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With elite guides by your side you transform your journey into the trip of a lifetime. The Tusker team is composed of legendary highly qualified guides with many years of Kilimanjaro experience, having led thousands of climbers to the summit. They are often called upon by the other trekking companies for their expertise.
As medically trained High Altitude First Responders, your guides not only keep you safe but boost your morale with their laser-focused skills and passion for the mountain. Their love for Kilimanjaro is palpable and their knowledge of the climb is second to none.
Climber-Focused
& Safety-Driven
Tusker Trail’s Kilimanjaro guides epitomize a “climber-focused” approach by prioritizing each climber’s individual needs and goals. They tailor their guidance to enhance the overall experience, offering personalized support and motivation throughout the ascent.
Simultaneously, their “safety-driven” ethos ensures that climbers are well-equipped, educated, and protected against potential risks. Rigorous safety protocols, regular equipment checks, and extensive wilderness expertise underscore their commitment to safeguarding climbers on this iconic journey to the summit of Kilimanjaro.
In the video here, See how Tusker guide Simon Minja rescues a climber from another company.
Tusker’s almost five-decade obsession with climber safety is a testament to our unwavering commitment to ensuring the safest and most successful climbs on the majestic peak of Kilimanjaro. As the company with the highest number of medically trained guides in any group, you are in the best possible hands to reach the summit safely.
With Tusker, you’ll climb with a no-nonsense approach, knowing that if a member of your group requires evacuation by a guide, the remaining guides on your team will be able to ensure that you continue the climb, enabling you to achieve a successful and safe climb to the summit. Join Tusker and set out on a safe, fun and epic adventure.
Join a highly experienced team, steeped in the knowledge and wisdom accumulated through generations of living and working on Kilimanjaro.
The Tusker team has faced and overcome every obstacle the mountain can throw at them, so you can be confident you’re in good hands. You’ll climb with the assurance that you’re in the company of seasoned veterans who have spent decades making the impossible, possible.
With our team of seasoned guides, your climb is guaranteed to be smooth, well-executed, and safe. These experts have dedicated decades to perfecting their leadership and guiding skills. What’s more, many of them have worked with Tusker’s founding guide, Eddie Frank, training the US Army Special Forces.
Our Tusker team has invested months in intensive medical training over the years, and spent decades acquiring the expertise needed to ensure your safe journey to the summit. For them, Kilimanjaro is not just their office—it’s their backyard. They’ve grown up on the mountain’s slopes and most of our team still live there. Each guide has climbed Kilimanjaro hundreds of times, possessing an intimate understanding of the local flora on every trail.
On the slopes of Kilimanjaro, the mountain is your constant companion and your greatest adversary. The thin air and the ever-changing weather conspire to test your mettle at every step. But with Tusker’s elite world-class guides by your side, you will conquer these challenges and have a safe and successful climb.
Our guides are the best in the business, with years of experience and highly focused mountain medical training. They monitor you closely, with twice daily medical checks to evaluate your condition, and spot early signs of altitude sickness or other issues that you may not even be aware of. They know that something as simple as a hot spot on your toe, loss of appetite, slight insomnia, or an altered sense of humor can be a key indicator of something developing. And by spotting potential issues and treating them before they become a problem, you will get the most out of your climb.
Our summit success rate of 98% speaks for itself. Trust in our guides and trust in yourself, and stand victorious on the rooftop of Africa.
High Altitude First Responder Course OR Wilderness First Responder. What’s the difference?
Almost all medical emergencies on Kilimanjaro happen above 10,000 feet, therefore any safety course should focus on emergencies and safety in that specific environment. That’s why Tusker’s owner-guide, Eddie Frank teamed up with Wilderness Physician, Greg Bledsoe to design the HIGH ALTITUDE FIRST RESPONDER medical course.
The few companies on Kilimanjaro who offer training for their guides, enroll them in the Wilderness First Responder course. While this is a good general course for the wilderness, we feel that course is inadequate, as it is does not focus on altitude training. It allocates only a few hours. Tusker’s High Altitude First Responder medical course focuses our guides for a full week every year on Altitude training and sets us up to lead the safest climbs on Kilmanjaro.
Check our Health and Safety page to learn how Tusker created the High Altitude First Responder training program.
RECOMMENDED BY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
Here’s what Wilderness Physicians say about Tusker’s guides.
Dr. Michael Callahan
“Tusker guides are distinguished from all others by their training as High Altitude First Responders. The intensity and thoroughness of the training is best demonstrated by Tusker’s unparalleled safety record and extraordinary adventure experience for climbers.”
Dr. David Townes
“You run an outstanding operation. Your emphasis on health and safety is to be commended. I wish some of my medical students had the insight of your guides.”
