Tipping on Kilimanjaro

ABOUT KILIMANJARO  TIPPING

One of the most frequently asked questions by climbers of Mount Kilimanjaro is about guidelines for tipping. The general philosophy is that a climbing tip should only be given if good service was provided. However, there are some general guidelines and recommendations, supported by NGOs and the Tanzanian government:

• Porters USD 5 per day per porter
• Cooks USD 8 to USD 10 per day per cook
• Assistant guides USD 8 to USD 10 per day per guide
• Kilimanjaro guides USD 12 to USD 20 per day per guide

To give an example, if you had four porters, two assistant guides, and one lead guide, the total trip would be around USD 480 for an eight day trip. Please note, that these tips are provided by the group of climbers as a whole, not per climber. A general estimate, for your budget, per Kilimanjaro climber runs from about USD 175 to USD 250 per person depending upon the following factors: the number of people in your group, the number of the porters, the number of guides, the number of cooks, and sometimes the route. The exact tip will also depend on how much gear needs to be brought up to the mountain.

Furthermore, it is good to keep the following in mind:

• Tip directly to the porters.
• Provide the tip in a small envelope.
• Provide the tip on the last day.
• Tips can be provided in Tanzanian shilling or US dollar.