Climbing & Mountaineering Tours & Trips

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"I grew up in Arizona, and it seems like most of my childhood memories are outdoors. Our family vacations almost always featured the camper and hiking boots over hotel rooms and large crowds. We’ve always enjoyed the nature of Arizona (and California, where I live now) and thought it was one of the best reasons to live here. My parents and I, and especially my Dad, have always talked about how amazing it would be to go on an African safari and see a whole new wilderness. My parents recently retired and decided it was high time to make that dream a reality. And I, despite being an adult with a child of my own now, somehow lucked into becoming their third wheel. First, a brief run-down of our trip: We arrived in Arusha and opted to stay a full day at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, which I highly recommend. It was nice to have a day to acclimate to the time (and weather) change before heading out, and it gave us a full day to take a tour of Arusha and spend some time shopping for souvenirs and Precious famous Tanzanite stone from Cultural Heritage store and we explore the city, meet with local people back to the Lodge. From there we took a short flight into the Serengeti right on the middle of the action and began our safari. We stayed three nights at the Olakira Ndutu Migration Camp, three nights at the Four-Season Serengeti Lodge, and two nights at the Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp in Ngorongoro. I would absolutely recommend any of these camps. The staff are all professional and courteous, the food is outstanding, and the accommodations are surprisingly comfortable, considering the remote locations. But honestly, we only stayed at the camps to eat, bathe, and sleep. Our guide, Laurence Mosha, gave us the option to depart at sunrise and we took him up on it every single day. The early morning light is spectacular, the temperature is much cooler, and the animals are active. I know it may be tempting to sleep in, but I definitely encourage the early morning drives. You can sleep at home! I’m a wedding photographer and work very hard at running my own business. It seems like we always have something on our calendar. I hadn’t spent a prolonged amount of time alone with my parents since finishing college (some undisclosed number of years ago). It was a privilege to take this vacation together as adults, and I can’t possibly think of a more beautiful location to do it in or better company to organize it than the expert Local Galloping Safaris and his team. We must come back to Tanzania again and our amazing, beautiful memories will last forever Asante sana!"

What travelers are saying

"I went on a week long trip in Napa and Sonoma and had an incredible time. The trip was so well organised - we went through the most beautiful parts of Northern California and the roads were blissfully quiet. The food stops were really well organised too - a particular highlight was stopping among the redwoods for lunch. I loved the way that you could go at your own pace - there was no pressure to keep up with anyone, and you could also zip off on your own if you wanted to, as the GPS trackers on each bike kept you on route. I really couldn't reccommend it enough!"

What travelers are saying

"The wildlife viewing was incredible! We were able to take superb photos and the knowledge guides were enjoyable. We were impressed with our accommodations and especially the tented camps. The service at the camps were first rate!"

What travelers are saying

"I was very disappointed with the unfriendly and dictatorial chief guide during my experience. When I disclosed that I had started taking Diamox, he humiliated me by criticizing its use and claiming that doctors were completely wrong. He insisted that I must reduce the dosage. Despite advertising the Rainier climb as suitable for novice climbers with little or no previous experience, the guides were very strict with their timing. If you were even slightly behind while hiking to Camp Muir, let's say by 15 minutes, the guides would repeatedly tell you that "you are not going to make it." They enforced stringent rules and showed no flexibility whatsoever. Their constant demotivating messages left me discouraged, and as a result, I decided to drop out. Furthermore, their rigidity extended to gear as well. It seemed like they were more motivated to steer people towards renting their gear."

What travelers are saying

"I grew up in Arizona, and it seems like most of my childhood memories are outdoors. Our family vacations almost always featured the camper and hiking boots over hotel rooms and large crowds. We’ve always enjoyed the nature of Arizona (and California, where I live now) and thought it was one of the best reasons to live here. My parents and I, and especially my Dad, have always talked about how amazing it would be to go on an African safari and see a whole new wilderness. My parents recently retired and decided it was high time to make that dream a reality. And I, despite being an adult with a child of my own now, somehow lucked into becoming their third wheel. First, a brief run-down of our trip: We arrived in Arusha and opted to stay a full day at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, which I highly recommend. It was nice to have a day to acclimate to the time (and weather) change before heading out, and it gave us a full day to take a tour of Arusha and spend some time shopping for souvenirs and Precious famous Tanzanite stone from Cultural Heritage store and we explore the city, meet with local people back to the Lodge. From there we took a short flight into the Serengeti right on the middle of the action and began our safari. We stayed three nights at the Olakira Ndutu Migration Camp, three nights at the Four-Season Serengeti Lodge, and two nights at the Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp in Ngorongoro. I would absolutely recommend any of these camps. The staff are all professional and courteous, the food is outstanding, and the accommodations are surprisingly comfortable, considering the remote locations. But honestly, we only stayed at the camps to eat, bathe, and sleep. Our guide, Laurence Mosha, gave us the option to depart at sunrise and we took him up on it every single day. The early morning light is spectacular, the temperature is much cooler, and the animals are active. I know it may be tempting to sleep in, but I definitely encourage the early morning drives. You can sleep at home! I’m a wedding photographer and work very hard at running my own business. It seems like we always have something on our calendar. I hadn’t spent a prolonged amount of time alone with my parents since finishing college (some undisclosed number of years ago). It was a privilege to take this vacation together as adults, and I can’t possibly think of a more beautiful location to do it in or better company to organize it than the expert Local Galloping Safaris and his team. We must come back to Tanzania again and our amazing, beautiful memories will last forever Asante sana!"

What travelers are saying

"David, the owner of Kili Slopes Tours helped me put my 16 day itinerary together. The trip was everything we expected and more. Stewart our expert driver was wonderful and nothing was too much trouble. We visited 6 national parks and did 18 game drives. We saw the big 5 and I think most of the animals and birds. Our accommodation was outstanding, especially the bush camps. My husband became ill and the staff were amazing, attending to his needs at all the places we visited. Of course, the highlights were seeing leopards, cheetahs, servile and lots of lions. My daughter, Racquel really loved this trip as it was her first safari. She adores all of the game. Thank you Stewart & David for making our trip so wonderful and it will be something we will treasure for ever."

What travelers are saying

"We could not recommend Gazelle Adventures enough! We thoroughly enjoyed our experience that we had with the Gazelle team. Chriss is a fantastic owner, he personally looked after all of our needs. Abe was an absolute pleasure to work with, emailing for months to put our trip together. Our team who got us up Mount Kilimanjaro, lead by Prosper and Martin, were so great. It was by far one of the best experiences both Mark and I have had. We summited on my 30th birthday and the team surprised me with a cake and bubbles. We had a 15min party on top of Africa and it is something we will never forget. After kili we did a 6 day safari lead by our fantastic guide Deo. We learnt so much from him and saw some amazing sightings. Tarangire National park, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. All the park so beautiful and well worth a visit"