We travelled the Lemosho-Route for 7 Days to Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak with our Monkey Adventure... read more
We travelled the Lemosho-Route for 7 Days to Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak with our Monkey Adventure... read more
I did a 6 day 5 night safari with Monkey Adventures. My experience was incredible!! My tour guide... read more
What an absolutely amazing holiday. I spent 4 days on safari traveling from Arusha to the Serengeti and onto Ngorongoro Crater. I was by myself so I was a little apprehensive but I had no need to be. The team met me at my hotel for a briefing the evening before (and again on my return) and then I met my driver/guide the next morning. We saw so many animals and birds over the next 4 days including the Big 5 - he knew just where to go and was always on the look out for me. His knowledge was superb giving me the background on each animal etc. Driving can be pretty rough over the tracks but he was brilliant and I felt really comfortable and safe. I also wanted to go to visit a Masai village and he arranged that too. Can’t rate this company any higher. Definitely a fantastic choice.
Great agency, great service, best guide with big experience! In just three days we saw a LOT! Wisited Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Saw big five and other nice animals really close :) thank you!!!
Team of 8-6 day Machame route climb of Kilimanjaro.
Isaac and his crew were absolutely fantastic and got all 8 of us up the mountain and back down again in one piece! In hindsight the 6 days was very challenging so I do recommended if you have the time to do 7+.
The guides, porters and waiters were all fantastic and the chef did a great job serving us nutritious food on the mountain (whether you want to eat it due to AMS is another question!). Thanks Monkey Adventures!! We booked through Mojhi.com which made the booking of the trip super easy. We left for safari after the climb and it was seamless.
My family and I had the absolute best time with Monkey Adventures. We were lucky enough to have Chares Richad as our head guide. He put together an amazing team of porters, cooks, and other guides. Without them and his experience, knowledge, and attitude, we, a family of washed up athletes who don't hike would never have made the summit. Bring lots of snacks if you're used to a North American diet.
We decided to book our Mt. Kilimanjaro climb through Monkey Adventures after reading several reviews online. We booked through Mohji.com and we were impressed with their communication.
Carlos picked us up from the airport, and that was our very first experience with Monkey. He was on-time and was a safe driver taking us to Moshi from Kilimanjaro Airport. We checked in at Keys Annex in Moshi (pre-arranged through Monkey Adventures), and everything was taken care of. We enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the hotel and Dennis (our guide) met us at the hotel after dinner. He briefed us on the Rongai route, then inspected our equipment to make sure we were adequately prepared. Early the next morning, Dennis picked us up and we went to the Monkey Adventures office to rent needed equipment (duffle bags and sleeping bags). The rental equipment was in good shape and the rental price matched what they had previously told us.
On a side note, we recommend bringing your own duffle bags if you can, as you can save $35 ea.
We selected the Rongai Route, as we had my father with us (63 years old). The first few days of the hike were quite enjoyable as the distances were relatively short and the terrain pretty easy to navigate. Expectation management tip: you are hiking on a remote mountain- the restroom is usually a hole in the ground. Bring your own toilet paper and be prepared to squat. This was not a big deal for us, but there were other travelers who seemed to be surprised by the remote nature of the restrooms.
Summit night was intense- we have trekked to Everest Base Camp and summited Mt. Fuji, so hiking and summiting was not new to us. But the final push to get to Uhuru Peak was very difficult and requires physical and mental fortitude. Be prepared to hike on very little sleep in the dead of night. We were very fortunate to have low winds and low crowds for our summit night. We were easily able to summit at our group's pace, we were not hurried or hindered by other hikers. Our summit team included Dennis (lead guide), Peter (assistant guide), Seravino (assistant guide), Alibaba (summit porter) and Deus (summit porter). This group was the best-of-the-best, and they did everything in their power to help us get to Uhuru Peak. On breaks they would make sure we were drinking enough water and gave us hot tea at Gillman's. We would not have made it to Uhuru without them- even my dad made it! We had to break up our group on the way back down the mountain based on how quickly we could each descend, which went smoothly.
We were exceptionally impressed with Dennis as a leader on the last 2 days of our hike. My dad had developed pneumonia on the mountain and needed to be medically evacuated from Horombo Hut. Dennis coordinated the evacuation with the park rangers and with the Monkey team to make sure a driver would meet us in Moshi. This all happened late at night- around 10pm, and Dennis even helped me get in contact with my mother in Arusha.
Something to make note of after the trek was completed, one of the assistant guides approached us on his own and asked to give him the tips for the individuals, despite our lead guide requesting us to compile a list of the tip amounts for each person and to give him the money to disperse on his own. After our lead guide arrived, we worked out the tip situation with him. It all worked out, but the interaction with the assistant guide was a bit uncomfortable and left a little bit of a negative connotation after such a great trip.
Additionally, it would have been nice to see the company provide, or at least rent out, heavy winter gear to the guides and summit porters. They never complained, and it never impacted their service to us, but it was noticeable when hiking when they weren't wearing gloves, heavy pants, heavy jackets, or hats, even at extreme temperatures at the top of the mountain.
Overall, I would recommend this company for those interested in hiking Kilimanjaro. Dennis was fantastic, and his team was absolutely responsible for our successful summit. It was an experience we will never forgot.
Long time TripAdvisor reader, first time writer. Below is a quick description of the overall experience and further down is a more detailed breakout.
Short Answer: Monkey Adventures exceeded all expectations and provided a seamless experience through all phases of the climb, from pre-climb initialization to post-climb drop off. All you had to think about was putting one foot in front of the other, everything else was taken care of.
Long Answer:
Pre-Climb Initialization:
Before the climb, I sent dozens and dozens of questions and they were very quick to respond. I left the USA with peace of mind and felt very prepared from their feedback/suggestions.
Transportation:
I signed up for the transportation package and I'm glad I did. The driver was waiting at the gate and went right to the hotel (which was a nice hotel). After 36 hours of travel, it was nice not having to deal with finding transportation.
Guide:
Sanke was an amazing guide. Throughout the hike, you would ask a question and his answers were extremely detailed and informative. Questions about the flora along the way, birds, oute questions, history of the land you were on; he had very detailed answers. Everyday he provided an overview of the next day's activities and how to prepare. He also dialed in the pace perfectly. He calculated our rate of travel to put us at the summit for an unreal sunrise.
Food
The food was very good, and not just good for being on the trail. You can see on their site what the menu is and each meal I had was great.
Porters
Porters were nice, seemed well taken care of; they would always have the tent set up with a snack and tea waiting for when you arrive in camp.
Gear
The tent was good and stood up to one heavy rain day without any issues. I rented a sleeping bag and they had one that fit my 1.93m height and it kept me warm and comfortable, even on the very cold summit night.
Post-climb
Driver was at the hotel at a very early hour and took to airport (again, I did the transportation package). It was great not having to worry about/coordinate transportation and I recommend this package.
They were serious in collecting feedback, especially constructive criticism. The only feedback I can remember was that their website says cards are accepted at the national park gate, however, American Express is not. Be sure to verify your payment method is accepted (unless of course the site's been updated).