Our porters

“The real heroes of Kilimanjaro.”

This is the testimony of many climbers about the role of the porters. Climb with us and you will certainly see why…

Dashing past you with a 20kg load strapped to their bodies, singing or cracking up with laughter. Up and down the mountain they go, loaded with your personal goods, pots and pans, tents and food.

On a trek up Kilimanjaro, you only need to carry a daypack with essentials for that day’s hiking. The rest will be taken up the mountain by your team of porters.

A tough job in harsh conditions, porters often climb Kilimanjaro three times per month. Their maximum load is restricted to 20kg by the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA). We also make sure our porters are treated and paid fairly and are well-equipped and well-fed on the mountain.

All Kilimanjaro porters are also members of organisations such as Tanzania Porters Organization (TPO), Kilimanjaro Porters Association (KPA) or the Mount Kilimanjaro Porter Society (MKPS) in order to have a valid license to enter the Kilimanjaro National Park.

Apart from being the heavy haulers, porters have a variety of other tasks including setting up your tents, assisting the cook in preparing food, and when necessary accompanying stricken climbers to safety.

In our pool of over 250 permanent porters, there are also so-called “special” porters. Depending on the type of tour (private, group or large groups or if a group has special requests) we have the following special functions in our teams: toilet porter, camera equipment porter, camp manager or an oxygen porter. Whether the job is big or small, porters play an integral part in the success of a Kili climb.