Conquering Kilimanjaro and making movies via Lemosho Route

I'm back home in Cape Town after an EPIC 3 weeks in Tanzania and am trying to share my experiences as far and wide as possible. Tanzanian tourism has taken a real hit in the past year or so, thanks to misinformed media coverage of Ebola in Africa and the perceived terrorism threat in neighbouring Kenya. So after such an amazing trip I thought the least I could do is try to spread the word and tell you all what a great time we had in the hope that it might encourage more of you to see this beautiful country for yourself.

Our trip started with a hike up Kilimanjaro. We summitted via the scenic Lemosho route, which we considered the best bet as it's the longest and therefore shows the fullest array of Kili's flora and fauna and the distinctly different climate zones, as well as allowing for better altitude adjustment. 

Overall, the experience was one of the most challenging and memorable of my life

Summiting the roof of Africa and looking out on a perfectly clear, sunny morning was a special feeling that will be hard to beat. A huge mention should be made to the guys who helped us get there. Find them here: http://www.kilimanjaro-experience.com/. They are a relatively new and small company and this makes for a more personal service than you'll get with some of the bigger and better known operators.

Kilimanjaro Experience's mountain team were incredible, fun, professional and are the real heroes of this mountain, climbing it countless times a year with up to 25kgs on their backs and with a lot less fanfare than we had greeting them at the summit, or when they get back down again for that matter. A hell of a lot less complaining than us along the way too! I can't emphasise enough how much they made the experience.

Another great thing about Kili is you don't have to be Bear Grylls to climb it. As mountains come, though it's certainly no picnic, it's pretty accessible. We saw people in their 70s climbing . . . and summiting. Amazing feat.

Also, while the slump in tourism might be bad for Tanzania it's good for Kili climbers - there aren't so many people on the mountain (the Lemosho route is one of the quieter routes even at the busiest of times), nor is there as much rubbish as I'd been led to expect by the reports from some previous hikers.

We've subsequently made a couple of promotional videos with footage we filmed on our trek, including a useful what to pack video. Check them out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QM6aceKJnQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6glo8NEqOA

I reckon there's no better time to climb Kili than right now, and Tanzania could really use your tourist dollars.

Feel free to holler if you have any other queries.

Cheers,

Chris