People make your Safari and Kilimanjaro trip. And these are the people who will elevate your experience beyond the basics. Booking a lodge, driving through a national park – that’s the easy stuff. But your guides, drivers, porters, and cooks are truly the heart and soul behind your adventure. We hire and train first-class crew to accompany you on your journey. To you, these are all unknown faces. To us, they are experts at what they do, each of whom has unique and special qualities.
The quality of our team is evident by the reviews pouring in from our travelers. Here are some descriptions of each type of crew member and excerpts from a recent traveler’s review that reflects on these guys all working together to provide a trip of a lifetime.
Wildlife Safari Guides
Your safari is brought to life by your guide. Your guide carries a comprehensive wealth of knowledge and passion for sharing Tanzania with you. They are wildlife experts, trained to provide you with information about the animals, ecosystems, environments, Tanzanian culture and more. They also take time to get to know you – your personalities and preferences – so the safari is a truly customized and personal experience.
“I do not know what else to say about our driver-guide, Peter, other than I consider myself particularly lucky to have gotten to know him as both a Safari guide, and a friend. That is not something you can say very often about a guided tour while on vacation. Peter’s an all-around great guy that was deeply knowledgeable of the animals and off-road routes through the bush. Whether we were driving through the bush or hanging around the camp having a beer and enjoying dinner, I feel very privileged to have had Peter as our guide for this segment of the trip.”
Mountain Guides
Our Kilimanjaro guides are exceedingly experienced and skilled to lead you to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. All lead guides are Wilderness First Responder certified, making them skilled in handling emergencies, with a focus on treating and preventing acute mountain sickness. On all treks there is a minimum of one guide per two climbers to ensure all traveler needs are met and the proper attention is paid to each person’s health and safety.
“Our mountain guides, Yahya and Erick, did an excellent job of both ensuring we made it to the summit, but also making it a safe and highly enjoyable experience through the length of the climb. Both gentlemen were excellent guides, and anyone lucky enough to climb Kilimanjaro with them in the future are in for a great trip.”
Cooks
Nutritious and delicious meals are paramount to your summit success. Our cooks are trained by professionals in the field and are re-trained each year on new methods and dishes. They also accommodate any specific dietary requirements such as vegetarian and gluten free.
“Our chef, Lucas, provided us with delicious meals and snacks during our trek. He was also very accommodating with the menu whenever we would make requests.”
Porters
Your Kilimanjaro trek is accompanied by a group of porters who will carry your personal gear and the supplies needed for your trek, such as food, equipment, and other provisions. Pristine Trails is partnered with the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, ensuring ethical and fair pay and treatment of the porters who climb with you.
“I owe the successes I experienced on this trip to each one of the hardworking men. I certainly could not have made it to the top without this amazing crew of mountain porters.”
But porter duties do not simply include carrying all of the trek gear. Once arriving at camp, they go above and beyond to ensure camp is set up, water is available and assume additional roles as follows:
Waiter
Yes, you read that right – a waiter. Your waiter will serve all your meals and snacks from the kitchen tent, handle all the dishes, relay your requests to the cook and ensure your water bottles are always full.
“Our “waiter”, Philipo, was ever present and at the ready to make sure we had everything we needed while at camp. He was excellent at his job and an all-around great guy to have with us on the climb.”
Summit Porter
Safety is our number one priority. You will trek to the summit with your guides and special porters designated for the summit. These porters carry emergency supplies like oxygen and some goodies like a thermos of hot ginger tea.
“Sijalli, our summit porter, is just an all-around bad a**. If you want to feel utterly out classed in terms of strength and fitness on the mountain look no further than this man.”
Portable Toilet Porter
One key piece of equipment you’ll have on your trek is a private portable toilet. While not a glamorous job, the toilet does need to be emptied and cleaned each day to maintain hygiene and your comfort.
“Malaki oversaw the portable toilet on the way up. What else can I say other than “good man.” Not a fun job, but a necessary one that I was incredibly grateful for.”
Anyone who books with Pristine in the future would be extremely lucky to have any of these guys on their teams.
The Office
You have met your Trip Expert and together planned a memorable trip. During the planning stage, the local office jumps in to make accommodation bookings, schedule your crew, organize equipment and make necessary payments. Once you arrive, they see that your trip runs seamlessly from the moment your flight lands to when you depart.
“…to folks like Joel back at the office in Moshi went above and beyond to ensure the trip went smoothly, and that we had a great time. It is the extra level of dedication that these guys showed us that would lead me to highly recommend this company to anyone and everyone!”
“All in all, I think anyone who is considering a trip to Tanzania should look no further than Pristine.”
Cooper B., January-February 2021
