Pinching Pennies for Kilimanjaro

Empty pockets never held anyone back.  Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

So far all this talk about hiking Kilimanjaro sounds great, right? You’re waiting for the catch, aren’t you? I figured you were, so a post about one of the biggest factors in this decision is necessary. What is that factor? The cost. 

Dollars, buckaroos, moolah, dinero, cash, green, bills, big ones, cheese. No matter what you call it, how much money this adventure will cost is a huge factor in the decision to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.

In my research, I’ve seen trip costs anywhere from $1000 at the very minimum to several thousand dollars. The cost of your trek depends on several factors including your tour operator, the number of days in the hike, the different routes, and how luxurious your accommodations are. 

I’m college student, quickly nearing graduation I might add, which means one thing: I live on a shoe string budget that’s part of the college experience. Therefore, like you, I was majorly concerned with the price tag on this experience. I asked myself, “Is it really worth it?” The answer is yes…depending on how much you spend.

 Fortunately for me, Safari Makers, Ltd. offered great rates for my trek on six day Machame route. The way that Safari Makers (and many other tour operators) works is the more people that there are in your group, the lower the rate they offer you. For this hike there was one other person from my study abroad trip in my group, and we gave Safari Makers permission to add on another person to our group at the last minute in order to reduce the cost. For the cost of my hike alone, I paid $1,160 which included the park fees (roughly 55% of the hike cost), three meals per day on the hike, my tent, and other necessities. 

A word to the wise is recruit as many people possible that you know to go on this adventure with you! Not only will it reduce the overall trip cost, it will be an amazing bonding experience and provide you with unforgettable memories to share.

Another cost to consider in addition to that of just the hike is that of tipping your guides and porters. Tipping the guides and porters is all according to your satisfaction, however common courtesy says that $5 per porter per day, $8 per cook per day, $10 per assistant guide, and $12 per guide per day is appropriate. 

Let’s do some fast math, shall we? For every person in a group, three porters are required to carry the backpacks, equipment, food and water, and other necessities for six days. So for myself, I need to count on tipping three porters, one cook, one assistant guide, and one main guide at least. This translates into $90 for the three porters, $48 for the cook, $60 for the assistant guide, and $72 for the main guide. This is roughly $270 in total for the tips. 

Also, you can consider tipping your crew as a group and decide on an appropriate amount and split the cost. One popular way to tip is for everyone in the group to contribute 10-15% of the cost they paid to the tour operator and use that money to distribute tips outs to the crew. Either way, these are the people that make sure you reach Uhuru Peak and return down safely, therefore it’s crucial to offer an adequate tip to thank them for their valuable services.

Wondering what other expenses you need to factor in? I will of course cover all of these topics in future posts so read on to find out the next steps in preparing for your once in a lifetime Kilimanjaro adventure!