The idea of the Trail was born at the Lutheran Church Day in Bremen in 2011. The East African Margret Kimani and the German Ernst Schumacher met and discussed the St. James-Pilgrims - Trail and its impact on people. Ernst, a medical doctor, emphasized its importance for spirituality and health. Margaret stressed the environmental aspects in the East African context. She got the idea to link spirituality with ecology and to combine tree-planting with pilgrimage. “Let us copy the European pilgrims trail for Africa and develop a hiking trail in the footsteps of the first missionaries in East Africa!” and she added enthusiastically “Give each hiker a chance to plant a tree somewhere along the trail.”

Margaret and Ernst kept in contact and after some time a route was considered, starting at the first settlement of the missionaries Dr. Krapf and Rebmann near Mombasa. It should lead inland up to Mount Kilimanjaro. Years ago Ernst had started his medical career at the KCMC, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi. That is why he got invited to take part in the seminar of the “Society for intercultural pastoral care and counselling” in Moshi in 2012. Its topic was: “Caring For People – Caring For Creation”. Within that setting Margaret and Ernst had introduced their idea of the tree -  trail to participants from all over the world. 

The Chagga pastors of the group soon took up the idea and suggested to start the trail backwards, beginning near Machame (the settlement of missionary Rebmann in 1847) leading 100 km east-wards through the garden- and banana-belt up to the volcanic crater Lake Chala. One year later James Kimaro, a young tourism assistant, Hans- Jörg Bahmüller, a Swabian pilgrim guide and Ernst identified a route following the suggested trail. They were supported by various individuals living in Moshi and the region.

In 2013 a hiking guide was presented containing the trail's GPS data.