Tanzania’s custom of tipping differs from other countries. Unfortunately, this custom can become contentious if it is not explained.
Misunderstandings might arise at the end of the climb when guests are asked to tip the workers certain amounts. Understanding this dilemma requires seeing the overall cost of the hike as including the tips. Every porter (or guide, cook, waiter etc) gets the equivalent of his daily wage as a tip at the end of the hike, as opposed to merely doubling the wage. In effect, this means that the daily wage (for example) if a porter is required to be paid US $10/day, PLUS the tip of US $10/day from the group.
Why not just pay the porter US$20/day? The answer is chiefly cultural. In Tanzania, it is seen as honorable and more personal for hikers to go through the ceremony of giving this offering directly to the people who have made this experience possible.
As in any business, there is a defined hierarchy among the workers. In Africa, this hierarchy is important and deserves respect. The workers spend many hard years making their way up the order and have earned the respect that comes with their position. Accordingly, a sliding order governs the tipping amounts, from the porters at the lower end up to the head guide at the top. Going up the scale, the amounts are at the discretion of the hikers, with the understanding that the scale begins with the tip to a minimum of US$10/day for porters, as of 2020.
So we’ve mentioned that a Kilimanjaro mountain crew consists of guides, porters and a cook. The table below explains their duties and says how many are needed per group.
Crew member Role Number
Lead guide Overall trek leader, responsible for your health and safety 1 per group
Assistant guides Lead you safely and efficiently up the mountain, answer your questions, and monitor your health 1 for every 2 or 3 climbers on route with huts like Marangu and 4 to 5 on Camping route like Machame, Lemosho, Umbwe and Rongai
Cook Prepares all of your food (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) 1 per group
Porters Carry food, camping equipment and everyone’s personal belongings, set up and strike camp, and take on various other duties 4 per climber
Tipping is normal and expected at Kilimanjaro. This might come as a surprise to many, especially if coming from countries and cultures where tipping is not as prevalent or present at all. The amount of tip is also larger than others treks you might have been on previously. This is because unlike most other treks around the world, trekking on Kilimanjaro requires a big crew.
Tipping is a very cultural thing on Kilimanjaro. The tradition of tipping has evolved over the last two decades to it’s current state. As a company, we don’t get involved in the tipping process. We can only give you our guidelines on what the crew is expecting. Tips are given directly by you to the crew- hand to hand in more transparency way.
There is a strong reason we can’t include tips in the price itself. If we include the tips in the price, we will be accused of overcharging the clients for tips and underpaying the tips to The second reason is that tips vary depending on group size. We don’t know ahead of time what the final group size is going to be.
Although larger tips are always appreciated by our staff, they will be extremely grateful if you follow the guidelines for tipping given below. These amounts given below are for the whole group. For e.g, 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 : $20 per day from the whole group
Cook : $20 per day from the whole group
Waiter : $12 to $15 per day from the whole group
Porter : $10 per to $12 a day from the whole group
Summit porter : $12 per to $15 a day from the whole group
Toilet crew : $12 – 15 per day from the whole group
So Prepare around $ 450 to 490 per person for your crew.
How to give the tip for crew
The best way would be to collect the tips from the whole group, and then divide it amongst the whole crew. Tips can be placed in individual envelopes and the climbers can hand them directly to each crew member. You can also prepare two envelopes. One for the guide, assistant guides and cooks. You can hand this envelope to the lead guide. The other envelope is for the porters. You can hand this over to the porters representative.
Expected tip amounts per client for some common routes and group sizes.
2.Tipping guidelines for the Safari Safari Guide
Recommendation is about $10– $15 per day per customer
The best part of any journey is hearing that our guests had an amazing time. There’s no greater testament to our passion and dedication to this goal than the multiple reviews Kilimanjaro Brothers have received.
Patrick Chauka
301 wilcrest dr Apt 7709
Houston TX 77042 USA
Copyright © 2026 Kilimanjaro Brothers. All Rights Reserved
