Tanzania plans to install cable cars on Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, to improve tourist access.

Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Constantine Kanyasu, said the cable car facility was part of the government's strategy to attract older tourists, those older than 50, to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and experience the wide variety of nature and wildlife at the top of the mountain.

Plans are in progress, with Crescent Environment and Management Consult Limited (CEM) hired to carry out an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

CEM engaged tour operators and other mountain stakeholders in the Kilimanjaro and Arusha region, and delivered presentations on the proposed cable car and lodge projects as part of the assessment.

Resistance to proposed project

However, the plan has been met with resistance from some tourism industry players. Some tour operators, guides and porters are allegedly against the new facility, arguing that climbing the mountain on foot is a lifetime experience that should never be compromised by cable cars. Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society opposed the cable car, saying it would deny employment to nearly 250 000 unskilled porters scaling Mount Kilimanjaro to earn money each year.

Construction of the cable car will depend on the outcome of the ESIA. If the outcome is positive and construction goes ahead, the cable car will be installed along Machame route, which tour guides says doubles as a bird migratory route, and will offer day trips.