Porters on Kilimanjaro
Our porters are the engine that drives our climbs. You will be astonished by the strength, endurance, and athleticism of this mild mannered group...
The porters... The backbone of your climbing team.
Since we started climbing Kilimanjaro in 2000, we have seen the numbers of climbers on Kilimanjaro increase steadily. Often, porters and guides are forced to work for extremely low wages, with substandard equipment and excessive loads.
Unfortunately, many ‘budget’ Kilimanjaro climbs ride on the backs of underpaid porters. Our porters are always properly outfitted, paid properly, and have a warm tent to sleep in.
Our policy is to ensure that our porter’s wages, sleeping conditions, equipment and load weights fall within the guidelines set out by the Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society.
In a region with an unemployment rate of 80 percent, porter jobs are in high demand. The porters work extremely hard for their wages... We ask all of our clients to tip appropriately for their services at the end of the trek.
A little background on our porters...
Many porters and guides are members of the Chagga tribe, who live in the towns of Moshi and Arusha or the small villages at the base of the mountain.
For the most part, local Chagga towns have subsistence economies. Since 1977, however, after Tanzania's national parks service officially opened the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve, tourism has become a primary source of income for the Chagga.
Typically, our porters carry your gear on their head -- inside of a large sack waterproof sack. It's amazing how quickly they move this way!
In a region with an unemployment rate of 80 percent, porter jobs are in high demand.
How much do the porters carry? How does it work?
We take the safety and welfare of our porters very seriously. We weigh your gear the day before you depart for the mountain, and again at the park gate. Once we have completed our final 'fully loaded' weigh in, we may hire additional porters to ensure that individual loads are not too heavy. Please be sure to be UNDER your personal weight limit for your climb.
Our climbs are built to provide every climber with three to four personal porters as well as a guide on Kilimanjaro. Your bag will always be carried by the same porter. Your supplies -- water, food, tent, and camping gear -- and the porters personal gear are divided evenly across our staff.
Your personal porter is responsible for getting your bag from camp to camp safely. At every camp, your porter will drop off your bag, and the group will set up all of the tents. When you arrive at camp, you will be greeted with hot tea, a wash basin, and your duffle will be at the entrance to your tent. Your job is to relax, and focus on resting your body...
MountainQuest policy: 16 kilograms / 35 lbs per porter
Standard policy: 20 kilograms / 44 lbs per porter
How much can I pack..?
We ask that you limit your total load to 16 kilograms (35 lbs) or less, not including your tent or day pack. This allows our porters room for their personal gear and effects.
If you follow the recommendations of our Gear list, you should have no problems achieving a total weight of 16 kilograms or less. If you require more weight, please let us know ahead of your trip, and we will be happy to arrange for this.
Want to donate some gear..?
Why not donate some of your gear once you are finished your climb? Or bring some extra gear along. We invite all of our clients to donate anything that they are able... from water bottles to sleeping bags, boots, gloves, warm jackets or even medicine.
MountainQuest stores this gear in a 'gear locker' that we keep at our offices in Arusha. Our mountain staff has access to these items every time they climb!
We are happy to provide information on each of these issues for every Kilimanjaro ascent that we arrange.
