Kilimanjaro could soon look quite different, and not just because of its聽. The Tanzanian government聽聽construction of a cable car on the 19,341-foot peak, the highest summit in Africa聽and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Still, while it may technically be approved, the project is far from a sure bet.
The nation鈥檚聽government聽 the cable-car idea in May 2019. Its goal: to increase the area鈥檚 tourism by 50 percent. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kilimanjaro attracted some 50,000 tourists a year,聽roughly 35,000 of whom聽attempted the summit. Others admired the landmark from its surrounding national park. That same year,聽Constantine Kanyasu, then deputy minister of tourism for Tanzania, told me the cable car would help students and travelers under 15 years old and older than 50 experience the mountain鈥檚 beauty.
叠耻迟听 urged the government to reconsider, and聽 erupted with opinions. Porters and guides joined forces in opposition through local lobbying groups, while climbers launched聽. Tanzanian officials聽remained聽mostly quiet on the topic, promising that they鈥檇 study feasibility and environmental and societal impacts before moving forward.
But in December 2020, the government gave its blessing for the cable car.聽Paul Banga, the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) spokesperson for the project, has emphasized聽that approval does not mean confirmation, however. 鈥淲e are waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism before we start looking for investors,鈥 Banga said during a TANAPA workshop, according to the聽. When聽Banga聽responded to me on WhatsApp in January, he told me that聽if and when officials move forward on the matter,聽鈥渢he government decision will be communicated to the public.鈥
Timing for such a聽decision, like many details surrounding this project, remains unclear. But as a Kilimanjaro climber and frequent Tanzania traveler, my curiosity got the best of me after the 2019 announcement. I鈥檝e spent nearly two years tracking this project, from messaging聽Tanzanian government officials to speaking with at least a dozen local and global experts. Here鈥檚 what I鈥檝e uncovered about its聽most pressing questions, including insider perspectives on whether it will actually happen.
Where Would the Kilimanjaro Cable Car Run?
All reports and inside sources point to Machame, a scenic and popular route on the peak鈥檚聽southern side. Machame attracts nearly half of all Kilimanjaro climbers, with its high success rate (85 percent for a seven-day climb) and beautiful passage聽through five聽ecosystems. Machame is also easily accessible from A23, the region鈥檚 main road, so it鈥檚 a natural choice for this kind of tourist attraction.
Merwyn Nunes, a Tanzanian聽who opposes the cable car, worked for the聽Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism before serving as a tourist representative for the Kilimanjaro region. Nunes now owns , a company that runs tours聽from the Serengeti to Kilimanjaro National Park. He shared his best intel on what a proposed route could look like.聽
The plan, he said, is that 鈥渟ix pillars strong enough to carry 15聽cable cars will be built along the route.聽Each cable car will carry six people on a 20-minute ride to the Shira Plateau.鈥 One of three volcanic cones, the Shira聽is located at about 12,000 feet on a high plateau that stretches for eight miles before meeting Kilimanjaro鈥檚 tallest volcanic cone, Kibo, and its summit, Uhuru peak. With Kibo鈥檚 views and a relatively flat, open plateau, this area would be the most practical cable-car landing pad.聽
Could Altitude Sickness Pose Issues for Tourists?
While specifics are forthcoming, it鈥檚 likely the cable car would start near the Machame gate (elevation 5,380 feet) and climb roughly 7,000 feet to the Shira Plateau in 20 minutes, according to Nunes. Could this cause altitude sickness? Yes. Altitude effects can start anywhere from聽4,900 to 6,500 feet. Ascending too quickly increases the chances聽of altitude-related illnesses, like acute mountain sickness,聽s that include聽headache, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath.聽
In fact,聽 from the Mayo Clinic suggests that 20 percent of those traveling to higher altitudes below 18,000 feet will suffer some form of altitude sickness. But a lot depends on the amount of time visitors remain聽at high elevation. One study in the peer-reviewed journal聽 notes that symptoms typically present upon 6聽to聽12 hours of arrival at altitude鈥攂ut that鈥檚 much longer than tourists usually spend atop a cable-car route.聽
Will a Cable Car Affect Kilimanjaro鈥檚 Biodiversity?
The project鈥檚聽environmental impact is a major concern among opponents. Kilimanjaro鈥檚 five diverse vegetation zones encompass everything from forests and farmland to desert and glaciers鈥攚hich have聽, a fact that has made many a headline. But Kilimanjaro鈥檚 receding glaciers highlight more than a rapidly changing climate; they鈥檙e representative of the area鈥檚 fragile ecosystems, home to vulnerable species like elephants, who wander the surrounding聽forests, and migrating birds that travel through the nation鈥檚 Endemic Bird Area, which encompasses both the peak聽and much of southern Kenya.
To protect Kilimanjaro鈥檚 ecosystems and natural beauty鈥攖wo factors that helped Kilimanjaro National Park earn Unesco聽World Heritage status in 1987鈥攖he Tanzanian government promised to conduct an environmental and social impact assessment before approving the cable car. In August 2019, Kanyasu, the former deputy minister of tourism, told me that the聽environmental element of that study was complete.
But the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) isn鈥檛 convinced. A聽spokesperson for the organization said that while the environmental and social impact assessment did recognize the area鈥檚 diverse ecosystems, it 鈥渄oes not assess how they will be impacted by the cable-car development.鈥 As the nature advisory body for the Unesco聽World Heritage Center, the IUCN sent a letter to the state party of Tanzania recommending it聽not pursue the project due to negative effects on the environment and 鈥渙utstanding universal value.鈥 The group has聽yet to hear back.聽
On the other hand, the mountain鈥檚 tens of thousands of annual climbers already stress Kilimanjaro鈥檚 environment with litter and trampled vegetation, according to the聽. Steven Dale, a principal at the architecture and engineering firm聽, which specializes in聽cable-car consulting, and who is not affiliated with the project, says a cable car in and of itself is environmentally benign. 鈥淎s a means to convey people from the bottom to the top of a mountain in an environmentally sensitive area, there鈥檚 probably no better means to do that,鈥 he said.
Will Porters, Guides, and Climbing Outfitters Lose Business?
The 2019 announcement left Tanzania鈥檚 climbing community in shock. Would porters and guides lose their jobs? Would travelers choose the quicker, cheaper route up part of Kilimanjaro versus trekking for six or seven days to the summit? Concerned聽parties joined Nunes鈥檚 local anti-cable-car lobbying group, Voice of Kilimanjaro, 鈥渢o give voice to a mountain that has no voice of its own,鈥 said Nunes.聽
While many of these guides and porters are still not fans of the project, they鈥檙e less worried about job loss and more concerned about the sanctity of their treasured home mountain.聽聽
鈥淚 think people who really want to climb Kilimanjaro would still choose to climb Kilimanjaro to reach the summit instead of taking a short cable-car ride for sightseeing,鈥 said Vivian Temba, director of marketing for the Tanzania-based climbing outfitter聽. 鈥淏ut the overall appeal of Mount Kilimanjaro as a natural attraction might diminish. Imagine聽you鈥檙e beginning your Kili climb,聽and instead of seeing the mountain in its natural glory, you see steel towers and cables.鈥
So聽Will the Kilimanjaro Cable Car Actually Come to Fruition?
From a purely logistical standpoint, it could. 鈥淎 system like this could be constructed in a year,聽although my suspicion would be, in a location as geographically isolated and complicated politically and logistically, it would take one to two years,鈥 said Dale of SCJ Alliance. 鈥淏ut the proof is going to be whether or not they can get it across the line financially聽and from a permit perspective. That鈥檚 really what this all boils down to. It鈥檚 not about the idea. We can debate about whether it鈥檚 a good idea or not. The question is really, Can they get it across the finish line?鈥
Experts well versed in the Tanzanian government鈥檚 inner workings, like Nunes, have doubts. 鈥淭here appears to be some dragging of feet in government circles on this project,鈥 he said. 鈥淥n the other hand, I am holding my breath, not knowing what to expect. The danger that I see here is that the ruling party and present government鈥檚 policy is pegged on industrialism of the economy. Cable cars are looked upon as an industry. My personal feeling is that it will not happen.鈥澛