KILIMANJARO CLIMB - NORTHERN CIRCUIT

Tourism can be a real help to local communities, providing income, positive cultural exchanges and a financial incentive to protect their natural environment.
Ours is a 'total approach' to responsible tourism, covering everything from the way we plan and operate our trips to the practices of Exodus as a company. Exodus trips are designed to allow a high degree of economic benefit to the local communities; we buy local produce, eat local food and use local services, thus ensuring that as much money as possible is retained within the local economies and the host communities. With our responsible tourism policy we are continually reassessing our holidays, trying at all times to ensure that they are socially, economically and environmentally sound.

KILIMANJARO PROJECTS

On Kilimanjaro, we have built a number of standards into our mountain services.
All client and staff cooking is done on gas stoves (rather than firewood) and all rubbish is carried off the mountain. Hot washing water in bowls is provided to avoid polluting the streams. All very simple but highly effective measures that represent little more than applied commonsense to the experienced traveller, but are still something of a novelty in Tanzania.
Porter welfare is another important part of our staff policy. You may be surprised to learn that, after the Kilimanjaro Park Fees, porterage is easily the largest single ground cost element on the climb and so the temptation for unscrupulous operators to reduce this cost always exists. Treatment of local staff is one of the major differences we have identified in the operational standards offered by tour operators in Tanzania.
We pay one of the highest salaries on Kilimanjaro, and we pay it immediately after the trek.
We are one of the few companies who meet the National Park guidelines in this area.
We ensure that the porters have sufficient food and fuel for the trek.
We provide communal sleeping tents for all staff on all camping routes.
Sick porters have access to the same medical box as our clients and do not lose part of their salary because of illness.
Exodus actively supports the training and education of our local staff during the rainy seasons in Tanzania and is currently working towards providing English language training in Arusha, Tarakea, and Marangu.
Exodus is a member of the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC) which is a not-for-profit organisation based out of Boulder, Colorado. Through its Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) in Moshi, IMEC?s focus is improving the working conditions of the porters on Kilimanjaro.
These initiatives do not mean that we are ?soft? employers; indeed, we have found that it is easier to obtain high standards of service when staff are treated fairly. Our local coordinators, The African Walking Company, very much share these aims and are actively working with the management of Kilimanjaro National Park to improve visitor facilities, the treatment of local staff, and the training of local guides.

Tanzania Porter Education Project and Guide Scholarship
During the long rains (April-June), the non-trekking season, Exodus funds a project to teach English to its porters and other local staff; over 800 to date. Being able to converse with clients in English is an essential skill and this successful initiative has enabled porters to become cooks, assistant guides and even chief guides. With your support our aim is to develop this programme further in the future and provide continued education to our porters during times when work is limited. These skills can also help with employment opportunities for our guides, who can also work as teachers and/or classroom assistants.

We are also working with the Kilimanjaro Guide Scholarship Foundation (KGSF). By working with KGSF Exodus hopes to enable many of our guides to further their education on a three month scholarship during the long rains. KSGF (in conjunction with Inter-Continental Training College in Arusha, Tanzania) have created a special course that can run through the rainy season. This course is applicable to guides and porters and will enable them to improve their future career prospects. The scholarship allows the recipients to continue working during the remainder of the year and the course consists of four sections: tour operations and administration, social anthropology and history, tourism geography, and wildlife knowledge. We currently have over a hundred guides and assistant guides who would greatly benefit from this scholarship. For 2011 the fees were Tzs 605,000 (or approx £255 at current exchange rates) per guide completing the course.
In addition to funding our long running porter school, our aim is also to enable at least one guide per year - and ideally more - to take advantage of this scholarship opportunity.
See our responsible tourism page for more information or to make a tax free donation to the project.