Mt. Kilimanjaro - Machame route, 8 days

We had an unforgettable experience last week on this tour. We were a group of 4 women with limited to some hiking experience. Anna and Stasia from the tour company were very responsive leading up to our booking. They were very easy and transparent regarding all the booking details. During the trip, our guides Baraka and Gerald were highly professional throughout our trek. They made sure that we were as comfortable as possible. This included all the small things, such as making sure we got enough lights for dinner and bringing more if we needed, as well as the big things, such as making sure that we summited! Baraka and Gerald were highly experienced as guides, and made sure to adjust their walking speeds to the individual needs of our group. They were also very personable, friendly and extremely approachable if we ever had questions (and we had many!). In addition, the rest of the crew (there were 20 people in total), that helped us were all highly attentive and very competent- we could not have done this without them. The food from our chef Justin was delicious - weve never had soup as creamy and eggs cooked the way he makes them- it stood out as unparalleled hiking food! Our server Benson told us really funny stories about his many trips in the mountains while he prepared dinner. The rest of the crew who worked behind the scenes tirelessly made everything seamless! We couldnt have asked for more. Some tips in addition to the other ones you may find online:1. Bring Vaseline - it gets really dry in the mountains so that would really help.2. It also gets very dusty in the mountain, so if you have dust allergies, you might need some medication. Even if you are not allergic to dust, it may be good to bring a bandana or something equivalent to keep off the dust.3. Rent the portable toilet!!! It is much better than the public restrooms, and relatively clean. Much more convenient if you need to go at night.4. Bring an extra roll of toilet paper- you wont need it for the toile if you rent the portable toilet, but it is useful if your nose runs because it gets cold.5. Bring extra hand warmers if you can. In addition to using them on Summit Day, some mornings are also cold. The crew does give you heated rubber bottles for warmth as well- so this is just for extra comfort.6. Bring mouthwash! Some nights are somewhat cold, so you may choose to mouthwash rather than do the full floss/brush. Makes you feel cleaner for sure. Same goes for disposable baby wipes in addition to a camping towel (quick dry so you dont have to use a wet one the next day!)7. Bring extra snacks if you can- the crew never will ask you for food, but we think they really appreciate it when you share. Same goes for anything else you think you can spare. Sharing is caring!8. Ask questions! We learned quite a bit about the mountains and the lives of our entire crew when we did- it was very rewarding learning more about the local culture and language.