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How can I choose the best tour operator?

With over 200 licensed operators for a Mount Kilimanjaro trek, the choices can be quite overwhelming. However, take note that the operator you choose to trek with is crucial to your summit success and overall experience. Some tour operators have foreign guides. Others offer premium add-ons. These factors result in higher tour value, costing to about as high as $5,000 or more! The question is, do you need those premium add-ons? Would you want foreign outfitters as guides over locals who have trekked the mountains many times before, maybe even since they were younger.

What are the characteristics of best tour operator?

Experience of their guides
Make sure the company you choose it uses knowledgeable and local guides. The guide should be a local and have a lot of experience about mount Kilimanjaro, they know very well English language, have travel experience, and know how to save the life of anyone when get injury and know symptoms of mountain diseases like altitude mountain sickness and other diseases. The tour company should hire local guides who are experienced who will make clients happy. If you are not sure about the guides call the customer service line and ask them about their guides.

The price offered
There also company should use capping cost. The Kilimanjaro national park authority arrange tourist activities cost but there are some cost which arranged by tour company itself. So when you are choosing you should consider about the cost company offered.

Company background
When you check about Company background you should consider the reputation of the company. You can check previous client’s reviews and feedback. You can check various online forums, or you can ask friends and family who have already traveled to Kilimanjaro Tanzania. Remember to check the experience of the company about when it was starting. If you are satisfied with the company characteristic that’s great. But if you feel uneasy and unsure with that tour operator, just go ahead and choose another company.

There are ways you needed to take when choosing tour operator which could assist you to climb Kilimanjaro based on getting better service from such tour. The assumption is that you have chosen to book your holiday with a leading tour operator or outfitter to maximize your holiday time. Not considering of whom you end up choosing.

Do research
Work of investigate tour company before booking is very important because enable you to know each and everything about tour company in Kilimanjaro before you are booking. Do research by establish and organize way to keep track of brochures, maps, notes from conversations and website links. This will include all the materials you are going to collect throughout the research and planning process. Make sure you are not making wrong choice.

Use Google to get help for the questions that you don’t have their answers
Nowdays Google is the best that provide helps for all questions which peoples want to get their answers so all traveler’s search is now done online. Use Google to search about what you want to know about any Kilimanjaro tour company and about what confuse your mind.

Involve other sources of information such as books, social Medias and others
Visit different book, magazines, newspapers and social Medias like face book, instagram, twitter and other social media to talk with your friends, co-workers and also your family. Not only that but also just visit your local travel counselor, and do not forget to take and keep notes when all those processing.

Decide/arrange your journey
Plan your journey list from where you want to start and where you will end up either you want to start to climb climbing mount Kilimanjaro and or either you want to end up to visit national parks in Kilimanjaro or Arusha in Tanzania. Start creating a dream list of possible destinations and activity options and start working on culling it down to create your short list. Look to align your desired activities, schedule, destination, so you are doing the right activities in the right places at the right time of year. This is not your only vacation and things change, so keep track of everything.

Choose the best tour operator?

After all your research being done the next step you have to choose the best who you should entrust your holiday when you are doing your tourist activities. You have a short list of destinations and an idea of what you want to do. During your researching about your choices company a few tour company names probably surfaced more than once. That is a good start and now creates a short list of tour operators. In magazine, newspaper, social Medias and also Google which are often list the best special annual editions. In the end you will have created a list of operators that best match your needs and activities.

Start communicating with those tour operator companies one by one you have listed

After you finish arranging a list of your destinations and tour operators. Then you have begun to contact with them directly by emailing or calling them through social Medias and the key is to track all interactions. If a company fails to get back to you in a timely manner and answer your questions accurately and efficiently, you do not have to trust your holiday to them and then continue with other tour which are active and try to keep follow and record all interactions and start building a report with those most responsible. The tour company is responsible to answer calls and email for their clients on time in order to avoid losing clients.

Get the answers

You may start with the following questions in order to know if the chosen tour it is qualified and is among of your targeted tour these questions includes:-How long have you been in business, Do you run your own tours or outsource them to others, What are your deposit and cancellation policies, What if I sign up for a specific date and no one else does, Do you offer trip insurance, Can I speak to a few past guests who did the same trip recently, Tell me a bit about your demographics, who typically takes your trips, what should I bring and what i will get from the company. What is your average group size and what your guide ratio is, Is the owner of the company involved in the day to day operations, what is your long goals, what is your company’s satisfaction guarantee policy, Tell me all about your family trips if it is a family trip you are considering.

Ask more questions considering your targeting travelling
How long have you been running this trip, What is not included, Where do we start and end the trip, How do I get there, What is a typical day like, How many miles are we biking, hiking, paddling, what are the accommodations provided by the company, Can you accommodate specific dietary needs on this trip, Is there support, Who will the guides be and how long have they been guiding this trip, What makes this trip special and why should I chose it. And what should I choose you and not others company.

Make sure you take note all your conversation with those listed or active tour company
Now it is time to summarize all you have learned and to take your time to review one by one. Digest all that you have picked up, read, heard and felt. One or two trips with one particular maybe two operators should now be pretty obvious. Make sure you are following up calls and their views. You now have built that rapport and should be able to talk with someone you trust. Go over any final questions to remove any remaining doubt.

Then the final work is to book for chosen tour
After those important steps finished then you have to book for your choice and get everyone in your group or family to agree and then, now you are truly on your way and the period of excited anticipation begins. But, do not hesitate to stay in touch and continue bonding with the tour operator while you are waiting for that special departure date to arrive. The operator’s job does not end with the booking it simply begins.

How do I choose the best tour company in Kilimanjaro and Arusha for my holiday?

Costs
When we are talking about cost it means cost of all expenses used during tourism activities because the client want to satisfied and they also make sure they pay all the expenses needed in order to get better services but there are some tours company their cost is higher than others so in case you choose tour operator company you have to choose the company with normal cost when providing service. Although is not always true that you get what you pay for ask how your money is spent to find out if you are really getting the best value for your money. And when you calculate about your budget you have to remember about hotel expenses. You want a company that is transparent with why prices are the way they are. Moreover, make sure you ask if there are added fees to pay when arrive. Many companies require you to pay additional money when the tour starts or don’t include park or attraction entrance fees. That cheap tour won’t be so cheap if you have to pay for everything while you are there.

Avoid paying more money opposite with your agreement
There are some tour companies charges you a single supplement for example more money to have your own room. They do these because they don not want to mix and pair people together. You do not to pay it. The best tour companies will pair solo travelers of the same sex together in the same room. If there is not anyone else you will get your own room by default. If you find a company that charges you an additional fee for traveling solo, avoid them.

Make sure you are the audience
Make sure the your travel with the match with you. You can also tell the audience based on accommodation if it is hostels or guesthouses, it is usually for backpackers and budget travelers if it is fancy digs, it’s for older travelers and families. This is very important because these are the people you will be traveling with so you want to make sure it is the kind of people you are traveling with. Does the tour involve couples, young people’s or families you have to be the audience before the tour starting.

Experienced guides
Guides are very important on your tour safari because low experienced guides they can make or break your trip. They are going to explain everything to you and keep the flow of the tour going. Make sure the company uses knowledgeable, local guides. The guide should be a local or at least a long term resident, know the local language, have travel experience, and know life saving techniques. If you are not sure about the guides call the customer service line and ask them about their guides.

Security
The company should make sure you have a strong safety by making sure that the company follows all the proper safety requirements and is accredited by the local government, the government where they are registered, and any other appropriate trade organizations.

Make sure they follow timetable
Make sure you are choosing the company which their activities organized together. If answer is no then make sure you get a schedule of all the activities and pick a tour that is balanced. Running around will leave you wishing you had a holiday from your holiday but you do not want to be sitting around all day either.

Environment
Always Tour Company in Tanzania should consider arranging better environment to their clients. This means using local guides, hotels, and services, and making sure to reduce waste and your footprint on the local habitat. It’s about more responsible travel, not only toward the environment but also toward the locals in an area.

Size in group
Many clients want to travel in small number of group when travelling because of reducing disturbance which may occur during travelling. Tour companies that have smaller groups tend to be much more mindful of the environment and the impact they are leaving. It depending on your willing to choose what you want yourself so you don’t find yourself with a group too small or too large for your tastes.

Company reputation
Check how they provide their service that satisfies the need of their clients by looking of their reviews on their websites and how have other travelers enjoyed their time. Look for online reviews to see what a company’s reputation is. It might not always be what they claim, and it’s important to find out the truth before you book. You can even use our forum to ask what other travelers have thought.

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