Reviews

Kili Rongai & Zanzibar

The trip was much tougher than any of our Group had expected. It was colder than the seasonal norm but the trip to base camp was really attritional; by the time we got there we (and it was a fit Group) were exhausted. The journey did not only impact on the guests: of the 4 guides, 2 retired sick and neither of the summit porters reached the summit (one through sickness; one through helping a guest back down the mountain). My reflection was that the accumulative challenge was not reflected in the meeting notes.
The hotel in Zanzibar (Zumba Beach) was in an idyllic location and the GM was a strong leader and led her staff well. Again the trip notes should perhaps have been clearer that expectations needed to be calibrated a little lower than in the developed world. Our room was burgled while we were sleeping and items stolen from within 1 foot of our heads. The thieves cut their way in and so were carrying knives; a sobering experience. I don’t think crime there is uncommon and maybe prospective guests should be alerted to it?

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the peak on the Summit but feeling of relief more than inspiration!

Thoughts on Group Leader

It was her first trip leading and her Summit staff were virtually eradicated before reaching the top. The weather was poor and I fear she was traumatised.....but very full marks for getting most of us to the top and all down safely.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The climb was really difficult. It was less the final climb from base camp but the deconditioning that occurred before....and the weather is unpredictable. There is crime in Zanzibar and important to be forewarned.

Reply from Exodus

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, James, although we were sorry to read that you were disappointed with some aspects of your tour. As I am sure you appreciate, activity levels are inherently subjective, but we do endeavour to describe each trip as accurately as possible, and we are always open to suggestions to amend our guidance should we be made aware of clients feeling a particular trip’s activity level should be changed. This is one of our longest running trips and we therefore receive a large volume of feedback regarding our clients’ views on the tour. Whilst this trip generally scores highly for trip note accuracy, we are aware that your group experienced unusually cold temperatures, which may have increased the difficulty of some of the treks and caused more cases of sickness than expected. Whilst our product manager, John Penge, and tour leaders remain of the view that the current grading for our Kilimanjaro Climb Rongai Route trip is accurate, I would like to assure you that they will take your comments into account when discussing potential changes to the activity level of this tour. Addressing your second point, we take the health and safety of our clients extremely seriously and we were, therefore, very concerned to receive your comments about a theft at Fumba Beach Lodge. This property has been operating for twenty years and, whilst we are aware of petty crimes in the past, incidents of this nature are not common in this area, mainly due to the heavy police presence on the beach. Nevertheless, we would not wish to downplay your experience, which sounds particularly worrying, and we would like to assure you that the security presence at the lodge has been increased and the mosquito netting has been reinforced to hopefully prevent any repeat of this situation. We recognise that this cannot change your experience, for which we are incredibly regretful, but we do hope it demonstrates that we have acted on it.

Kilimanjaro

I was part of a group of 6 teamed up with a further 10 individuals. We bonded well from the beginning and throughout this amazing adventure and from this experience I would have no hesitation in travelling alone. The Exodus team were superb from start to finish and The African Walking Company who were locally based were the guys on the ground and their knowledge of Kilimanjaro was superb and with 50+ porters/guides our group of 16 were well catered for and out ‘leader ‘JT’ was excellent. This was a challenging trek, particularly the final two days and should not be taken lightly. One gripe is it needs to be made clearer on summit night how best to keep water from freezing, as many of us were very de-hydrated on the way down having summited in atrocious conditions. But I would highly recommend the experience and Exodus and we have made friends for life.

Kilimanjaro - Go For It with Exodus

Very well organised, everyone very helpful and friendly. Guides brilliant and supportive. 13 out of our Group of 14 made it to the very top ,Uhuru Summit.
What a team and great experience.

Epic

What a fantastic adventure summiting Africa’s highest peak with the most amazing and supportive group of people, ever!!!!

Easily The most difficult thing I have ever done.

The trek was a well oiled machine. Porters were amazing. Tents were were dry and set up by the time we entered each camp. The food was fantastic.

The toilet was a godsend.

The guides were amazing, supportive, present and empathetic. I never would have summited without the excellent pacing and patience of Seraphine. I never would have made it die without the quick thinking, preparedness and assistance of Seraphine, King Janes, Abraham and others.

Of our group of 11 trekkers, 10 made it to Gilman’s point, and 8 of made it to Uhuru Peak!!!

I highly recommend Exodus and the African Walking Company (AWC)

Amazing!

What a hard, rewarding experience… although Kili is not the prettiest of mountains it is certainly a mighty challenge… and withholds its beauty till summit day sunrise. The porters enabled summiting to be possible with their tireless support and encouragement.

Kilimanjaro Rongai Route - October 2018

Exodus Travels were an excellent company to deal with whilst arranging my recent trip to Kilimanjaro. I felt like I had my own personal travel agent to help me every step of the way. They answered every question and query I had knowledgably and efficiently. Everything about the trip ran smoothly and to plan. I would definitely use Exodus again for a future trip!

Do it, and do it with Exodus!

Made memories for life on this trip. Summit day was torture but our guides made getting to Gilmans Point (before getting to Uhuru Peak) an incredible moment. The team of guides and porters are exceptional. This is our second trip with Exodus and will use them again for future ones because we trust their ability to take care of us, from booking to the itinerary and guides

Kilimanjaro Rongai Route 21/09

Second time of climbing Kilimanjaro and it didn’t disappoint. Glorious starscapes at night, changing scenery from jungle to lunar landscapes and then the snow encrusted peak.

This is a challenging hike on summit day but within most people’s abilities if you are reasonably fit.

Due to airline problems my luggage didn’t arrive, but luckily I had ultra essentials and warm kit in my daysack. Day before the summit a porter brought my luggage up to the camp so had an incredible surprise.

You may think you will lose weight on this trek, but the food is incredible and plentiful – but you will still eat lots of snacks on your trek too. You will use the energy

Fantastic trip

If you have ever harboured thoughts of climbing Kilimanjaro, go for it!This is a brilliant trip with excellent friendly and knowledgeable guides. There is so much more to this trip than simply reaching Uhuru point or not. We saw baboons and blue monkeys, beautiful landscapes and met many amazing people.. Do not underestimate the physical and mental impact of summit day though. This involves a trek to Kibo camp, followed by some rest, then around 11 hours or so of solid walking to the summit and returning to Kibo camp, a short rest.and then a further 3-4 hours walking before reaching Horombo camp and falling completely exhausted into your sleeping bag. None of our group were elite athletes but we all exercised regularly. We ranged in age from 21 to 66 years and both the youngest and the oldest achieved the summit. Not to be missed!

Fantastic trip

If you have ever harboured thoughts of climbing Kilimanjaro, go for it!This is a brilliant trip with excellent friendly and knowledgeable guides. There is so much more to this trip than simply reaching Uhuru point or not. We saw baboons and blue monkeys, beautiful landscapes and met many amazing people.. Do not underestimate the physical and mental impact of summit day though. This involves a trek to Kibo camp, followed by some rest, then around 11 hours or so of solid walking to the summit and returning to Kibo camp, a short rest.and then a further 3-4 hours walking before reaching Horombo camp and falling completely exhausted into your sleeping bag. None of our group were elite athletes but we all exercised regularly. We ranged in age from 21 to 66 years and both the youngest and the oldest achieved the summit. Not to be missed!