I was part of a group of 3 hikers wishing to climb Kilimanjaro via the Machame route in 7 days. The experience was great and landscapes so amazing. In fact it was the second time I climbed Kilimanjaro. I wanted to renew this experience because the first time the weather conditions was very cloudy the three first days and also I was not completely satisfied of the company I chose at that time.
As such, I selected Maasai Wanderings for the good reviews I had and also because it is part of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (you can have more details here: http://www.mountainexplorers.org/) that was a concern for me after my first experience. And what I can say is that I have not been disappointed, everything was perfect from the beginning to the end.
We were guided by Julius and his team that I recommend. He is a very nice guy, likable, always calm, encouraging you and giving all information required when you need it. He is adapting to you, and most of the time the first days, slowing you down to maximize a progressive acclimatization. I was interested by flowers and history of Kilimanjaro (snow cover, geology) and this guy is a big library.
Food was very good, varied and always in good quantity. It is surprising to see what the cooker is able to do in such conditions. There was a big mess tent where all meals were taken when it was not possible outside. The cooker is cooking just in front of you. The tent had also two extension rooms on each sides dedicated for staff (relaxing/sleeping). It was funny to see that despite of the altitude, the coldness etc. they were always happy, smiling, talking all time etc.
Everybody was dressed properly and adapted to the mountain conditions, even for the shoes. This is important to note because I have been very sad when I saw few other porters from other companies dressed just with a tee-shirt with holes everywhere or not descent shoes. When we reached the last camp (Barafu Hut) at around 13:00, one of the porter was sick and Julius, the guide, decided to escort him down to the gate quickly. He was back to Barafu Camp few hours before we left the camp to climb the final step and came with us! Everybody in the team successfully reached the top Uhuru Peak and of course everybody was very happy. Once again it has been an excellent trip and experience. I keep a lot of good memories.
For these reasons I recommend clearly Maasi Wanderings, for the quality of the guiding, the food, the tents, the team, all the equipments provided (and in good shape).
