Originally Posted by
Austinrunner
The best way to book a Kilimanjaro climb is to go to Moshi and then personally visit the offices of the companies you're considering. You can ask all the questions you want then. All of them are flexible. Say what you want, and they'll arrange it, from a budget climb to the most fancy. That includes safety equipment, better tents, better food, warm clothes, group size. Whatever is on your list. You can also effectively negotiate price. Very few of them have websites. Most that do are like the one you're considering: heavily marketed by foreigners with correspondingly higher prices. Anyone who pays $2,000 (not including tips) for a Kili climb is paying too much, IMO, unless you're taking an unusual or long route, such as the Western Breach with a campsite in the crater. I don't know their current prices, but the Marangu Hotel (among others) is honest and arranges safe climbs. Plus, their hotel is beautiful and comfortable without being ostentatious.
Have you looked closely at the fine print of the company you are considering? Their well trained guides with loads of experience and a high degree of safety training rarely lead the climbs personally. This illustrates the problem with climb websites. If you're not careful, you'll pay way too much or pay for things that you don't actually get.
I know what I'm talking about because I've lived in Moshi 5 months out of the last 2 years.
As far as this particular company, I'm actually not so interested in them. I'm interested in doing the Western Breach with a night in the crater. I've been thinking about DETASA (
http://www.detasa.com/ ) and they charge $2850 for this route. What do you think of them and this price?
I understand what you're saying about finding a company in Moshi, but do you really think this is a safe and relatively risk-free way to proceed for someone who doesn't know the ropes as you do? How do you know the company that promises you everything you want and gives you an amazing price isn't using incompetent guides who don't know what they're doing as far as safety? How do you know they're not going to cut corners or pull bait-and-switches (heck, how do you negotiate for "better food")? You mention the Marangu Hotel (which is mentioned in the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet and discussed on the message boards) as a good local Moshi operator, but isn't that a bit different than booking with a Moshi company that I would know nothing about and have no way to read reviews about and check references from previous guests? I appreciate your help; I just have very little confidence that this is a suitable way to go about things.