort: when you’re going up the mountain, high degrees of comfort come at a high price and may not be necessary. However before and after your climb, you want to be accommodated in a safe comfortable hotel. Some climbing packages come with accommodation before and after your climb and this may be something you may want to think about if you are not planned your accommodation prior.
2. Get a shortlist of companies from the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) Website
Once you figure out what kind of Kilimanjaro climb you want to do and the kind of comfort levels you anticipate to have, you will be ready to start looking for a list of climbing companies to start with.
A good place to find the list of Kilimanjaro climbing companies that treat their workers right and abide by common rules is the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project. Members of this project have committed to treat their hotels and guides fairly by ensuring that they are well paid, well-equipped, and not exploited during their climb.
Since the list is quite long, I would recommend that you consider the following companies
- Ultimate Kilimanjaro
- Peak planet
- Kadoo Travel
3. Do a background check on the companies you choose on what people say about them
Once you’ve come up with a short list of companies that you are considering forThe Kilimanjaro climb, it’s time to do a background check to help you learn more about what climbing with this company will be like.
The things you need to look out for When doing a background check on a Kilimanjaro company are:
- How long they have been in business: Generally, the longer a company has been in operations, the more sure you are of the quality of your climbing experience.
- Quality of their online presence and website: The amount of detail a company provides about its climbs is a reflection of the level of attention to detail they have. A shoddily done website with little useful information points to a general disregard for you as the climber.
- Online reviews by the company. You can check if the company has posted any praise about their service on their website. While the reviews gathered from the company itself may be biased, you will at least get a feel for what people praise the company for.
- Reviews from external 3rd party sources: Sources like Tripadvisor, Trust Pilot and Google Reviews will give you a more realistic image of what its like to climb with the company. When you get here, look, especially for the 5 Star long winded reviews and the 1 star long winded reviews. Check how the company dealt with a negative review. It will give you an indication of the kind of response you expect yourself.
4. Contact the companies for a quote
After you are satisfied with what you have found in your background check with your list of about 4 companies, it’s time to reach out to them for a quotation and ask them a few questions.
How to request for a quotation
To reduce the back and forth that would come with providing insufficient information, include the following details when making your request
- Prefered dates
- Number of people on your climb
- Whether you would prefer a night or day summit attempt
- Any special meal requirements
Critical questions you should ask when requesting a Kilimanjaro climb quotation
- Modes of payment do they accept?
- Percentage of payment required to book?
- How guaranteed is the date they have provided?
- How many climbers do they need in a party to guarantee that the climb happens?
Find out exclusions
You also want to find out if there are any items that will not be covered in your climb.
Some of the exclusions can include accommodation before and after the climb.
5. Pay the deposit
When you eventually pick a guide company that fits your needs and budget, you will be required to make a deposit.
From what I have gathered from the quotations I have requested from different companies, you will be required to make a 30% Deposit when you book your climb and have paid in full 60 Days before your climb starts.
Factors to consider when choosing a Kilimanjaro Climb company
Route
Not all companies have the capacity to climb on all the routes and depending on your needs, there are some routes you definitely want to avoid.
On one hand, Some of the routes have crowds & are not as scenic and on the other hand, other routes may be too difficult for your fitness level and trekking experience.
It will be important to understand the experience that the company you are considering has on your preferred route
Treatment of porters and staff
As I have mentioned before, how a company treats it’s staff is a reflection of who the are. When vetting a climb company, take time to find out how their staff are treated and whether they are members of Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).
Climbing with a company that treats their staff well gives you assurance that the staff will be motivated to take care of you and help you get to the peak.
At the same time, if they are well paid, they won’t feel idea application to get you to the peak at all costs since that is what their tip depends on. This means that if you are unable to get to the top because of mountain sickness, we will not feel an obligation to compel you to continue climbing.
Budget
your budget will play a big role into which kind of company you will climb Kilimanjaro with. However as I have suggested you should avoid going with a very low budget companies: both for your own safety and for goodness sake.
Extras like accomodation
This is an important factor since you do not want to be stranded in Tanzania before or after your climb.
some extras like having a portable toilet may not seem like a big deal until you get up the mountain and find that you do not have
What others say about the company.
Social proof is a critical piece of determining of the company you want to use for your Kilimanjaro climb is a company you can trust or rely on.
When a company has a lot of really bad reviews from other climbers, you will need to take a lot of caution when dealing with them.
The number of years they have been climbing
although not the perfect indicator of whether a company is good to deal with 10 the number of years that a company has been operating for is something that can help you decide when differentiating between two climbing companies for Kilimanjaro.
The company’s success rate
getting to the top is the ultimate reason why you’re climbing Kilimanjaro. Finding a company that has a good success rate will be critical.
Experience with the chosen route
Companies have different levels of experience in different routes. You will need to find a company that has proven experience on a certain route.
Many companies will have established experience in 2 or 3 routes that are their most popular. Try to find out which of their routes are more popular.
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