Taking Care of Kilimanjaro
Every year, some 30,000 climbers aspiring to stand on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, also known as the "Roof of Africa", arrive in Tanzania. They bring their snacks, energy drinks, non-disposable wipes and many other items and gadgets that will help them achieve their goal. Unfortunately, many of the items they bring come wrapped in plastic packaging which frequently ends up being left behind on Kilimanjaro.
Plastic Bag Restrictions
In May 2019 the Tanzania Government put in place a “Single Use Plastic Bag Ban”. In addition the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA) together with responsible climbing companies that care about sustainable tourism, are doing their level best to educate crew and climbers, as to how to honor the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site named Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park, by keeping it clean.
Therefore our guides and porters have been trained in "Leave No Trace" (trash in trash out) and confirm the trash our climbers and crew produce in campsites on Kilimanjaro, does not get left behind when leaving the camp.
In addition, during the climb briefing, our climbers are instructed by our guides not to throw away any trash or plastic items while hiking between camps, but instead to keep them in their bags to be handed to our crew upon arrival at the next camp.
Unfortunately, low-cost tour operators tend to operate their climbs at minimum crew to save costs and do not educate their crew and climbers in the “trash in trash out” philosophy. Thus despite the commendable efforts by many tour operators and KINAPA, the amount of trash left behind by irresponsible climbers and crew is unimaginable.
The Kilimanjaro Cleanup Hosted by KINAPA
Every year during off season, KINAPA asks reputable climbing companies for help in removing trash from the mountain left behind by the 30,000 plus climbers.
And every year Local Moshi Adventures, under the watchful eyes of a “Leave No Trace” instructor, participates in the KINAPA cleanup event.
For every cleanup event we fund everything from food, transport, tents, and salaries for our porters to work for 4 days.
During our last event our porters were able to collect 380 kg of waste in 4 days on the route we were assigned by KINAPA (Millenium Camp to Mweka Camp).
Other Off-Season Events
Besides providing “Leave No Trace” classes to our guides and porters, slow time on Kilimanjaro is a great time to bring the crew together by holding company meetings.
These meetings include a meeting by KPAP (Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project) representatives for our porters, a meeting just for our guides, and a meeting for guides and porters together.
The meetings are an opportunity to get everyone (office management, guides, porters, and cooks) on the same page, by highlighting how important our work is for climbers. During the meetings we present and discuss the great reviews we have received throughout the year. All team members are invited to freely voice any concerns they may have regarding their work experience, and to make suggestions on how to improve our climber's experience.
Here at Local Moshi Adventures "Teamwork makes Dreamwork" and we feel honored so many of our guides, porters and cooks look forward to participating in our off-season meetings to learn how they can better support our climbers and team.
