Trekili Eco Expeditions
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- TATO, FLY DOCTOR, LEAVE No TRACE & GLOBAL RESCUE
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari of a lifetime with Trekili in Tanzania!! A huge thanks to Joseph and to our driver Themba
Our family chose Trekili for a trip that took us through Tanzania. The trip was perfectly organised and everything went off without a hitch. Our route went to Lake Manyara, up through to the Northern Serengeti and then back to Arusha via the Ngorogoro Crater. All the many required permits were organised seamlessly. Our itinerary was personalized to exactly what we had planned.
Our Guide and driver was Themba. What an amazing experience he gave us. His local knowledge was unparalleled, any question was answered thoroughly. He was a very good driver, polite and it was a privilege to have him as our companion on such a fantastic holiday. We experienced three different migrations, one of which was a migration of over 5000 Wildebeest.
Trekili's attention to detail and tireless effort will never be forgotten. The cherry on the top was that Joseph, the company director, took the time out to look after my daughter after my husband and I had left Tanzania. He took her out for the day into Arusha to see the local sights and taste some local food plus ensuring that she arrived safely at the airport for her trip home. What an amazing host and company.
I have no hesitation in recommending this special company. Trekili is a wonderful ambassador to tourism in Tanzania.
CH
Email Mike | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lemosho 8 Day Hike
I was very impressed by Trekili; the guides and staff were very nice while supporting our team's climb and I would guess we were not the easiest team to support. I'm not sure that we would have achieved the hike without this group.
Equipment was great along with the list of items that were suggested to pack was spot on. Food was amazing, likely better than I would normally eat at my home!
US
Email Dr. McDermid | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Cultural walking tour and Mt Meru climb
Joseph and the Trekili staff were experts in their arrangements and held themselves to high standard of service and customer satisfaction. The guides made me feel welcome (which was very appreciated a solo female traveler) and they were very passionate about their work. They established a good pace with me and were careful to explain the scenery, culture and life along the way. They were also honest about what to expect on the trek/summit (which we had to undertake in pouring rain through the night!). I heard other guides telling their clients that they were "almost there - 10 more minutes", which is frustrating after 40 minutes of hearing that. However, Trekili's guides provided honest assessments of the path ahead, which made getting to the top that much more rewarding. I think ultimately you get what you pay for, and I'm glad that I entrusted my experience to Trekili.
Email Chris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Kili trek and Safari
We used Trekili for our climb up Kili and safari and couldn't recommend them highly enough- they were amazing. Our UK tour operator- Stubborn Mule- organised our trip using Trekili as the local operator.
Safari details:
After our first night staying in Planet Lodge, Arusha, we were picked up early by our safari guide/driver, Amenieli, after a lovely breakfast. The safari truck was the perfect size for us, which included 4 adults and 3 young children and all of our suitcases, hand luggage etc. It was a Toyoto Landcruiser long wheelbase, which 90% of safari companies use. After a brief stop in Arusha to pick up some Tanzanian Shillings (get them from an ATM located at the supermarket, whilst picking up a few food/drink items for your trip) we set off on our way to our Safari.
We had 6 days on the road, going to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. We stayed at Maramboi Tented Camp for 1 night, which was amazing; Ngorongoro Farmhouse for 2 nights- very pleasant; Lake Ndutu Luxury Tented Lodge- again, amazing; and lastly Rhino Lodge- the most basic of our stays, but highly recommended.
Our guide was great. He was extremely knowledgable of all animals, the route and was really friendly. Travelling with 3 young children- aged 2, 4 & 6- he was so patient in what can be long drives during the day. Not once did he get annoyed or frustrated when the children had their occasional moans.
Overall, we could not have been happier with our safari. Our guide made sure we saw all the animals we wanted to (all of them!) including making sure our 6 year old saw the male lion she so wanted to see.
Kilimanjaro Trek:
Incredible. So much better than we could have ever imagined. I can't recommend them highly enough. It was a once in a lifetime trip which could not have been any better. My wife and I decided to the trek just the 2 of us, with no other climbers. This turned out to be a great decision and amazing to experience the climb together.
We opted for the "Alternative Lemosho Route via the Northern Circuit". Again, we would highly recommend this route. It is more expensive than other routes due to the starting point and the fact that very few people go via the Northern Circuit. This was ideal as it meant we saw for climbers for the majority of our trek, which meant it was so peaceful and for large amounts of time we felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. Other routes are not nearly as peaceful.
We had 15 (!) porters just for the 2 of us, which included our guide and assistant guide. They were so friendly and kind and we would recommend all of them. They treated us like royalty the whole trek. The food was amazing everyday and simply blew us away what they could make for us up a mountain. It included lots of fresh fruit/veg and massive portions 3 meals a day. We also were treated to afternoon tea/coffee with popcorn or biscuits.
Tents were of high quality, very new and more than big enough for us. There was a large mess tent just for us and a private, flushable toilet, which we would definitely recommend paying the extra for- the long-drop toilets on the mountain aren't great!
Our guides, Mathew & Gaudence, were amazing. Ask for them by name for your trek. They were so friendly, knowledgable and were the difference in us getting to the summit. Don't be under any illusion that this is an easy trek. It's not. Summit night in particular is very difficult, mostly due to the altitude, but also the steepness, cold and length of the day. You'll start at midnight, summit around 6 am and finish your walk down about 3pm. Not for faint-hearted. Having said that, this company will do their very, very best to make sure you get to the top.
Trekili owner, Joseph, kept in touch with us the whole time making sure that our trip was going well. He was always available to contact by phone/email before and during our trip and even came to meet us the evening before our Kili trek.
Highly, highly recommended.
Very Happy and Great Value for the Money
My mom and I were very happy with Trekili's services for our trip to northern Tanzania in November 2014. We did four days of safari (Lake Manyara, Seringeti, and Ngorogoro) and a three-day climb of Mt Meru. We were particularly impressed with the quality of the staff working with us; Jeff made the most delicious food, Matthew was a fantastic guide who was invaluable on summit day, and Puck was a very professional driver/guide for the safari. Camping on the Ngorogoro Crater rim Simba campsite is not to be missed; the view is incredible.
Talking to the porters, they reported that Trekili treated them well and paid them well. Of note, this is definitely not a bare-bones service; if you want to carry all your own gear up the mountain and go minimalist-style, Trekili is not for you. But it's also not one of the most expensive operations. It's a great middle-of-the-road choice on price, and we were absolutely pleased with Trekili's service, with the people who took care of us, and with the great food-- it makes a big difference after a long day of hiking!
We especially enjoyed the more socially-conscious programs that Joseph arranged for us: a day hike through a nearby village and the chance to talk to Maasai villagers, and visits to two different local schools, one run by nuns and another by an NGO. In general, we felt that Joseph and Trekili were very receptive to arranging programs based on our preferences and our schedule.
Mt Meru climb and safari tour
We took a 7 day Meru trek and Safari with Trekili in Feburary 2014. We were very happy with the quality of service we received, and would highly recommend them. Trekili was not the cheapest expedition company we looked at, but once you get there you will realize that it is not really possible to be any cheaper without cutting some serious corners, so be very careful with any companies that quote you significantly less!
Joseph was very helpful, being a former guide himself he knows all the details about where to go and what to do at different times of the year. He worked with us the whole time to plan our itinerary together, and during the trip made sure that everything was going well. On top of that, we did everything that was promised in the itinerary, exactly as described. You hear stories about companies that shortchange people after the tour is booked, but Trekili delivered on everything.
Trip:
We hiked Meru in 3 days (beautiful mountain, high quality cabins to stay at, the last day (summit and all the way down) was very difficult, but well worth it), Ngorongoro (amazing! best place to go on a short time budget), Ndutu to see the migration (not really necessary, as the migration was everywhere), and Serengeti (highly recommended, authentic, beautiful views of African plains).
Guides:
Our Meru guide, Dixon is sure footed and nice, somewhat quiet, but knows the mountain well.
Jeff, the cook, was very friendly, has a warm personality and is a great cook. There was always am incredible amount and selection of food. Our safari guide Harry is a great driver. He drove very carefully, and slowed down in the places where the roads got bad. This was really reassuring as we saw some Land Cruisers go barreling out of control over rocky terrain, and there were lots of tour companies broken down on the side. The road quality is bad! so this is really important. He was also very knowledgeable and nice and told us lots of cool things about the animals we saw. In all, all our of crew were great. Maybe their English was not at the same level as some of the other guides we saw from the premium companies, but we had no communication problems the whole time.
Equipment:
Our equipment was superb quality. We had one of the best land cruisers that we saw from any of the Trekking companies! It had a big pop up roof and an electric cooler for water, and the whole thing looked to be in great shape. The hotel in Arusha (the Jacaranda) exceeded expectations. Even though we had the budget/camping tour, Joseph did not cut any corners here. It has nice rooms and a pretty shaded restaurant.
The tents we camped in were great- clean, new looking and a good size for 2 people.
Complaints:
As I said we were very happy with the tour, but here are just some things to be aware of:
Carry at least a couple liters of water for the hikes, it was not made clear to us when we would have access to the water purifier (only at night!) The walking tour was a bit commercial (we were taken to various places to buy souvenirs being made by local people) personally, I would skip that part the next time.
Tipping can be confusing and stressful. There was a lack of communication about the ranger and number of porters that we actually had on the trek (many you never see!), we found that we had no idea what to tip, and the ranger we were assigned was unfortunately quite rude when he felt short changed (even though we tipped the recommended amount on the website). We seemed to be the last to leave in the morning from the campsites. Would have loved to get an earlier start to see the animals. Anyway, these were all minor details that were not specific to our tour company. We had a great trip and highly recommend Trekili!
US
Email JW | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic trip
Climbed Kili via the Western Breach in early 2016. Trekili guides and staff were very professional and responsive to their clients. They far exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend them if you are thinking about Kili or any other mountain in Kenya/Tanzania.
Email Pauline | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent organisation, planning and support throughout our trip : )
All our requirements were fulfilled by Trekili. We wanted a personalised itinerary and this was delivered allowing us to accomplish all our 'must do' items. This included summiting Kilimanjaro, a Safari trip to Ngorongoro Crater and climbing Loolmalasin - third highest mountain in Tanzania. All arrangements were put in place by Trekili prior to arrival in Tanzania and our guides, drivers, porters, cooks did everything they could to ensure our trip was a success. Would highly recommend Trekili Eco Expeditions