Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro Tipping Guideline

It’s customary to tip your safari guide and mountain crew upon completion of your adventure.

How Much Should I Tip on Kilimanjaro?

The answer to that depends on your satisfaction with the service the Moana Tanzania team provides to you.

We are often asked by our clients about the amount to tip to individual crew members. Find out below:

  • 20 USD -25 USD per day for guides : Our guides not only help you summit the trek with ease and utmost confidence, but they also look after your health considerations throughout the trek.
  • 15 USD – 20 USD per day for cooks: provide all meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner)
  • 10 USD – 15 USD per day for each porter : Porters make the climb of every trekker so much easier. carry all of your food and gear.

Note: These figures are the total tips given to each member of the group, not per climber.

How many many crew members are joining you during your mountain trek?

1 climber: 1 guide / 4-6 porters / 1 cook

2 climbers: 2 guides / 8-9 porters / 1 cook

3 climbers: 2 guides / 11-13 porters / 1 cook

4 climbers: 2 guides / 13-15 porters / 1 cook

5 climbers: 3 guides / 17-20 porters / 1 cook

6 climbers: 3 guides / 20-23 porters / 1 cook / 1 assistant cook

Tipping for Safaris and Hotels

– For safari the following crew member will join you*:

– for a camping safari: 2 crew members (a guide and a cook)

– for a lodge of luxury safari: 1 crew member (a guide)

*this is per safari car. 5-7 people can fit in our safari cars.

The suggested tips for the safari are 20 USD to 30 USD per day for the guide (who will also be your driver). So for instance, in a five day safari the guide can be tipped 100 USD to 150 USD total from the entire joining group (not per individual). For the cook the suggested tip is 15 USD to 20 USD per day per group.

Small tips (1 USD) may be given to hotel staff or drivers for their service, however this is not customary. You may also tip the staff as a whole by putting donations into the tip box.

It is not customary to leave tips at restaurants.

Where to tip?

It’s not a good idea to take cash on the mountain. There are some risks such as rain or it can get lost during trekking. Instead we recommend leaving it at our office( we will sign a paper). Once back at the hotel after Safari or mountain climb, one representative from your group (if it’s not solo climber) should collect the tip money from the group and give the total tip money to the chief guide or by yourself you can distribute the tip to each crew member and the spokesperson or all climbers can say a word of thanks to the crew.

What Currency Should I Use?

Most Tipping on Kilimanjaro is done through US dollars, Euros or Tanzanian Shillings. It is suggested that you draw some dollars before you start traveling or you can get cash here in Tanzania through an ATM (note: if you withdraw money at the ATM, there are bank charges). It is very important that the money is in good condition. Do not tip with marked, wrinkled, torn or old (older than 2002) US bills; they are not accepted in the country.