Published on Apr, 2025
UPDATED April'25: I wanted to highlight this review again, after completing the EBC Trek with another provider (Follow Alice: where the decline in service was astounding: no oxygen provided, $10 food budget/limited water and food supplies, poor English speaking guide). Please TRUST Altezza and don't even consider other options. They will make sure you are safe, fed and well taken care of!
ORIGINAL July'24: I just completed the seven day Machame route and wanted to give a shout out to each Altezza Team member who made this journey unforgettable!
Ten (10*) stars go to Vlada (Sales Manager at the HQ office) and Doris (Tour Manager at the hotel in Moshi). Vlada has been my rock for many
months, answering countless questions and making sure I have all the right information needed. She e-held my hand and was invaluable when it came to preparation and successful onboarding. She offered suggestions and made certain accommodations to ensure I got all I needed prior to departure. Then came Doris, who greeted me at the hotel, offered help and gave orientation to ensure I am ready for the adventure. Moreover, she assisted with any unexpected requests I had (room, dinner, rentals, packing) and her professionalism as well as super friendly attitude made me feel very welcomed and taken care of!
Then came the Guides: Under the exceptional leadership of Stanley Minja (a passionate dude who previously reached the summit 200 times, including a bike ride), all Guides made sure that I successfully completed the trek and summited Uhuru. I want to profoundly thank Stanley, Emanuel, Jonas, Beltram, Godfrey and Eric for all the support and encouragement as well as the help during the summit night - I could have not done it without you!
Altezza is definitely the biggest employer in Moshi, hiring the best Staff and making sure the service is top quality. They have the best camping spots (far away from the entrance/exit, allowing quiet nights), the best food (our Chef should get a Michelin star, serving new dishes every day, and the best soups in the world), the best porters and servers (61 people made my tour possible), and last but not least, medically trained Guides who came through when needed (we had two emergencies that ended in a helicopter rescue). The whole Altezza Team worked very hard to ensure our experience exceeds our expectations. I even got a birthday cake, which was completely mind blowing, given we were above the clouds and they somehow pulled it off!
In regards to the climb in general: To say the physical experience to the top was a challenge is a complete understatement. Having previously only been up to 14,000 ft, 19,340 ft was insane! Every day was demanding, with lots of distance to cover, rock scrambling and other obstacles. The elevation gain every day was intense but the Guides made sure we are taking it one step at the time. The “pole pole” pace was infuriating at first (I’m an experienced trekker so I felt we moved in a snail pace), but paid off at the end when climbing up to the summit required everyone to slow down and be humble. The Guides acted as guardian angels on the summit night - they put clothes on us, fed us, gave us water, held our hands all the way to the top, while everyone was fighting the altitude sickness, unable to take care of themselves. I was feeling great day 1-5, but was totally out of it on day 6, throwing up and having difficulty breathing when summiting - each Guide helped me at one point, and the porter (Nickson Isaria) carried my backpack which helped tremendously. I stood at the summit grateful for all of them and can highly recommend Altezza as the best outfitter in Tanzania.
Was there anything that didn’t go well? Absolutely! There were several things that could use improvement and I shared my thoughts with Altezza team separately. But what you need to keep in mind is the perspective. This is a huge expedition and what matters is the big picture, not the small stuff. This is a very mentally challenging trek. The mountain brought the worse in me: I went from mental state of uncontrolled happiness to deep sadness, darkest anxiety and pure anger. I cried being happy, I cried being scared. That being said, if there were things that weren’t perfect, I understand. What matters most is that all 14 of us summited and returned home safe & sound, hence the 5 star review. I would sign up again!
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