Originally Posted by
Austinrunner
I would be highly skeptical of any company that claims a "near perfect summit success record." In addition, you will save tons of money by waiting until you arrive in Tanzania to book the climb. (US$2,180 for a 7-day Machame route is ridiculously high.) I would definitely recommend that you go to Moshi to book the climb and avoid the hassles of Arusha.
Can you please elaborate on why $2200 is "ridiculously high"? The $1200-1500 climbs don't seem to carry the best safety equipment (e.g., oxygen and gamow bags). I'm not interested in a budget company that doesn't carry this safety equipment, nor am I interested in paying $5000 for some fancy company where they're using my money for a bunch of US employees and glossy DVDs. I've seen several companies that are in the $2000-3000 range that seem to offer all the luxuries (particularly safety) of the $5000 companies. Are you suggesting that these companies are offering basically the same thing as the budget companies?
Also, what could I book in Moshi that I can't book here? Are there operators in Moshi that don't have websites? I feel like I'd rather read reviews now and know who I'm putting my life in the hands of...