Imagine waking up on a high on Kilimanjaro on the 6th of your Kilimanjaro Climbing, a friendly man who might hand you a cup of coffee, another might refill your water bottles. Also after climbing up to 15,300 feet over the course of the day, you find camp and dinner waiting for you. Those friendly faces belong to the Kilimanjaro Porters. Their attentive work keeps you hydrated, fed, sheltered and safe during Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Kilimanjaro Porters have the major role to make your Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro successful. Together, Kilimanjaro Porters carry equipment and supplies up Kilimanjaro and give climbers the support they need to reach the summit. Without them, getting to the Top of Africa would be almost impossible.
Kilimanjaro Porters are the real heroes who would be able to help you get to the summit successfully. The porters carry the gear of climbers and make it easy for them to climb Kilimanjaro. Sometimes the porters work in Kilimanjaro Rescue team in case of any mishappening.
The porters range from 18 years of age to 40 years of age and Kilimanjaro Porters are the hardest working mountain Kilimanjaro Crew. Porters are not usually employed permanently. Some of themBest Kilimanjaro Tour Operator have a team of porters that they use on their climbing. However, most of the porters freelance.
The porters walk to the national park gate everyday and here is where many budget operators pick up the porters.
You will be amazed at the painstaking efforts of these Kilimanjaro Porters who truly are the real heroes on this dangerous yet scenic summit.
How Many Kilimanjaro Porters Do You Need?:
Determine the ideal number of porters for your Kilimanjaro adventure.
The average ratio of porters per climber is 2-3 porters. The general rule of Kilimanjaro Porters is; larger number of trekkers, the less porter per person is required. If you take Marangu route you will not require more porters and you can get away with about two per trekker and less if the group is large because the Marangu Route has huts and not tents.
On other routes where tents are necessary two to three porter per person is normal. Because, they will need to carry all the tent equipment’s to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Weight limit for Kilimanjaro porters:
Learn about the essential weight limits for Kilimanjaro's porter team.
Every hiker is allocated one porter to carry their duffel bag from one camp to the next camp while Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. You should be aware that there is a Kilimanjaro Porter Weight Limit which should be 15 kg (32 lbs) per duffel bag, on the gear of each hiker to be portered. Inside the duffel bag will be your clothes, sleeping bag etc – your sleeping mat, tent, food etc doesn’t form part of the weight limit. A waterproof soft duffel bag is preferred as the porter carries the duffel bag their heads and shoulders. It is allowed to bring a backpack instead, subject to it being soft sided with no hard metal frames. However, there are porters who tend to carry more weight than the preferred and make sure you will not encourage it.
About Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project:
Discover how the Porters Assistance Project improves Kilimanjaro climbs.
The Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) was established in 2003, and registered Tanzanian not-for-profit organization. The main mission of KPAP is to improve the working conditions of Kilimanjaro Porters. KPAP is not a porter membership organization, or a tour operating business, and also they will not collect any fees from porters or climbing companies. KPAP is an initiative of the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based out of Boulder, Colorado in the United States.
As porters make your summit successful and comfortable by lifting your luggage, keep enough amounts of local currencies with you for Kilimanjaro Porters Tips to appreciate their works. Arrange Gifts For Porters Kilimanjaro successful summits as the rewards.
How Much Should You Tip Porters On Kilimanjaro is depends on their work and guidelines set by the trekking operators. There is a minimum amount which you will give to the porters and the extra money you can give, if you want to. For tipping, you can go through Climb Kilimanjaro Guide.
Each and everyone who are Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro know that porters are the backbone of the summit success. Many climbers may not realize that porters can be ill-equipped, poorly paid and have improper working conditions. KPAP’s focus is improving the working conditions of the porters by:
Lending mountain clothing to porters free of charge
Advocating for fair wages and ethical treatment by all companies climbing Kilimanjaro
Encouraging climbers to select a climbing company with responsible treatment practices towards their crew
Providing educational opportunities to the mountain crew
Our Kilimanjaro Porters with other crew members are very friendly, honest and dedicated to share the best services to Kilimanjaro.
Get your free Porter guide!
Get your complete guide to Kilimanjaro porters for a smoother climb!
Learn about the recommended number of porters per climber and how they enhance your climbing experience on Kilimanjaro.
2Tipping Guidelines
Find clear guidelines on how much to tip your porters, helping you appreciate their hard work appropriately.
Kilimanjaro Porters FAQ's
Know your porters - Kilimanjaro's top porter FAQs clarified!
As per the suggestions and the regulations set by Kilimanjaro Porter’s Association Project (KPAP), the Kilimanjaro Porters, need to be paid at least 20,000 Tsh per day. Also, KPAP promotes the minimum living wages of Kilimanjaro Porters. Including Kilimanjaro tipping from the climbers, the salary of a porter is 33,000Tsh per day (the US $15.00).
The Kilimanjaro Portersare the hard-working, dedicated men and women help tourists carry their gear and essential luggage to the summit. The weight that these porters can carry is not more than 20kg and has been set by KPAP. These young men and women are residents of the ages of 18 and 40. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro would be next to impossible without porters
Without the help of the dedicated Kilimanjaro Porters and guides, Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro would be next to impossible. The hard work that these dedicated porters put in is commendable. Therefore it is essential to tip these Kilimanjaro Crew members as a gesture of gratitude for their 24/7 hours assistance. The standard for Kilimanjaro Tippingamounts that have been set is rough $20/day for guides, $12/day for assistant guides, $12/day for cooks, and $6/day for porters.
The Kilimanjaro Porters are an incredible lot of dedicated men and women (all youngsters of ages 18 – 40) who continuously support each climber with a dream of Kilimanjaro Climbing, to successfully help them fulfill the dream. They are the ones who help in setting up the tents and camps on the mountain. They also provide warm water to the climbers after a long climb of 5-6 hours. These joyful and committed individuals enhance your Kilimanjaro Success Rate immensely.
Often when climbers choose to book with cheap Kilimanjaro tour operators they are unaware of the fact that the first thing these cheap tour operators do is cut the salaries of the dedicated Kilimanjaro Porters who help you immensely in Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. This is the discrimination that the Kilimanjaro Porters face during their work. Apart from this, due to the low budget, these porters are not provided good quality equipment or proper meal three times a day, resulting in danger to their lives in the mountains.
Yes, Kilimanjaro Porters do get a minimum wage which has been set by KPAP, to avoid the exploitation of these porters. Depending upon various travel companies, these porters get paid, around 14,500 Tsh (US $6.50) to 20,000 Tsh ($8.62). Apart from this, to compensate their salaries, Kilimanjaro tipping is essential which is also around 20000 Tsh or $8/per climber/per day.
Our Kilimanjaro climb packages help make your trip easy and fun. No matter your experience, we guide you to the best path and support you through the whole climb. Your adventure is our focus, and we will help you reach the summit.
Check out the packages and start planning for your Kilimanjaro climb today!
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