What are the duties of porters when climbing Mount Kilimanjaro?

Porters are an incredible breed of men (and the ones who work on Kilimanjaro are nearly always male), and ones who never fail to draw admiration from the trekkers who hire them. Ranging in age from about 18 (the minimum legal age, though some look a good deal younger) to 40 (though occasionally way beyond this), porters are amongst the hardest workers on the mountain. To see them traipsing up the mountain, water in one hand, cooker in another, rucksack on the back and picnic table on the head, is staggering to behold. And though they are supposed to carry no more than 15kg, many, desperate for work in what is an over-supplied market, carry much, much more. And if that isn’t enough, while at the end of the day the average trekker spends his or her time at camp moaning about the hardships they are suffering in between cramming down mouthfuls of popcorn while clasping a steaming hot cup of tea these hardy individuals are putting up the tents, helping with the preparation of the food, fetching more water and generally making sure every trekker’s whim is, within reason, catered for.

It’s this kind of horror story that has caused so much concern over recent years and led to the formation of organizations such as the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance project. The first question regarding porters on Kilimanjaro is how many do you actually this issue won’t actually concern many people, for agencies typically work this out for you. Those looking to save every last shilling, however, often ask the agency to cut down on the number of portersBut this is neither easy nor given that the cost of a porter’s wages is usually less than the food bill. Remember that even if you do carry your own rucksack, there is still all the food, cooking equipment, camping gear and so forth to lug up the mountainside.

So, in general, accept the agency’s recommendations as to the number of porters and make sure that they’re not overloaded. As a general rule, the larger the number of trekkers, the less porters per person required and, if you take the Marangu Route where no tent is required you can probably get away with about two per trekker, and often less if the group is large. On other routes, where tents are necessary, two to three porters per person is the norm. Just for the record, and just in case taking porters up a mountain makes you feel happy. Porters are peoples who are not usually employed permanently. Some quality responsible operators have teams of porters that they use on all their climbs, the work of porters is to walk to the national park gate every day to carry climbing equipments of clients.

Sometimes operators do not pay their staff well, in some cases not at all. Porters don not have many options. There are many more porters available than needed and they are all desperate for work. According to Kilimanjaro national park authority there is a recommended minimum wage for Kilimanjaro porters. TSH 20000 per day but tours company pays porters less than the salary which recommended by (KINAPA).Your porters will likely still end up with less money in their hands, since few climbers are aware of this. And if you pay all tips to the guide to distribute the porters may see little if any of the money. The porters are responsible that in the morning they pack up your tent and all the other equipment, they race past you to set everything up again at the next camp they help the cook, do the dishes, serve your dinner, carry all the water from the nearest stream. Porters are peoples who work very hard and for a long time.

Most porters in many tours Operators Company they don't have their own sleeping bags or tents. The best tours should look for their porters to give them enough equipment for the clients but also for the porters themselves. Carrying that equipment up and down the mountain needs extra porters with enough energy. Also it is important for Tour Company to make sure that the food that provides to clients should be the same to their porters. Even if feeding the porters in a way that actually sustains them during the climb also costs money, both for the food itself and for carrying it up the mountain. Every year several Kilimanjaro porters die, but because they want money for either family they are not scared and they continue to do the work in order to get their basic needs. The death of porters is caused by exposure as a result of the insufficient clothing, shelter and food supplied to them during the climb.

Some few operators pay or treat their porters fairly. Some of them including Africa natural tour, burigi chato, and safari tour company and other many companies. The porters main work keeps you hydrated, fed, sheltered and safe on the mountain. Together, porters carry equipment and supplies up Kilimanjaro and give climbers the support they need to reach the summit. They are who make it possible to summit Kilimanjaro In reality, without the assistance of porters few clients they will handle to carry and then summit to Kilimanjaro Mountain.

Every morning after client leave the camp to start the Kilimanjaro Hike, porters stay back to wrap up the camp. After that, they rush to the next camp at a much faster pace carrying all the stuff and camping equipment They are one who set up camps, prepare meals and boil water all before your arrival.

What are the responsibilities of porters?

Carrying clients Luggage
Porters usually carry clients and guides luggage that includes your camping gears including tents to portable toilets, clothing gears which including all your clothes that you will need on the your trip, and your hiking gears such as the hiking poles.

Setting Up Your Camp
Camps are the only way of making a shelter to rest. As the routes except the Marangu are camping routes without any other accommodations. Porters are not only responsible for carrying your luggage. They are the ones who usually set up your camps which involve the sleeping camps, toilet camps, and dining tents.

Arrange The Necessary Supplies
All these work is done by porters because is their work which make them paid. Porters work towards making your trip successful one by dedicatedly working towards keeping you hydrated, food, shelter, and safe climbing. They are usually trained to assist the climbers if they face any kind of health issues such as altitude sickness.

Assisting the Cook to Prepare Food
Also porters they help the cooker for preparing food. Usually, cooks need someone to help for preparing food in big amount, and porters are the one who helps the cooks for making the food to get ready.

Carrying Equipment and Supplies
Also they are responsible of carrying all important equipment each trek is different, but on average, it takes about 225 pounds of total luggage per trekker to get to Kilimanjaro peak and back. These equipment including food, camping gear, including all sleeping, dining, toilet, kitchen and tents, personal gear, cooking and serving equipment, safety gear, including oxygen kits, first aid kits and others. Remember that porters are not responsible to carry personal equipment. Every personal equipment should be carried by clients himself like bottle of water personal clothing and so on. Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) which is responsible to register porters keep this law that porter load weight limit of 20 kilograms weighing bags before and during every climb.

Making Camp Each Day
Tent are secured by porters when they make a camp but also after the tents are broken down and packed away, porters often race ahead on the trail to secure the best spot at the next camp ground and to finish making camp before clients arrive. And porters have responsible of supplying clean water and as we know that water has many works including for water for food preparation and washing dishes. Trekkers need water for washing and four liters of drinking water.

Supporting Mentally and Physically
There are countless other things porters do during the trek to support you both physically and mentally. Porters make you to feel comfortable at all time on your trip.

According to Kilimanjaro national park authority (KINAPA)
Porters are paid a minimum of 20,000Tsh per day, the wage amount accepted by the porter unions in 2014, Salaries must be paid within 2 days of the descent of a climb, Loads carried by the porter should not exceed 20 kg for the company excluding porter’s personal kit, Porters are provided with three meals per day, Porters have proper shelter conditions and sleeping equipment, Porters are outfitted with proper gear and Sick or injured porters are properly cared for porters.