Tipping the Guides and Porters

Mount Kilimanjaro has become an important component of the local economy due to its rising appeal as a hiking destination.

With the increased popularity of hiking Kilimanjaro, local and international tour firms have sprung up, and people of these villages have migrated to the mountain in search of a job. Tanzania has a high unemployment rate; therefore, plenty of individuals are eager to do anything to make a living.

The Kilimanjaro National Parks Authority (KINAPA) has established laws to improve mountain management and tour operator behavior in recent years; yet, the market for porters and guides remains unregulated and vulnerable to abuse.

As a result, many of the local operators fail to meet Kinapa’s minimum wage requirements. Some pay their porters as low as $2-$3 a day, and that’s less than a Big Mac for transporting roughly 20kg of stuff up a very high and dangerous mountain!

Porters and guides should be paid a mandatory wage, and it is strictly enforced and monitored in an ideal society.

However, this is not the case, and tipping on Kilimanjaro is customary and standard, but it can be difficult to figure out exactly how much to give each support staff member.

How much to tip guides and porters?

At the completion of the climb, tipping the mountain crew between the US $ 190 and US $ 250 per climber is recommended. The actual tipping amount is determined by the size of the group and the number of days spent on the mountain. Giving a tip to the leading guide is recommended, who will subsequently divide it among the mountain staff. It is recommended not to tip until you and all of your belongings have descended the mountain.

The average tip recommended per day by a group is: 

  • Chief guide – the US $ 20 per day from the group per chief guide.
  • Cook – US $ 8 per cook per day from the group.
  • Assistant Guide – US $ 12 per assistant guide per day from the group.
  • Porters — US $ 6 each porter per day from the group.

It is best not to tip your porters until your gear has descended the mountain with all of your belongings.

About The mountain

At 5,895 meters Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on the earth; it is one of the Seven Summits. The snow-capped peak of Africa is a dormant volcano. This majestic mountain can be found inside the Kilimanjaro National Park of Tanzania, at 005.00 degrees south, 036 degrees east, 5895m above mean sea level.

Exceptional climb success

Since 1994, ClimbingKilimanjaro has been fore runner in operating Kilimanjaro tours. We have a proud and unbeatable track record of more than 15,000 safe and successful summit attempts.

The specialised experience of ClimbingKilimanjaro puts us, as a tour operator, in a unique position to offer the most professional support, guidance, information and motivation to realise this proverbial “bucket-list” dream.

ClimbingKilimanjaro can provide references from previous successful and satisfied clients – on request. Visitors are also welcome to visit our Testimonials & Summit Gallery pages

Real-Time Tracking Service

ClimbingKilimanjaro is the only operator that offers real-time tracking to hikers on Mount Kilimanjaro. This unique service will allow family and friends to track the live progress of their loved ones, as they hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro, subject to availability, pre-booking and at a small supplementary fee.

Guides and porters

ClimbingKilimanjaro only utilises highly trained and registered guides, with several years of experience, to lead a mountain support team that are properly equipped to look after climbers on the mountain.

All of the Climbing Kilimanjaro package options includes the services of one porter per hiker, who will carry the client’s duffel bag (max. 15kg) from one camp to the next.

The above average staff ratio of the Climbing Kilimanjaro Mountain Support Team to climber is: 2 Porters per climber and 2 guides for a maximum of 4 hikers – a very favourable ratio to directly enhance safety and enjoyment on the mountain.