When it comes to trekking to Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the options are quite endless! There are over 4000 operators who run expeditions and tours. However, not all of these are created equal. This post is an unbiased review of my experience summiting Mount Kilimanjaro with Ian Taylor Trekking. This is not a sponsored post and all thoughts are my own .
Background – How I Found Ian Taylor Trekking
I did Everest Base Camp in November 2023 and didn’t have the best experience. I don’t talk even once about the tour operator I did it with despite writing several successful blog posts about Everest Base Camp (these posts range from what to pack to tips). This is because I am not one of those people who will recommend something or someone if they are not good. My biggest complain about the trek was how fast we went. Despite a couple of us calling the speed out, it felt like the guides catered to the faster folks on the group and let them set the pace instead of catering to the whole group.
One of the females who were unhappy about the speed had successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro a few years prior. When I told her I would love to summit Kilimanjaro but was unsure if I’ll be able to because of my EBC experience, she told me that she had summited Kilimanjaro with Ian Taylor Trekking and that her experience was nothing compared to EBC. She told me that the pace was much slower and that she really enjoyed her experience. I was sold! You see, I’m a stop and smell the roses kind of person! When I hike, I like to go slow and take the views in! I like to look back often, because sometimes the best views are behind you! All this is difficult to do if the rest of the group is running up the mountain.
The Best Team
We had a 15 member crew for just 2 people! This crew ranged from a chef and sous chef to a security personnel that attended to our camp site. It also included several porters and those that did specialized roles like a person to serve our food, person in charge of tents, person who washed the dishes etc . We also had a guide and assistant guide who were able to give us 1:1 attention throughout the 8 days.
In addition, Ian Taylor also has female guides and tour operators, providing equal opportunities for all!
Back at home base, Ian, Laura and Erin are always available to answer any questions you have, even the ones I thought were silly and trivial. They also provided a 47 page dossier that outlined everything you need to know about the trek, from what to pack to how to train. The entire team is very much invested in your success from the get-go.
Food
The food on the trek was unbelievable! It’s not unusual to lose weight after climbing Kilimanjaro but not me! I ate SO good on the trek! Not only was there a wide variety of food, it was also really tasty! The pumpkin soup, avocado salad, chapati, banana fritters were some of my favorites! Each meal is 3 course and I was always so full. In addition, the food was honestly a HUGE game changer for me compared to EBC where I either skipped breakfast or ate a slice of toast (sometimes for multiple meals). Having fresh and tasty food ensured I had the strength and energy to complete the trek.
A sample menu included the following:
- Breakfast – porridge, pancakes, toast, eggs, sausages, sweet potatoes, fruit
- Lunch – soup, a fried appetizer, cheese toast, a carb, protein and vegetable, fruit
- Tea – popcorn, cookies and or peanuts
- Dinner – soup, 1-2 carbs, protein, vegetables, fruit
In addition, the following were always available – flavored and plain tea, coffee, milk, drinking chocolate, milo, jam, peanut butter, NUTELLA!, honey.
Attention to Detail and the Little Things
The best part about trekking to Kilimanjaro with Ian Taylor was the attention to detail. First you have a briefing the day prior to starting the trek where the guides will check all of your gear to make sure you have everything you need prior to taking off. If you need to rent gear like sleeping bags and duffle bags, they also have these available. Every day when we got to camp, our mattress was inflated and our camp shoes were taken out of our bags and kept aside for us. There was always a crew member waiting for our arrival to dust off our shoes and pants. That same crew member really went above and beyond and also washed our shoes on the last day! Another crew member came running to take our backpacks from us as soon as we got to camp.
We also had a portable toilet. This was another game changer. My experience using the public camp bathrooms on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu still bring me shivers down my spine! This portable toilet is even set up at lunch spots too. Some companies make this an optional extra but a portable toilet is always standard with Ian Taylor Trekking.
We had an amazing avocado salad on day 1 which I raved so much daily that they made us an avocado salad as a part of our last meal *insert happy tears here*! These little things really went a long way on the mountain and these were some of the things that made doing Kilimanjaro with Ian Taylor a truly unforgettable experience.
Other Services
If you are looking to do a safari before or after a trek, Ian Taylor Trekking also offers this service. I did a 2 day safari covering Tarangire National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater before I trekked Kilimanjaro and it was very well organized. I saw a lot of wildlife and stayed overnight at a beautiful farmhouse close to the crater.
Investing Back in Africa
If you ask most people for their criteria for picking a tour operator, a lot of people will say to make sure it’s a local operator. While Ian Taylor is not a local operator, all of the staff who work there are and speak very highly of the company. It’s very telling when those who have previously worked for other operators have not only successfully stayed with Ian Taylor but also sing the company’s praises. Ian sponsors his staff interested in becoming guides to go to school and get educated in guiding. This is huge! Not only is he investing in his people, his people in turn are professionals. I definitely noticed the difference here between the guides on the EBC trek and the guides on the Kilimanjaro trek.
In addition to investing in his local team, Ian Taylor Trekking also gives back to the community by helping the Themi Orphanage in Arusha. See here for more on this.
If you want to get in touch with Ian Taylor, you can email them at info@iantaylortrekking.com
I wrote a day-by-day detailed post about my experience trekking the Lemosho route. Check it out HERE!
