Usually Tipping is an expected at Kilimanjaro. This always come as a surprise to the crews on Kilimanjaro especially if coming from countries and cultures where tipping is not as prevalent or present at all.
The tipping amount is also larger than others treks you might have been on previously because unlike most f other climbs around the world, climbing on Kilimanjaro usually needs a number of crew. It takes, 6 trekkers will be with 23 members to support staff, consisting of Head guide, assistant guides, cooks and porters.
Why is tipping not included in the price?
Tipping is the appreciation thing on Kilimanjaro especial as an encouragement or gratitude to the crew. Tipping it is a cultural thing that’s has been existed for a long time to prolong friendship gratitude between tourist and his/her crew
The company doesn’t involve in the tipping process but we only negotiate on behalf of our crew and giving them guidelines on what the crew is expecting. Tips are given directly by you to the crew.
The reason we exclude tips and the price is because if we combine tips with the price will be accused of extra charging the clients and confusing the trust of the crew.
Example Transparency will be lost, assuming charging USD 500 in tips from clients, and only paying the crew USD 100.
Another reason amount of tips may change depending on group size due to the increasing number of the crew because of circumstance may occur.
The last reason it create trustful situations between tourists themselves, the crew and the company purposeful for work continuity in the future.
Our tipping guidelines
Normal larger tips are appreciable by our staff and this makes them much grateful if you consider and follow the tipping guidelines below.
The tipping below are for the whole group, example the whole group tips USD 15 to the cook per day. So these costs will be divided amongst the whole group.
• Senior guide : $20 – 25 per day from the whole group
• Assistant guide : $15 – 20 per day from the whole group
• Cook : $12 – 15 per day from the whole group
• Waiter : $10 – 12 per day from the whole group
• Porter : $8 – 10 per day from the whole group
• Summit porter : $12 – 15 per day from the whole group
• Toilet crew : $10 – 12 per day from the whole group
Crew for various group sizes
To calculate tips, it's important to understand how large your support team is going to be. Below we have listed the crew size from Group of 1 to 10.
• Group of 1 - 1 Senior Guide, 1 Cook, 3 or 4 Porters
• Group of 2 - 1 Senior Guide, 1 Assistant Guide, 1 Cook, 6 Porters
• Group of 3 - 1 Senior Guide, 1 Assistant Guide, 1 Cook, 9 Porters
• Group of 4 - 1 Senior Guide, 1 Assistant Guide, 1 Cook and 12 Porters
• Group of 5 - 1 Senior Guide, 2 Assistant Guides, 1 Cook and 15 Porters
• Group of 6 - 1 Senior Guide, 2 Assistant Guides, 2 Cooks and 18 Porters
• Group of 7 - 1 Senior Guide, 2 Assistant Guides, 2 Cooks and 21 Porters
• Group of 8 - 1 Senior Guide, 3 Assistant Guides, 2 Cooks and 24 Porters
• Group of 9 - 1 Senior Guide, 3 Assistant Guides, 2 Cooks and 27 Porters
• Group of 10 - 1 Senior Guide, 3 Assistant Guides, 2 Cooks and 30 Porters
How to give tips to the crew?
The best way would be to collect the tips from the whole group, and then divide it amongst the supporting team group. Tips can be placed in individual envelopes and the clients can give to them direct to each crew member.
You can also prepare enough envelopes according to the number of your crew. One envelop for the guide, another for assistant guides, cooks and the rest for the porters.
Expected tip amounts per client for some common routes and group sizes.
Route/Group Size Group of 1 Group of 2 Group of 3Group of 4 Group of 5
• 5Days Marangu$280 - $350$238 - $300$198 - $250$179 - $225$182 - $230
• 6Days Marangu$336 - $420$285 - $360$238 - $300$215 - $270$218 - $276
• 6Days Machame$336 - $420$285 - $360$238 - $300$215 - $270$218 - $276
• 7Days Machame$392 - $490$333 - $420$278 - $350$250 - $315$255 - $322
• 7Days Lemosho$392 - $490$333 - $420$278 - $350$250 - $315$255 - $322
• 8Days Lemosho$448 - $560$380 - $480$317 - $400$286 - $360$291 - $368
