About us
Our vision
We believe in the empowerment of women and equal opportunities for all. The outdoor and tourism industry in Tanzania is predominantly a male dominated environment - as well the whole society in Tanzania and other African countries generally is.
We want to create change and enable young women the same opportunities that their brothers have. We want to gift them with a chance at living a different life with more choices than their mothers have had.
We just launched our "support a porter"-program for anyone who would like make a sustainable change in one of our porter´s life (learn more about it here).
We value safe working environments for our team and supporting each other through every day. We believe in the fair treatment of our staff. This includes paying them above average wages, reducing the weight each porter has to carry (18kg instead of the usual 20kg), providing high quality gear and at least three nutritious adequate meals a day for every team member.
This seems even more important to us, because in Tanzanian society the majority of family responsibilities are still taken by women. Day after day they do their best and work hard to feed and care for their children, parents, elderly and needy relatives. Many of our porters are single mums. By providing meaningful and well paid work we are able to support the women in our community and inspire them to aspire to a life they may never have dreamed of.
Ekeney
She needed a hero, so that´s what she became
My name is Eliakeney Njau, but everybody calls me Ekeney. I am founder and senior mountain guide of Kilimanjaro Wanderwomen Tours and this year I also became a mother. Since I was 19 years old "Kili" is my workplace and nature is my passion. Today I am 33 and I have summited Kili over 100 times as a guide with my clients - and many more to come!
I want to inspire you to become your own superhero. Together we can do anything. Let the mountain mirrow your power!
My Story
I grew up in a small village called Machame at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. I am the youngest of 10 children in my family, we belong to the Chagga tribe. My father passed away when I was 14 and his inheritance, some farm land, was distributed among my brothers. Women inherit nothing in our society. I was still in secondary school and couldn´t study at first, because I had to support my mother. She did not have a profession and after being a widow she took any job she could get within the hard farm work. She never lived for herself, she fought for her children and also for me. She made it possible for me to finish High School at 17 and afterwards even do a course as tour operator at college. I am so grateful to her because my older brothers wanted me to get married instead. In our society it is believed until today that a woman has to get married early and should not be independent. But I am not only the youngest in my family, also I am the rebellious one who aspired a different pathway in life.
After graduating there weren’t many opportunities available to me as a girl, so I decided to work as a porter on Mount Kilimanjaro. I started when I was 19. My first climb was very hard for me and I thought I couldn´t make it, only with the support of my fellow porters I made it to the top camp, still thinking I will not be able to do this a second time. But after recieving my first own salary (from which I bought my mum her first mattress) I knew it was worth it and I continued. After saving up money for several years I could attend Mweka, a Wildlife college and gain my certification as a Mountain Guide at the age of 26. After working hard for various other companies among the male colleagues, including sad experiences like not being paid, I had the vision to create my own company - one that empowers women, provides fair treatment and gives them choices and opportunities. In 2022 my dream became true and I was able to found Kilimanjaro Wanderwomen Tours.
I have always loved my job and where it takes me. Every time I hike, I feel deeply connected to myself, my team, my clients and nature. Each journey teaches me new things, helps me to learn, explore and grow from different people and their cultures. I am blessed to be able to do what I am doing. Being a mountain guide has helped me take care of my basic needs not only for myself, but also my family and society. It gives me freedom of choice to be able to live life the way I want and not how others with less opportunity are forced to. It makes me so happy that I can help not just myself but fellow women and those who need it in society too.
When I look back on where I came from to get here today, it brings me such joy and motivation. This work has changed so many people's lives including my own. It is inspiring to see women from all over the world reaching their goals and owning their freedom and power. Join me for a journey so I can bear witness to the beauty within your soul and experience too!
Ekeney
Senior Mountain Guide
Happiness
Mountain Guide
Judithi
Mountain Guide
Farida
Mountain Guide
Elineka
Mountain Guide
Our amazing Team
Asha
Mountain Guide
Mary
Mountain Guide
Dativa
Mountain Guide
Angela
Mountain Guide
Janet
Mountain Guide
Recho
porter and now our youngest guide
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Maggie
Porter & Waitress in our "support a porter"-program
Tini
Porter in our "support a porter"-program
Costansia
Cook
Sia
Mountain Guide
Rachel
Porter
Martha
Porter
Neema
Porter
Rose
Porter
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Regina
Porter
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Joyce
Porter
Debora
Porter
Magreth
Porter
Pendo
Porter in our "support a porter"-program
Lightness
Porter
Basilisia
Porter
Ester
Porter
Margreth
Porter
Anna
Porter
. . . and many more
Julia
My name is Julia Mantey. I got to know Ekeney when I first came to Tanzania in 2021 as a tourist to climb Kilimanjaro. Short after that I decided to help Ekeney fulfill her dream of founding the first all-female tour company in Tanzania.
It still feels like such a privilege to me that I was able to support her and these strong and amazing African women on their way to a much more self-determinated life.
Two women from different worlds
I grew up in Germany with a single mum. I remember how she struggled, but our lives were still so privileged compared to those of African women. I was supported to get the best education and become economically independent. I had the freedom to choose my profession, get married or not, have children or not, where and how I want to live.
Now my two daughters are grown up and I enjoy the freedom to travel to Tanzania as often as I can to visit Ekeney and to see how her Kilimanjaro Wanderwomen are doing.
How I met Ekeney
In August 2021 I had booked my first Kilimanjaro trek through a local agency. I had asked for a female guide and they hired Ekeney. Guides here usually work as freelancers without contracts always hoping for the next job to come.
Thanks to her loving help I summited despite altitude sickness. With Ekeney´s warm support and incredible positive attitude I made it at least to Stella Point, the second highest peak. During our trek we had so much fun, learned from each other about our different lifes in Africa and Europe. I was very touched by all the severe problems women in Tanzania are still facing. And I was truly impressed by Ekeney´s story, her power and endurance. I came back to visit her and she showed me more of Tanzania´s stunning nature, wonderful people and shared her vision with me.
Besides being a role model for young women, she had already started to lead and train some women of her village, who later became part of her Wanderwomen team as porters, cooks or guides. However, back then she remained dependend on being hired by companies run by men and paying unfair salaries - sometimes even no salary at all or sometimes even pressured into sexual services to get the job. In Tanzania women like Ekeney don´t have the means to start their own business. Because I shared her vision of women empowering women I decided to support her in order to help more women escape the vicious circle of poverty and oppression. So in December 2022 she was eventually able to found Kilimanjaro Wanderwomen Tours.
* ... by the way, in 2024 Ekeney took me with my daughters up Kilimanjaro again and guess what, she made my dream come true, I reached Uhuru Peak!
Team Gallery
