Kilimanjaro Hiking Guides & Porters

Kilimanjaro porters are the backbone of every expedition and a very special breed of mountaineers, whose physical fitness and stamina always draw the surprising looks of Kilimanjaro trekkers. Trudging uphill, the exhausted hikers are often astonished to see the galloping team of porters, heavily loaded with camping equipment, seeming to have no difficulties whatsoever.

The porter crews have many important responsibilities, such as:

Carrying the camping equipment and supplies. While climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, you will notice that the tent, which you leave in the morning by some magical force, re-appears in the next one, pitched, cleaned and ready for you. The magic is easily explainable; the team of porters, coordinated by the camp master, disassemble your tents in the morning immediately after your departure, pack them, then outpace the trekkers to make sure the tents are cleaned and pitched again in the next camp.

Apart from carrying the tents you sleep in, the porters are also tasked with carrying other camp essentials – dining (mess) tent, chairs, tables, food and water supplies. Here at Real Life Adventure Travel we rigorously control that each porter’s load does not exceed 15 kg.

Carrying your gear. Each climber has 10-14 kg of personal gear which he or she will use on a certain day of the trip. All this is packed in a special duffel bag (you may read more about the gear here) and one of the porters will be carrying it up to the summit camp.

Fetching water. There is no plumbing in the high-altitude camps of Mount Kilimanjaro. The porters fetch water for drinking, hygiene and cooking from the nearby mountain springs. Though most of the camps are near the sources of water, once the group arrives at the summit camps the task becomes much more challenging. Porters have to walk with cans about 5 km down to the spring, collect water and then hike back to the camp. Rainy or windy conditions are never an excuse – the camp and the kitchen cannot stay without water.

Serving meals in the dining (mess) tent. Some of the porters will work as “waiters” – they will be bringing the meals and drinks from the kitchen tent and serving them. After the hikers finish and go resting (or hiking), these porters will wash the dishes and prepare the kitchenware for the next meal.

Collecting trash. The beauty of Mt Kilimanjaro should be preserved for the future generations, and whatever trash, garbage and the expedition members produce waste, the special “cleaners” always take it away from the Mountain.

The work of our cleaning teams is not just restricted to the waste of our expeditions – because we deeply care about the environment of Kilimanjaro, we try to clean even what was left by the irresponsible trekkers led by the other tour operators.

Assisting the guides on the summit night. Normally, the porters do not summit. Yet, there is a special breed of them – the so-called “summit porters” – who reinforce the climbing crew for the final leg of the trip. These people help the guides to make sure that every hiker is safe and comfortable. Together with your guides, the summit porters will be carrying hot tea, biscuits and oxygen to make sure that you are warmed and energized to keep trekking to the summit.

As you can see, the porters on Kilimanjaro have many responsibilities, and we cannot imagine a safe and successful expedition without their support.