Porters and Gear - Mount Kilimanjaro

Since you will stay in tents during the Machame route , all the equipment must follow the entire route : sleeping tents, dining tent, folding tables, folding chairs, kitchen utensils, ... everything is carried by porters , set up and taken down each time. Day.

They also carry all the groceries and equipment of the climbers that do not belong in 'the backpack' (clothes, clothing, laundry,...).

At the gate (here: Machame Gate) all the material is collected and redistributed to the transporters .

For 17 climbers we had 41 porters, a main guide , 5 auxiliary guides and 3 cooks .

Climbers carry a backpack of only 10 kilos , usually with drinks and spare clothes. The porters carry everything else. There are agreements that carriers are not allowed to transport more than 25 kg (20 Kg 2020?). In some camps, the luggage is weighed for control.

The porters leave later in the morning because they have to take down the tents and pack and tidy everything up. During the day they pass the group so that everything is stowed away again when we arrive. So they move at a much higher speed.

Willem Vandenameele