Community

Every trek we run depends on people from the villages at the foot of the Rwenzori — as guides, as porters, and increasingly through community-run enterprises.

Where our crew come from

The villages around the Nyakalengija and Kilembe trailheads. This is not incidental: guiding and portering on the Rwenzori is largely Bakonzo work, and the knowledge of these routes in those communities long predates the surveyed map.

Local purchasing

We buy food and consumables locally in Kasese wherever we can, rather than trucking supplies from Kampala. It is cheaper, it is fresher, and it keeps more of what a trek costs in the district the trek happens in.

Community-run accommodation

Ruboni Community Camp, in the foothills below the Portal Peaks, is run by the local community association. Staying there puts money directly into the villages at the base of the mountain, and we are happy to book it for clients who want that.

What we will not claim

We name the community enterprises we actually work with rather than describing "community benefit" in general terms. Community benefit is one of the most overused and least-checked claims in tourism marketing, and a page that names nothing specific is usually saying nothing at all.