Our UK groups right from the summit of Kilimanjaro
Barafu Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
ES
Email Sara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Totally reccomended
We had a REALLY nice experience with barafu tours doing de Lemosho route. I was quite nervous for being my first time in such a high mountain, but they make sure you have a great time, safe and funny. They take care of you at any time you need, provide with super good food during all the week, and give you some very important advice about the mountain and how to face this adventure. We are so grateful to all the team: guides cook and porters. They were all amazing professionals and amazing people of human kind. You feel like in your own family with them. Totally reccomend!! And Kili was just a dream come true
Great Getaway during Covid Era
With everything going on in the world right now, I wanted to plan a getaway to clear my mind; I came across the idea to climb Kilimanjaro, and heard amazing things from fellow Peace Corps Volunteers that Barafu Tours was the best. They were absolutely right, and everything was taken care of from the moment I stepped off the plane in Tanzania to the trek itself, and the departure. Even though I was on this adventure solo during the covid era, they always made me feel like family and had solid advice for preventing altitude sickness. Side note, right now is the best time to go because you'll have the mountain to yourself!!! It was an amazing accomplishment, and I'm grateful to have had such a wonderful team help me reach a lifelong dream.
FR
Email Sven | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience - 7 days Kilimanjaro & 2 days Safari in Ngorongoro & Tarangire parks
Totally recommend !
Barafu organized a Kilimandjaro Trek, on the Machame Road and a Safari in the Tarangire and Ngorongoro Parks. I really had an amazing time ! Chance, the maanger, is very flexible and proposes the best formulas for your trip.
The guides (Mudi & Innocent) as well as the porters and the park ranger were super nice and helpful.
US
Email Julia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
2-day safari + 7-day Kilimanjaro Machame Route
Great experience booking with Barafu Tours during my trip to Tanzania. I am a solo, female traveler in my late 20s and felt safe and well-cared for the entire time. I will state a disclaimer that I tend to rough it, am very "go-with-the-flow," and have low expectations when traveling, so I was blown away by the conditions and hospitality on this trip. But if you have a different travel style or expectations, you may have a different experience. September was a great time of year for this trip, in my opinion, because it was dry season. However, there are pros and cons to consider. During safari, it was low season so there were few cars in the parks, but the downside being the conditions were dry and yellow. During Kilimanjaro, there was no rain and ideal hiking conditions, but the mountain was also quite busy with other hikers.
Prior to my visit, booking and scheduling was easy and Barafu was very responsive via email while we were finalizing the schedule. I also liked that the company is run by a Tanzanian owner who has great English and is very accommodating (even drove me to the airport in his personal car because all of the safari cars were in use). They truly want you to have a good experience.
On the website, note that the dates listed are tours that others have booked and you can join, but if the dates don't work for your schedule, you can contact Barafu to try to work something out.
Two-day safari (Sept 14-16): Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Didn't have enough time for Serengeti. I felt 2 days in 2 very different parks was perfect for me and I was able to see a lot! Itinerary: Day 1 - Departed Moshi around 8am, afternoon drive in Tarangire. Day 2 - Full day in Ngorongoro. Day 3 - Return to Moshi and visited Masai village on the way. Guide was extremely knowledgable, personable and accommodating. Stayed at the "mid-range" lodging option in Karatu and was blown away - definitely felt like it could have been the "luxury" option with pool, spa, fireplace in my room, amazing hospitality from staff.
Kilimanjaro 7-day Machame Route (Sept 17-23, off the mountain by 12pm on the 23rd): What a life changing experience and well worth the price. At the last minute the other hiker dropped and therefore I was going to be a solo hiker with the crew of porters, guides and cooks. I preferred to hike with a group of other first time hikers and Barafu was extremely accommodating - they used their connections with other tour companies to allow me to join a group of 3 other hikers from a different company. I am young and athletic and am very glad I did the 7-day hike. The acclimatization profile of the 6-day hike would have been challenging for me. The guides are very well trained, knowledgable, and I fully trusted them. They took our oxygen and pulse each night and briefed us on the plan for the following day. Food was amazing and the porters work extremely hard. Note: Please take note of guidance on tipping. These folks work so hard to help you succeed and I felt it was important to tip well - I spent about $300USD in tipping which is not included in the price of the hike. Make sure to bring tip money with you on the hike because the final day on the mountain you are given the opportunity to tip. Another note: I was able to buy Diamox (for altitude) at a Pharmacy in Moshi for $3USD the day before the hike.
Overall, great experience with Barafu - would recommend to my own family and friends. It was nice to book safari and Kilimanjaro with the same company for ease of logistics and payment.
Email Joel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Machame 6 day
Barafu tours did an amazing job. From the owner/manager of the company, who was extremely accommodating and flexible, to the porters who were incredibly strong and positive, to our guides who were knowledgeable and fun. We highly recommend Barafu, supporting the local economy and local guides. We were taken care of and never needed anything. We loved our experience and feel like we left the mountain with new friends. Thanks Barafu for an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. We will definitely use them again, and recommend them!
AR
Email Fernanda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect experiencie both kili and safari!
Barafu guides and crew were the best. They helped us a lot while having some altitude problems, and managed to get us both on the summit with a big smile!
Both guides Gilbert and Elekim were amazing, helpful and kind.
The crew was the best also, helping us taking all our stuff to every camp without doubting.
The cheff’s meals were very delicious, even though we are Veggies!
Then the safari was awesome! Our guide Ninah was the best. Very funny guy with a lot of experiencie in safaris and animals. It was a pleasure to stay and share 3 days with him! Very qualifyed in his job and very honest in his behaviour.
I truly recommend Barafu tours!
CL
Email Cristian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excelent!
Very good tourism company! the team very worried and prepared for the expedition. If you forgot something, they let you lease it before you start.
Every day, the 2 guides evaluate your performance, your state of health and prepare you for the next day. The food is very good and they worry that you feed well. They have a vegetarian option.
It is a local company that cares about the good condition of its workers.
Guides with experience in the field and certified by the same national park.
US
Email Wendy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Climbing Kilimanjaro
We LOVED Barafu Tours, they were organized, prompt, cheerful and very professional. They made sure we had everything we needed and took such good care of us. My husband and I both summited Kilimanjaro for our 50th Birthday's. It was very hard but totally worth it.
Barafu tours was the perfect operator to take us to the top. They even arranged an additional tour for us because we summited early and got back one day sooner.
I would highly recommend this tour company and it's really great to have all the cost of the trip go straight to the people who actually do all the work!
Email Kirsten | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Another check off the bucket list with a wonderful team
I recently had the wonderful experience of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with my best friend. It had already been a dream of mine and I’m so glad I finally did it and it would not have happened if we didn’t have such a great tour company to help us up the mountain. Barafu tours were the best, so friendly and welcoming. Our guides were rock stars and if it wasn’t for Mohammed and Sauli I would not have summited. All our porters were awesome and I just couldn’t believe how they carried all that stuff- tents, bags, food, water for our whole trip and then put up our camp site every day and prepared such good food from a little tent.
I would definitely do it again and would highly recommend Barafu tours to take you on this awesome experience.
US
Email Steph | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced and fun professionals with your best interest at heart.
In 2015, I decided I wanted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and started researching companies that could help get me there. Picking one turned out to be incredibly difficult but after reading a ton of TripAdvisor reviews and comparing prices, I reached out to a couple of companies. The owner of Barafu Tours & Safaris, Chance, was easily the most responsive and accommodating person I communicated with. From the start, he answered my questions with very straightforward responses and all of the information I asked for. When I started having doubts about whether or not I wanted to take this solo trip, he was reassuring and happy to provide references who could put my mind at ease.
Once I had booked my flights and the trek (plus a 4-day safari), Chance reassured me that my ridiculous flight schedule with 2:30 AM arrival and departure was not a problem and that he would personally pick me up from JRO. Throughout the months, he continued to respond quickly to all of my questions and concerns and assured me time and time again that everything would be taken care of.
Finally, I arrived. My bag was lost on the way to JRO and Chance waited for me while I took care of the lost bag claim at the airport. By the time we got to town, it was already 3:30 AM but he was completely professional about it, told me to get some sleep, and reassured me that we would handle it during the day. After catching some much needed rest, he brought my Kili guide with him to check on my missing items so that they could collect what I needed in case my bag wasn't delivered in time for the trek. They also planned on providing these items to me at no charge since the airline was the cause of not having my gear. Luckily, everything showed up almost 2 hrs before departure so we made it work.
The trek itself is a blur but such an amazing experience. I absolutely feel that anyone interested in climbing Kili should contact Barafu Tours & Safaris. Pricing is fair, the service you get is fantastic, and Chance and his team are just the best.
Best of luck, trekkers!