By Samson lauwo
When you plan to come to Tanzania for Mount Kilimanjaro climbing safari, one of the people that you shall accompany you to the summit shall include the porters. If you see them during the start of the tour, you might say that are porters really necessary for Mount Kilimanjaro climbing? Yes they are vital because of the following:
Before you come for a Mount climbing safari in Tanzania, you normally pack a lot of personal items. Such items are heavy to carry while you are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and this is when the porters come into play. Porters help in carrying your entire luggage; if you want to carry any sort of item to Tanzania, you can carry it knowing that the porters shall help you in lifting that heavy luggage. There are always at least 3 porters per person and if you require more, others can be supplied as well. Porters during a mount climbing experience are a bit different that those that you find on other activities like wildlife. During a mount climbing safaris, porters’ costs are included as part of the entire tour price, meaning you don’t have to worry about paying for them. They are always catered for by the tour companies however if you think that they have done an exceptional job, you can always tip them at the end of the tour.
During a mount climbing experience, most routes don’t have huts for accommodation and even for those that have, there are days when you shall need to pitch the camping tents as your accommodation. And this is where the porters shall come in hand. Porters help in pitching up the camping tents. You might say that is a simple activity, it is not difficult at all to pitch tents and after all, you just have to get the tents equipment and find out how to assemble them all together. That is not the case; you need to hire porters because they know exactly how to pitch those tents. Work which would take you more than 3 hours to do, they are able to do it half an hour because of the experience they possess in tent pitching. Overall, porters are vital to help pitch up the tents.
After pitching the tents, you need to put beds or foam mattresses in the tent and the porters shall help during that process to ensure that your bed is laid so well. They lay beds during a mount climbing safari. And during the morning hours, they shall be ones to remove the tents and beds ready for the next move.
You shall have climbing guide to give you various tips on how to succeed at climbing Mount Kilimanjaro however that won’t stop you from asking a few questions about climbing to the porters in case you happen to talk to them. Because of their enormous experience at climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I’m sure that they shall able to offer the best Mount Kilimanjaro climbing tips.
Book your Mount Kilimanjaro climbing today with Kilimanjaro Bound.
Hello, I am Samson, Kilimanjaro Treking Specialist and founder of Kilimanjaro Bound. I have summited mount kilimanjaro 1000 times. l
There are no results matching your search
The best time to climb Kilimanjaro is during the dry seasons: January–March (warmer, slightly quieter) and June–October (coolest, busiest, best weather). These months offer the highest success rates, clear skies, and better views.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a journey through five distinct ecological zones—from tropical rainforests to arctic summits. To reach Uhuru Peak (5,895m) safely, your gear must be professional, lightweight, and based on a high-performance layering system.
Summiting Kilimanjaro doesn't require an elite athlete — but it does demand preparation.
Summiting Kilimanjaro doesn't require an elite athlete — but it does demand preparation.
Summiting Kilimanjaro doesn't require an elite athlete — but it does demand preparation.
More stories, guides and travel inspiration await