More ramblings from the Wannabe Adventurer!
- The Wannabe Adventurer
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
So the blog has been quiet for the last week, the wannabe adventurer has been on Kilimanjaro and safari with the amazing team at Vertical Sky.
Nearly three weeks of seeing what Vertical Sky stands for and what they are trying to achieve, as well as testing the fantastic Heimplanet Cave XL tents that Vertical Sky now offers to all their guests.
Where to start? First, the mountain. It’s obvious from the team’s attitude that Vertical Sky has one thing right: a team-first focus. When you spend time on the mountain you begin to understand the situation many of the porters and guides face. Once you cut through the noise and the stories, you get to the heart of the matter: abuse and a poverty trap. The high levels of competition on the mountain and in the industry can create a race to the bottom. One thing is distinctively clear: The government does not negotiate on its fees, and clients do not expect not to be fed, so the only area to reduce costs for climbers is to pay the porters and guides less. This is often masked by providers dealing with agents, who also want a Western-sized cut. A climber can seemingly pay a substantial amount of money, but the agent has driven the provider’s margin down; or you book with a local provider for less, and in such a competitive market there is often only the company owner who truly profits.
To put this into context: many porters earn 10,000 shillings per day, about $4 USD. Even when companies are associated with the porters’ and guides’ association, it’s not that much more. One reason Vertical Sky does not wish to join a glass-ceiling association is that they don’t believe it’s anywhere near enough to allow someone to climb out of poverty and raise a family.
“It’s all relative,” you might say. Take it from someone who spends a lot of time in Tanzania: it’s not relative. Fuel isn’t cheap, electricity isn’t cheap, and taxes on imports into the country are high—so forget trying to own a car on a porter’s or guide’s wage. Insurance costs are comparable to elsewhere in the world. In short, $4 per day is not a “relative” income.
Vertical Sky pays some of the highest wages to guides and porters on the mountain and is completely transparent with clients about how that is calculated. It goes beyond money.
Anyway, rant over. Back to the good stuff…
The mountain never fails to impress: stunning vistas and variable weather—from hail to snow, rolling clouds to sun that could fry an egg on a rock. It genuinely has it all, and you witness it while pushing yourself to limits you may never have experienced before, as many clients find out—at least those who underestimate the true size of Kilimanjaro.
As I said, the team at Vertical Sky accommodates every client’s needs, ensuring safety and comfort are paramount. Amazing meals and high-quality equipment are standard, and it’s so pleasing to see that porters and guides are respected, properly fed, kept warm, and feel as important to the company as the guests they help to fulfil a dream.
I had the privilege of testing Vertical Sky’s newest acquisition: the Heimplanet Cave XL tent. Saying this turned heads on the mountain would be an understatement, the only inflatable tent in any camp. Great size and stability, and incredible warmth at higher altitude. Ease of use for the porters and camp master was impressive: watching the Cave XL erected side by side with the standard offering showed this clearly. That isn’t to say the MSR Elixir 3 tent Vertical Sky uses as standard isn’t good, because it is great, but you’d be comparing apples to oranges. The Cave XL is an upgrade offering to Vertical Sky’s clients, and for the slightly older explorer (like me) it makes life a little easier. In a nutshell: it’s cool. Well done, Stefan @Heimplanet.
Once summited, what a summit experience: zero wind and clear skies, clear views of the glacier and the rolling savannah below. Down we came, back to what else Tanzania has to offer.
Two safaris: one in Arusha National Park, where within 15 minutes we had seen the majestic rhino from the small plane; and one in Tarangire National Park, where elephants outnumber humans. Both were truly amazing experiences.
Vertical Sky doesn’t operate like a corporate monster—they put people at the heart of everything they do, improving lives one climb, one safari at a time.
Contact info@vertical-sky.com to discuss your adventure. It might well change your life.
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