Kilimanjaro Expeditions

Elbrus

Expeditions

Carstensz Pyramid

Any one who has ever climbed one of the 7 summits or has undertaken another expedition knows that you spend more time in preparing the trip and getting the right information than actually being there..  Or you can choose to pay an expensive agent to sort everything out. We like to think that we can offer you the best of both worlds.

7summits.com has developed a network of local guides and organizations that employ the most reliable people and offer the best value for money for the best price. 

That's why we are able to offer you very low prices on high quality trips to Everest, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua and Carstensz Pyramid and Vinson. We offer prices that are equal or lower than the local prices, so you do not pay extra for us to take care of the reservations, answering questions and helping you create the best trip possible! Why pay triple the price for exactly the same trip?

Below are links to the detailed Everest, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Carstensz  & Vinson trip Pages containing all info you need: prices of trips, itineraries, what's included and what's not etc.: no hidden costs! 

We can organize any custom trip, just email us your wishes and we'll get you a good quote. 

Kilimanjaro Expeditions

Elbrus

Expeditions

Carstensz Pyramid

Below are some client comments from the past few years about 7summits.com and our services and expeditions:

Hi Harry

I'm so sorry it's been such a long time till I got the chance to write to you.  We got back in the first week of January and time has flown since then. So, just to let you know that we had a fantastic time in Tanzania. 
Our 5 day Safari was great. Omari our guide and our cook David were both great. Omari was good a guide not only with the wildlife, but also chatting to him about Tanzania as a country.  It's really good to be able to have a local guide so you can get so much more of a feel for the country. The food was brilliant.  They both did us proud

Springlands is a great hotel for pre and post climing of Kili. We had a night before the safari, one before the climb and 2 nights after the climb there. The staff there are really friendly and so efficient and knowledgable.  Nothing is too much trouble for them. Everything is very clean, the food is good and the facilites are really very good for the price you are paying. 

Kilimanjaro - well, what can I say.  Our team were fantastic and we did it in 7 days instead of the 8 we booked.  Sabi our guide really was just amazing.  The best thing about him was that every evening he would come and sit and chat with us asking us how we had found the day. 

He would then tell us what the walking would be like the next day, but almost more importantly would help us mentally prepare for the day.  He would tell us how we might feel physically and how to approach it mentally. 

The pace that he got us walking at was so slow (Pole Pole!) that sometimes you felt we were tripping over our own feet.  However, this approach was totally the right way as neither of us experienced any altitude sickness on summit day from trying to over exert ourselves.  I got a small amount the day we went over the Lava Tower, but Sabi assured me it would be gone by morning and even though I didn't believe him, it was. 

On summit day Sabi set a nice and slow pace that suited us and meant that we were always able to get enough air in and didn't get out of breath.  It worked so well that we didn't need to stop at all on the way to summit and got to the summit first at 6am to see a beautiful sunrise with the glaciers pink in the light.  I really couldn't say more about how highly I rate him as a guide. 

George our assistant guide was great also and I think once his English is even better he'll make a very good lead guide.  Our team were fantastic, Chaffi our waiter who brought all the fantastic food from the chef was lovely.  The food was great - soup every night.  We owe a massive thankyou to the whole team who carried all our gear and themselves up the mountain, we really couldn;t have done it without them.

Please extend our thanks and best wishes to all the guys both on safari and the Kili team.  We loved their country and all the great experiences we had there will stay with us forever.

Many Thanks
Best Wishes
Anne

(Anne McCardle, Kilimanjaro & Safari 2009)

Harry,

Just a quick follow-up that Bob and I were able to summit on January 20, 2009 at approximately 2:00 PM.  I can not say enough about the group. The guides were excellent with good experience. The food was beyond expectation. 

I have included a few summit pictures.  I can give you the guide's first names or nicknames, Flavia should have the full names. 

There was Topo, the lead guide, Sebastian and Nacho.  Each was a certified mountain guide with the client's welfare first in their minds.  They were true professionals.  As far as food goes, steak and chicken at basecamp, need I say more!

We took your guidebook to high camp, but not to the summit as we not not want the extra weight.

Thanks for all your input along the way!

Good Climbing,

John and Bob Spinks (Aconcagua 2009)

Hello Harry.
How are you keeping. Well we hope. We are now back in Canada from our fantastic trip in Tanzania.
Thank you for every thing you did in organizing this trip for us that enabled my whole family to have a great time. The safaris were wonderful and very interesting and informative.

We could not have asked for a better guide and team to take us up Mt. Kilimanjaro than who we had. Bruce and his team were the absolute best. Though we have never had a guide before to compare, I will be very surprise to experience another guide and team that would even come close to that which we had. Bruce and his assistant guide Adam brought us up the mountain in a very professional way, that made the entire journey pleasant, even when the going was getting tough.

Bruce took us up to the summit via the Western Breach and showed us the Reusch Crater. We as a family will always be grateful to them for allowing us to conquer the Western Breach. Though tough, it was truly beautiful and ended up being voted the best day of the climb by my family, besides summiting the following day, we also appreciated the fact that it left us with only 1.5 hours to the summit as oppossed to 6 hours.
We look forward to doing another climb with you in the future. Would you have any suggestions as to which should be the next one to conquer.
Regards from all of us.
Tony, Adele, Carlos and Paul Vieira.

(later email) Just want to thank you one more time for giving us the opportunity to have experienced all that we did as a family and all the help before departing home that you gave that allowed every thing to go down as well as it did. It truly meant a lot to me to do the Western Breach and that Bruce allowed it to happen, we will never forget that.

We wish you the best on your current and future adventures and looking forward to following you through your web site.
Regards
Tony, Adele, Carlos and Paul. (Kilimanjaro & safari 2009)

Harry,

It has been a few months since we returned from Tanzania, but we still wanted to let you know we had a great trip!  We were so happy to arrive in Africa, just two days after our wedding.  The hotel was great and it really helped to take a day of rest before starting the climb - after all, it was a long flight from California. 

I was not expecting so much organization with the climb, but it was fine.  It was nice to have the logistics such as food, timing and camp setup, taken care of.  Our guide, Living, and assistant guide Costa were great.  I had some mild altitude sickness and Living helped me get through it.  They were also very knowledgeable about the mountain, and were fun to talk to.  We played a lot of cards together. 

The mountain was beautiful - as you said, sunrise over the mountain from Stella Point is a memory I will never forget!  We both summited and we felt great, especially once we got to Stella Point and we knew that we were almost there.  I attached some pictures.   

Erica and I did the right thing by adding a trip to Zanzibar.  That was definitely another highlight of the trip, and relaxing on the beautiful beach was even better after the mt. climb.  We stayed at Matemwe Beach Village - I would highly recommend that hotel to anyone else interested in visiting Zanzibar.  Very relaxing and great food. 

Thank you very much for helping arrange this trip for us.  We are glad we found your website.  I recommend you to anyone else

. Feel free to post my feedback/photos on your site if you like.  Also, if anyone ever wants to speak with someone who recently planned a trip through your site, feel free to put them in contact with us.  We would be happy to help answer questions (as we would have found that useful in advance).  We hope you are well, and thanks again! 

Best Regards,

Graham and Erica St. Michel

((Kilimanjaro 2008, on the summit with our guides Living and Constantin)

Harry, Our Kilimanjaro trip was amazing.

Bruce is truly a special person and a tremendous guide. We question whether we'd have had 100% summit success (13 people) without him leading the way. The amenities and services exceeded our expectations and we can't say enough great things about you, your various crew and trekking with 7summits.

My group is working on more specific feedback to better articulate our thoughts but I wanted to touch base before too much more time passed. Suffice to say, we really appreciate everything.

Thank you again for all your time and assistance.

Best, Jason Hanson (13 person, safari + Kili)

I would just like to take the time to thank you very much for organising our trip up Mt Kilimanjaro.

Matt and I were successful in reaching the summit as shown by the attached photo and I can't thank you and Living and the crew enough for all your assistance. We had some fun trying to get cameras to work up on the summit and managed the one photo thankfully.

I also wrote a poem for my friends and family back home. Thank you very much again and no doubt I will look to use your company again in future trips!

Kind Regards

Simon Tillmanns and Matthew Bruce

Kilimanjaro Poem, by Simon Tillmans:

The challenge was there, 5895 metres above covered in cloud
Unit and BruC were to do the guys proud

Their training was in question by those all around
The 71 kilometre Machame Route on damn hard ground

The Whiskey Route as its known
Not the Coca Cola or Ice Cream Cone

It started off trekking through the rain forest trees
A 1300 metre day ascent that the guys sweated out and was hard on their knees

Day two was a little easier up to the Shira Plateau
We were up with the clouds but the temperature was low

Day three led the lads up to the lava towers
The weather came in and we were trekking for hours

We reached 4600 metres that day
A day of acclimatisation and thoughts of come what may

But it held us in good stead for the next two days
We felt strong as we climbed Barrancau Wall and did more k's

We were eating 5000 calories a day
You would think it would be easy for these men of prey

And finally it was here day 5 at night
The wind was howling, the ice taking flight

We were woken at 11pm to make the summit by dawn
A full moon greeted us and the wind died and scorned

Our trek leader 'Living' was powering ahead
Whilst Unit and BruC still thought about bed

But they pressed on head torches alight
They were on a mission, tonight was their night

They trekked over snow, ice and rock
Wondering if the summit would ever give the key to the lock

And then at 6.45am they arrived full of emotion
They had powered up the steep ascent covered in sun lotion

The sun was rising, it was briskly cold
The Kilimanjaro Crater was worth what had been told

There were hugs, not kisses, all around
And the only photo taken was worth a million pound....

Cheers

Simon Tillmanns (Kilimanjaro 2008)

I just wanted to get back to you with some quick feedback.

Everything went smoothly with our climb, and the service was exceptional. Bruce was our head guide, and appeared to be by far the best guide there. He was very knowledgeable about climbing/altitude sickness/weather/medications/world affairs etc...

(From left to right

Dave - Luke's father who turned 65 this week and climbed like a champ
Luke who I've known for 22 years and we've discussed this climb for at least 10 years
Myself
Eric Van Trump a college roommate that I've known for 10 years)

The porters worked extremely hard for us. They were able to make some last minute changes in our climbing itinerary to accommodate our fitness level and allow us to get back in time for a 1 day safari. Thanks again for your help in setting up this trip for us. I would certainly use 7summits again if we do another climb in the future.

Sincerely,

Mike Perlmeter and friends, Kilimanjaro 2008

The trip was fantastic, certainly something unique that we will remember for a long long time. The experience was incredible, the hiking and climbing at times strenuous, especially on summit night.

The Springlands Hotel was very very nice, the Zara staff hospitality was excellent, we enjoyed the food and our stay there.

On the mountain our guide Saby and the porter/cook team was equally excellent. We never went hungry and they always made sure to go out of their way to make us comfortable. I can say we enjoyed even the food on the mountain - given where you are.

We also made sure to tip everyone as you suggested. Thanks for helping us organize this trip of a life-time. I've attached our summit picture.

Kindest Regards
Tony, Richard & Stacy, Kilimanjaro 2008

I am back at home after reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro on Wednesday morning at 06:30.

I decided to shorten the trip and summit with the rest of the people who where travelling the route and then exit the park on summit day as the thought of sleeping in a bed was too tempting to pass up.  The Springlands hotel was very good, quite happy with it after they supplied a fan to my room. The amenities were better than expected.

The guide - Rumisha, was excellent. I gave him a very good tip as I could not have asked for better.

Springlands helped me change my flight to get home early. Met the owner, she seemed very nice. Meals and drinks there were good. Considering I did not take any malaria medication, I was pleased to find mosquito nets and the sale of deet at the hotel. I am sure you already know all this and it simply reinforces your choice of hotel for clients.

I definitely learned a number of things to help with Elbrus this summer and your recommendation of 8 days was certainly understood. I didn't have any signs of altitude sickness, but did struggle sleeping at Barafu camp at 4600 as I was short of oxygen. Below this level there were no concerns. The summit attempt was quite difficult considering the lack of time aclimatizing and no sleep the evening before. I now understand taking 2 weeks to climb Elbrus.

Thanks for everything, I have sent a link through facebook with some photos from Kili.

Shawn Madore, Kilimanjaro 2008

We are back from Kilimanjaro!
Mike and I had a wonderful experience from both Kili and Safari trips. We both summited the Kili, even though I was sick (mountain sickness) at Lava Tower (but recovered within a day after taking diamox). Our guide is Living, Bruce's brother. Living and Zungu (our assistant guide) have taken such good care of us. On Summit night they were singing along, which was so energizing for us... Our summit night the weather was near perfect: close to full moon, clear night without much wind. We could not ask for more.

We totally enjoyed the safari trip too. We saw all big 5, but what we like the most is to witness massive number of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles spread throughout over such large area between the Ngorongoro Crate and the Serengeti. Tented camp experience at Serengeti was lovely. We also enjoy the hot-air balloon ride. It was not because we can see more animals, but having a nice view of Serengeti and to be able to see its vastness.

On top of the Kili and safari trip, we also made a connection with a visionary entrepreneur, Terevaeli Urio, the owner of Salzburger Cafe at Moshi. He has a dream to open a botanic garden and culture center near Kilimanjaro Airport. We don't know if we can really help him out, but we are going to looking into it.

Looking back to this trip, our first one to Africa, we are so appreciative to the service and support that you and your team at 7Summits have provided, worth every penny paid! You have provided the information that we need, answered all the questions that we could think of, and you were so flexible and accommodating in rescheduling our trip. As a result, this 50th birthday gift to me gave us a truly rich and meaningful experience. Thank you!

One more thing, do you know that our fabulous guide, Living, is so proud to work for 7Summits?

We would enthusiastically recommend 7Summits to everyone who wish to climb Kili, definitely to our friends.

- Jiahong

Michael and Jiahong Juda, Kilimanjaro & safari trip 2008

Hello Harry -

Hope you are doing well. It's been quite awhile since our African Adventure back
in October. I apologize for not emailing you sooner. Its amazing how time flies. Though we've viewed the 1,500+ pictures we took, we still have yet to organize them all (only organized the pictures from the climb. certainly one of the downfalls of the digital age). I did attach a couple shots from the summit though. To refresh your memory, we took the Lemosho route up Kili, and then spent 5 days on Safari before relaxing in Zanzibar.

First, let me just say - "Thank you" for organizing the most amazing trip!
Everything went smoothly - from the booking process, to the airlines, the shuttle service and hotel accommodations. I have no complaints. The Zara staff we dealt with were very pleasant and accommodating. As for the guides and porters I can't say enough good things about them. After reading some of the information on your website, we felt very lucky when we found out Bruce was going to be our guide. He's an excellent guide and his team of porters were no less than outstanding. They were a great group of guys who took good care of us.
We never felt as if we wouldn't make the summit under Bruce's leadership and his teams support.

As for the trip itself, it truly was a trip of a lifetime. The hiking and scenery up Kili was spectacular and we had really good weather most of the time.
We left Kosovo camp just after midnight under clear skies, arriving at Stella Point in time to witness a beautiful sunrise. After taking in some spectacular views for awhile we made the final ascent to Uhuru Peak. It truly was an amazing experience. One we'll cherish forever.

The safari portion of the trip was equally memorable for us. We started in the Tarangire National Park, then spent 2 days exploring the Serengeti, before making our way through the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park. Our guide Salum was incredibly knowledgeable about the wildlife. I can't imagine anyone knowing more, or being able to spot animals and birds the way he did. I can't say any park was better than the others, but the Serengeti because of its vastness was probably the most impressive. We were incredibly lucky too, as we got to see the Big 5. I'll send some photos once I sit down and take the time to go through them.

In regards to Zanzibar, it was a beautiful way to wrap up our adventure. Kicking back and relaxing on the beach, enjoying some cocktails and sun. Couldn't beat it ...

Thanks again Harry. I truly appreciate everything you've done.

Dave & Diana Griggs, Kilimanjaro & Safari 2007

"...Thus ended our first trip to Africa. I adored it and will definitely be back, though probably to South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya next time. If any of you are interested in doing what we did (either the safari or the Kili climb or both), I would highly recommend the tour company with whom we booked our trip. It’s called 7summits and can be found at 7summits.com. The prices are incredibly reasonable (we paid WAY less for our trip than most other trips of its type sell for), and the company owner, a guy named Harry Kikstra, is the most responsive person you’ll ever meet. He’s also an experienced mountaineer who takes pains to select high quality guides and use high-quality equipment, so you know going in that you’ll be well taken care of.

Thanks for reading this far, and, as they say in Tanzania, Usiku Mwema."

(Eileen Newhall, Kilimanjaro & Safari, 2007

Harry:

I meant to write sooner, but I wanted to drop a line and let you know that Nathan Horne's and my experience climbing Kili was phenomenal from beginning to end. We enjoyed our stay at the Springlands Hotel, and the service on the mountain was outstanding. The porters and cooks were very friendly and helpful, and our guide, Living Thomas, was excellent -- wouldn't have summited without him. I have already recommended 7 Summits to a number of folks I know who are considering a Kili climb in the next couple of years (and I have told them to insist on Living as a guide). I appreciate the excellent service.

I appreciate any thoughts you have and wanted to say, once again, that we couldn't have had a better Kili experience.

Eric

Eric G. Reeves & Nathan Horne, Kilimanjaro, November 2007

Harry, Thanks so much for your service, the execution was flawless. Add two very happy Kili summiteers to your logbook.

Living, our head guide, was fantastic. A real prodigy. I'll try to write more as I settle back in.Thanks Mike McQueen

I echo Mike's sentiments. We just had a wonderful experience and credit much of that to our Zara guides and the terrific staff at the Springlands Hotel. Thank you so much!!!!         Molly

(Mike and Molly McQueen, Kili October 2007)

When we were on Kili we had Bruce as our guide as promised. We were a party of 3 clients with the usual doubts and nerves of being at altitude for the first time. We felt a huge confidence boost for our safety when two people had to be evacuated because of altitude sickness from a huge expensive group from the US on the second day because, at the first sign of trouble it was Bruce that was called on to assess the situation and implement the evacuation. He is the youngest qualified guide on Kili and while plenty of guides can get a healthy person to the top, Bruce is the one they all rely on to get you down safely.

While on Kili and in the hotel in Moshi we spoke to a least 50 climbers who had attempted Killi and swapped stories. Amazingly only half made it too the true summit and of the ones who did all hated the experience but were relieved to make it. They spoke of headaches, sickness and extreme fatigue. One guy told us it was a 20 year goal to climb Kili and he hated every step but to his credit he summitted anyway. Some of them tried in 5 days. We took the climb over ten days. We loved every step, had no illness or headaches and I celebrated my 50th birthday on Killi. I an a bit overweight and fairly fit for my age .I had no problem at all with the climb as we took the extra time. The scenery on the mountain is spectacular and has every thing you could ever want to see. Take the extra days, enjoy the mountain and skip past the walking dead on summit day. I was passing guys half my age purely because we took the time to acclimatise properly. It may cost a little extra for the extra days but it is cheaper than going back and more fun that vomitting your way to the top

Thanks for a great trip to Kili, Harry. We all summited as you know and it was great to meet you in Amsterdam on the way back to Australia. Thanks for the tour of your city and It was good to see you in person. I am 50 years old and it was a great leap of faith on my part to send a heap of money to a virtual Dutchman. I will admit now I did Google your name first to see if you were real. You certainly drink beer like a real person and it was a pleasure to meet you.I will never climb Mt Everest myself but it is nice to tell people that I have a friend who has.

We had the trip of a lifetime and I had a 50th birthday to cherish forever. I think every human should be exposed to the Tanzanian people and their hospitality. If you do not come away changed for the better, you have no soul. They have so little but smile like millionaires. They share their culture, language and disposition so freely and ask only for asanti or thank you in return. We in the West have much to learn from the Tanzanians.

Jim & Nicky Fraser, Kilimanjaro + safari  September 2007

just wanted to let you know that we came back from our trip to Tanzania, Kilimanjaro/Safari couple days ago. The climb was the hardest thing I did in my life and I am very glad you suggest the 7 days since most people were doing 6 days. My wife did not made it to Uhuru Point since the Altitude sickness got the best of her the 3rd day (+ the pool at the hotel was more appealing...)
It was an amazing thing to make it to the top, beautiful scenaries from the first day to the top, very very nice.

The Kabila brothers were very professional and I was very pleased with the group, and their younger brother Chadrick who was a porter in the group went the extra miles to make sure i was well taking care.

The safari was very nice, (my only complaint was the food at the Safari, the lunch boxes after a while always the same thing, 1 egg, 1 or 2 fruit, 1 pancake and 1 muffins = 1 juice..) I think a sandwich would had be nice)

Again thanks for that great trip or shoud i say
"Tu me fouraii sana, I sante sana rafiki"

best regards

Ricardo Gomez (Kili & Safari Sept 2007)

Harry,

Thanks for setting up our trip to Tanzania. You hooked us up w/ the best guide on the planet in Bruce. That dude went above and beyond what we ever could have expected. He got all of us to the summit, and even offered to hang out w/ us on his day off and show us around Moshi. Everything you arranged for us worked out perfectly and I'd recommend 7summits to anyone.

A few of us are considering Acon in the future. We'll look 7summits back up if we pull the trigger on that one.

Thanks again,
Mike. (Mike Stolk, 8 persons, Safari + Kilimanjaro August 2007)

Harry and I completed our climb of Kilimanjaro and we want to take this opportunity to thank you for the very smooth way in which the whole trip went, from the initial emails regarding price and arrangements to the final bus ride to the airport.

The team that took us up was excellent and cannot be faulted in any way whatsoever. I would say in the main that this is due to Living Thomas our chief guide, who did an outstanding job in organizing the logistics and ensuring that we knew that our comfort and safety was his priority. His assistant guide Jeremiah is also an excellent asset to any team. The food exceeded expectations also.
We both reached the top in great shape and totally enjoyed the experience. Thanks again.When the feet get itchy again maybe we'll speak to you about Aconcagua...

thanks and kind regards, Andy and Harry (Kilimanjaro, Sept 2007)

Harry ~

I booked my climb of Kilimanjaro for the dates of June 25th – July 1st via the Lemosho/Machame route. I did summit on my 50th birthday and a full moon! My guide, Raymond Mandari, brought a candle up to the summit and sang “Happy Birthday”! It doesn’t get much better than that!

You were an absolute pleasure to book through and Zara was the best! As you know, my luggage did not arrive to JRO (Kilimanjaro). All of my climbing gear and personal items were in my luggage! Zainab Ansell took me to the gift shop at the Springlands hotel and had me pick out the necessary items I would need to get up Kili such as sunscreen, mosquito stick, toothbrush and toothpaste, etc. She footed the tab! Then she sent me to the rental shop where I was able to get most of what I would need to get up the mountain. A stranger at the hotel, who had just come off of Kili, loaned me the remaining items that I needed!!! I left for the mountain without any of my own gear as the airlines still did not know where my luggage was! On day 3 up the mountain, Zainab sent a porter to bring me my duffel bag that had arrived to the hotel while I was on Kili. The porter met me on the trail so I had all of my own equipment for the remainder of the climb. This takes customer service to a new level!!! My guide was so encouraging, especially on summit day! And one of my porters met me with tea and biscuits on the trail several times when I was quite fatigued. I am so grateful to Zainab and all of the kind people at Zara.

Thank you, Harry. You helped me to make another one of my dreams come true!

Best regards,
M.C. Reinhardt (Kili June/July 2007)

Just thought I would drop you a note to say we had a fantastic time in Tanzania. Myself and Nigel both made it to Uhuru peak and it was amazing.The program was excellent. I could not have asked for a better guide. He is really more my friend now. We are still keeping in touch. His team were perfect. I think in total we will have raised from Kili and Nevis over £2500, so that's not to bad. You can see some photographs and video at www.nickbegg.com

Thanks for organising such a great trip.

Best Regards, Nick Begg (Kilimanjaro 2007)

I am sorry that me going down caused you to miss your chance of summiting but the attention and care you gave to me coming down will probably be remembered by me more than any summit. Thank you as it meant a lot at the time and means even more now on reflection.

Thank you once again for a fantastic trip and all your support and encouragement.
Your friend Jim {Hugo}

(Jim was part of our excellent Elbrus North side team in July 2007)

Thought you would appreciate some feedback on our trip.

Tara, Melanie and I summited Kilimanjaro on July 10. It was an outstanding trip. The guide, Bruce, and assistant guide, Lavean (spelling?), were very professional and proficient. I enjoyed very much talking with Bruce throughout the trip and I believe Melanie and Tara did also. Our safari guide, Peter, was also excellent.

The amount of food available was unbelievable and very tasty. Having read some other accounts with other guide companies, I was not sure what to expect for food and water. We were never short of boiled water for our meals or for our water bottles.

The Impala Hotel in Arusha was a very nice place to stay. Thank you for that tip.

It was a very enjoyable trip and we all had a wonderful experience.

Sincerely, Chuck

(Chuck Connelly, climbed Kili with 7summits.com in July 2007)

What can I say? We have had a great experience working with you on our African trip. You were quick to answer our many questions and you were very honest. Thank you so much for dinner in Amsterdam, what a wonderful way to top off our journey.

After being in Africa, it's amazing things actually can run fairly smoothly. The African people are endearing and I miss them already. Got an e-mail from Beth at the Amani home in Moshi today. They are enjoying all the "stuff" we brought and wanted our home address so they can send us some drawings. I am thinking they have become our special project and look forward to many e-mails and letters back and forth. Thank you for suggesting them to us.

Keith and I are talking about Nepal in two years, your seed planting is working already...

(From Chris Palesh, who climbed with her husband Keith and his uncle Heinz; they celebrated her B-day on the summit which she shared with Heinz, in July 2007)

Hello Harry, thanks again for all your help and advise, Keith & Chris must have told you all the details at your visit in Amsterdam, We truly had a fabulous time, the Guides and assistant Guides, the cook and waiter and all the porters did a tremendous job,

I could not be more happy. Bruce must be the best guide on the mountain, he sure helped all of us to reach the top, some times the going was rough as you know. I certainly recommend you and your company to any one with pride.

Thanks again. Very sincerely

Heinz Maurer

Keith, Bruce, Chris, Fortunatus & Heinz back in our Springlands hotel

Left: Keith & Chris: We made it!
Right: Chris (52 years that day) & Heinz (68 years!): happy B-day on the summit, with guide Bruce

Paul Shaya, climbed Kili in 2007, a very last-minute and specialized trip :-)

 If you want you can put my name on any referral if needed, or post my picture if needed, 7 summits is a good outfit so I hope I can spread the word.

Paul Shaya

Thanks for setting up a great trip. We put 5 out of 6 on top and I got my third continental summit. Bruce was an outstanding guide and Zara put together a first class set up.
 
Once again, thanks for setting up a successful and enjoyable trip. I will be sure to turn on any climbers who are looking to do any of the continental summits guided to look at your site and get a quote from you first and foremost!

Regards, Ron Cerenzo

Ron Cerenzo, leader of a 6 person Kilimanjaro & safari group, 2007

It really helped that you were so flexible in the hotel arrangements and with the refund. The hotel was an oasis after our climb. I plan on doing a few more climbs so hopefully we can use you again. We are thinking of Nepal in October. Now we have two Trumbull's who are climbers, Lance and myself.

thanks again for everything
Kristi"

Kristi Trumbull, part of a 4 person team, Kili and safari, end of 2006

Thanks for reimbursing the money. It was a pity that we didn't get to do the balloon ride (due to the weather), but everything else was perfect so...

Thanks also for all the arrangements. Everything worked perfectly fine. and especially our Kilimanjaro guide and his team were fantastic. If you can do anything on the 7summits website to mention him and his team I'm sure he (and all the groups that end up asking for him!!) would appreciate it. Both my dad and I want to recommend him very much. He is good for basically any kind of group. Not only was he a great guide, knowledgeable about the mountain, all the flowers and animals but he was also simply a great guy to be around. His name is Malisa and he had a team of 6 more persons when we were there. All of them were great and with fabulous service throughout the whole trip. We gave them about the tips that you mentioned on the website, a little more to the guide and the assistant guide (who both of them went out of their way to make our trip the best possible), and they were very happy with that.

I enclose some pictures from the trip. Our guide Malisa is the guy to the far left in a blue T-shirt in the group photo. I am very happy that you recommended the Lemosho route. Excellent views from the west, south and the east sides.

The Safari was great as well. 4 days was a suitable time. Anything less and you may miss out on Serengeti and anything more and you may get tired of more giraffs... and more giraffs... more thompson gasells... and more giraffs...
We saw all the animals we wanted to see (rhino, elephant, leopard, cheeta, lion, hippo, crocodiles, buffalo, wild beast, ostrich etc. etc.)

Thanks again Harry!!

Best Regards,
Magnus and Sven  (Kilimanjaro & Safari 2006)

Doug Thompson and Marc Reichel, Kilimanjaro& safari 2006

Forgive me for not getting back to you sooner. Our climb went very well. The weather was perfect. We had snow at the upper elevations, since we were coming up the shady side of the mountain. It made for some beautiful pictures. Most climbers coming up the other routes saw no snow.

The guide was good. We did struggle with communication at times, due to his limited English skills, but he more than made up for it with his great knowledge of the flora and fauna and his infectious smile. The food was very good. Bob and I think that not only did we not lose the normal two pounds a day climbing, but we may have gained weight on this climb. They even stopped and made us a hot lunch a few times.

We should have listened to your suggestion of a 10 day climb. We skipped a couple of acclimatization days early in the climb because we were feeling good, but we paid for it when we got to the crater. I took a little nap once we got to Crater Camp, even though I was afraid that I might never wake up, but felt well enough afterwards to take a day hike to the ash pit. I kept saying “this better be worth it” on the way up, since it was a bit of a climb, but once I saw the pit I realized it was well worth it. It’s a shame most climbers never see it. It’s quite impressive. We summited the next morning and hiked all the way out that day. We completed the entire climb in 7 days.

Bob and I had a few days before we had to fly home so we went shopping in Moshi one day. It was very amusing and a great way to take in the local culture. Then Zara set us up with a 2 day safari to Manyara Lake and NgoroNgoro Crater. All the suffering on the mountain turned out to be worth it because the safari was awesome! To think we were considering visiting Tanzania without going on a safari now seems ludicrous.

Bob and I very much enjoyed doing business with you and 7summits. We would not hesitate to use your service again. We plan to climb Aconcagua next January, so you may be hearing from us.

Danken U Harry. Oprecht, Cal

Cal Itzaina & Bob Wessels, Kilimanjaro 2005

Cyrus Moqtaderi, part of 6 person group, Kilimanjaro 2005/6

She sent a special 2email afterwards to recommend our guide Bruce (read more about him here)

Bruce is extremely personable, and has a good command of English.

He was unflappable in the face of difficulty: the bus broke down on the way to Lemosho, and we all had to be shuttled up to the trailhead. I thought at that time that we could have trouble accomplishing our goal, but Bruce made sure we got to the trailhead, and brought up the rear, escorting our group to the Big Tree Camp, where we arrived after dark, and from that point we were off and running.

At every break, Bruce checked with members of the party, to see how they were feeling. Members of the party were impressed with his knowledge of mountain safety and altitude sickness, as well as his knowledge of the flora of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We hit a pretty good rainstorm on the way to Karanga Camp, and while we huddled in our tents drying out, Bruce and Faraja went around and dug trenches around our tents to alleviate flooding. He also came out and adjusted the fly on my tent, which was allowing water to leak through at one spot. The tents were always up and ready for us as we got to camp.

Bruce was willing to adjust the schedule when allowable. For instance, at my request, we slept in for an extra hour at Barranco Valley, after the exertions of the previous day. On our return from the summit, he allowed some of the party to rest a bit longer before breaking camp and moving down to Millenium.

Bruce arranged to have 5 guides working with our party on Summit day, and they each did a fabulous job, giving personal attention and encouragement above and beyond what was expected. My niece Macaire wanted to stop at the Crater Rim, but Bruce jollied her along, cajoling her and insisting that she would be sorry if she did not go all the way to Uhuru Peak, and he was absolutely correct. He did not have to spend that extra time and energy on Macaire, and it was awfully nice of him.

In fact, I can say sincerely that our expectations were exceeded, and delightfully so.

It was an awesome trip, Harry, and I wish I could do it again tomorrow. Please use my name to anyone who would like a reference, and thanks again for offering this trip at such a reasonable cost. The picture you have includes Bruce, Zia, Josh, Neda, myself, and Macaire. Zia and Neda are my daughters, and Josh is Zia’s long-time boyfriend; Macaire is my niece. It was really nice to be able to share such a fantastic experience with them. It was also fantastic to be able to summit a 19,340-foot peak with my other friends, most of whom are over 50 like myself.

I have included another picture, a summit photo. This one has (l.to r.) Josh, Zia, Hamisi, Sally, John, Neda, Bruce, Judy, and Macaire.

And, sorry to say, we gave the last T-shirt to Bruce….. but you can send us the Aconcagua Guide Book anyhow…. Some of us are wondering how we can possibly top the Kilimanjaro experience: perhaps you could assign Bruce to our climb?

Best Regards,

Judy Scavone

Judith Scavone and group, 13 persons, Kilimanjaro and safari, 2006

Robert Sattler, part of 13 person Judy Scavone group, Kilimanjaro and safari 2006

Thankfully we all managed to summit, more or less together. Summit night was incredibly difficult though, especially for myself as I had some bad nausea and sickness a few hours into the walk, which triggered a massive nose bleed and left me feeling quite empty. I was expecting to be turned around at that point, but thankfully the guide (Tony) took my bag and never even entertained the idea of going back down.

After a terrible night walking I started to feel better and caught up with everyone else as we
approached Stella Point, which I sort of collapsed on to! Then a can of Red Bull later, I was ready to go for the summit - and what an experience! The view, which was enhanced by the snow that had fallen that night, combined with my exhausted, drunken, hypoxic state left me giggling uncontrollably. Everyone else was absolutely exhausted, but determination got us all to the top, and we got the summit photo which is priceless.

The hotel at Springlands was excellent, and the lodges way were beyond our expectations, with all the staff very welcoming. The guides (Emmanuel, Tony, and Torima on the safari) and porters were brilliant and very entertaining characters. And the safari was the perfect end to a great trip.

So consider yourself recommended to anyone else that I find planning a trip. And we'll be in touch at some point to discuss Aconcagua....!

Many thanks and kind regards, John.

John Sadler and group, Kilimanjaro and safari, 2005

Joshua & Sandra Caballero, Kilimanjaro and safari 2005

“7 Summits.com does it again!

I have known Harry for a while now and have used his services on Elbrus and so when I started to plan my Kilimanjaro Climb for Peace trip – I of course, emailed Harry and had him put it all together. My climb was unique in that I had a team of people from various faiths and cultures spread out across 5 different continents and so having a professional company like 7 Summits.com not only helped me logistically but it gave me peace of mind knowing that Harry was there to take care of things in a professional and organized manner. Everything went perfectly and we all had an incredible experience!

I could have tracked down a local African outfitter myself – spent the extra time and money in doing the research…but why?! For Harry’s price is actually cheaper than going directly through the source! In fact, since the people at the African hotel/agency all knew Harry so well, they gave me an extra discount on certain things just because I was going through 7summits.com!
And so the moral of the story: book through 7summits.com, save money and time – and oh yeah, have an amazing experience as well!

Lance Trumbull
Founder and Leader
The Everest Peace Project
www.EverestPeaceProject.org

" Harry,

We just got in today from our climb and it was amazing! Sarah managed to get to Stella Point before the guide decided that she had had enough, but I continued on and summitted. It was great. The staff were all excellent and the guide definitely made the right decision by having Sarah turn around at Stella. I would like to commend you and the rest of the organization in providing us with an excellent experience. It was incredible. I was able to rent the stuff I was missing, and it all worked out great. We leave for our safari tomorrow and we have sorted out all the details of our flights.

I've definitely learned that I like mountain climbing and am looking for the next challenge. It may be a while from now (need time off from work and cash), but I'm thinking I'd like to try Aconcagua next...definitely with 7summits!

Thanks again for everything,

Mike. "

Mike Fenton, Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro & safari 2005

“Hi Harry,

Just got back yesterday and yes we had a brillant time. (...) Our guide Freddie was brillant and the porters,cook and ass guide were excellent. We got very well looked after and ate like Kings. The Safari was the coolest experience ever and our guide Mohamed was a legend. All in all our African experience was one we will never forget. Thanks for putting it together for us, we will highly reccommend 7summits to anyone who asks.”
Regards Liam & Fran Lynch

Kilimanjaro & Safari 2005

" Hi Harry,
Dear Harry, So we are back safe and EXTREMELY happy with the services provided. Indeed, both of us summited on Dec 30 in a perfect weather: sunny, not cold at all and almost no wind. Except for the last 300 meters which are hard to climb due to altitude, the climb was very pleasant. We summited from Camp II (Nido de Condores) and we were back to basecamp to celebrate New Year. We were already ready for our first summit attempt from Camp II on Dec 28, but it was snowing that day and we decided to descend to basecamp. The next day on Dec 29, we came back to Camp II and the second attempt was the good one. This allowed us to finish the climb 3 days earlier than planned (..).

About the trip, everything was perfect. The food was the best we ever had during a mountain climb, people were very nice and helpful, we felt part of a family. All the place we visited were very clean, we ate all fruits and vegetables without getting sick, the tents were great. Our guide was the best we could have, very flexible but at the same very professional at keeping us safe, and he became a good friend after 2 weeks. His encouragements during the last part of the climb in the canaletta were greatly appreciated. Also, services provided at Puente del Inca were perfect and we liked the Hostel. So only positive points, I don't see any negative aspects in this trip, we would recommend it to anyone interested in climbing Aconcagua.
 

Thank you for organizing this trip for us, it is indeed a good start of 2005! I did not have time yet to sort my pictures, I might send you a few by the end of this week.
Best regards, Nathalie"

Nathalie Virag, Private Aconcagua climb, 2004/5

Jeff Chase, September 18, 2004

" Hi Harry,
I thought I would send a quick e-mail to let you know that my Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro trip went perfectly. Well done to 7summits for an excellent trip. The good service provided by my guide, porters, cook, etc on the mountain made the climbs very enjoyable. I was expecting to lose weight on the trip but there was so much good quality food provided by the cook that I think I actually gained weight during my trip!

The most exhausting part of the trip was actually the flights to/from Australia! I safely made it to the summit of both mountains with no problems.
 

Well done again on organising the trip. I will certainly be considering 7summits for my next trip, Aconcagua probably in Jan 06. Here are a couple of photos from my trip.
Regards, Matthew Foote "

Matthew Foote, Kilimanjaro & Mt Meru, 2004

Just got down from the mountain today, did the decent in 1 day instead of the 2.
My guide and I were the first people to summit the mountain this morning. The trip was awesome, and I really want to say thank you very much for helping make this dream come true. I will try and put together a trip report soon.

Thanks Again!
Dan" 

Daniel Skempton, Kilimanjaro 2004

i would just like to thank you very much for the fantastic organisation you demonstrated for our the ELBRUS trip. The guys are fantastic and the atmosphere was really cool. Also it was really worth it to bring the skies. we skied from the saddle down to the barrels... it was really great! As soon as i get the pictures in a digital format I'll try to post them on your website."

Fabio Martinelli, Elbrus 2004

Michel Waechter, Elbrus 2004

Our trip was wonderful, both Kilimanjaro and safari (including days at Springland hotel). Also guides, cook and porters were very good with us. As you know local people and places are special! Moreover we reach the top of Kilimanjaro and it is really top of Africa.

Infact we see other mountains usually on top of Alps. On top of Kilimanjaro it is incredible especially the sunset and ice! I hope that in the future (when we save other money) we can come with you for Aconcagua expedition!"

Elena Campani, Kilimanjaro & Safari 2003

My trip to Elbrus was great! Everything was very well organized, Russian food tasty, professional and nice guides, and strong group (10 participants - we all made the summit of Elbrus, weather was windy and bit cold but tolerable anyhow).

So thanks for everything Harry!"

Mari H, Finland, Elbrus 2003

Patty Hill, Kilimanjaro 2002

(and yes, she treated us on a very nice meal when we returned to Anchorage! Thanks Patty :-)

"7summits arranged THE WORKS for us. More than two weeks of perfect arrangements, not only on the Kilimanjaro, but also during the safari trips: Excellent mountain guides, very pleasant porters to carry the heavy load (mind you, climbing the Kili is breathtaking by itself, I didn't fancy to also carry a backpack containing over 14 kilograms of warm sweaters, thermal underwear etc etc.)

Safari was great: An excellent cook, good 4x4, and more than enough sightings of wildlife. Even saw three rhino's.

The only disappointment was the time we spend on the borders of Lake Victoria, but unfortunately 7summits wasn't to blame here: We organized this part of the trip ourselves....."

PJ Willems, Kilimanjaro & safari 2001

Well, when I was at Mt. Elbrus I noticed that the other groups were staying at the same comfortable places, eating the same delicious food, having access to the same equipment and services, along with being guided in a very similar way. 

There was really no difference; except for the fact that they were spending two to three times the amount that I had paid! I used to believe in the old saying-"you get what you pay for". However, no more-for in this case I got much, much more.

For a very inexpensive price I got amazing service and was extremely impressed and happy with every aspect of the trip. And yes, I reached the summit! 

I would highly recommend 7 Summits to anyone interested in having an adventure of a life time."

Lance Trumbull, USA, 7summits.com Elbrus, August 2002

Thanks for everything. It was great." 

Kelly, Kilimanjaro & Safari 2002