Below are comments about what some of our clients have said about us and our team. We are happy to put you in touch with past clients.

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Today, I am sitting in the house of a wonderful family in Arusha. After finishing the peak yesterday, we were welcomed to a house full of warmth and joy after a day of rain, cold, and darkness as we achieved Uhuru Peak on Mt. Kilimanjaro, known as the “Roof of Africa.” In this house lays a special family with two brothers from Tanzania, Cony and Demi.

Over the last six days, we were able to see this team of brothers work together to get us to the top. To be honest, I don’t think we would’ve made it without them. We had nine porters. All worked their butts off running as fast as they could to make it to camp on a daily basis prior to our arrival. As fit individuals, we were not slow and we wasted no time. But every time, these young porters, carrying upwards of 70 pounds marched their way up and down ridge lines to serve our needs. And service they provided.

For five nights we were given an extremely balanced meal, full of the proper proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, fluids and fats. Saleem, our cook, did great work. Every morning and night we had hot water to wash our face and hands. Our tents were always prepared for sleeping at night, and Thomas, was sure to call us when all our meals were ready. Things were not rushed. Our guides were not pushy and we were able to go at the pace of our choice. However, you will find that the term “pole pole” is used a lot. It means to go slow. And slow you will go. It’s important. It allows your body to prevent getting headaches, nausea and dizziness. Acclimatization is very important because you are going from very low to very high altitude so fast.

Demi and Cony ensure your health is taken care of. They take their time with you so things like headaches don’t occur. If you don’t have a good guide, your health is at risk. These guides know their stuff. They are experts on the mountain and understand the capabilities of their customers. If you are confident that you want to summit a mountain and want to be taken care of without having problems, I highly recommend Diamond Glacier Adventures. They’ll take care of you.

But I ensure, come prepared. Get those lungs healthy and pack your baby wipes, you’ll appreciate it when you haven’t showered in five days. We are very happy we can sit here drinking beer, eating Tanzanian food and relaxing in the warm household, knowing we were able to reach the top carrying our own packs and being confident that our porters weren’t the only ones working hard to get to the top.

–Megan, Wade and Philip, USA

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A buddy of mine (that guy Sean, USA, below) and I arrived in Tanzania with a plan to hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro. We knew the route that we wanted to take, the Machame-Mweka Route, the length we wanted to hike, 6days/5nights, but we just didn’t have the guides to help us get to the top.

We were both so very glad that we crossed paths with Demi Kessy and his brother Cony. They were very patient, relaxed brothers, worked very well with each other, really respected each other, and worked very hard to make sure that we had a fantastic time. This holds true with the crew of porters that they assembled for our hike. They always had a smile, they were always happy to help us out with whatever we needed and wanted.

I noticed this after a bit of a hectic morning when we first met. They all aimed to please, and no one got flustered. They all just made sure to locate the right piece of equipment that each person wanted to use on the hike. Once we got going, they instilled in us the mantra “pole pole” which means “slowly slowly.” That saying really went a long way to help us up to the summit. More importantly, they were willing to abide by the same principle, even though they had done the hike numerous times and could probably get to the top blindfolded.

The whole experience was amazing, entering the gates, trekking through the forest below Kilimanjaro, passing into the wide open scree fields and our first views of Kilimanjaro, climbing the Barranco wall, summiting Uhuru Peak and getting back down to the bottom safely, with a satisfied feeling. It was really exciting for us, and you could tell that Demi and his brother Cony were just as excited to have us there.

So, Thank You very much Demi and Cony for all that you did for us! Thank You to the Porters for loading up and carrying our luggage! Thank You to the Cook for the amazing food! Thank You to the Waiter for serving us with a smile! Whenever Sean and I hear of anyone going to Kilimanjaro, we are definitely going to give a beaming recommendation to consider Demi and Cony’s group.

Thanks Guys!
– Peer, USA

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“A friend and I have for years now dreamed of going to Tanzania and hiking Kilimanjaro.  In May 2010 we were lucky enough to make it there.  When we first made it to Arusha, we did not know what to expect and did not have a guide to help us up the mountain.  We ended up booking our trip with a guide named Demetrius.  I can’t stress enough how lucky we were to end up with Demetrius and his brother Cony as our guides.  Without the patience of them and their fantastic team of porters and support staff, I do not believe we could have made it to the summit.  They were always there to help and seemed genuinely happy to work with us to get to the top.  Plus teach us some Swahili Poa kichizi kama Ndizi kwenye friji means (Cool like Banana in the fridge)!  I will never forget how to say that.  The entire trip was handled absolutely first rate by Demi and his team.  I would recommend to anyone to book your trek with Demetrius.  Kilimanjaro was our first big mountain at 5,895 meters and it is pretty addicting.  We have begun to talk about heading back out to East Africa for Mt. Kenya.  If we make it back, there would be no other guide and team that I would use.

Thanks again to Demetrius, Cony and their supportive team.

– Sean, USA

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“We climbed Kili with Demetrius, Confideus and their team in June of 2007. We had a fantastic experience. Not only did we feel good about climbing with a locally owned, porter friendly company, the service was exceptional. Having climbed in Colorado, California and South America, I was very happy with Demi’s leadership and abilities — he is a very experienced climber. He had the foresight to get an extra early start on the summit day to ensure that we made it to the top in tough conditions while many other teams did not. But what set the team apart for me was their great attitude and friendship. Everyone on the team was happy to help and always had a smile on their face. We struck up such a good friendship that we ended up playing in a soccer match with them two weeks later. What a great trip!”

– Steve Shanks, USA (email me if you need more convincing – stevenshanks at wildmail.com)

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“In 2007 I climbed Kilimanjaro with Demi and his team. These people know what they are doing. They not only guide, cook and carry, but also know how to motivate you when you don’t feel so sure about yourself. I am very happy that they started their own company now. After Kilimanjaro, I was lucky to spend another great day with them visiting the Shalom Centre for Streetchildren. Demi, Cony, Julius: Good luck with this new adventure and……..tutaonana baadaye!”

– Gina from the Netherlands

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“Demi and Cony are two guys you definitely want on your trip up Kilimanjaro. They will give you the motivation and support you need, and the knowledge and personality you would want during your adventure.”

– Kristina (Maryland, USA)

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“I don’t know what I would have done without Demi and Cony. They really took care of me and my friend on the mountain. They made sure we had everything we needed and more. Plus their gang served unbelievable food, and being vegetarian was not a problem at all. It was truly an amazing experience.”

– Heather (Washington, DC, USA)

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“Demi and Cony and their great team of strong porters took the four of us Swedes to the top of Kilimanjaro. It was great to see their teamwork and leadership that offered us to fully enjoy our stay and adapt to the altitude and finally safely climb to the top.”

– Ola (Karlskrona, Sweden)