TIPPING ON MT. KILIMANJARO
Tipping, it has been a culture to expect a tip from the tourist, through these, clients get mind-boggling and question themselves how much they should tip and they want to know how much it will affect their budget and to make sure they are giving a good tip.
Your mountain crew not assists you on the trek but also gives you an opportunity for a deeper experience of nature and culture. Your crew will consist of a guide, an assistant guide, a cook, and a team of porters. The number of porters required will be determined by the total weight being carried for the entire group. Added hiking day, extra personal gear and rental equipment will increase the number of porters required for your climb. As regulated by Kilimanjaro national park, porters can no more than 25kg of total weight including their own personal gear.
Those who have climbed Mt Kilimanjaro before know that without the hard work and strength of the mountain crew, one would not be able to fully experience the magnificence of the mountain. At Twende Africa Tours, we pay our crew more than the salary suggested by the Kilimanjaro National Park and Tanzania Tour Operator Association. However, many crew also heavily depend on tips to support their families. The following are recommended daily rates for the entire group to tip per staff member:
Tipping recommendation from the trekking group (not per climber)
- Senior guide – $20 – 30 / day
- Assistant guide – $15 – 25 / day
- Cook – $15 – 20 / day
- Waiter – $12 – 15 /day
- Porter – $10 – 12 / day
- Summit porter – $12 – 15 / day
- Toilet crew – $12 – 15 / day
In general, for all Kilimanjaro routes except Marangu you will have:
- 1 Climber: 1 senior guide, 1 cook and 4 porters
- 2 Climbers: 1 senior guide, 1 assistant guide, 1 cook and 7 porters
- 3 Climbers: 1 senior guide, 1 assistant guide, 1 cook and 9 porters
- 4 Climbers: 1 senior guide, 1 assistant guide, 1 cook and 12 porters
For Marangu you will have:
- 1 climber 1 senior guide, 1 cook 3 porters
- 2 climbers 1 senior guide 1 assistance guide 1 cook 6 porters
- After three clients 3 porters for 1 climber
TIPPING ON SAFARI
- Safari guide 30 per day.
- Cook 20- per day (basic for camping safari only). From the whole group (not per traveler)
These are estimates and actual numbers may vary depending on the needs of the group. It is ideal to have a tipping ceremony with the climbers and crew on the last day on the mountain. Ideally, tips should be given to the individual crew members directly to ensure the full amount of the tip is received.
If individual clients want to tip a particular crew member additional money, they can add it to the group amount or hand it directly to the crew member to support the local economy.
Gift: After the trek, guide and porters also appreciate your warm clothing, shoes, and packs, you may want to bring some older climbing gear items just for this purpose.
But if you received quality service, we encourage you to tip generously. However, if the service did not meet your expectations, then feel free to adjust the amount accordingly.
Now is the time for celebration, you are also welcome to invite your guide or all crew back to your hotel for dinner or drinks (on you) as a thank you and to share enthusiasm in addition to their tip.
Please note: Tip amount listed above for Kilimanjaro and safari are per group not per individual traveler.
