Mt. Kilimanjaro Porters
Find out about the people who carry your luggage up the mountain.
Unsolicited Review - Porters and Safety
Here is an unsolicited email from some clients who recently returned from their climb. What makes this letter interesting is that our guide advised my client Ralph not to summit even though he was 1 day away. The point is - he should not jeopardizes the safety of himself, or the team, even though you traveled half way around the world and paid all this money to climb the mountain. Safety is always first!
And you should always go to the mountain with the intention of NOT making it to the summit. Also, it’s great to see he recognizes the …
Date: March 14th, 2008 |
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Kilimanjaro Porters - Picture
The porters on Mount Kilimanjaro are the people that get the least amount of credit - and yet have the hardest job. They pack all your gear up the mountain for seven days, are always moving to the next camp - Barafu, Shira, Barranco, Karanga, Barafu - and then go home with the least amount of pay. They sleep outside or all together in a small tent, and usually have no blankets or much to keep them warm.
You have to love them though. They are hard working and are just …
Date: February 16th, 2007 |
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Kilimanjaro Porters - Improve Working Conditions
Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project is an initiative of the International Mountain Explorers Connection, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based out of Boulder, Colorado in the U.S.
There focus is improving the working conditions of the porters on Kilimanjaro. They do this by:
Lending donated clothing at no charge for the porter’s use while working on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Providing classes for the benefit of the porters such as English, First Aid, HIV/AIDS Awareness, and Money Management.
Educating the public on proper porter treatment.
Date: November 28th, 2006 |
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Update on Kilimanjaro Porter Death
Here are more details on the recent death of a porter on Kilimanjaro.
It appears that the porter was sick with a very bad cough, and he was vomiting blood at some point. Unfortunately, he stayed on the mountain for at least another 24 hours before being sent to a lower elevation. He had to carry a bag when he descended and had poor clothing for the rainy weather. He died while being transported on the cart down the mountain on the Marangu Route.
This is another sad day for a climbing industry that make millions and millions of …
Date: October 17th, 2006 |
3 comments
The Lovely Kitchen
You would be surprised - except for the lunches - most of the breakfasts and dinners on Kilimanjaro can be better than expected. You often wonder how these guys pull off such amazing meals. Are you really hungry and anything tastes good? Or do these guys really know how to cook?
I would say, it’s a little bit of both.
If you ever get a chance and want some real lively action and to get “some culture”, wander over to the “Cook Tent” where you will hear a bunch of quasi-cooks, part-time porters …
Date: October 9th, 2006 |
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Women Porters on Kilimanjaro
You don’t see or hear of many women porters on Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s generally a man’s world on the mountain, as most of the women are at home, working on the farm, taking care of all the children, and going to the market, and to fetch water. But this woman, Esther Crispin, has managed to break into the porters business and works on the mountain fairly regularly, hoping to one day be a guide.
This quote of Esther’s is pretty indicative of msot porters dreams too, except for the part of being a …
Date: February 22nd, 2007 |
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Scams on Kilimanjaro - Porter disappears, and then appears
Could you keep track of all these porters?
As part of the series of scams on Kilimanjaro by guides, this next scam is quite easy and happens to many people.
When you have a medium to a large-sized group on Kilimanjaro, the amount of porters can be deceptive. One of the oldest tricks on Kilimanjaro is to start with a large group of porters, have some of them leave half-way up the mountain, and then surprisingly they appear the last …
Date: December 5th, 2006 |
2 comments
Mt. Kilimanjaro Forum Thread for the week of October 16, 2006
Check out this topic currently being discussed on the Mt. Kilimanjaro Forum at BootsnAll:
Folks are discussing the unfortunate news of a dead porter on Kili. It’s certainly tragic - especially to anyone who’s been awed by how hard the porters are working - and people are wondering if the clothing they wear played a role. Stop by with your two cents; and if you’re not already a member, sign-up here - it’s free to join.
Date: October 20th, 2006 |
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Possible Porter Death on Kilimanjaro
This is an unconfirmed report, and I should have more details later, but I have heard that another porter has died on Mt. Kilimanjaro last week who was working with Zara Travel, the budget based mountaineering company in Moshi, Tanzania .
Date: October 16th, 2006 |
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Give Gifts As a Tip
Many trekkers on Kilmanjaro not only give money as tips, but many of them give their sleeping bags, jackets, hats, gloves, tents, watches, and just about anything else you can imagine. Is this a good thing? Some say yes, others say no.
Many of the porters were extremely tattered clothes while climbing Kilimanjaro. You will feel bad for them, dont’ get me wrong. Occasionally you find some with out shoes, many with out jackets, and many without the basics for climbing the mountain. When tourists leave, it’s not uncommon to leave a jacket you paid $150 for in the United States, thinking that the porter will use it in the future - and always be warm going up the mountain. You did your good deed.
Date: August 29th, 2006 |
2 comments
