Corruption Charges About Overcrowding on Kilimanjaro’s Marangu Trail

AllAfrica tells a story of corruption regarding Kilimanjaro permits causing overcrowding on the mountain. More than 25,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro each year, often paying thousands of dollars for the privilege, and each of the three routes up the mountain is supposed to have a set limit of climbers each day. But the Marangu trail in particular, which has a daily limit of 67 people, often had double that number in this February. The result has been overcrowding in the huts, long waits for food and worst of all, porters being forced to sleep outside in freezing temperatures, which sometimes drop to as low as minus 12 centigrade. But the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) Director General, Gerald Bigurube said he has received no such complaints. The complaints note that guides are not sharing tips with the porters who often carry more than the legal limit of 110 pounds (50 kg) One Western company, Exodus, has stopped using the Marangu route because of these problems, describing it as the “Coca-Cola route.” The Marangu trail is particularly popular as it is quicker and the only one with huts for sleeping in.