Bojan P. [Kilimanjaro Stage Run]
For me was this run one of the greatest experiance in my life and I will never forget those days. Maybe I was a little bit faster then Brian or Steph but I prefer slower running and more enjoying in the nature. But this is just my opinion.
Brian L. [Kilimanjaro Stage Run]
Thank you again for a wonderful wonderful experience that I will never forget. You, Simon, Joseph and the entire SENE crew were AWESOME!!!
Pascal B.
Dear Simon,
we have all returned safely, and you can imagine how relieved I felt when I opened the ice box in our freezer to see that the ice also made it “in one piece”. The same goes for our delicate radar equipment. This was just the final piece to our successfull expedition and I greatly feel that none of it would have been possible without the professional help and dedication of you and your entire crew. We were all so impressed by the hard work, extra effort and especially the warm friendlyness of everyone. For me personally it was the first time to Tanzania, and I left with a great experience that made me want to come back soon- not just for the science. So I wanted to say again a big “asante sana” to everyone, also on behalf of the whole team. We hope to meet you again in the future, and hope for a return to this very special mountain and its glaciers some day.
Bram V.
A very professional organization consisting of very friendly and service minded people.
Dave W.
I had a great time. Thanks to Pascal, he was a wonderful guide — and he can keep my iPhone charger, which I think I left in the jeep. (Car charger was indispensable for me. If it isn’t on your packing list, it should be).
Thanks to our running guide too (I don’t quite have his name).
My favorite accommodation was the Kati Kati camp. The only thing I would have done differently is that I should have figured out a way to get some exercise on days 1 through 5 of the trip. I realize the parks and animals present a pretty significant obstacle to that — and most of your travelers address that by climbing Killi or running all the way around it. Again, thanks to you, Simon and the rest of Sene. I will tell other runners to go run Tanzania with Sene.
Mike K.
I was satisfied with the accomplishment of summiting Kili, but when I talked to other clients on the mountain, I felt that our guide and service could have been much better (especially for the price).
Highlights: Skipping the last meal and going directly to Arusha. Joseph (driver) is a highly valued asset to SENE. We were very impressed with Joseph.
Disappointments: Godliving was terrible. He gave us the impression that guiding us up the mountain was something that he really hated doing. Obviously, the dining tent headroom issue is something that can easily be corrected. The main thing that would help with the guides is for them to offer encouragement and say things like, “we are going to have fun” or “you can do it!” We went up the mountain (and down it) at a TURBO pace. We passed 95%-100% of Mzungus every day on every trail and the guides offered about 3 sentences of encouragement the entire trip. Before the night of the summit, Godliving instructed us to let hime know if we needed to take a break or needed to stop for food on the summit push. After hiking in the dark for 3 hours straight passing every other group, I asked to stop to eat a Clif bar. God living said, “if we stop, we will get cold” and ushered us up the mountain. So much for telling him about our needs. Overall, Godliving was concerned with being done with the climb and not about our enjoyment of our time on the mountain. Finishing early every day was not good enough for him.
Gayle B.
Tim-
Everyone at SENE are the ones to be thanked!!! What a professional, efficient organization. Your pre-trip communications were invaluable–thank you.
Simon, “god of gods”, possesses that rare combination of personality, physical endurance, leadership, gorgeous smile! Aren’t you the lucky one to work for such a man! ALL the guides were phenomenal—Honest somehow managed to get me up and down the mountain and did so with a smile!!! Manassas and Augustine were equally well suited in their positive leadership guiding role. Sugar Ray and the kitchen staff provided the BEST meals ever—on a mountainside or in a 5-star restaurant!!! I’m totally spoiled and now back to my cooking! The porters were each so very helpful with setting up and taking down camp and always with those endearing smiles.
The climb was more than 100% of whatever I had imagined. Thank you SENE!!!!
Jasmine P.
Hi Nathalie,
What an amazing experience. Jane, Kalan and I had THE BEST time and loved everything about our experience. The only thing we would do differently would be a less formal final dinner –to be able to mingle with our team would have been the perfect finish …. C’est la vie!
Clem V.
Was a fantastic trip and a great way to see northern Tanzania… would definitely recommend!
[bicycle trip]
Holly M.
Yes, that is us in the picture! And that is Johannes, along with Wilson whom we enjoyed immensely…very wise fellow… I can’t tell you what an amazing trip this was, I will make sure to get on Trip Advisor and post our kudos. I have enjoyed the “trips to the islands” in the past, but this truly was an adventure, especially being in a completely different culture. Fortunately, we had no health issues, but had to take the malaria med for another month upon our return. No big deal, I would just advise clients in the future to take a pro-biotic with it to keep the “healthy” bacteria in your system.
Lisa B.
SENE was an excellent choice and we plan on engaging your services in the future.
Daniel T.
Thanks for your email and congratulations. It was a fantastic experience, one I’ll never forget.
I have a couple of points of feedback that I will pass along when I get home in a few weeks, all good things, particularly about our guides, cooks and porters who were terrific.
In the meantime, here’s a photo of the whole team on summit morning.
Thanks again for all your help in setting up the bookings and providing the information to make this possible through SENE. From the experience I have had I will be recommending you and the team to future climbers.
—-
My experience with SENE was extremely good and as a result of that plus the people involved, the Kilimanjaro climb and my time in Tanzania are memories that I will hold dear forever. I think you have found a very good combination of a high level of comfort, quality cuisine and genuine people while still allowing guests to experience the local flavour of Tanzania.
On the mountain the competence, knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides, cooks, porters and other staff was clearly evident in their proactive attitude and efforts to engage guests. In particular, or head guide, Honest, and his assistants John and Godi were brilliant. I was particularly impressed with the guides when their medical/safety skills were needed when some of our group fell ill and tired.
The food on the mountain was great quality and to be honest better than I expected. Kiplet, Emmanuel and Cosmas and their colleagues in the cooking crew deserve significant recognition.
I was impressed from the outset with your own correspondence and support in setting up the trip. The information and help you provided was timely, accurate and helpful.
I have two points of critique to consider. The first being the manner in which tips are collected at the end of the climb. We were required to write our tip amount on a group sheet of paper, where each guest could see how much the other had tipped. I think this method puts an unfair expectation on people if one tips more than another. I fully support the local culture of tipping and documenting the tips from each guest is important for fairness, but this process should be done privately.
Secondly, and in the context of Tanzania this is a small thing, but it would have been great to have better hot water facilities at the farm. Coming back from that long walk and over a week without a shower, the thought of some hot running water is heaven. It was disappointing then, at the farm, to be faced with a trickle of lukewarm water (though we had the best of it with others getting only cold water). I know that many people in the area don’t have anything like the facilities that the farm already has but by the same token, for the price SENE guests are paying, I think they are within their rights to expect better hot water facilities.
These two points haven’t detracted from my experience and I hope to return to Tanzania and spend more time in that amazing country. When that time comes I will look no further than SENE and hope again to meet Honest, Wilson, and many of the other people there who made my experience so memorable.
Thanks for all your help, I sincerely appreciate all the effort you and the SENE team put in on my behalf and I have left a review on Trip Advisor to that effect.
Alan C-S.
Highlights:
- Reaching the summit of Kili
- Manyara ranch great (sitting in the middle of a herd of elephants)
- Loved the Serengeti
- Diving off Mnemba Island superb
Disappointments:
- Ngorongoro crater was busy and barren
- Plantation Lodge was excellent but the staff were a bit unhelpful/sullen
Suggested Improvements:
Mbahe cottages were great but some might find the accommodation very basic. It made sense to stay here at altitude to help acclimatization
We had a fabulous trip and would not hesitate in recommending SENE
Craig W.
I wanted to take a moment to give you some feed back on the trip. First the crew was nothing short of exceptional. Great people all the way around. However, Sene needs to upgrade their gear in a couple of areas.
Sene duffel bags _ These are NOT waterproof bags. We had some rainy days and so some wet gear that ended up getting dried out hanging in the tents. You must upgrade these or let all clients know that they must bring a couple of heavy duty garbage bags to line the Sene duffel. Also, make it clear to clients that they need to bring a non-roller, light weight duffel to put their gear into. It does not need to hold the sleeping bag an pad but should hold everything else. This duffel will go into the Sene duffel. You are limited to 15Kgs of personal gear on the mountain (which really isn’t a problem).
Dining Tent – This was an older center post Tee-Pee style. The inside of the walls were wet with rain and condensation which caused them to sag in so that your back and head got wet. Really needs to be replaced by an external frame tent.
Tent Ground Cloths – The personal tent floors are not waterproof so the ground cloths should be upgraded to waterproof to keep the ground moisture penetrating the floor.
Regardless of the above items, I would definitely recommend Sene.
Sarah & Gabi
We had an INCREDIBLE time with SENE climbing Kili. We’re now in Uganda and enjoying our adventures thoroughly. We will absolutely write good reviews across the board.
Anonymous
WOW, what an epic, magical and virtually miraculously perfect experience climbing Kili with the SHE team and SENE!!!!!
Siobhan C.
Hi Nathalie,
I arrived home last weekend from an amazing time in Tanzania.
I was extremely impressed with SENE. You were always extremely helpful and prompt in answering my queries as I was panicking about what I was about to embark upon.
My flight arrived at a ridiculous hour early in the morning but Joseph was so friendly and pointed out interesting things on our way to the farm. At the farm so many people were waiting up for me to arrive to welcome me.
Yohana and Victor couldn’t do enough to make me feel comfortable throughout my stay at the farm. Wilson is an amazing host. I enjoyed the tour of the farm that he brought me on. He explained how crops were grown and the beneficial relationship between the companion planting which was fascinating.
The food at the farm was amazing. The best breakfast ever. I was so sad I wasn’t able to try the banana bread (due to the wheat) as it looked so good. It was particularly helpful with Wilson explaining the need to eat carbohydrates and fruit in order to acidify the blood to help combat mountain sickness.
Climbing KIlimanjaro was an incredible experience made all the better by having a small group of such lovely people, our guides Honest, John and Gody being so knowledgable, friendly and fun and all the porters where nothing was too much trouble for them. They really went above and beyond what was expected to look after us. They even sang to us on summit night to keep our spirits up. It was lovely climbing and listening to them.
It was pure luxury camping not even having to get out of my sleeping bag before receiving a cup of coffee each morning.
On Day 4 I was worried that it was all over for me as I had been up all night being sick. I hadn’t had any sleep, was unable to keep food down so was lacking energy. Honest travelled with me separately that day constantly motivating me that I could make it to the next camp, constantly trying to get me to eat some food, making sure I was drinking water and that the pace was manageable for me. As soon as we reached camp Honest immediately blew up a mattress for me so that I could rest and get some sleep. It must have been such a boring day for Honest. It took us 7 hours and I could barely get any words out of my mouth so conversation was limited. Luckily after a big sleep that night I felt fine the next day.
All the food that was prepared for us on the Mountain was gorgeous. I received plenty of bread and pasta substitutes. The toasted cheese sandwiches went down very well with the rest of the group when they had those. They looked so good even I wanted to eat them.
On summit night one of our guides pulled out a flask of hot, sweet tea. It was just what we all needed. Something warming and sugar for energy. On the way down Gody produced chocolate bars. Totally needed and such a lovely treat.
Honest as the Head Guide I had total confidence in him. He was totally on the ball at all times and reacted extremely quickly when he needed to but at the same time was very relaxed and it was enjoyable to be with him.
Arriving back at the farm to a warm welcome was lovely. It felt like we were all arriving home and was very exciting.
We all loved that the whole team of guides and porters were invited to the celebration party. The only thing I would change about this is to allow the porters to have two beers instead of one. My group also would have liked the chance to have bought a beer for all of the porters but we were informed that there wasn’t enough beer at the farm.
I chose SENE because it was important for me to use a local company where the money all went back in to the local community. I also wanted to use a company that treated and paid it’s porters properly. Every single person I met connected toSENE went that extra mile to deliver a remarkable service and experience. I am extremely happy that I chose SENE.
Kelli G.
Highlights: Team Lammergeier summited together, all feeling well. As we approached Barafu camp seeing a lammergeier that then perched near our site. Honest saying we were closing in on Stella Point right at dawn, then seeing the sign and Ema pulling out a thermos of chai. That was the best cup of tea I’ve ever had! We then went on to Uhuru Peak energized and with big smiles. Barranco Wall was a lot of fun!
Disappointments: Not related to SENE, but all the rubbish in camps, on the trail and on the summit. In fact, Honest picked up a lot of trash along the way.
Suggested Improvements: Check tent zippers. Level the dining table.
Why did you choose to take a trip with SENE instead of another tour company? First and foremost because we trust and admire Simon and know that his company is the top locally-owned one in Tanzania. Second,
because of SENE’s attention to safety. And, third, because of SENE’s positive treatment of the entire team, especially the porters (and being endorsed by KPAP).
Eva J.
My Kili climb with SENE was magical to the point of being miraculous! Our guides were so knowledgeable, caring, kind and patient and we lucked up with incredibly perfect weather! Our entire SENE porter/support team were the most enthusiastic, hard working, FUN group…being sung and danced to as we entered camp each day was beyond belief! These guys ran past us caring our supplies and gear, with smiles on their faces and high fives, set up camp each day and still had the commitment and energy to interact with us and make us feel so welcome and supported! I truly MISS THEM ALL…most especially, Kiplet’s fantastic food and our three outstanding guides, Honest, Augustine and Manase!
Anonymous
We had a great trip to Tanzania and were really glad we fit Mbahe cottages into our itinerary. It was really beautiful up there and unlike any other part of our trip. The room and grounds were really nice and the food was great. I’ll be happy to write fuller notes when I have caught up a bit on work, etc.
Holly D.
My heartfelt thanks to the team at SENE.
Everything worked perfectly and going solo turned out to be the best decision I could have made. Manase was my guide and was professional, kind and extremely helpful. Christoph Ager was the cook and prepared food most tasty and filling. Since it was just me – the three of us discussed, then decided what we would have for each meal. As a result I was able to try a number of traditional Chagga dishes.
It was humbling to find that running on the flat (streets or treadmill) even three-five miles/5xweek doesn’t really prepare you (at my age) for the kind of inclines, hills, slippery slopes and scrambling up and down the valleys. Never the less, I survived the first day with only minor whining. Since it was just me – we changed the second day of the 4 to hike out down the road and through the villages. As it turned out, this became one of the highlights of the trip. We stopped and visited, I learned about a lot of village life. Since it was a holiday, there were children all over the place, shy, charming and occasionally silly. I think we did about 16-17km till we met the vehicle at the turn off from the main road to Camp #2.
As the rain prevented us from getting up to the camp (road =1, vehilce+6 guys = 0) the better part of valor saw us going directly to camp 3.
Third day we hiked back along the road in the direction we would have walked. That afternoon I was also able to meet Janeth – the nurse who runs the local clinic and get a tour. Day four we traveled the normal route to Simon Mtuy’s Farm. There weren’t that many birds out, but a pair of Blue Monkeys made their appearance. At the farm everything again was extremely friendly and welcoming.
The driver the next morning made sure that I arrived in Arusha in plenty of time to meet my next activitiy.
I appreciated the care, friendliness and hospitality as well as the professionalism of all our people. They were accommodating and flexible – from my slower than average pace to alternate plans when vehicles became broken or stuck.
I hope to be able to return in the future.
Lise G.
Jambo to all SENE team !
I’m now back at the office ! I want to thanks you all for this wonderful moment in Mbahe farm.
It was a very nice experience and your welcoming was very kind. All the team in Mbahe was perfect and they make clients feel at home !
They shared with me their experiences, their hapiness and their kidness.
My “guardian angel” and guide Wilson (:-)) was perfect, he showed me the falls, the national Kilimanjaro park and even bring me to the Mbahe school were I spent a beautiful time.
The rest of the team were also very nice, they learn me how to prepare coffee and also showed me the garden and srroundings of Mbahe.
Through this trip I now see how Mbahe farm is and what kind of philosophy you want to develop. This place is really peaceful and the nature is present everywhere. Mbahe is full of authenticity and it is a real experience for all our clients.
It was also a great pleasure to meet you Simon and to visit all the team on your office in Moshi.
I will keep a fantastic souvenir of the rich moment and also many beautiful photos.
Can I contact Mbahe staff to send them pictures of my stay ? I’m also preparing a box to send them “french presents” to thanks them for the moment I spend with them in the farm.
Please transmit my frinedship to all the team.
Asante sana !
Mark P.
Dear Simon and Tim,
The students, except for Maxime who is staying in Moshi on his own for a few more days, are on their way home. The program was a success, thanks in no small part to the great work of the SENE team. Once we get settled in back home and have a chance to get more detailed feedback from the students we’ll send you a full report. In the meantime, thank you so much for working with us over the past year to put this program together. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Jerry R.
I had a good climb and reached Uhuru from the Western Breach. Katunzi the cook prepared me very good vegan meals, and I appreciated it. Joel and Jackson were knowledgeable and caring guides who had the patience to deal with two older guys. Joel also had the science experience to help me gather photos of the crater glaciers.
I do not want to dwell on the negative, but there is an area of improvement. I would have brought my own sleeping bag and pad if I had known what you offered. The pads offered had almost no cushion from the ground. Team Kilimanjaro offered a 4 inch foam pad at not extra charge. My personal 0 F degree bag is much warmer that what SENE offers.
Steve A.
I’ve given a verbal feedback to Simon already.
I’d echo Jerry’s point about the sleeping bag and mat. We found ways to compensate for the bag using our down jackets but the mat could be improved on. I was very impressed by both Joel and Jackson and the care and attention they gave to us. The food was very good, plenty of it and tasty. The porter crew were conscientious. It was a great trip and I’d recommend SENE to anyone contemplating climbing Kibo.
Kim L.
We are getting ready to leave Zanzibar today and we are still thinking about our fantastic time at Mbahe and Safari. The entire SENE team was just incredible and it felt like family from the start. We are so grateful for the opportunity to experience this part of the world and your assistance making it happen.
There was one hiccup on the last day of safari on the 28th. Based on our emails, I booked our outbound flight to Zanzibar for a 3pm departure thinking that was enough of an allowance as your correspondence suggested a noon departure or later. However, even with 3pm, we were rushing to make it to JRO leaving the Ngorongoro Farmhouse at 9am. This meant the exploration to the elephant caves was not a possibility as planned. I mention this because I’m not sure if our safari costs included park entrance fees or guiding expenses for this excursion. If we did pay for this activity upfront, is there any way to get a reimbursement?
Let me know your thoughts on the matter. Regardless we are already dreaming up ways to come back as soon as we can.
Jan & Karen K.
This was the perfect combo trip of adventure, culture, exercise, rest, beach & safari. We would highly recommend a combo trip like ours because most people want different experiences, and this trip provided that blend perfectly.
Here is a dropbox link to a few shots from our wonderful trip, feel free to use any of them for promotional purposes. We wanted to thank you both, as well as Joseph & Kiplet for an amazing trip. It was the perfect blend of everything! Karen just asked me my favorite part & I couldn’t give her one. We had three distince trips in one and they blended to make the magical mix. We feel we were extremely lucky to have found you and we will be sure to share our positive experiences with everyone we meet interested in the best Tanzanian adventure possible!
Suggested Improvements:
1) on the bike trip, include fruit & snack foods for the lunch (it can be a long day & unless you are of Simon’s caliber most of us regular humans need something to keep us going).
2) Include a couple cultural stops (any trip). Simon is so good with people, we watched him stop and chat with people at every village on our bike rides & it would be amazing to be able to tap into that cultural exchange somehow; tea plantation short tour, school visit, family farm, etc…
3) Come on guys, everyone loves a tee-shirt. Charge $20.00 extra if you have to, but give the guests a tee shirt (Joseph wore one & they look super cool). Also, on the bike trips provide a water bottle. Most people will be kind of grossed out having to use someone else’s. Those are little details that people notice & are cheap to provide.
Linda B.
Dear Simon and Tim:
Can’t thank you both enough for such an awesome experience on Kili!
Nicole and I were just blown away by the hospitality, attentiveness, patience, and warmth of the Sene crew! There was not one moment that they disappointed us in any way. Indeed they exceeded any expectation we may have had. Nicole was particularly impressed with the food — Venice has already agreed to send us recipes!
Immanuel and Honest complemented each other perfectly as our guides. Nicole loved Immanuel’s quick, quiet pace, and I loved chatting with Honest about the mountain, Chaga folklore, etc with wonderful intervals of quiet meditation and reflection while we walked at a pole pole pace.
Moreover, Honest went the extra mile every time a need arose — such as Tara’s boots falling apart (more on that Simon — pole!) and having to decide how to handle my not handling the altitude at Mwenzi.
All the porters were incredible — friendly without being imposing, unbelievable in terms of what they were able to carry, and then to smile and sing and dance for us. I am not sure I could have been so hospitable under similar circumstances. David from KPAP was particularly attentive. Just a warm, kind soul.
We do have two recommendations for your consideration. First, I believe that the second day hike was a bit too much in terms of altitude change and exertion. Both of us arrived at Kikelewa with headaches. We quickly rebounded by morning, but I think it set me up for feeling worse the following day at Mwenzi Tarn camp. I recommend considering in the future a 7-day hike to include an overnight at Second Cave (where I first started feeling light headed) and drop Horombo as a means of acclimatizing. Nicole and I with input from Simon and Honest had decided before we left that dropping down to Horombo would risk our not feeling the motivation to remount to Kibo/School Hut.
Obviously just our feedback. But next summer when Mark and I give it a try (hopefully!), this is likely to be the itinerary I would want. Maybe we can be your guinea pigs on this version!
Second recommendation: I found the guidance on tipping very confusing. When I did the two calculations offered — one by number of hikers and days, the other by percentage paid — I got dramatically different amounts. I decided to split the difference and gave 1.6 million shillings. I hope that was considered a generous tip as it was intended to be.
Bottomline, we think that Sene is awesome and we feel so fortunate to have gotten to know Simon and his staff as well as reconnect with Tim.
Asante sana!
Paulo O.
Hi everyone!
The whole trip was really incredible. The crew and the guides who look after us during the climbing and safari were responsible for the successfull adventure we’ve had out there in Tanzania.
I met some new and good friends too: Michelle and Mimmo. That made everything even better.
I got some nice pictures on our way to the summit and in Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Looking at those pictures I feel like I’m there again, and it it’s a great feeling by the way. Everything we use to watch in National Geographic Channel or read in the magazine really exists, and we’ve been there for something around 15 days. That’s a huge privilege.
I’m certainly going to post a nice review about Sene Mbahe Farm… I loved the moments we’ve spent there..
I might come back to run the Stage Race, maybe in 2016… let’s see how things go until there…
To sum it up: it was awesome!
All the best and I hope to meet you again, in another adventure maybe… who knows???
Michelle P.
I pretty sure I speak for everyone and am happy to report that you exceeded our expectations. It was a truly great adventure. Mimmo and I came back with an incredible sense of accomplishment from the climb, inspiration from all the crew, a great new friend (Paulo), and too many pictures. Not yet settled as we have a backlog of work to catch up on, but we will definitely submit a radiant review on trip advisor soon. You may certainly feel free to contact us as a reference.
Thanks so much for arranging a great trip!
Anonymous
I am also pretty sure I did an evaluation – it was of course almost impossible to find fault! It was extremely well organized, and everyone could not have been more helpful or pleasant – a real credit to SENE!
Sabine M.
The cultural safari was really great and we learned a lot of the different tribes. It was good to have a local guide with us. They all had excellent knowledge about the tribes. We think it might be also interesting for other guests. We made a lot of pictures and Mattias made videos with his drone. Now we have to look through it. But first we have to write reports about our project we visited before safari. So we say thank you very much for this great experience. We hope to make another safari with SENE next year.
Tomás C.
Dear Tim, your email finds us just settling in back at home. After the safari we spent some days in Zanzibar, indeed, and flew back on the 28th. South African Airlines lost our baggage but found it later and got home two days after us.
The safari experience with SENE was absolutely amazing, I could write pages about it and have +2000 pictures (soon to be on FB) that can also vouch for that, haha. My dad is still completely fascinated. There is absolutely nothing we could possibly complain about or criticize. Both your and the Tanzanian crew’s service has been absolutely outstanding. I’ll make sure the people at Tripadvisor find out.
My friends in Argentina are all crazy about what I’ve been telling and showing. It’s not that common for people from here to travel to Tanzania, but many have started inquiring seriously about it. I’ll make sure to give them your email address, if contact info is requested (you will have to start working on your Spanish, though, heh). Thank you for everything and wish you the best of luck. Keep up the amazing work!
SENE exceeded our expectations on every single aspect of the trip. I couldn’t recommend this company enough. Thank you SENE!
Corinne
We had an awesome human experience with SENE. I would recommend it to anyone sensitive to respect of people and nature. That’s SENE spirit.
Climbing the Kili is one great thing but with SENE’s approach, it gives another dimension to your experience. We were warmly welcomed at the farm by Wilson and its crew and he prepared us very well for the climbing in term of advices (water, water and water!!!), and a few hours hike. We had great food produced mostly at the farm and around. Homemade coffee was also very much appreciated!
Then we started climbing the Lemosho route and western breach and were very lucky with the weather conditions! The food was exceptional during the trip, we enjoyed it very much, as well as the presentation;) Everything was fresh and healthy. Thank you so much to our guides Felix and Elidgi as well as the whole crew, who were giving us so much attention and energy, whatever was their role. We had many nice and interesting discussions and shared so much emotions by singing, joking, learning swahili…
We had then 2 days safari (Tarangire and Ngorongoro parks) with our guide and chauffeur Joseph and here again, we had so much fun and enjoyed his great knowledge of wildlife. He gave us the possibility to see so many animals. He is a very nice person also, plenty of humor and attention. We appreciated him very much! Hurrah for SENE and thank you again!
Nathalie, Merci pour tout et félicitations à vous pour votre magnifique travail, vous êtes une pro du marketing/comm. Non seulement vous faites parfaitement votre pub, votre suivi, mais vous vous occupez très bien de vos clients, avec chaleur et sympathie. Pour moi ça compte aussi beaucoup.
Lynette V.
This was a trip of a life time. Lovely people, really the people is what made the trip so memorable. We felt like family to all the people that helped us. We were truly sad to leave them and Tanzania. The staff was amazing and took care of us extremely well. I enjoyed eating with Wilson for every meal and Felix too. Both men are a delight! Joseph was fantastic. He was a wealth of information. He responded to our every need and made us for safe. We also enjoyed his sense of humor and especially his laughter at all times. We had a thoroughly great time.
I have been on safari before in Kenya for two weeks and I did not see the amount of animals that we saw in four days. Since we had such a limited time on Safari I wish they we could have taken a bush plane out to the Serengeti at least one way. I enjoyed seeing everything on the way out, but that trip back on Monday was long. At least on the way in it was broken up somewhat. I would have loved to shower before we got on the plane back home. We tried to clean ourselves up somewhat in the restaurant that we had our last dinner which was fine and we did get to shower at the airport when we arrived in Amsterdam. I know we were trying to keep our costs down but if those two things were offered we might have considered them.
Harry M.
Hi Tim. Thank you ever so much for all your very profession assistance ! In short I am and was absolutely delighted by every thing you guys have done for me 100 %. When I have time I will sit down with Liz And compose some drafts to you Simon and SENE. What a dream come true. What a service you guys have given me.
Karen M.
Just wrote a review along with other excellent reviews already on the tripadvisor site. It was such a great experience with a wonderful group of people. I can’t believe we saw every animal we could imagine on the safari.
Linda B.
Can’t thank you enough for giving us an excellent driver/guide. Temba was super — incredibly knowledgeable, excellent driver, very responsive to our needs/desires, and just all around nice guy! And of course the park was awesome! Loved TSL and had a chance to chat with Jon (Annette was in Nairobi) and then meet up with Lara and Charles Foley on Saturday at the lodge who invited us to their WCS campsite on Sunday. Good for work as well as family entertainment.
Jennifer B.
It was great to fill out the evaluation form and have the opportunity to write how wonderful my experience was hiking Mt. Kili with SENE. I just can’t say enough how amazing all the team was, especially Honest (guide), Emanual (porter) and Victor (staff at the farm). I really appreciate the care SENE takes with its employees in terms of wages and working practices. I would not hesitate to use or highly recommend SENE to anyone who is interested in tours in Africa.
Thank you for patiently answering all my (many) questions and for taking great care of us as we prepared for our adventure. A big thanks to Happiness and the team in Moshi for helping us post trip with Internet and making us feel so welcome.
SENE is a top notch team of professionals who understand the mountain’s vast terrains and are excellent at reading situations and providing the best for their clients. We could not have asked for a more caring and competent group. Simply put, SENE rocks!
If there is anything I can do on my end for SENE, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Joan C.
Jambo from Mbahe Farm House….
There are no words to describe waking up on the farm to the smell of the wet African earth after a rainstorm. Last night we went to bed with the sound of rain pounding on the tin roof. While it was raining on us it was snowing on the mountain. On the walk to the school we saw Mt. Kilimanjaro for the first time–covered in snow. It was spectacular!
SENE provides a life-changing experience which is not available through other tour companies. Staying at Mbahe Farm House gives you the experience of being part of a small village and learning how the people really live. The workers on the farm become your friends. This was my 11th trip to Mbahe with SENE, and I truly feel that I am returning home to my second family.
Mark A.
It was a great trip. The people at the Farm were very friendly, knowledgeable and provided great service. The mountain team was superb. Thanks for everything.
Mike F.
The trip was great! Reached the summit with less effort than I expected, due in no small part to the longer route we chose with the excellent time for acclimatization. As you know, there was a heavy snow on the Summit, so we elected to stay an extra day at Lava Tower and skip the overnight at the crater camp. My stockpile of candy bars and comfort food went largely uneaten due to the excellent food served on the climb, breakfast, lunch and dinner! I would highly recommend SENE.
