Tag: Ngorongoro

Want To Climb Mount Kilimanjaro? (And Help Orphans)

Posted on by dev

What’s cooler than climbing Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro? Not much really. For me it’s been one of my best travel experiences ever.. But one thing is better: To climb Mount Kilimanjaro and support a good cause.. Do you want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and send Tanzanian orphans to school? Then read on!

Climbing Kilimanjaro is one of the absolute best things you can do!

Team Charity’s Kilimanjaro Climb (Luxury Package)

5-days hike: 14th/19th December 2019 – Marangu Route

⭐️(Luxury Package – Sleeping in huts!)⭐️

Trip price: $1800 (+$99 Project Fee – Tanzanian Orphans School Fee)
Normal price: $2899

Deposit Fee: $400 per person – Then you’re IN. Only 16 spots. First come, first served!

Included: 2 nights at hotel (1 before the climb and 1 night after the climb) + a lot more!
(Read full programme below)

My favorite travel accomplishment. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro!

Payment – What To Do?

Step 1:

Click the Payment link, right here:👉 Kilimanjaro Charity Climb Payment Link

Step 2:

Put in your personal information. And in the field ‘description’ at the bottom you write:

‘Charity Climb December 2019’

Step 3:

Put in 400 USD in ‘amount’ (for the deposit) and press make payment

Step 4:

After a few minutes you’ll get a confirmation e-mail on your booking. + You’ll have access to our group’s private Messenger-group, where you can ask any questions you might have and they’ll be answered.

YOU’RE READY! BOOK YOUR FLIGHT TICKET!

Step 5:

Make sure to be in Mount Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania the 13th December anytime. You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town.

The legendary Mount Kilimanjaro from below

I’m Coming To Tanzania, Are You?

I’ll be in Tanzania in December 2019 and therefore I thought it was time to do something cool! Why not arrange a luxury charity hike for my friends to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro? Much cheaper than normally? Yep! You’ll pay only $1899 if you book in August and $1999 from 1st of September 2019. Sleeping in tents?

No… sleeping in huts! This is a luxury charity trip!

You’ll be sleeping in huts. Much better than the freezing cold tents at night

The Perfect Time And The Perfect Conditions

I’ve talked to the guy I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with for the first time, Daniel, about doing a Kilimanjaro-hike and I wanted it to be just as perfect as the Kilimanjaro climb I had.. Even better! Forget all about the cold tents at night, you’ll be sleeping in huts, so we make sure you’re well rested and ready to walk ‘pole pole’ (slowly) during the way, which are key words for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Furthermore the trip is in December (Tanzanian summer time) with close to no rain.. Perfect conditions!

Me and my guide John.. He went to the top +100 times. Specialist!

You Need A Team Of Specialists

Me and my guide John literally became best friends on my hike, it’s amazing what 5 days together can do! You need not only good people around you to succeed, but you also need the local experts! It’s important on a mountain like Mount Kilimanjaro to have the knowledge! You can buy this trip from American third part’s companies who’ll overcharge you badly with prices between $6000-8000.. It’s not needed to pay this kind of absurd money to people who don’t even know the mountain that well.. Trust me!

You need local experts! And you’ll get a special connection with the whole team through the days

High Succes Rate In Reaching The Top Of Mt. Kilimanjaro

I can assure you it’s NOT necessary to pay BIG money for a TOP service here! Daniel and his crew has a really high success rates, actually +95% in reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro! All of the guides have been to the top a lot, and know how to help you in every possible situation. They know the weather conditions, know how to acclimatize perfectly so you can avoid altitude sickness, etc! Top guidance and the most amazing food (from the best cook😉.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ service.

Couldn’t put a single complain on my trip when reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, and therefore I’m happy to arrange this trip with Daniel, who I did my first hike with and who has some amazing reviews.

Ready To Go? Climb Kilimanjaro For Charity

What I’m most excited about is the ‘Project Fee’ for Tanzanian orphan kids in the orphanage I’ve helped +4 years, when you’ll climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Ask any of the kids in the orphanage what the most important thing in life is, and they’ll answer: “School.” So the project fee is mandatory and the $99 Project Fee goes exclusively to pay 20 Tanzanian orphan kids school fees.

Miss them so much!

You’ll be climbing Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, while you’ll help kids in need.. Help them to go to school, while you’re having the time of your life on this epic mountain! That’s pretty awesome, right?!

Mariamu.. She loves school and dreams of being a teacher

Full Programme – Day 1 to Day 7

Day 1 (13th December): Arrive in Tanzania

You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town; you will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. The missing gear can be rented on this day.

Meals: No Meals Included

Day 2 (14th Dec): Marangu Gate (1860m) to Mandara Hut (2700m)

After breakfast, you will be collected from your lodge in Moshi and taken to the Marangu gate. Once the necessary paper work has been completed, your trek can begin and you will soon be hiking through the dense rainforest. Alongside the impressive vegetation, you will have the chance to catch a glimpse of some primates as you head to the Mandara Hut. After a well-earned rest, your guide can take you to the Maundi Crater where you can enjoy the wonderful view of the Kenyan interior.

Distance covered: 8.3km / 5.2mi

Approx. time taken: 5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Day 3 (15th Dec): Mandara Hut (2700m) to Horombo Hut (3700m)

The day begins with an early breakfast. Shortly after you have left Mandara Hut, you will reach the timberline and then enter the heath and moor zone. Approximately 4 – 6 hours later, the Horombo Hut will come into sight, standing at an altitude of 3700m. From the hut, you will have fantastic views overlooking Mawenzi, Kibo and the wide plain of the Masai steppe.

Distance covered: 12.5km / 7.8mi

Approx. time taken: 9 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

On the way to the top! With the Dutch doctors Frank and Inge.. We can do this team 💪

Day 4 (16th Dec): Horombo Hut (3700m) to Kibo Hut (4700m)

Today’s stage is long and tough. The well-built trail passes the “Last Water point” which is followed by the so-called “saddle”. This nearly vegetation less plateau joins the main summit Kibo with Mawenzi. Today’s destination is the Kibo Hut that is usually reached in about 5 – 6 hours. Here, you will enjoy an early evening meal followed by an early night, as the night will be short.

Distance covered: 9.5km / 5.9mi

Approx. time taken: 7 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Unbelievable strong porters will help you with your luggage

Day 5 (17th Dec): Kibo Hut (4700m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m)
& down to Horombo Hut (3700m)

Today is “The Big Day” – the summit stage. You will begin your final ascent around midnight which will be long and strenuous. Passing the Hans Meyer Cave at 5220m, the climb slowly but surely goes upwards. At sunrise, you will reach Gillman’s Point (5681m) – the crater rim of Kilimanjaro – where the sun will slowly start to warm up the land. You will have soon forgotten the cold of the night and after a further hike of 1 – 2 hours, you will reach Uhuru Peak at 5895m. On your return to Kibo Hut, a warm meal awaits you followed by a 1 – 2 hour break before proceeding back down to Horombo Hut.

Distance covered: 22km / 13.7mi

Approx. time taken: 12 – 15 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

The Uhuru Peak, top of Mount Kilimanjaro with amazing assistant guide, Hamedi

Day 6 (18th Dec): Horombo Hut (3700m) to Marangu Gate (1860m)

The last stage passes through the heath and moor zone to the Mandara Hut (2700m) where a warm lunch is waiting for you. Soon, you will once again pass the tropical rain forest and after a total time of 6 hours trekking, you will be back at the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate (1860m). After saying goodbye to your mountain guides, a short transfer follows to take you back to your hotel in Moshi. Once there, you can take a warm and relaxing shower and celebrate your success in reaching the summit of the Kilimanjaro.

Distance covered: 20.8km / 12.9mi

Approx. time taken: 8 hours

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch Included

Day 7 (19th Dec): Depart Tanzania

The day is left free to wind down after the trek before your flight home. Depending on flight times you could go and explore Moshi town and grab some gifts shop before heading to the airport.

*Safari ,Zanzibar and other add-ons are available if you wish to continue exploring Tanzania.

Meals: Breakfast Included

Dreams do come true on Mount Kilimanjaro and in Tanzania. My favourite country!

Pricing – What’s Included?

5-DAYS MARANGU ROUTE

Included in price package

• Private transport to & from Kilimanjaro International Airport to your accommodations in Moshi.

• 2 nights of accommodation at Keys Hotel Moshi

• Transportation to & from the Kilimanjaro gate

• Park entry fees

• Camping fees

• Team Kilimanjaro Rescue fees

• 18% VAT on tour fees & services

• 4 Season mountain tents

• Double layered Sleeping Mats

• Friendly and professional mountain guides, cook and porters

• 3 hot meals daily while on the mountain

• Enough treated & filtered drinking water throughout the trek

• Hot water for washing

• Fair wages for the mountain crew as approved by the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA), Kilimanjaro Association of Tour Operators (KIATO)

• Government taxes

• Portable oxygen tanks & ox meter

• Emergency first-aid kit

Not Included

– Lunches, dinners and drinks at your hotel before and after climb.

– Travel insurance

– Flights

– Laundry (Available at hotel)

– Personal items and toiletries

– Tips for guides, porters and cook (this is a guide to tipping on the mountain http://www.kiliporters.org/tipping_recommendations.php

Tipping on Kilimanjaro from the trekking group (not per climber):

• Guides: $20/day/guide

• Cook: $15/day

• Porter: $10/day/porter

Clothing List – What Do You Need To Bring?

Click this link to see the complete gears list 👉 GEARS FOR KILIMANJARO-1

For trekking gear you can also pay $100 per person for all the gears and clothing you’ll need for trekking Mt. Kilimanjaro. Then you don’t need to carry anything, and Daniel has everything in clothing and other stuff (like camelbags etc.) you need in this case.

Looking forward to hear from you guys very soon! Remember you save $100 by booking in August 2019. If you have any question. Feel free to e-mail Daniel on danielmlangwa@gmail.com or me on gus1thego@outlook.com. See you guys in Tanzania 💚

Very, Very Last Information

For the forgetful people, the How-To-Pay-Steps are added again below. Remember also to bring a solid amount of cash from back home, because most ATM’s have limits. You might know I stayed a long time in Tanzania and for me it’s my favorite country in the World. Safe, amazingly friendly people and full of wildlife and adventure. So you don’t need to worry about anything here! I have Tanzania with me in my heart everywhere I go 💚 We only have one life to chase our dreams, but if we do it right, one is enough!

Taj Mahal, in my Tanzania shirt.. The memories created in Tanzania will forever be remembered!

Payment – What To Do?

Step 1:

Payment link, just click here:👉Kilimanjaro Charity Climb Payment Link

Step 2:

Put in your personal information. And in the field ‘description’ at the bottom write:

‘Charity Climb December 2019’

Step 3:

Put in 400 USD in ‘amount’ (for the deposit) and press make payment

Step 4:

After a few minutes you’ll get a confirmation e-mail on your booking.

YOU’RE READY! BOOK YOUR FLIGHT!

Step 5:

Make sure to be in Mount Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania the 13th December anytime. You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town.

See you in Tanzania, and make sure to be here the 13th December 2019! Then we figure out the rest!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

How To Avoid The 7 Most Common Travel Scams (Africa)

Posted on by dev

You can get scammed anywhere in the World, not only in Africa for sure. These 7 Advices on How To Avoid Travel Scams are great to keep in mind, no matter where you go. Stay safe out there!

Travel Scams Happen To Anyone?

I’ve traveled a lot over the last 7 years, and to be fair a proper travel scam can hit us all, experienced traveler or not. But for me it has become more rare now that it happens and on a much smaller scale, than in the beginning when I started traveling, because I stick to these 7 rules on how to avoid travel scams.

Pretending to be interested in buying carpets in Tunis, Tunisia 2017

Why Scams In Africa And Not Another Place?

After having spent a big part of my adulthood in Africa, this article is mainly about how to avoid some of the 7 most common travel scams in Africa, but similar scams scan be found in any other continent. So if you go Europe, North America, South America, Latin America, Australia or wherever, you can still use these tips, so you don’t get caught off guard so easily, even though a travel scam can happen for us all.

When I started to travel around Africa many years ago I was often blind folded and trusted wrong people too much, which can be an expensive mistake here. I’ve seen famous Travel Vloggers in Africa pay $300 for a simple 1 hour boat trip in Zanzibar. SCAM! I paid $5 for a half day boat trip, swimming with wild dolphins in Zanzibar, because I went to a local fisherman there and asked him instead. It’s easy for tourists to fall in ‘the tourist trap’, especially if you’re new to traveling around Africa. After the boat trip the fisherman and I became friends and enjoyed some fish together. You have to know your psychology in Africa and quickly find out, which people are genuine and which people have hidden interests with you.

Swimming with turtles in Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania

7 Most Common Travel Scams In 2019 (Africa)

1: Broken Taxi Meter

Cab drivers near airports or train stations are known to pull this scam, but it can happen in any place. When you get into a taxi and start to drive, the driver will inform you, (or not inform you,) that the meter is broken and charge you a ridiculous price (to the tune of 100s of dollars if you’re not careful).

My Experience:

This is a pretty common scam in some African countries. I’ve probably had 10 different taxi drivers try to pull this scam on me around the world and half of them were when traveling in Africa.

How To Avoid It:

I usually agree the price before I get in the taxi, but if there’s a taxi meter I make sure it looks legit and works as it should. I usually check in the first 30 seconds how the taxi meter goes, and if it’s looks wrong, I quickly get out of the taxi. Negotiate rates ahead of time, or ensure the meter is in fact working. If the taxi driver refuses to turn on the meter, or tells you it’s cheaper without the meter, get out and opt for another driver. Not all cab drivers are scammers, but I honestly prefer to avoid taxis if possible.

I usually avoid taxis if possible. Here around Bamako, Mali with a much more fun option!

2: Fake Police Officers

These guys look totally legit?!

The fake police officer scam is a popular one in many large cities or capitals. Most often, a person will approach a tourist and offer illicit items, like drugs. While conversing one or two other people will approach, appearing to be police officers and flashing “badges.” They will then insist the unknowing traveler hand over their passport and wallet. However, they are not police officers.

My Experience:

I’ve had similar experiences, mostly in Africa and Latin America. In Maputo, Mozambique I had fake police stopping me all the time, to check my bag for ‘cocaine’ and other stuff, usually just wasting my time to try to get money out of me.

How To Avoid It:

Never hand over your wallet or passport. Request they show you their identification and then inform them you will call the police to confirm they are who they say they are. Or tell them your passport is locked up in the hotel safe, and they’ll need to accompany you to your hotel. If they don’t allow this, simply walk away.

In Mozambique I asked for the fake cops identification and couldn’t stop to laugh about their homemade Police ID. Some of the fake police men would follow me around for 15 min and in the end ask me for any kind of tips. Tips for the police? Really.. How come, for what?

A lovely city, but sooo much fake police in Maputo, Mozambique

3: Friendly ATM Helper

Someone approaches at an ATM cash machine to help you avoid local bank fees. What they really want to do is scan your ATM card with the card skimmer in their pocket and watch you enter your pin number, so they can drain your account later.

My Experience:

I never fell for this scam, but a close friend of mine did in South Africa.

One man was the helpful local, the second pretended to be a fellow customer waiting in line who agreed with what the first was saying. When the first guy cancelled my friend’s transaction and told him to try again, he then scanned the password and the other guy quickly took his card, a car quickly pulled up to the side in literally no seconds and off they were, leaving my friend running after them in tears.

How To Avoid It:

Never let anyone near you while you’re making an ATM transaction, and ALWAYS cover the number pad with your other hand while entering your pin code. If someone approaches, take your card and find another ATM. Always have a look over your shoulder to see if anyone is too near to you.

South Africa is beautiful, but can be brutal with scams at certain places!

4: Injured Or Child Beggars

Usually deaf, blind, or pregnant, sometimes accompanied by a “helper”, beggars will ask you for money. Women with babies are common (they might not even be theirs). Children are also frequently used by begging gangs to collect money. Why? Because it’s difficult for most people to say no to the old, injured, or young. Sometimes an accomplice nearby is just watching to see where you keep your wallet, so they can pickpocket you later.

My Experience:

You’ll see this stuff almost everywhere.

How To Avoid It:

It’s practically impossible to distinguish who is legit and who is not, so my policy is to never give cash to street beggars. I’m a very emphatic person and I want to help everyone suffering, but when traveling in Africa or other places in the World, it’s a big mission impossible to help everyone. However I do buy food, water or giveaway old clothes sometimes. Then your money isn’t going to a gang, alcohol or drugs.

Traveling around mountain villages in Congo

5: Gemstone Or Carpet Deals

A local man casually brings up his lucrative side business of buying jewelry, gemstones, watches or carpets then selling them back in the United States (or some other country) for a fat profit. He offers to share how he does it, and shows you where to find the best deal. The only problem is that these products are fake.

My Experience:

This has never happened to me. For me I don’t believe in the stories that: “Jesus had this earring in his ear or washed his body in this towel,” but I can assure you that some people do and pay A LOT OF MONEY for their stupidity, because they’re actually just getting scammed!

How To Avoid It:

Don’t buy expensive luxury items overseas while on vacation, no matter how good the deal is. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a travel scam.

In North African countries like Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia people will try to sell you some really expensive overpriced stuff in some cases!

6: Flirtatious Local Women

You arrive to a new country only to discover that beautiful local women seem to pay much more attention to you than back home. One of them invites you out to a nightclub or bar. However after a wild night, the woman disappears and you’re forced to pay an overpriced bill. Or worse, drugged and robbed.

My Experience:

This hasn’t happened to me. I can usually see what a woman’s intention is quiet easily. If she gives me the wrong signals, I know I need to be aware and in most cases I stop the conversation before it even gets started. There are much better women to surround yourself with than these types!

How To Avoid It:

Be wary of attractive women who are unusually forward or hitting on you aggressively. I know it is every man’s dream to be propositioned by beautiful women, but if it’s not a normal occurrence for you, then it’s probably a scam and you can end up paying big time for it!

Out clubbing! With an ex-gang member from Mozambique, who came out on the right side and is now employed in my  Mozambican friend’s Henry’s company

7: Fake Bus/Train/Plane Tickets

Someone offers to sell you train tickets at a discount, or avoid the line and pay a slightly higher price. Maybe a taxi driver offers to bring you to his friend who’s a local travel agent. However the tickets they are selling aren’t real, and by the time you figure it out, the scammers are gone with your money.

My Experience:

One time when entering Gibraltar a man started to scratch my rental car in the front window and asked for 20 euros for the ticket. I was very confused on what happened, and I was just about to give him the money, when I realized he looked drunk and it was a scam, so I drove away. Ticket scam! Also I bought a fake bus ticket in Zambia for a long drive, but the bus driver was nice to me and let me in the bus anyways! Top guy!

How To Avoid It:

Always buy transportation tickets from the official ticket office or website.

After a nice game of football in a little village in Zambia, where I had a ticket scam right before!

Conclusion

Try to stay avoid these 7 scams, and you’ll enjoy Africa a lot more and it will be relatively cheap. If you do something over the top extraordinary when traveling in Africa, it’s obviously pricey!

Like

1: Climbing Africa’s Highest Mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro

Climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t cheap, but it’s one of the absolute best thing you can do!

2: Paying the gorilla permit to see the mountain gorillas in the rain forest in Bwindi National Park, Uganda

Will never forget my time with the wild mountain gorillas in Uganda in 2015

3: Safaris can be a bit expensive also, but worth it!

Safari in Ngorongoro, Tanzania 2016

But sometimes even for a safari in Africa you can pay very little…

Walking around wild rhinos for free in Zimbabwe, 2013

Africa is cheap (just avoid the scams)

I hear many people saying Africa is so expensive to travel, and yes, it is more expensive than South East Asia, but in most cases what adds up the expenses are the scams. Visas and accommodation can cost you a bit, but public transport, food and a lot of other stuff are in most African countries extremely cheap.

Eating local Kenyan food with my buddy John Kennedy in Nairobi, Kenya 2016

Remember’s

Remember to question everything and make sure you know the price before you’re getting a taxi, a new haircut or buying food. I usually confirm the price on the calculator on my phone to avoid misunderstandings. I had a taxi driver wanting to scam me in Senegal recently by putting an extra 0 on the price, but I already had confirmed the price with the taxa guy on the calculator before we went. In that way I had no problem rejecting his new price. Also remember to have TOTALLY ORDER in your passport, documents, stamps, vaccinations etc., a small mistake in any of these will be super expensive at a corrupt police check-point. Last but not least, don’t wear expensive clothes or jewelry when traveling in Africa, in this way you invite scammers to come to you straight away. I usually wear basic shorts, a normal t-shirt and a dirty cap, when I’m in crowded markets or places to avoid getting too much bad attention.

Africa is the continent where everything is possible, so remember to check out your options before you do something. And remember to try to avoid these 7 Most Common Travel Scams, it’ll help you!

With the National Team of Swaziland in the ‘new country,’ Eswatini 2018

Travel Scammers Suck!

The truth is that no matter how prepared you think you are, you’ll eventually fall for some sort of travel scam. But don’t let this deter you from traveling the world. Think of it as a rite of passage.

Sure, it’s embarrassing to be tricked out of your money, but there are always worse things that could happen. It’s just a learning experience. At least that’s how I look at it! For me Africa is the best continent to travel, both on the good and the bad days and scams can happen anywhere..

Slums of Bissau, Guinea Bissau 2019

Take care everyone ✈️

Gustav

gus1thego.com

 

 

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