Responsible tourism in the interest of your health and safety

Responsible tourism has two sides. On the one hand, it means responsibility versus local communities in tourist regions to ensure that the negative side effects of tourism do not outweigh the positive impact on the local economy. On the other hand, it means responsibility versus tourists which is predominantly a question of health and safety.

How do you select a tour operator who puts your health and safety first?

Currently, for Kilimanjaro, there is no organization that monitors or certifies the quality of operators from a tourist point of view. Ratings and reviews by prior clients on popular tourist forums, to the extent they are authentic and written by actual clients, would be your best indicator as of now. The challenge is that not all reviews are authentic. Furthermore, clients who managed to summit are often so thrilled about their tour operators that they would blindly recommend them, without being aware or paying attention to safety concerns.

So what can you do? First of all, make sure to educate yourself thoroughly about the dangers of Kilimanjaro. What are its do’s and don’ts? Don’t just rely on your tour operator to tell you, but make sure to arrive prepared and well informed.

Second, pay attention to how tour operators treat your mountain crew. We believe that guides and porters who are treated fairly by their companies are also more likely to have your best interest in mind. That means first and foremost not your summit success, but your health and safety.

The main cause of danger and death for tourists on Kilimanjaro is altitude sickness. However, it is also the easiest to avoid as symptoms usually develop gradually and can be monitored. Experienced guides will be able to assess whether it is safe for you to continue, or whether immediate descent is required.

Unfortunately, guides who are not paid well may be more concerned about your tip at the end of your tour, rather than your health and safety. Hoping for a bigger tip if you reach the summit, they might be inclined to assist you to the top by all means, even when it is no longer safe for you to continue.

Less dangerous but much more common is travellers’ diarrhoea—every hiker’s nightmare when out in the wild without access to clean bathrooms, and when you need to keep walking and cannot just take a day off to rest. Your food and water is prepared and treated by your porters. Will they do a consistently good job if they are hungry, cold, and paid only half compared to their peers from another group camping right next to yours?

While there is no guarantee, we believe that booking your climb with a responsible tour operator who treats their porters fairly will be the safer choice for you. All tours on KiliGATE are offered exclusively by responsible tour operators—find such ethical tours here.