I could not recommend it enough to anybody considering a climb with kilimanjaro vikings! We booked through Charlie via email and his communication throughout was fantastic. Our guide was Issak... read more and i could not have asked for a better guide to get myself and my three fiends to the top. Being four girls who had never done anything like it, we needed someone with patience and Isaak had plenty. We felt safe and well looked after, he was friendly and great company, he taught us the art of hiking and constantly checked on us to make sure we were ok. The food we were given was amazing, i had never expected to be fed so well whilst being so high on a mountain! We were given three courses for every meal, a hot breakfast, an afternoon snack with hot drinks and the volume was plenty. It tasted really good too! All thanks to the porters for they incredible commitment to such a tough job. I've never seen a group of people work so physically hard with so much humility and willingness. They were all friendly and welcoming each time we arrived at camp. I could not have asked for a better experience getting to the top of that beautiful mountain and its an experience i will remember for a lifetime. The machame 6 day route was the best 6 days of my life. Thank you so much to Isaak, Charlie, Raphael (our mountain waiter and assistant guide), the porters and everyone else in the team. Im sure i will be back!!

Note, please note that to pay for your trip you must wire the payment online prior to arrival - this is how i paid for my trip and it was safe and secure, Charlie was there to collect us from the airport. Otherwise pay cash in US dollars on arrival. If either of these options are not done, payment can be stressful as it is difficult to get US dollars out when you are there, the amount in Shillings is too large to withdraw without accruing a high ATM charge and for companies to use Card payment in Moshi is difficult and time consuming.

  Amazing time with the team at Kilimanjaro Vikings visiting the various tribes of Tanzania. Charlie and is team and truly professional and took care of me from the day I... read more arrived until the day I departed. The trip was everything I could of imagined and his guiding team and cook went out of their way to make everything as comfortable as possible. T

  I found Kilimanjaro Vikings in a brilliant book about Mt Kilimanjaro. Charlie the owner was very responsive and provided precise information about the trip. After comparing ca 12 offers,... read more I selected Kilimanjaro Vikings based on an overall impression, information, price, and reviews.
When I landed in Tanzania, the chief guide, Scoba Happygod, waited for me at the airport with the transfer. Upon arriving to Moshi, I paid the outstanding balance and we checked my gear together. Next day, we departed on the Machame Route 6d/5n.
Everything went very smooth. Scoba Happygod, the chief guide is very knowledgeable and polite. He was very clear every time about the plans and how to prepare. The motivation he provided on the summit night was critical to reach the crater of Kilimanjaro.
We had an excellent assistant guide, Gaudis, who is always positive and full of energy. Sometimes he was going ahead, leading the team, carrying our lunch to Lawa Tower and Kili crater.
The food in Tanzania is super tasty, and our cook, Thomas, prepared every dish with special care. I'm vegetarian while my improvised climbing partner, Chiaki, does eat meat, but it was not an issue at all for Thomas. We enjoyed the warm fulfilling and tasty dishes every time.
The porters did an extremely heavy job carrying each 20kg. Honestly, they are not very well equipped and for some this is the first time on the mountain. But they did a tremendous job carrying our tent, gear, food, etc. We were very lucky with the weather as it did not rain during the 6 days in November, which is the short rain season (this is exceptional!). During the final ceremony and tipping, we slightly increased the porters tip and I left some of my gear to them, which was much appreciated.
Once finished my trip in Tanzania, I got the transfer from Moshi to the airport. All went very smooth and well!

Only recommendation to the agency is to mention that one porter will have extra activity being the waiter (keeping the dining tent clean and tidy, serving food, washing dishes) and double check that porters have the minimum gear for cold and wet conditions.

For travellers, I can highly recommend Kilimanjaro Vikings (Charlie), chief guide Scoba Happygod, and assistant guide Gaudence. They are a great team! I saw that some other agency adds some extra show (i.e songs and dance in the morning), but I found that a bit too funny anyway. Also, like me you might consider too to increase the tip for the porters and/or leave some gear behind for them.