Sometimes in life there are few harder jobs than being a porter on Kilimanjaro Mountain, and the history of the tourism industry in Tanzania unfortunately began with unsafe practices that left many porters and guides injured and unable to support their families. These practices created an unsustainable and unsafe environment for everyone working on the mountain.
Over the past 30 years much of that has changed, but it is the responsibility of everyone on the mountain to do their part to continue this progress. The Tanzanian government has negotiated and implemented strict regulations to protect guides, porters, and climbers. The Porter’s Association, Guide’s Association, Tourism Board, and Tanzanian Park Service have established clearly defined practices for safe and responsible climbing that have dramatically improved the environment on Kilimanjaro.
It is the responsibility of everyone on the mountain to continue these practices and advocate for safe and sustainable climbing for tourists and staff. Transkibo Travels has played a part in these changes and continues to advocate for the well-being of our staff. Here are a few of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the years we’ve been working on Kilimanjaro.
In the past 15 years the Park Service has put in place many requirements for tour operators to ensure the safety of staff on the mountain. They have established strict penalties for any operator that has been found to circumvent them, including: fines, revoking their license, and even criminal prosecution.
These steps have had a huge impact in the quality of life and safety our staff find on the mountain – but they are just the beginning. These are the bare minimum that needs to be done to provide a fair, safe, and sustainable climbing industry on Kilimanjaro. These regulations include:
No porter is allowed to carry more than 15 kg into the park. Every piece of equipment and all supplies carried by porters are weighed and tracked by the Park Service multiple times throughout the climb and upon exiting the park. Before entering Kilimanjaro National Park every porter’s bag is weighed, then again at the first campsite and again at the exit gate. Rangers in later camps will visually inspect porter loads and can require a weigh in at any time. These restrictions have greatly reduced the incidence of injuries among porters, who previously might carry 30 or more kgs on the difficult climb to Uhuru Peak.
Transkibo Travels Ltd provides each guest with a standard duffel bag and proactively manages porter loads and weight distribution. We send large teams to the mountain to ensure every porter is carrying a safe, well balanced load. On average our porters carry 10 – 12 kg, rather than the limit of 15 imposed by the Park Service.
In the negotiated agreements between the Park Service, the tour operators, and the Porter’s and Guide’s Associations certain responsibilities were delegated to each group to ensure the safety and sustainability of the climb. One of these was the responsibility to ensure everyone on the mountain had the equipment needed to make the climb safely, which is shared between tour operators and porters.
The Park Service inspects the equipment of every porter and guide during the registration and weigh in process at the Gate. If any porter is missing essential gear, such as warm clothes, boots, rain ponchos, or a sleeping bag, the Park Ranger will not issue them a permit and the porter cannot make the climb. Under the Park Service regulations this equipment is the porter’s responsibility, which can become a barrier to finding or maintaining regular work.
Transkibo Travels has built an inventory of gear set aside specifically for our porter teams, which we expand every season. Warm clothes, rain gear, and tents are all available for our porters to use, free of charge. We do our very best to make sure every member of the Transkibo Travels team goes on the mountain prepared to safely help our guests reach the summit, and come down again healthy.
For many years there were reports of tour operators sending porters and other staff with only 1 meal per day during the climb, not providing adequate tents, and other unsafe practices that put the guide and porter teams in unnecessary danger. Now, the Park Service weighs the supplies being taken on the mountain to assure that there is enough food for every member of the team throughout the climb. They assess the tents and equipment in the camps, and if damaged or inadequate equipment is found they require the tour operator to send a replacement immediately, or the Rangers might end the climb and revoke the operator’s license.
Transkibo Travels provides every member of our climb team with 3 nutritious meals each day, without exception. Depending on the itinerary and weather conditions these may be packed lunches or hot meals at the campsite, but our porters do not go hungry. Period. We send every team with tents and sleeping bags appropriate for the season, as well as ensuring they have access to warm weather clothes and other safety equipment they may need. We care deeply for the safety of our team and work hard to ensure it.
The Park Service requires all tour operators sign transparent wage agreements with every member of their team, clearly defining the wages they will receive for the duration of the climb. These agreements are filed with the Park Service upon registration for the climb and can be audited along with the operator’s tax filings to ensure compliance with the agreed standards.
The Park Service has set a standard minimum wage for each position on the climbing team from a first time porter to a highly experienced head guide. These wages are built with the cultural expectation of tipping found on Kilimanjaro (see, Tipping on Kilimanjaro).
Transkibo Travels has taken this one step further. Every member of our team signs a pay agreement before each trip, and is paid by direct bank transfer the day the climb ends. By the time they get back from the mountain their wages are available in their bank account. We chose this method for two reasons: first, it is the most transparent way for us to manage the staff’s wages – it is easy to verify work dates and compensation for each and every member of our team. Second, it provides stability for our staff, as they can rely on the funds being there for them and their families as soon as they finish the climb. We make every effort to exceed the requirements put in place by the Tanzanian Park Service, as we believe they are the basic level needed to provide a sustainable career for our team. We always seek to go one step further for our team.
In Tanzania working on Kilimanjaro is a sought after table job for many, and becoming a guide is a highly competitive and lucrative career. It is one that nearly every porter aspires to, though the journey to getting licensed and certified is difficult.
Most porters are often unable to do so due to poor English language skills and a lack of opportunity to develop them. Attending college and becoming certified by the Tanzanian Park Service requires solid English language skills that are very hard to develop in the Swahili speaking communities of Tanzania. Even for those who can afford the school fees, many have families and other financial responsibilities that make it impossible for them to take the time away from work to do so.
We know we have the best team on the mountain, and we’ve built that team by investing in our team consistently over the years. We work hard to help our porters realize these dreams. We have established a scholarship fund to send our best porters to local English training courses each year. This includes both their tuition and a stipend so they can focus on their studies without sacrificing their income.
Our porters are passionate and hard working. We know that given the opportunity they will become the best of the next generation of guides on Kilimanjaro. Their safety and health is an absolute top priority for us, and we seek to do everything we can to enable them to pursue these dreams and built lasting careers.
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