Your safety and success are the top priorities, in that order.

Climbing the Seven Summits at its core is a climbing and mountaineering guide service vs. a run of the mill tour operator.

As such we have a greater focus on safety at altitude, pull from a deeper knowledge base navigating mountainous terrain, have better strategies to mitigate weather and a better grasp of how to empower climbers to succeed, than say your average adventure tour provider might.

Our clientele’s well-being factors into every decision we make while on expeditions. Although we like to stand on the top of mountains more than anyone, we believe that climbing is a round-trip endeavor, and getting you back to your loved ones safely is paramount. We are conservative in our approach and plan and execute our expeditions from a ‘mountaineers’ perspective’ with extra acclimatization, higher redundancies and the highest quality gear to ensure a safe environment in which to climb.

We are proud to have maintained a 100% expedition safety and success rate for all our Kilimanjaro expeditions. This is a testament to our approach, quality of service and attention to detail.

Guidance on Kilimanjaro is often overlooked and underestimated. Look for guides who are seasoned experts with a strategy that is patient, conservative, and well-planned to give you the best opportunity for success.

They should be adept at managing the team, able to make sound decisions, have a deep understanding of alititude illness signs and symptoms, have a hunger to summit whenever it is safe to do so, and have a proven track record.

Our Guides are true mountain leaders, not just tour guides. They lean on their extensive experience on Kilimanjaro (for instance; one of our favorite Kilimanjaro Guides Gerry has over 500x Kili Summits!) and further afield across the Seven Summits (for instance regular Kili Team Guide Tendi Sherpa has 15x Everest summits!) to help guide you through the many nuances of climbing Kilimanjaro to help you be successful and lay the foundations for a successful mountaineering career if you chose to climb beyond Kilimanjaro.
Often, being able to troubleshoot problems before they occur can make the difference, and this is where CTSS’s handpicked Guide team and their vast experience becomes crucial.

Our Leadership also extends beyond the mountain, for instance, our pre trip team will work with you to make sure you’re as prepared as possible to reach your goal;  from answering questions, providing detailed gear lists, advice on training etc. CTSS’s Leadership and Guiding approach is holistic.

For most people, Kilimanjaro is their first experience at altitude and acclimatizing is a critical aspect of a successful summit attempt. The mountain’s summit is 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) at the summit and if not properly managed, there is a very real risk of altitude-related illnesses such as acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE).

CTSS recognizes that everyone (regardless of their fitness) acclimatizes slightly differently so we offer a longer, gentler acclimatization itinerary, route and progression to help climbers adjust to the altitude gradually, reducing the risk of these conditions.

In contrast, many Kilimanjaro operators race their clients up the mountain, in large, understaffed groups  to cut corners on costs. They have a “churn and burn” approach, (especially if they only offer Kilimanjaro climbs because they know you are unlikely to return so aren’t worried about your satisfaction) whereas CTSS is highly invested in our reputation for safety and success and work tirelessly to maintain our hard-earned status.

We also hope you will love climbing so much, that you will continue your climbing journey with us beyond Kili and are therefore invested in you having the best opportunity to reach the summit feeling the best you can!

Kilimanjaro is often the starting point for budding mountaineers who go on to enjoy a lifelong passion.  If you are considering Kilimanjaro as a progression to bigger objectives, like the Seven Summits, then having a Guide Service who can help advise, coach and direct you not only through your Kilimanjaro journey but BEYOND it, is a huge asset.

CTSS will help you prepare, progress, improve with real time Guide feedback, and plan your next steps.

Does an operator have strong values?

This is sometimes a little harder to identify as it’s more a feeling than a sales pitch, but you should get a feel for a company through their little interactions, their care factor, their responses to you as an individual and your questions, their attention to detail, their corporate social responsibility and approach to sustainability and protecting the environment.

For instance; is your chosen Kilimanjaro Guide Service a member of KPAP? KPAP stands for the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project and is an independent, non government body that ensures fair wages, proper working conditions and ethical treatment of high altitude porters on Kilimanjaro. CTSS has been a proud member of KPAP since the inception of our Kilimanjaro program.

On a personal level, mountaineering can be high risk and stressful so it is important pick an operator who has strong core values and a team mentality that aligns with yours so that when things get challenging you can rely on open lines of communication, knowing they will do what they can to support you. It is this team cohesiveness that flows through to each individual climber and helps them stand on top.