Can I climb Kilimanjaro by car?

No! Climbing Kilimanjaro by car is not allowed. The car is rescue purposes for the few people who get injured or sick and need to be rushed to the hospital. Thus the only time those cars are allowed in the mountain. Yet again it is not just any car but the ones for the rescue purpose on the Kilimanjaro. You can drive up a section of Mt. Kilimanjaro but you can't get to the summit of the mountain using a vehicle. The closest you can get to the top of Kilimanjaro using a vehicle is by taking the Shira route which will drive you up the slopes of Kilimanjaro to 11,000 ft. The Shira Route is the easiest way of getting to the highest point possible by a vehicle in Kilimanjaro. The route starts off with a drive through the rain forest and up into the moors where you can start your hike at an elevation of 11,000ft.

Tanzania has announced plans to approve a cable car service project on Mt Kilimanjaro to cater for the physically challenged, the elderly and children. The proposed cable car will be on the Machame Route, also known as the Whiskey route, the most popular for its scenic beauty. However, the trail is considered difficult, steep and challenging, particularly due to its shorter itinerary five to six days. This route is better suited for more adventurous climbers or those with some high altitude hiking or backpacking experience.

Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest free standing mountain not part of a mountain range at an elevation of 5,895 meters above sea level, is one of Tanzania’s major tourist attractions, attracting 50,000 climbers and earning the country $55.3 million annually. The mountain, in Kilimanjaro National Park in northern Tanzania, is managed by Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) that manages all national parks in the country works with stakeholders in the tourism industry such as tour operators and guides, and in the case of Kilimanjaro, climbing guides and porters. On Mt Kilimanjaro, following a government announcement that the plans to approve a cable car service project on the mountain to cater for the physically challenged, the elderly and children. But able bodied climbers will have a choice of using the cable car or conventional climbing. Constantine Kanyasu, Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism who made the announcement during a tour of the Kilimanjaro National Park recently, explained that the cable car service is to be built and operated by a private US company, which has already been identified and which has in turn registered a local firm.

The announcement has not gone down well with the Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society and the Tanzania Porters Organization. Edson Mpemba, chairperson of the porters’ society, lamented that if built, “most of the tourists will definitely choose the cable car to reduce costs and length of stay,” affecting the general tourism associated with Kilimanjaro.

“Think of the ripple effect on families of the 250,000 porters,” he said, cautioning that, “the cable car facility will initially look like a noble and innovative idea, but it will, in the long run, ruin the lives and future of the majority of local people whose livelihoods depend on the mountain.” The executive secretary of the Tanzania Porters Organization, Loshiye Mollel, expressed fears that the project will render the 250,000 porters destitute and could force them into lives of crime.

The project

The proposed cable car service “will be rolled out along the Machame Route where the ascent will start and end,” according to Beatrice Machame from Crescent Environmental Management Consult, and who is leading a team of experts in conducting the environmental and social impact assessment. Members of the team are currently consulting tourism stakeholders for views on the project. The Machame route, also known as the Whiskey Route, is the most popular for its scenic beauty. However, the trail is considered difficult, steep and challenging, particularly due to its shorter itinerary (five to six days for those seeking to summit). This route is better suited for more adventurous climbers or those with some high altitude, hiking or backpacking experience.

Kilimanjaro routes for those seeking to summit

Putting a cable car service on this route will come in the way of a unique experience for the majority of climbers and trekkers. The chief park warden with KINAPA, Betty Looibok, say that the construction of the cable car will depend on the outcome of the environmental and social impact assessment currently in progress. “The cable car is for physically challenged persons, children and old tourists who want to experience the thrill of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro up to Shira Plateau without wishing to reach the summit,” she explained. While Mr.Kanyasu believes that the cable car service will bring in more tourists who ordinarily would not choose to climb the mountain, Mr. Mpemba sees a loss of jobs for the porters and lower earnings for the government from fewer stays as tourists arrive, zoom up and down the mountain, and leave, killing the very essence of mountain climbing as a tourism experience and denying porters a livelihood. As of last year, the recommended tip for porters was $50 per climber. Tanzania wants to boost tourist numbers by putting a cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, and it is in agreement about the project with a Chinese and a Western company.