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| Crew |
Climbing for Kids 2010
We just finished our trip to Tanzania and all 12 of our women + Angus Murray were successful in our summit attempt!...It would not have been possible without the aid of people like Michael, Balthazar, Samson, Gerald
& Yona.....You were our guardian angels!..for this we cannot thank you enough from the bottom of our hearts. Many memories are forever etched into our minds as a result of our success...I thought I would include a
picture of two for you to enjoy....Kindest Regards...Norma, Alison Wiley, Leanne, Pam, Anne, Amanda, Tracie, Audrey, Debi, Claudia, Janet, Martha & of course Angus!!!!
We ARE THE BEST GROUP EVER!!!!!
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| Crew |
Amanda from the Climbing for Kids Group (2010)
Dear Michael: Greetings from NYC!! I wanted to say a big thank you to yourself, Balthazar (or Saint Balthazar as I now call him after he helped me summit!), Yona, Gerald and Sampson as well as all the rest of your fantastic staff. Without your guidance and help I know that several of us would not have made it to the top, and the trip wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. You guys made it so much easier for us, and we all really appreciated it. You were so well organised, everything seemed to work like clockwork and the food was GREAT!!
Having told my husband all about it, he is now even more determined to do the climb with our daughter in a few years. He's also looking seriously at Kiliman, so you'll probably be hearing from us again!
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| Our "restaurant" |
A dream becomes reality (2010)
After a long time preparation for our Kilimanjaro trip we (Siri, Vera and Ralf) started in January 2010 over the Lemosho route with a night in the crater to the top. The service on the mountain was organised very well and we like to say THANKYOU to our crew with the guides John and Richard, the cook Tosha and the waiter Apelez. We enjoyed the exclusitively in a small group and without the guides we would never reach the top!
Thanks for all
Siri, Vera and Ralf
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| On the top |
The 4 girls group cycling around Kilimanjaro and hiking to the top (2010)
(Lucie Berg,Waltraud Rossmanith, Petra Oberchristl, Hanna Kortschal), Germany
The 4 girls group cycling around Kilimanjaro and hiking to the top
We are happy to have choosen Chagga Tours because we got an excelent service. Every evening James cleaned the bikes and Richard has fulfilled our wisches before we even could tell him about. In the mountain the food was surprising, even in 4800m fresh fruits. Our guide Mike had even water for us when our drinking system was frozen. He and James were always joking and Richard knows the latin names of all trees and animals! We had a lot of fun and would always again be on the road with Chagga Tours!
Lucie Berg in the name of Waltraud Rossmanith, Petra Oberchristl and Hanna Kortschal
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| Agnus Murray |
Kili 2009
Angus Murray, Canada, Live Out Loud Adventures co owner, Everest Summitter, www.liveoutloudadventures.com
Chagga Tours and Michael Nelson bring a unique blend of local knowledge and experience
to the slopes of Kilimanjaro providing the best support on the mountain. I would not climb Kili
with anyone else!"
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| Thomas Franke |
Barbara und Thomas Franke (Hude, Germany)
(www.bewegung-mit-konzept.de)
Our 16-day trip to Mt. Meru and to the Kilimanjaro was “fantastic hard” and because of the outstanding support by our crew – with Mike as a guide, Samson, Yona, Kingdom, Lazaro, Richard, Appellazi and last but not least James, our excellent cook- an exceptional experience . After some days of acclimatization on Mt. Meru we hiked via Umbwe route to the Kili. Every stage offered us a peculiarity: Colobus monkeys in the rain forrest, New Year’s Eve in front of the Barranco wall, sun rise in the Karanga camp, the view to Mawenzi from the Barafu camp and an overnight stay in the crater. Also the breakfast on the New Year’s Day we will remember with fond memories!
The missed summit of Mt. Meru is an incentive for us to try again – then with a day ascent and very pole, pole. We look forward to be around Mt. Meru and Kili in summer 2010, hopefully again with Mike and all the others.
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| Group Krick |
Our oldest climber Babu Volkmar (Lemosho Route)
Group Krick, Germany
We – a group of three- climbed in September Kibo with Gerald Meela, Jona and many helpers. Our senior Volkmar (66) and also Florian (39) reached the top, but I got fewer on the summit day and had to go down. The whole trip via Lemosho route was organized very well. Gerald handled the daily program calm and we got always excellent food, e.g. fresh vegetables and fruits. Also the pace and the gain of altitude were chosen well.
I can recommend the crew of Chagga Tours without any restrictions!
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| Fritz Iglar |
Great enjoyment- from Umbwe to Kibo
Fritz Iglar, Austria
11 people of different background, between the age of 35 and 66 have assembled together to climb the Kilimanjaro in a manner out of the usual. First of all are we not willing to reach the top using the usual routes, secondly we are not willing to stumble about and up to the top in the black night and last of all we are envisioning a night in a crater. Chagga Tours has made our wishes come true. We started on the 15 th of February 2007 from Camp Barafu heading in the direction of Stella Point. Around 12 o´clock clouds start to build up and we climb the roof of Africa concealed in mist. At 2 p.m. 11 proud women and men stand with their guide at the highest top of Africa. To our unspoken joy the sun scares away the haze. We spend almost an hour on the top. After having memorized the view to last all live, we climb into the crater, where out tents have already been put up at the Furthwängler glacier. All of us survive the night and the morning with its 13 Grad under zero. But since the weather is not quite in the mood, only some of us make the route around the crater. I am very impressed with the very good and friendly relationship we had with our guide and his team and want to use this time to thank them from my heart to have made me richer of a new and stunning experience. This time has been the third time that I have been to Kilimanjaro and had never had a better team and guide. I know that the way the guide, his team and the group of climbers get along with each other can decide over success or failure of a tour like that. Chagga Tours with the Christina Helbig as strong and very engaged Director is the only agency I know of that is able to combine this service with reasonable prices. The fact that the tip for the team and the guide is included in the price for the tour make this agency and their tours so very superior and unique.
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| Catherine McNair |
Lemosho route for enjoyer
Cathrine McNair, U.K.
We really enjoyed climbing the Lemosho route. The first days walking
is below the tree-line in the cloud forest, where you pass by lush
forest including lots of purple African Violets. We were lucky to see
a black and white colobus monkey jumping from tree to tree. On
the second day, you pass through unusual heather forest, with head-high
heathers as you ascend to the Shira plateau. On the second night you
join up with the Shira route. The next 2 days are spent crossing
the Shira Plateau, gradually ascending. The scenery changes from moorland
to mountain with high altitude plants unique to Africa . On the
fifth day you make it to the very bottom of the summit peak, vegetation
stops and it feels like you are on another planet. That night
you make your summit attempt. It's definitely hard work but the
views from Uhuru peak at sunrise are really worth it - what a sense
of achievement! The final 2 days are spent descending fairly
fast, we felt tired but happy at this point. I really enjoyed
this route because of the varied scenery and landscape that you pass
through. I liked the fact that you saw the Kibo peak (the final summit)
getting closer and closer each day, and that the route allowed you
to circle the peak and see its different faces.
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| Jutta Deters |
Jutta and Rainer on their experiences at Kilimanjaro
Jutta Deters and Rainer Kilian, Germany
Jutta and Rainer on their experiences at Kilimanjaro
In autumn 2005, we planned to climb to the top of Kilimanjaro Mountain
for the third time. We had already been to the top twice but had not been
very lucky both times - once because of the weather and the other time
because of the physical condition of our fellow climbers. This time we
decided to book a tour for the two of us only and not at a German travel
agency but at an African. After long evenings of researching the internet
and comparing prices and services we got in touch with Chagga Tours, which
was able to answer all our questions. Since we planned to stay one night
at a crater on the tour up to the top of Kilimanjaro (over Western Breach),
it was not easy to find an agency. After having arranged and booked the
tour we headed for Kenya where we took part in a safari. Later, we were
met by our mountain guide Mike Nelson of Chagga Tours at the border to
Tanzania where we were immediately informed of a recent accident at the
Western Breach, which had led to the closing of this route by the National
Park authorities. With the help of Mike we quickly decided to take another
route, which enabled us to camp at the crater as well as to observe the
beautiful glaciers, breathtaking views and to have a look into the crater
itself. The Umbwe route, which we decided on, was more than just an alternative.
In the morning, we climbed from Barafu camp to the crater during daylight
and had some hours’ time to look around in the crater. The next
morning Uhuru Peak was only a “jump” away. We enjoyed the
whole tour and can only say that the third trip to the top of Kilimanjaro
was the most successful one of all. Chagga Tours met all our expectations
and was able to adjust to our wishes and needs easily and professionally.
And with James, a marvellous cook, we had the kindest most kindly crew
on the mountain.
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| Hugo Fruehauf |
This climb was a great experience for me — the trip of my life
Hugo Fruehauf, USA
It required all the muscles I could
muster and most of all, will power I did not know I had. What seemed at
first to be a doable task became increasingly evident that the summit
may not be within reach for me. And here is where a genius guide like
Michael Nelson came in… he made the seemingly impossible —
possible. Without him, I absolutely would not have made the summit…
he is the best!
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| Freddy und Stefan |
It was completely unexpected for me!
Stefan Materna, Germany
At an altitude of 16.000 feet
my knees became soft and there was a dizziness not to control anymore.
And that despite the fact that I’m a well-trained mountaineer! At
an altitude of 17.000 feet I agreed to turn back as our guide Mike recommended.
There was no further reflection because I wanted to finish this frightening
situation. The three other climbers in our group supported this decision.
Fortunately, an experienced porter called Freddy, had joined the group
in addition Mike and the assistant guide James. He helped me back down
to the camp over a steep, icy climb in deep darkness.
While the others went on the top of Kilimanjaro I recovered in the tent.
So I could manage the descent with the others to Mweka without any problems
on the same day!
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| Jan Benthin |
Africa – totally different from what we expected
Jan Benthin, Germany
Africa is known from countless TV documentaries: hot, burning sun, savanna, wild animals. But Africa disclosed itself to me differently: capricious, mysterious and lying in secrecy.
Mike led us in a penurious world nearly without animals but of surprising diversity of vegetation. At an altitude where we would have found not the smallest lichen in Europe are growing succulents like trees.
The first days on the Machame route were very easy. But the last segment was challenging: we started at midnight and the hard hike in the dark lasted 7,5 hours. Fortunately there was no wind so we did not feel the low temperature. At an altitude of 18.000 feet I had to struggle with little signs of mountain sickness: my steps became uncontrolled and the blood pressure rose constantly. At dawn, after a short break at the Stella Point, I went to the Uhuru Peak- thanks to the persuasion of the assistant guide James. The view was incomparably beautiful and compensated for all the troubles of the long journey.
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As the absolute high light of an incentive program for sales partner of the Austrian Mobile Phone Company DREI we – a group of 18 persons- biked with Chagga Tours around Kilimanjaro. The participants needed to qualify for this tour and had to show their athletic abilities. That’s why a group of highly motivated participants started in Tanzania. The bike route was picked perfectly, regarding the distances for a day, the camps as well as regarding the highlights of the landscape.
The first hotel before the start was Marangu Hotel, a very good place to take over the bikes and adjust them, to pack the luggage etc. During the first stage from Marangu to Lake Chala we biked through green forest and farmland of the Chagga. The trip finished with a beautiful single trail down to the camp on the lake. The bath in the Lake was terrific; we were full of dust from the road. The next day from the Lake to Usseri was the most challenging stage of the tour. First we biked up the slopes of Kili, then steep down and then again up steadily to the camp. In both camps the service was of the best, the food was excellent; there was a shower and no wish unanswered.
The stage to Snow Cap Cottages was short, so that time was left for a nice trip to the National Park Border. Maybe the absolute highlight of the tour was the stage to Ndarakwai Ranch. To bike through Massai villages was great and we met many Massai people, who were walking around. Also the landscape was changing on this day from forest on the slopes of Kilimanjaro over farms of the Massai to the typical African Savanna. Even Zebras and Giraffes we could see during biking. Ndarakwai is a great place, really African with free standing huts and a nice place to eat and sit.
The further way to the finish of the tour, the Hatari Lodge, went at the beginning through savanna with Acacia trees and a hot highland and then to the green slopes of Mt. Meru. Here we had a lot of “Patschen” like we are saying in Austria and the whole group had to stop then and fix the tube. Here I like to say that the rented bikes were excellent and because the crew did a great job, they were always clean and technically well prepared for the next day. Hatari was the great finish of an exceptional tour which all participants will remember certainly a long time.
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| Oliver Pannke |
Experience reports bike tours
Africa – an experience report
Oliver Pannke, Deutschland
The "Kili-Cycle" is a fantastic add-on to the traditional summit climb and the all-around safaris. The tour offers various terrains including dusty dirt roads, challenging climbs and racy downhills on good dry mud roads. All through very beautiful landscapes. The resting places and camps offer plenty of contact to the people settling in this area. Also food and comfort of the accommodation are really good.
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| Jan Benthin |
Africa on two wheels
Jan Benthin, Germany
If you are going with the bike around Kilimanjaro you get an special impression about the nature and the people living on it’s slopes. Children run to the road from far away to cheer: “Wazungu (white person)! During the breaks there are always people around, some curios, some reserved. Once we got the opportunity to try banana beer next to the road. If you like to see Africa off the beaten track this is the right trip to go over roads from asphalt, stone, clay and mud in a marvellous landscape.