TAF Travel blog
Notes from the mountains
Practical guides from our team on preparing for, choosing, and enjoying your next climb or trek.
Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro routes: Marangu, Lemosho or Machame?
Huts or tents, shorter or longer, busier or quieter: how the Marangu, Lemosho, and Machame routes differ, and how to choose your way to Africa’s highest summit.
Mount Ararat
How to prepare for Mount Ararat: a practical guide
Fitness, acclimatization, gear, documents, and the permit: what to sort out in the months before climbing Turkey’s 5,137-metre summit.
Mount Ararat
The Mount Ararat climbing permit, explained
Why a permit is needed, how long it takes, what it costs, and which details we need from you to apply.
Mount Ararat
When is the best time to climb Mount Ararat?
Summer trekking from May to October, spring ski touring from March to May, and how to choose your dates.
Kilimanjaro
What to pack for Kilimanjaro: rainforest to glacier
Several climate zones in one trek: how to layer, what porters carry, what stays in your daypack, and what you can rent.
Kilimanjaro
After the summit: safari and Zanzibar
How to turn a Kilimanjaro climb into a complete Tanzania journey, and how we plan the extension with you.
Caucasus
Elbrus or Kazbek: choosing your Caucasus summit
Europe’s highest mountain or Georgia’s glaciated giant: how the two compare, and which Caucasus programmes we currently run.
Iran
Mount Damavand: Iran’s volcanic giant
What makes the highest volcano in Asia special, how the summer and ski routes work, and why our Damavand tours are currently paused.
Morocco
Mount Toubkal: trekking North Africa’s highest peak
A short, rewarding summit trek in Morocco’s High Atlas: the route, how hard it is, and how to combine it with the Sahara.
Trekking in Turkey
Hiking the Lycian Way: Turkey’s coastal trail
Ancient ruins, turquoise coves, and mountain villages: when to go, how hard it is, and how our 11-day group programme works.
Trekking in Turkey
Kaçkar Mountains: alpine trekking by the Black Sea
Glacial lakes, summer pastures, and a 3,937-metre summit in northeastern Turkey: what the trek involves and when to go.
Mountain know-how
Altitude and acclimatization: the basics
Why climbing slowly matters on Ararat, Kilimanjaro, and other high summits, the warning signs to know, and what you can do to help your body adapt.