Myself and a few other pilots are in Arusha for a week for work, and we like to get out and explore, so we decided to book a day trip to bike to basecamp of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Mandara Hut).
We booked the trip for 4 of us, we're met in the hotel by all three people, the owner, the guide, and the driver.
After a few hours drive, we started the hike.
It was a long day, but full of amazing views, great conversation, and lots of amazing things learned hiking, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and safety from our guide Zakayo (he also goes by Zak).
Zak knew so much about everything, was happy to share and teach, and you can really tell he has passion about his home, hiking, being connected to the mountain, and a love to introduce that to other people.
He even took it a step further and taught us about the Tanzanian people, and Swahili culture.
Zack absolutely made the day, and went so far above and beyond, that that's all my friends and I could talk about on the few hours car ride back.
Side note, for those that want to do the full 7-9 day Mt. Kilimanjaro trek to the summit, trust me, Zak is your guy for this mission and you absolutely want him.
He's very knowledgeable about climate, weather, human factors such as how we're affected by elevation, and what to do should problems or issues arise.
Do check this company out, they were great, on time, communicated very well, and take a lot of pride in the service they offer.
Zak's English is great too and kept us laughing most of the time, we all need a Zak in this world!!
Our driver Gucci was awesome too.
All the best and safe travels everyone.