Hi Jeremy,
I have tried to fill in the feedback questionnaire twice and it won’t work, so I thought I would send you an email instead – I don’t know if I will be able to get it into words how good the whole experience has been, but I will try….
(I put 5 for every question!!)
From the moment we confirmed the booking, the entire process and organisation couldn’t have been smoother. Jeremy’s passion, knowledge and experience of Kilimanjaro is second to none that I have experienced, and the information provided prior to the trip was outstanding. This really showed on the mountain, as the others in our open group had booked through other agents and they were all impressed with the amount of information included in the itinerary to the map of Kilimanjaro which we all spent some time looking at after dinner one night!
The African Walking Company were simply fantastic – to climb with the same company as the Comic Relief Group and even with the same guide who took Ben Fogle to the top is a real privilege, and the staff were absolutely fantastic – there isn’t a single thing I would fault about any of them! Mussa, our chief guide and Saidi and Julius, the 2 assistant guides, all brought something different to the dynamic of the group – and all were paramount to the success of the whole group getting to the top. I am sure everyone says the same, but without them I would definitely not have made it – they had really taken the time to get to know us all and work out what would motivate us to the top – given that this was my second attempt to summit, Mussa was never going to let me give up without a fight and constantly encouraged me when I really thought I was close to quitting – I’m getting emotional just writing this!!
Obviously reaching the summit was the main aim, but there were so many achievements along the way and other highlights – Lent Hills, Arrow Glacier and even the Baranco Wall (although I was certain I was dying going over that!) And coming down via the rainforest seeing blue and colobus monkeys was great, especially as the Shira Route misses the rainforest on the way up! Seeing it going down allows you to appreciate it more as you have more time to take it in – it’s a very refreshing sight compared to the continuous dust and stone of the previous 7 days!
I’ve raved about G&M to everyone I have spoken to, and if there were anyone planning to climb I would do all in my power to make sure they booked with you! And I am already planning where I could go next with G&M for 2017 – Vietnam looks great!
Jeremy and the team – my sincerest thanks for everything, I have had the trip of a lifetime and it is so sad to be back, but there’s always another adventure to be planned!!
Catherine