REAL LIFE ADVENTURE TRAVEL

We did the Lemosho 8 day hike with Real Life Adventure Travel and I cannot recommend this company enough! We really had the most amazing experience and it was all due to Real Life Adventure Travel and their overall expertise and preparedness.

TLDR: Real Life Adventure Travel treats their employees excellently, has immense expertise about how to make a successful Kilimanjaro trip, and made us feel extremely safe the entire time we were in Tanzania. Everything about the trip exceeded my expectations!

The whole story: When we were first searching for a company we knew we would only go with KPAP (Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Project) organizations because these companies have been proven to treat all their workers well and pay them fairly. It was very clear from us from the beginning that everyone at Real Life Adventure Travel (RLAT) loved working for the company and that there is a legitimate and noticeable difference between the KPAP and non-KPAP companies for the employees. Our group researched all 50 KPAP organizations and Real Life Adventure Travel gave us the best price for the most amount of stuff included on the trip and gave us the most peace of mind when we were going through the process of choosing companies and routes. Also, we learned later on the trip, that many of the people at RLAT are either family or have grown up in the same villages since childhood, so it really feels like a family company where everyone is treated fairly and with respect and love.

One of the best and most unique offerings from RLAT is that they offer 2 nights in a hotel before you go to the mountain. We were coming from the USA and thus the flight was very long and we certainly had jet lag! For gear, RLAT is extremely well equipped to rent truly anything you may need for the hike. The RLAT equipment shop is just a 5 minute walk from the hotel so it was extremely easy.

Our guides, Abel and Mark, had summited Kili a combined 500+ times. They knew exactly how to make sure we had a wonderful trip and to get us all to the top safely! We had health checks 2 times a day and also had briefings about the hike each day. Our guides were there to share their expertise, stories, and ensure that we felt safe and happy the whole trip.

We also had an excellent cook, Bruno, who made us impressive, hot, multi-course meals with fresh fruits and vegetables every single day on the mountain! It was really remarkable how wonderful the food was given that were were hiking a large mountain— we were so impressed and pleasantly surprised. We also had a wonderful waiter, Emmanuel, who made sure the food tent was always ready, that we had fresh water to drink, that we had warm water for washing, and to bring us coffee in our tents in the morning.

We had a team of 11 porters with us every day and the RLAT team made an effort to make sure we knew everyone on our team. By the end of the trip we knew all of the porters names and were able to shout encouragement to them each day as they speedily passed all of us on the trail to beat us to the next camping ground. Our porters were all so wonderful and taught us songs in Swahili and danced with us when we made it to the bottom.

Everything on this trip was planned meticulously by Freddie, Hans, and the whole team at RLAT. They thought of everything including a portable charger to take photos on your phone during the summit day (the guides also take photos and can send them along if you want to leave your phone behind), comfortable sleeping mats, having the ability to send up a porter to bring anything you may need along the way, a celebration party on the last day, getting us ground floor hotel rooms the day we got back from hiking, and so much more. We also had a birthday on the trip and the team went above and beyond to notice the birthday on our check in materials and made us feel special by including a CAKE while we were on the mountain (and another cake when we got to the bottom)!

RLAT is a wonderful company and the whole hiking team truly made the best experience for our whole group.

Really it's good ????

When you book a Kilimanjaro hike, you trust the tour operator with a lot of money and with your life.

With Freddie from Real Life Adventure Travel, both are in the best possible hands. First, RLAT has been a member of KPAP (the Kili Porter Assistance Project) since its founding in 2009, meaning members of the crew are paid adequately, get their money quickly, and do not have to carry too much weight. (Sounds like a given for all operators? It isn't. So whatever you do, book with a KPAP affiliated operator.) And from all the KPAP operator we contacted, Freddie offered the best package with a really good price! Second, climbing Kilimanjaro is not your ordinary Sunday hike. It goes _very_ high. Some people won't make it. And some people get altitude sickness (which can be life-threatening). On our trip, we got a twice daily health checkup, where pulse and blood oxygen were measured. Emergency oxygen was available and Freddie was checking in via phone daily to ensure we're doing well. Lastly, our guides Octavian and Issaya were experienced, could explain and give details about everything, including the risks attached, kept us updated how well we were doing, and we really felt protected and well cared for.

In general, Octavian and Issaya did a great job, and so did the whole team! You could feel that they enjoy working for RLAT. Our chef Antipas prepared delicious and (that's even more important) energy yielding meals. There was hot food three times a day (porridge, hot lunch, hot dinner), always served in a tent to be protected from the wind and sun. Our camps were well-chosen and a toilet tent was included in the price (and having a toilet tent was more important than we initially realised). The whole team of 16 people felt like family after 6 days.

All in all: we can only fully recommend booking a Kilimanjaro Trek with Real Life Adventure Travel!

Great company with even better owners and all of their staff. They truly go above and beyond to make your experience of hiking Kilimanjaro memorable. All new equipment, good food, and above all their hospitality is worth more than 5 stars. I would happily choose them again and recommend everyone to go with this company!

5 of us did the 7 day Machame route to Kilimanjaro in Oct 2022. From the beginning communication was excellent. We were working with the owner Freddy and his son Hans. We got picked up from the airport and were taken to Kilimanjaro Wonders hotel for the night. Hotel included in our package was very clean, spacious rooms and amazing breakfast was included. Hans and his crew checked our gear night before our hike and provided anything we missed or had asked for.
Tents we stayed in were in excellent condition. Our package included cots with mattress and sleeping bags. This was much needed after a long day of hiking and you need to change, pack and un pack. Every meal they provided us was very tasty and high quality food. They catered to all our requests. Anything we asked for, they made a supply run every other day and got it for us.
Their crew worked extremely hard to make sure we made it to the summit with safety as their first priority. On the night of the summit night they really stepped up their game even more in helping us out in every way they could. Really grateful for their teams hard work. We would not have been able to reach the summit if it wasnt for them.
I decided to come down the mountain on the same day while other stayed the 6th night on the mountain. Mr Hans made special arrangements to make sure he gave a guide who would bring me to the base, a driver waiting for me at the base to take me to the hotel and Mr Freddy waiting at the hotel to make sure I do not have any issues checking in.
One our last day they threw a big lunch party for our group where all of the porters and crews came to congratulate us and gave our completion certificates. They had food, drinks, cake and live band for us.
I highly recommend Real life adventures and they is not one negative thing I can stay about the owners and their crew.

Few things below I would recommend for your hike.
*Private toilet add on should be a must.
*Private shower add on, you really don't need it as its so cold and even they provide hot water only 2 people in our group took showers 1 day out of the 7 days.
* If you request Real life adventures they will provide with battery pack to charge your electronics
* Do not take summit night lightly. Make sure you layer up with lot more layers than you have been last few days of your hike. I had two socks and two layers of hand gloves but I was still very cold.
* Follow the speed they recommend. It will be helpful for your success rate.