Cole Thornton

Review of Thomson Safaris

It is sad that a wonderful climbing experience in ...

It is sad that a wonderful climbing experience in summating Kilimanjaro could be marred by a family of four with three of the family never should have been allowed to climb the mountain as they were in no shape to climb the almost 20,000 foot elevation. The mother compound fractured her leg on Day 2 with the husband and two adult children abandoning her to an Aruba hospital while they continued their climb. My four climbing companions had utter distaste that the three left a wife and mother to a strange hospital and environment so as to continue their trip which would not be interrupted. My recommendation I had wanted to share with the owners of Thomson, but they would not return my phone call. I believe a screening should be done as to those wanting to tackle Kili, and if a family group wants to climb, they should sign a letter that if one in the party is injured and needs to abandon the climb, the others in the party need to leave also. The three also went on a safari afterwards and again left the wife and mother, shipping her home by herself. Thomson allows it as the climb and safari were lucrative and the money aspect was more important than common decency. In fact, during the remainder of the climb, the head guide, Bernard asked me several times why the three were still climbing and not with the woman that was in severe pain when she left the mountain.