Pristine Trails was among a few Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Project partner companies that took part in a Mt. Kilimanjaro cleaning initiative at the beginning of September. This was a voluntary initiative taken upon by the Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park Authority and a few companies at the forefront of porter welfare.
We were able to send a crew of 20 people, consisting of a mix of guides, porters and cooks. Our crew spent three days on the Mt. Kilimanjaro, covering the Shira and Machame camps, collecting a total of 100 kg/220 lbs. of trash.
Beyond the clean-up, this endeavour had a variety of additional positive outcomes. First, it provided employment (salary) to our crew and those who participated from other companies. This was much-needed after months of not working. Second, porters were trained in the Leave No Trace environmental principles by Sentinel Outdoors Institute. Third, crews were able to practice the new set of standard operating procedures defined by the government to protect themselves and tourists from COVID-19. And lastly, the initiative aimed to publicize Mt. Kilimanjaro as an ongoing desirable destination for tourists.
There was a great article written about the event which can be found here.
