Gladys Adventure & Safaris
Company Background

Gladys Adventure & Safaris is a 100% Tanzanian owned and operated tour company. We are based in Moshi, Tanzania and have no foreign offices. We pride ourselves in providing quality services and our reputation allows us to be selective in employing only the best personnel in the business.

Hilary Mallya & Friends

Gladys Adventure & Safaris was founded by Gladys Mushi first as an equipment rental shop in 2002, then expanding to offer its own tours beginning in 2006. The equipment rental shop is still an important part of the business and offers the largest selection of mountain trek and safari rental equipment and clothing in the Kilimanjaro Region. Meanwhile the safari tours and mountain trek portion of the business has grown steadily to make Gladys Adventure & Safaris among the most successful tour companies in the region. The company leadership has entered into its second generation with Mr Hilary Mallya, Gladys son, taking over as Company CEO in 2020. Hilary has an extensive background as a safari guide and was a Company Director prior to his current position as CEO.

The strategy of the company is to offer the best possible experience to our clients and let the price be whatever it needs to be to achieve this. Customer satisfaction and exceptional personal service are our priority. The company operates all its tours itself, never sub-contracting our tours. Because of this we choose to only operate tours in northern Tanzania, close to our home base in Kilimanjaro Region.

We are a proud member of Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP). We are dedicated to fair wages and working conditions for all staff. Our mountain guides are Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certified as well as having undergone training through Leave No Trace.

Client Feedback

The team at Gladys made everything incredibly easy, and they were the exact professionals you are looking for when planning your trip to Tanzania.
-- Trip Advisor Review December 2022

Gladys goes the extra mile & is focused on service. There is nothing I would change about how Gladys organizes and executes the climb. There are so many different climbing companies, but from what I observed, Gladys is truly the best!!
-- Trip Advisor Review August 2022

We would recommend this company ten times over, they gave us an unforgettable experience of Tanzania.
-- Trip Advisor Review August 2022

We travelled as a group of 12 and had a 7 day summit trek to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and afterwards a 5 day safari all completely organised by Glady’s Adventure and it couldn’t have been better. Everything was arranged for us and Gladys were very responsive and reputable via email which filled us with confidence.
-- Trip Advisor Review September 2022

Every staff member we interacted with had a sense of pride that they were working for Gladys Adventures, and I have no doubt this is because of the fair and ethical manner in which Hillary runs his business. One other distinguishing factor is the experience of their guides, which I value immensely. I would not choose any other company in TZ for Kilimanjaro, a safari, or Zanzibar (though we did not have a chance to go).
Asante sana Gladys! (Editors note: 'Asante sana' is Swahili for 'thank you very much')
-- Trip Advisor Review August 2022

Trip Advisor Review August 2022

I can honestly say in all the places I’ve travelled and all the things I have done I have never ever had such an amazing experience as we did climbing Kilimanjaro with this company. Tasneem put together a proposal and itinerary to start with in record time giving us many options to choose from. Her English is fantastic so no problems with anything at all. We even had to cancel and rearrange our first date due to unforeseen circumstances and she helped change everything at the last minute and also booked day trips, hotels, a safari and a plane flight to Zanzibar.
-- Trip Advisor Review February 2023

Trip Advisor Review March 2023

After a fair amount of research we chose Gladys to help organize and take us on a trip of a lifetime and were glad we did... There are many tour operators and while we can’t opine beyond Gladys, we can wholeheartedly endorse them. Locally owned and operated, they care about their guests and their employees...One final thought: The sights and activities are largely the same, the difference is the outfitter. For ‘Team Simba’, we’d recommend Gladys Adventures.
-- Trip Advisor Review February 2023

Trip Advisor Review February 2023

When 9 of us planned the climb 9 months ago, I had the wish to book locally with a Tanzanian company rather than a European based operator. This was partly because I felt locals would know best and I hoped the money would stay local to allow them to employ locally and help the economy. I absolutely made the perfect decision. Numerous emails went between Tasneem and I and she was efficiently and knowledgeably able to tailor what we needed to dates and numbers. This included organising airport pick ups and excellent Moshi hotel... The camaraderie of the climbers with the porter and guide team was humbling...If you want to climb the mountain, go with Gladys. 100%. You will maybe regret it if you don't so why risk second best. Gladys. The best company on the mountain...Use Gladys. Beating superb. Thanks Gladys for giving us a holiday of a lifetime
-- Trip Advisor Review September 2022

Trip Advisor Review September 2022

If you want to hike Kili and/or experience a safari, look no further — definitely use Gladys! We made this choice on the advice of a friend that also had a fabulous experience with Gladys, but our expectations were exceeded even with this trusted recommendation. They have a 100% summit success rate for this year and it is already mid-December, so obviously this includes just about the whole year! High summit success rates are common for them due to the incredible dedication and care of their guides and porters. They create and construct the entire experience in order to engineer your success. Gladys is Tanzanian owned and is a KPAP partner. In addition, Gladys was one of the few woman-owned companies in Tanzania. Even though Gladys sadly passed away recently due to Covid, Gladys' son Hillary has taken over the company and is doing a remarkable job
-- Trip Advisor Review December 2022

Trip Advisor Review December 2022

Organization was flawless and I had to move some dates around which was accommodated by the team; I want to give a shoutout to Tasneem who answered all my emails/questions (almost 62 threads!) over 6 months thoughtfully and thoroughly...Overall, the legacy of Gladys lives on in the company and amazing team that works for the company. A big thank you to the entire Gladys team for making this bucket list goal and dream come true safely and with so many amazing memories that I’ll fondly remember!
-- Trip Advisor Review February 2023

Gladys knows how to hire great, knowledgeable, committed and super friendly people, and all of these people seem pleased to be working for Gladys. We are 2 cousins, 50-something women, and found these experiences to be many things: challenging, exhilarating, painful, joyful — the entire spectrum. We were so grateful to have Gladys employees by our sides the whole way. In the office, Tasneem was also super communicative and helpful. Thank you to everyone at Gladys Adventures! -- Trip Advisor Review December 2022

Trip Advisor Reviews February 2023, December 2022

Price Quotes/Building a Bespoke Itinerary

We only list prices for our Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru treks on the website. For other adventures such as safaris and Zanzibar holidays there are too many variables to list an accurate price. But we are happy to work together with you to arrive at the ideal itinerary within your budget. Do not feel that you must have all the specifics in place before you contact us. We are glad to help you at every stage of your planning. You can start the process here: Info Request

Booking Information

Below is an outline of our booking policy. For more specifics, visit Booking Terms & Conditions.

Deposit amounts requested - The deposits requested are relative to the amount of money that we need to put out before your trip begins. For a Mt Kilimanjaro treks or Mt Meru treks only a 10% deposit is requested. For safaris a 50% deposit is requested. For domestic flights (to Zanzibar or Serengeti for example) and for hotels outside of Moshi (Zanzibar, Arusha, etc.) 100% of the flight amount is requested. It does not matter to us whether one payment is made for your entire group, or if each individual makes a payment.

Payment schedule - There is no deadline for the deposit, but we will not reserve accommodations, flights or put your trip into our schedule until a payment has been received. For flights, Zanzibar accommodations, safari lodges, and tented camps making a deposit as soon as possible is strongly suggested since they tend to fill quickly.
Final payment for trips is not due until you arrive in the country.

Payment Types - All prices are listed in USD and although our account is with a Tanzanian bank, it is a USD account. We accept direct wire transfers from your bank to our account. These can be done through your bank or through other money transfer companies (such as World Remit, Wise, etc). We do not have a PayPal account since they have limited services in East Africa. We also accept Visa and Mastercard payments. It is standard in East Africa for a surcharge for card payments. Our bank charges a 3% bank fee which would be deducted from your payment amount submitted. Inside the country, we accept cash. Preferably in USD. See the specifics in our Booking Terms & Conditions page.

Cancellations/Postponements- Payments are refundable in the event of cancellation with some conditions. In the event of postponement/cancellation from your end, an amount can be applied to future tours through Gladys Adventure for a period of 12 months. Payments may be applied towards others traveling through Gladys Adventure and Safaris at your request. Accommodations and flights will have more strict cancellation policies that may reduce the amount applied to future tours. 100% of amounts recoverable by Gladys Adventure and Safaris will be availaible for your use. Additional details are given here: Booking Terms & Conditions.

Price Changes - In the event of price changes such as an increase in park fees, taxes, accommodations, etc. after you have made a deposit, these increases will not be passed on to you. Your trip price is guarenteed once you have made a deposit unless you change your itinerary.