Kilimanjaro Uncovered
An Alternative Path to Bliss
Tag: Porters
Mount Kilimanjaro and the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB, or Tour of Mont Blanc) are both described as some of the most memorable hikes and must do adventures for outdoors aficionados. Kilimanjaro is a climb up the tallest free-standing mountain (with fewer fair and responsible tour operators), while TMB is a trek around Western Europe’s tallest mountain. We have done both, and, indeed, they are both very scenic and memorable. However, there also are striking differences between them. If you are tossing between either or, here are 10 differences to help you decide which one might be more suitable for you:
Let us guess – you are intrigued by Mount Kilimanjaro, but you are not sure whether you could actually climb it? Perhaps you are worried that you might be too old, too unfit, too overweight, or whether the organizational effort is too difficult? Then keep reading, because we have good news for you!
Porters are the backbone of any Kilimanjaro climb. Without them, the majority of us tourists would never be able to summit. While we like to celebrate our summit achievements, it’s really the porters who make it all possible for us and do the heavy lifting. They rush up the mountain carrying our personal stuff, tents, food, and communal equipment, all on top of their own sparse necessities. Instead of resting when they finally arrive at camp, they set up our tents, fetch water, and prepare food so that everything is ready by the time their clients arrive.
I find there is a great lack of transparency regarding Kilimanjaro’s death rate and a lot of wrong, biased or outdated media reporting. On the one hand, few incidents are over-hyped and – in my humble opinion – presenting Kilimanjaro to be more dangerous than it really is (for us tourists; when prepared for properly). On the other hand, incidents of local mountain crew (mostly porters) seem to be under-reported.
I am creating this post hoping to provide fact-based information and analysis. For possible causes of death and danger, as well as how to avoid them, please read here.
I will also update this post with my assessment of known lethal incidents soon. Meanwhile, should you wish to share any information regarding incidents you are aware of, I would greatly appreciate if you could share it here. Thank you.
Here are my favorite Kilimanjaro videos – informative and helpful. There still seems to be a big blank in the world of commercial movie production. I see great potential for a blockbuster that enlightens everyone about Kilimanjaro in a both entertaining and educational way – action, romance, drama, comedy, documentary… all in one. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there is no such movie yet. My wake-up call to all the movie producers – please go for it!
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