Sirikwa Travel

Go local and you will have the best hike for the lowest price.

My comments pertain to Tanzania safari and hiking Kilimanjaro. When I started the process of planning to hike Kili with my daughter, I did what most people do - go to Google and search. What you find is that all of the "big name" companies pay Google to be first on their search page and the small, local companies are hard to find. In encourage you to look carefully and consider a company that has an office in Moshi and is staffed by local people. They grew up in the shadow of the mountain and know more than any British or American firm that has a flashy website and persuasive marketing materials. We were lucky to find Oinoth Sirikwa, founder and owner of Sirikwa Travel. He grew up and lives in Moshi. In the earlier days of this company, they did not have a significant presence on travel review sites, but now they are killing it with well deserved 5-star ratings. Some tips for first timers: (1) Give yourself an extra travel day on the front and backend of the trip. We were supposed to hike with two other people, but they missed a flight. The mountain does not wait. (2) Rent the sleeping bag, tent, etc. from Sirikwa. It is low cost and very high quality. (3) The food is over-the-top with Sirikwa and we had no issues with water, but make sure you do not start eating too much. (4) Local companies have the best local guides. The guide is essential to get you to the top of this mountain. Some tours will go cheap and not hire the extra "summit porter". This is the person that carries support oxygen and will jump in to carry your pack if you struggle and they bring hot water, which was essential after everything we brought froze immediately. (5) The best money you will ever spend is to have a private bathroom. (6) Bring cash and envelopes to "tip" the guides and porters. I put tips in parenthesis because your tip is really their pay. The system is a very low base pay and then commission. Your tip is the commission. Be generous. These people have very little compared to the tourists climbing the mountain. (7) If you do not need the extra day on the front and backend of your trip, Sirikwa will organize a safari. They have their own vehicles and they are top notch. They even sent along an extra person to translate and make sure everything was OK. They provided water and food. Enjoy your hike and safari. Go Sirikwa!