Me and my son have chosen Kili Heroes out of many local companies as they offered us very competitive price and their reputation on internet looked very promising. And now, when the trip is over, I can only say we couldn’t have made a better decision. They were simply amazing, in all aspects. Our plan was to climb Mt.Meru (4 days), Kilimanjaro (6 days Machame route) and at the end do a 4-days safari in Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. All email correspondence was done with Evarist and he was always very prompt and friendly in his replies. On the airport we were welcomed by Mwinyi, a co-owner of the agency and also our guide for both treks. From that moment on, everything went on perfectly smooth. Mwiny and his team were great, I can not praise them enough. Food was fantastic (thanks, chef Dixon!), porters were nice and always ready for a joke and on Kili trek Mwinyi was assisted by an assistant guide Babuu.Mwinyi himself is in my opinion becoming one of the legends of Kilimanjaro. Being on top for more than hundred times, everyone on the hill seems to know him. And he seems to know every rock of Kilimanjaro. Starting our final ascent at midnight in a snowy night, we were the first group of all to start, so he led the way for all the other groups too. With ground covered by fresh snow without any visible sign of where the trail goes, he did not loose track even for a moment. Job really well done. After both climbs were so successful, I didn’t have too high expectations for safari. After all, the agency seemed to me to be mostly specialized in trekings and conducts safaris more as a byproduct. But I was wrong. Driver Fredy knew everything about the parks , and their flora and fauna and knew perfectly well where the high chances are of spotting the wanted animal. And he was excellent driver even in most muddy conditions. Chef Dixon again did fantastic job in the kitchen and we were also accompanied by Mwinyi. I already plan a similar safari with a few additional days and parks for the next year with my wife and there is no doubt we will do it with Kili Heroes Adventures again.
Taryn Traveler, USA
E-mail: tarynmvalley(at)gmail.com Date: January 2015
We are an American couple, just graduated from University, who wanted to check Kili off our bucket list. Kili Heroes was great value for money and super personable beforehand, and we can’t imagine a better experience on the mountain. We did the Machame Route, planning for 7 days but completing (with successful summits!) in six. Mweyni and Babuu were our guides, and Meya, Dixon, and the rest of the team made our hike a breeze.
Other hikers probably thought we were paying an arm and a leg because it was just the two of us, but we were easily paying half or a third of what the other hikers paid, with a similar or better experience. I am gluten-free and the team was amazing at accommodating and helping me out. We also decided to invest the extra $ in a private toilet, which sounds super stuck-up but was a lifesaver – we especially recommend it if you’re coming near the end of the season, when the tourist toilets have seriously been feeling the wear and tear.
Kili Heroes always had their eyes on the prize – the summit – but also were super attentive to our health, giving us a fun but functional “exam” every night with a series of health questions and measures to make sure we were dealing well with the altitude. Whenever either of us struggled, emotionally or physically, our guides and porters were all over it, helpful but not invasive – exactly perfect.
Kili Heroes says they treat their clients like family and this is true – Mweyni and Babuu, as well as the whole team, felt like brothers by the end. This is also a great company because it’s locally owned and embedded in the community in a wonderful way. This is a much better choice, in our opinion, than booking through an American company – often they just outsource to Tanzanian companies, taking thousands of dollars for the convenience.
Kili Heroes is a local, lovely, relatively inexpensive, amazing way to experience Kilimanjaro. Thank you so much to the whole team for making our time on the mountain perfect!
Kilimanjaro Heroes was one of the best choices I have ever made. From very beginning everything was perfect – contact before arrival, staff care on the mountain, food, equipment supply, etc. Huge advantage is that Kilimanjaro Heroes is a small, local company where owners are guides. They really take care on the highest quality and you feel it on every step. See the movie I have prepared for more details, you will find it on the website.
Angel Perez Camacho, Spain
Route: Marangou Route, September 2012
Evarist is a decent guy, you can trust him. We booked not directly through him, but through the bed and breakfast were we stayed. Overall experience was very positive. The crew was great, food was good (I was actually concerned about this point, but was positively surprised – good quality and quantity wise – more than we could eat). Other providers, such as Zara Adventures have slightly better facilities (tents, water stations, etc), but this does not justify the price difference in my opinion. Evarist and the crew took good care of us.
Joanna & Paweł Czerwony, Poland
Route: Machame route, January 2012 E-mail: ahik(at)poczta.onet.pl
Great adventure with great people. 6 days – memories for ever.
Angerer Verena (Austria) & Eva Hartung (Sweden)
Route: Lemoscho route, October 2011 E-mail: angerer.verena(at)gmx.at
Great adventure with great people. 6 days – memories for ever.