I just completed a 7 day Machame route hike with Altezza, and all I can say is WOW. Wow for the crew that took us to the top, for the food and comfort and service levels provided at all times, and finally for the genuine support and encouragement delivered to my group throughout the trek. I’ve included a few more details below:
First, let’s talk about the edges of the trip — I had a great pre-trip advisor Nadia who was always available via email and WhatsApp to answer my questions in the 4ish months leading up to my trip. Then I 2 amazing drivers (James, from JRO —> hotel and Esteriana from the hotel —> JRO). These individuals were wonderful in welcoming me and seeing me off, which honestly just speaks to the integrity of Altezza as a company. My orientation manager Katherine, who did my gear check and briefed me on a bit more of what to expect on the hike, was also wonderful. The hotel Altezza puts you at — the Aishi Machame hotel — is very nice as well and a great way to start and end the trip.
Second, there was the actual crew for the hike and the service levels provided. There were 11 of us (hikers), and we had 5 guides plus 52 additional individuals to support our climb. This group of people was one of the most impressive high performing teams I have ever witnessed, and my group would never have gotten to the top without them. In particular, our head guide Joshua, as well as our other guides Hilltone, Imran, Lema, and Neema were so outstanding in their leadership and care of the hikers, as well as their knowledge of the mountain and their actual hiking capabilities. They helped us all through some of the trickier moments, encouraging us and proposing to us where to put our feet, how to rely on our poles, what pace to go, etc. Our camp manager made sure our tents were set up flawlessly and our bags were in our tents by the time we got to camp. Our chefs, Hassan and Rama, prepared literally such delicious food three times per day for us, and our dining crew Immanuel and Baraka served it to us and made sure we had everything we needed at every meal time. I also rented a toilet at camp sites, and the toiled attendant Hashim was so wonderful. Having this service made camping (where it can be very cold) much more comfortable when I had “to go” in the middle of the night, and I am so grateful for Hashim’s dedication to his job and the provision of this service. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but given that we were literally camping, I was not expecting such a thoughtful,l experience. The team delivered more than I have experienced at some of the allegedly “most luxurious” hotels in the world. It was honestly unbelievable what the team was able to do.
On summit night, which is definitely the most strenuous part of the trip, our head guide Joshua set the pace, our other 4 guides were with us, and an additional group of summit assistants (aka guides in training) came with us. At about hour
4 (2/3 of the way to the summit) one of the summit assistants, Brian, took my bag for me to lighten my load. He stayed with me the rest of the hike as well as the descent, making sure I ate and drank fluids and checking in with me the whole way. While I would have kept going without him, having his support changed my whole experience for the better and made summiting that much more manageable and enjoyable. Additionally, he and one of the other Summit Assistants, Farragut, who was also wonderful, saw me down the mountain with a couple other of the hikers. There were other group members who had needed support throughout the whole trip and then also needed significant support on summit night, and the Altezza team was there for them literally the entire journey. The team is so positive and encouraging and clearly committed to helping people realize their Kili goals — it was amazing to watch how everyone worked together to support us, and it inspired our 11-person hiking group to do the same for each other.
Overall, I cannot say enough good things about Altezza, and 10/10 would recommend them to anyone who is interested in climbing. I will add one more thing which is that, while Altezza will do everything in their power to get you to the top, they can’t do the work of preparing beforehand, so make sure you run, do the stair master, and hike as much as you can to get your VO2 levels up so you have the best chance of summitting with all the support Altezza provides.
Thank you Altezza team for an incredible experience!! Will miss you all and am so thankful to have gone to Kili with you!!
This company is definitely the best decision you'll make when planning your Kili hike! From the start to the end, they were professional and showed absolutely care and dedication to making our journey successful to the top. Stanford, Wizen, and Urio were outstanding guides that made the journey incredible. Not only were the knowledgeable but also made us feel safe and supported to the top and back down. All of 10 of us in the group submitted thanks to the amazing guides and team of porters.
Before the hike, my son unexpectedly needed medical attention. The Altezza team quickly arranged for us to see a doctor and get the necessary medical tests done. It really helped us to hike without stress.
The staff of Altezza was well prepared and well-organized, I had a lot of altitude sickness symptoms, they gave me good advise and medications to help me summit. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a great experience.