People often describe Kilimanjaro as a “once in a lifetime opportunity”, a “dream come true”, or their “ultimate bucket list item.” In case you haven’t already noticed by my pictures, Kilimanjaro is an absolutely stunning place. It’s one of the seven summits, meaning it’s the tallest peak in Africa, and also the tallest free standing mountain in the world. Consisting of 5 different ecosystems and gorgeous views all around it’s no surprise that people travel across the globe to see this place for themselves… myself included!

The mountain was everything I hoped it would be and more! I was able to immerse myself in 5 different ecosystems that I’ve never experienced before, spend time bonding with 21 badass women that I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with and take in sights that put National Geographic or Backpacker Magazine to shame. Kilimanjaro has completely won me over…

Despite it’s beauty and everything it has to offer, my experience at Kilimanjaro wouldn’t be nearly as spectacular if it weren’t for a group of people who rarely get mentioned by Kili admirers, the porters. These guys (and several gals) are seriously the unsung heroes of the mountain. There wasn’t a day (or even an hour) that went by without me taken by surprise by their shear strength, compassion or work ethic. The porters, or who we’ve come to know as the fighters, are responsible for each and every persons successful summit whether they admit it or not.

So what do porters do? They carry your stuff up the mountain so that you only need to worry about the essentials to get you to the next campsite. They pack up your camp after you leave, somehow carry up to 50 lbs of gear up the mountain, and then pass you along the way so they can have camp set up for you by the time you arrive. The cooks and guides also do this along with their added responsibilities. They tend to you if you are sick, carry your daypack if you’re struggling, and carry YOU if you’re really struggling. We always had a multicourse meal to ensure we were fueled, and indulged on lavish extras like hot water for tea or coffee, portable toilets, and warm water for washing. As for the guides, their expertise of the mountain provided all of us piece of mind. Even through moments of altitude sickness, crossing waterfalls, or climbing up sketchy rock faces, the guides provided a sense of security to keep us going. All of this while being the ultimate cheerleaders… singing beautiful songs in Swahili, providing words of encouragement, and just having fun. Even if you were going to struggle up the mountain, you were going to struggle up with a smile on your face!

Literally no one would have summited if it weren’t for this group of people. What’s most shocking to me is how little I knew about porters prior to arriving in Moshi. You would think that they receive more credit for the work that they do, but it’s quite the opposite. Many porters are exploited and neglected. We saw this for ourselves on multiple occasions on the mountain. Porters who were ill equipped, asking for food, and clearly malnourished. All while serving people who were indulging on their vacation of a lifetime… that broke my heart…

I’m incredibly happy to say that WHOA supports responsible travel. We partnered with the group Trek2Kili which is a KPAP (Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project) partner company. KPAP is a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve working conditions for porters. It requires that those who are partners follow the simple guidelines listed below.

All Partner Companies must agree to and implement the following actions:

• Pay the following minimum wages for the crew:
• Porters: 20,000 Tsh per day ($8.80 USD)
• Cooks and Assistant Guides: 30,000 Tsh per day ($13.20 USD)
• Guides: 40,000 Tsh per day ($17.60 USD)
• Provide salary payments within 2 days after the descent of a climb.
• Implement a transparent tipping procedure to ensure that the porters receive the full amount of tip intended for them.
• Provide tipping recommendations to climbers so that porters receive a proper living wage from the combined salary and tip.
• Provide appropriate number of porters per climb so that each porter carries only 20kg of company gear.  The minimum number of porters per climber on the camping routes is 3 porters per climber and 2 porters per climber on the Marangu route.
• Provide 3 meals a day and cover all costs for food while on the mountain.
• Provide adequate tents, groundsheet, and appropriate sleeping space for crew.
• Offer equal climbing opportunities to all porters registered with the company.
• Inform crew of company’s requirements regarding gear and equipment.
• Assist with the descent of an ill porter and provide for medical treatment as necessary.
• Participate in a biannual review of Guidelines for Proper Porter Treatment Scorecards with KPAP.
• Meet with porters, company Director/s and KPAP once per year to review and discuss crew welfare.
• Attend Partner Company meetings organized by KPAP during each low season twice per year.
• Adhere to all local and National Government standards and regulations.

If you read through, you’d see that the guidelines are pretty basic. It all comes down to the basic necessities- provide meals, shelter, equal opportunity and a minimal wage for their hard work. But like I said, this is still a problem on the mountain. Only small percentage of local trekking companies are KPAP certified. So while your porters are putting their own lives at risk to make your mountain dreams come true, there’s a chance that they could also be starving, lacking the necessary clothing/equipment, or being poorly compensated (or not being compensated at all). Don’t let this happen and go with a KPAP certified partner. Saving a few dollars comes at the expense of someone else’s wellbeing.

KPAP also lends the proper clothing and equipment to porters for free, encourages climbers to choose companies who believe in responsible travel, and advocate for fair wages and ethical treatment by all climbing companies. They also provide education in conversational English, first aid certification, HIV/AIDS awareness, money management, porter rights and leave no trace etiquette.  

Learn more about KPAP here

I can’t speak for other groups, but the service Trek2Kili provided was impeccable. I was glamping on Mt. Kilimanjaro thanks to them. Besides carrying all of my crap and ensuring that I had warm dry place to rest, I always had Nutella, a table to sit at for meals, clean toilets, hot water for drinking, etc. This might not seem like much but when you realize that EVERYTHING was carried 15K ft up the mountain, it’s pretty mind blowing. Also the water took an hour to boil at this elevation, yet we still had soup, water for tea and coffee, and ginger tea when requested to help with nausea.

I can’t thank the crew enough for giving me such an amazing experience. Even when I tried, the response I often got was “you’re very welcome (karibu sana), but this is our job.” In a sense, that’s true, but the level at which they perform their jobs is unfathomable. They weren’t paid extra for positive attitudes, songs in Swahili or the jokes along the way, but their attitude set the tone for a week of positive vibes.

To anyone who is interested in hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, PLEASE stick with a a group that is partnered with KPAP and support responsible travel. Saving a few dollars comes at the expense of the porters and also your experience. I HIGHLY recommend Trek2Kili and wouldn’t even consider another group. WHOA travel can also help with arrangements for those looking to book private trips whether it be women only or co-ed.

So once again, asante sana to Trek2Kili! Thanks for making my dream dreamier than I imagined!