By Taylor Wells

Heading to Africa

Africa has been calling my name since I was a kid flipping through my Grandpa's coffee table books. I finally picked up the phone to call the one person I knew who could make my dream adventure happen: John Spence.

One coffee book in particular stuck with me, and it now sits on my side table. Eyes Over Africa by Michael Poliza. It’s an incredible book of a helicopter journey across the continent. Each image is more jaw-dropping and otherworldly than the last. I’ve flipped through it many times and have always wanted to see all of those places for myself.

My first real taste of Africa came with my best friend Sofia. We were studying abroad at the Universidad de Sevilla when we took a boat across the Strait of Gibraltar and went camping in the Sahara Desert. We sandboarded down dunes, saw more shooting stars than I thought possible, and completely fell in love with the continent.

Fast forward two years. Sofia is now serving in the Peace Corps in Togo as a Sustainable Agriculture Education volunteer. And I have the pleasure of working for John Spence, learning as much as I can about travel and the world.

Going two years without seeing your best friend feels like centuries. So what better excuse to explore Africa than to visit her, especially when your boss happens to be The Africa Expert?

As John, Sofia, and I started talking, we began conspiring what can only be described as my personal trip of a lifetime. I get to hear clients talk about these trips all the time. Now, John was helping make mine come true.

This past summer, I left for five weeks to visit Sofia in her village of Ounabe in Togo. Together, we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and I wrapped up the adventure with a horseback riding safari across the Maasai Mara.

It’s going to be hard to beat next summer.

Why Climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

In 6th grade, on the first day of photography class, my teacher went around the room asking what everyone did that summer. When it was her turn, she pulled up photos from her trek on Mount Kilimanjaro.

I remember thinking so vividly, I have to do that someday.

That feeling didn't come out of nowhere.

My Grandpa was a mountaineer. He completed all 53 of Colorado's 14ers, peaks above 14,000 feet, dragging my Dad along on many of those adventures.

So what better way to one-up both my Dad and Grandpa than to climb the tallest peak in Africa?

Since losing him in 2025, I feel very connected to my Grandpa through both the book and the mountains. Kilimanjaro feels like the piece that ties it all together.

I'd never taken a trip quite like this before. Looking back, it was every bit the adventure I hoped for.

This is my case to you for stepping outside your comfort zone, pushing boundaries, and becoming a true student of the world, a traveler.

Meet the Crew

A priest from Texas, a rabbi's daughter from Israel, a Peace Corps volunteer from Togo, an Armenian venture capitalist and his 11-year-old daughter, and me.

This was my crew for reaching the roof of Africa. An eclectic group to say the least…

Our days and nights were filled with long conversations learning about Hashem, practicing French and Swahili, sharing stories from childhood, and getting to know these strangers who soon turned into friends.

Charles was our fearless leader and head guide, who really felt more like our personal motivational speaker. He kept us moving with “pole pole” always in mind (slowly, slowly in Swahili) and always sang songs to keep the spirits high and the pace forward.

Monas and Sam were our two assistant guides, practically brothers. They grew up together in the same village and shared wonderful stories about what it means to be a modern Maasai, and what it was like growing up on the mountain.

Sam even told us about his very first climb as a porter, which was brutal. He came underprepared, lacking the proper gear, and by the third night he was crying to his friends about how cold his hands were. Their solution, piss on your fingers.

And even after an experience like that, Sam still returns to the mountain, out of nothing but love for it.

Our guides made the long hours of trekking fly by with their positivity and motivational songs. They always included a much needed snack and juice stop with the best views each day, and this became something the group looked to throughout the trek.

Aside, from our fantastic guides our group had 37 porters.

Now these porters are genuinely superhuman. They carry 20 kg (44 lbs) per person, which is completely wild considering the terrain and elevation gain.

Our group of porters at Summits Africa are called 'The A-Team.' And they truly are the A++ team.

Every single one of them were utterly positive and animated, always cheering on our group. They wanted us to succeed almost more than we did. They helped, prayed, and did everything in their power to make this trip a success. They are some of the strongest people I know, both mentally and physically, with many of them summiting the mountain hundreds of times they’ve lost count.

A special shoutout to both Stanley and Godfriend who were the two porters who carried our toilets across 37 miles (64 km) of the mountain. They always managed to crack jokes and their fellow porters call them “the pilots” (the person who carries these luxurious thrones).

Introducing the Camp

Day one began with being shuttled to the mountain, about a 3-hour drive and a few hour hike to the Forest Camp. We couldn’t believe our eyes when the porters went ten times quicker than us and had the whole camp set up upon arrival.

Our tent for the next 8 days included a cot with a 3-inch plush mattress, a pillow, and a heated bottle to tuck you in each chilly night.

We even had the luxury of showers…They would heat up water and rig up a pump system, so you could actually shower at 15,000 feet. That's VIP.

I never set an alarm the entire trek. We would get woken up by Fausten (one of the camp managers) with freshly made coffee in hand, brought straight to our beds. Once we were brave enough to leave our sleeping bags and get dressed, they would have a basin of warm water waiting to wash your face in. It was true luxury, and one of the things I looked forward to each morning.

One of the entire group's favorite bits of day-to-day life on Kilimanjaro was tea time. Around 4:00 every day we had fresh popped popcorn and tea. This was our post-nap ritual, and one of our favorite times to sit around and play cards before dinner.

I hate to tell you how plush it all was, as it makes me look way less tough doing this big mountain.

Every meal was carefully crafted, nutritious, and delicious. We never repeated a lunch or dinner. They had an endless supply of tea and coffee, and always enough food to eat your fill and then some.

Considering the conditions the cooks were working in, and that porters were carrying all of that food on their backs for days, the whole operation was just unbelievable. They kept us so well fed that some of the group was genuinely worried we'd gain weight on this trip.

This was truly the most amazing 8 days of walking, learning, meditating, and time to unplug and just enjoy the mountain. This team at Summits Africa made this whole journey incredible. They were extremely thoughtful with every detail and made it so my only job each day was to walk and take one step at a time.

Aside from the princess treatment on the roof of Africa (which I think John Spence may have ruined camping for me), Summits Africa employs the best people, and I don't say this lightly.

Our guides and porters were with us every step of the way, and their genuine love for the mountain and kindness toward their teammates made this whole experience feel like more than a trek.

What unfolded was eight days, one step, one moment, one “pole pole” at a time, and I would do it all again.

If Kilimanjaro is on your list, you must book with Summits Africa. They have the best humans in the business.

*Summits Africa does a fantastic job of both paying and supporting their porters fairly. Learn more about Summits Africa’s internal career progression program here.

Before the Summit: My Journey Up Mount Kilimanjaro

Client Review: 100 Miles on Her Boots and 200 Dolphins Later