UPDATED April'25: I wanted to highlight this review again, after completing the EBC Trek with another provider (Follow Alice: where the decline in service was astounding: no oxygen provided, $10 food budget/limited water and food supplies, poor English speaking guide). Please TRUST Altezza and don't even consider other options. They will make sure you are safe, fed and well taken care of!
ORIGINAL July'24: I just completed the seven day Machame route and wanted to give a shout out to each Altezza Team member who made this journey unforgettable!
Ten (10*) stars go to Vlada (Sales Manager at the HQ office) and Doris (Tour Manager at the hotel in Moshi). Vlada has been my rock for many
months, answering countless questions and making sure I have all the right information needed. She e-held my hand and was invaluable when it came to preparation and successful onboarding. She offered suggestions and made certain accommodations to ensure I got all I needed prior to departure. Then came Doris, who greeted me at the hotel, offered help and gave orientation to ensure I am ready for the adventure. Moreover, she assisted with any unexpected requests I had (room, dinner, rentals, packing) and her professionalism as well as super friendly attitude made me feel very welcomed and taken care of!
Then came the Guides: Under the exceptional leadership of Stanley Minja (a passionate dude who previously reached the summit 200 times, including a bike ride), all Guides made sure that I successfully completed the trek and summited Uhuru. I want to profoundly thank Stanley, Emanuel, Jonas, Beltram, Godfrey and Eric for all the support and encouragement as well as the help during the summit night - I could have not done it without you!
Altezza is definitely the biggest employer in Moshi, hiring the best Staff and making sure the service is top quality. They have the best camping spots (far away from the entrance/exit, allowing quiet nights), the best food (our Chef should get a Michelin star, serving new dishes every day, and the best soups in the world), the best porters and servers (61 people made my tour possible), and last but not least, medically trained Guides who came through when needed (we had two emergencies that ended in a helicopter rescue). The whole Altezza Team worked very hard to ensure our experience exceeds our expectations. I even got a birthday cake, which was completely mind blowing, given we were above the clouds and they somehow pulled it off!
In regards to the climb in general: To say the physical experience to the top was a challenge is a complete understatement. Having previously only been up to 14,000 ft, 19,340 ft was insane! Every day was demanding, with lots of distance to cover, rock scrambling and other obstacles. The elevation gain every day was intense but the Guides made sure we are taking it one step at the time. The “pole pole” pace was infuriating at first (I’m an experienced trekker so I felt we moved in a snail pace), but paid off at the end when climbing up to the summit required everyone to slow down and be humble. The Guides acted as guardian angels on the summit night - they put clothes on us, fed us, gave us water, held our hands all the way to the top, while everyone was fighting the altitude sickness, unable to take care of themselves. I was feeling great day 1-5, but was totally out of it on day 6, throwing up and having difficulty breathing when summiting - each Guide helped me at one point, and the porter (Nickson Isaria) carried my backpack which helped tremendously. I stood at the summit grateful for all of them and can highly recommend Altezza as the best outfitter in Tanzania.
Was there anything that didn’t go well? Absolutely! There were several things that could use improvement and I shared my thoughts with Altezza team separately. But what you need to keep in mind is the perspective. This is a huge expedition and what matters is the big picture, not the small stuff. This is a very mentally challenging trek. The mountain brought the worse in me: I went from mental state of uncontrolled happiness to deep sadness, darkest anxiety and pure anger. I cried being happy, I cried being scared. That being said, if there were things that weren’t perfect, I understand. What matters most is that all 14 of us summited and returned home safe & sound, hence the 5 star review. I would sign up again!
Boy can I vouch for that!
From the get go we were greeted with a friendly team.
They couldn’t do enough for us. Their kindness and zest for life is 2nd to none. Our leader Victor, ran a tight ship. He often quoted “one team, one dream.” That was his mantra for us all throughout the expedition. ????
He treated each staff member with the utmost respect as well as ourselves. We were a group of 18 strangers and 78 crew members and we became a group of 98 friends. ????????
From the friendly wake-up call with tea/coffee at 6am, to the wholesome food which was prepared at each camp site and dished out, and the friendly chats and singsongs along the trail. These men and 2 ladies on our team really pulled out all the stops for our expedition. It truly is a time that I will never forget.
Massive shout out to the whole group, there was 18 of us as said before so we all had great encounters with all the team as big as it was. I still can’t believe the teamwork each member showed. Everyone was so happy and grateful to be there.
I’d like to give a shout out to the guys that had to keep telling me to go Pole Pole Pauline ???? my guys Victor, Pascal, Aggrey, Erio, Amos, Kelvin and Anthony. You are truely amazing humans, the whole team are
Thanks for leading us up the mountain with your great knowledge and encouragement. It wouldn’t have been the same without you all by our sides.
Hakuna Matada from your Irish friends ????????????????
Big shout out to the boot cleaners, well worth the $5, my Hokas were like new again ????
Group of 9 friends climbing the 7 day Machame Route followed by 2 day Safari.
This entire trip was out of this world - I cannot recommend Altezza enough! I wish they provided other trips across the globe as I would use them again in a heartbeat.
Our Kili climb was absolutely amazing, we had the most incredible time and the whole Altezza team was phenomenal, start to finish. The level of service and attention to detail provided was perfection. Our guides were fantastic and acted superhuman on the final summit night, getting us all to the roof of Africa!
We found most days relatively easy, with the majority of the group being mostly unaffected by the altitude. Our guides were constantly checking up on us throughout the day and more formally during morning and evening medical checks. If any minor ailments arose they would respond very swiftly and with greta knowledge. The whole camping experience felt more like 'glamping' to us: with camps being set up every day before arrival; large, varied meals prepared morning and evening; and clean, fresh water always provided. Little comforts like evening hot water bottles and morning wake up coffee/tea were lovely little touches.
The whole trekking team was incredible, friendly, polite, informative, and adaptable. They definitely felt the vibe of the group and adjusted accordingly, ensuring that our trip exceeded expectations. I do not want to spoil too many of the little things and surprises that the team did to help us to the top but we were constantly taken aback by their capabilities and generosity throughout the trip!
Summit night was the only challenging day (night) for us but our guides took great care of us and their professionalism and ability to climb, seemingly unaffected by the altitude, ensured that they were fully focused on us and helped us all attain our goal of reaching the roof of Africa!
The 2 day safari was also fantastic, our only regret is that we did not do a couple more days. I would definitely come back for a 4/5 day trip. Our safari vehicles were luxurious - fridge, cold drinks, open top, comfy seats, charging points, wifi. Our guides were incredibly knowledgable and quickly learned the types of animals that made us most excited and would then go out of their way to find more of these certain species! Our accommodation each night was beautiful!
Regular updates from our Altezza rep ensured we knew the plan each day (time to have breakfast, pick up times from guides and transfers) .
It is rare that you partake in a holiday that you believe should be worth a lot more than what you paid, but this is one of those times. Every member of our group would have happily paid more for the level of service we received the entire trip. If you are thinking about climbing Kilimanjaro or exploring Tanzania, then Altezza are the way to go!