Africa - Kilmanjaro Operator - ClimbKili (Climbkili.com)

I am looking to book the machame 7 day trek via ClimbKili - finding limited (but all positive) reviews via tripadvisor. Was hoping someone could confirm they are a good operator. The website seems very professional & everyone I have spoken to / e-mailed with has been great. Considering this is a big trip for me, I want to make sure that all will go according to plan when I fly into JRO (which I was surprised to see Star Alliance awards available for!!!)

I am looking to book the machame 7 day trek via ClimbKili - finding limited (but all positive) reviews via tripadvisor. Was hoping someone could confirm they are a good operator. The website seems very professional & everyone I have spoken to / e-mailed with has been great. Considering this is a big trip for me, I want to make sure that all will go according to plan when I fly into JRO (which I was surprised to see Star Alliance awards available for!!!)

I considered them last Fall, and posted the same question on FT at the time. Nobody responded that they knew about them. I found very limited positive reviews on TA, like you did. Given that, I wasn't confident that they were 'real' reviews and I just wasn't comfortable enough with the company. Also, I remember they claimed to have taken some NFL players up the mountain, and I couldn't independently verify that claim in any of the articles written about those players' climb. I'm not trying to bash them; I had the same reaction you did.

I'd recommend you do your homework on them. I'd ask them for references and talk to actual people who climbed with them. It doesn't really matter what a climbing company's website is like or whether the American you talk to on the phone is helpful; what matters is what happens on the mountain (guides' experience, safety precautions, food/sanitation cleanliness, tent/equipment quality, etc.).

FYI, I climbed with DETASA (Destination Tanzania Safaris), which is www.detasa.com . They were really amazing and I'd highly recommend them.

just to follow up - we ended up using climbkili for the climb/safari. The US-based staff was fantastic, while the ground operation was great at times, ok for most of it. Having been my first trip to Africa, I don't know if I just had heightened expectations, but poor communication with the staff regarding pickup/departure times and other logistical details.

The climb was beautiful, and well worth the minor hick-ups. We saw a lot of other operators, but seemed like we had the better equipment setup than most. Food was great, tents were somewhat finicky.


I'd recommend them, given the hassle-free interaction I had with the US staff in setting everything up. I'm sure they will continue to improve their ground game with more time.