Our Guides + Staff
We hand pick our guides - and work with the best wherever we go.
MQA President Russ Barstow on Kilimanjaro's Rongai route
Our staff is hand selected by MountainQuest president Russ Barstow
"We always choose the BEST local guides with the MOST experience. Their strength, good judgment and ability to communicate with our clients are why we hire them.
"We absolutely have the strongest climbing guides. I have climbed with all of them," says Barstow. "Our guides are friendly, strong, and have an intimate knowledge of their mountain -- From native flora and fauna, to the wildlife you experience as you climb.”
Africa:
Jonas Lukumay - Director of Operations in Africa
Jonas - our director of operations in Africa - and Russ relax with a cold one after another successful climb.
In Africa - we are blessed by the presence of our good friend and business partner Jonas Lukumay.
When you arrive, Jonas will be there to meet you - pick up your luggage, and welcome you to Africa.
Jonas grew up in the Serengeti - and knows the area better than most. We first met Jonas in 2001, while he was a guiding Safaris.
Since then, Jonas has been an integral part of our operations in Tanzania. Jonas runs our safaris, and coordinates with our North American office for our climbs. He is also in charge of our large staff of guides, assistant guides, porters and cooks. As a bonus, we are kept updated on the current mountain conditions.
Jonas lives just outside of Arusha with his wife and two sons.
Kilimanjaro Climbing Staff
Frenk - a client favorite on Kilimanjaro
Our head guides are qualified by the National Outdoor Leadership School. Our cook staff has been trained in Arusha prior to climbing with our teams. Our porter staff are highly experienced, with multiple summits under their belts. Most are from the Chagga and Masai tribes and live close to the base of Kilimanjaro in Moshi and Arusha town.
Many of our head guides have been to the summit in excess of 100 times! Our staff has worked with us in the past, AND they know we will be coming back again in the future. They like working with us, and they deliver top notch service.
Our staff does an amazing job, and we pay them a good wage. We like to suggest that our climbing teams bring their used gear to donate to our crews gear locker. We think our staff is great, and we know you will enjoy them too!
