Kilimanjaro Porter Appreciation Week is an annual event dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the incredible men and women who make climbing Mount Kilimanjaro possible.
Porters play a vital role in every expedition—carrying equipment, setting up camps, preparing meals, and ensuring the safety and comfort of trekkers along the way. But they do more than carry equipment; they lift our spirits and help us reach new heights. Join us in this week-long celebration honoring their strength, dedication, and the incredible work they do.
THANK YOU MESSAGES
Watch video messages from our guests to their porters and personal porters. We couldn’t do it without you. From everyone at Thomson, thank you!
Meet the Porters
Learn about who they are, what they do and what YOU can do to support them.
Go Behind-the-Scenes of Porter Life on Kilimanjaro
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what your porters do before, during and after your trek to ensure your summit success.
INFOGRAPHIC: 225 Reasons Why You Can’t Climb Kili Without a Porter
Each trek is different, but on average, it takes about 225 pounds of total luggage per trekker to get to Kilimanjaro’s peak and back.
What do Kilimanjaro’s Porters Do?
Together, porters carry equipment and supplies up Kilimanjaro and give climbers the support they need to reach the summit. Without them, getting to the Roof of Africa would be nearly impossible.
thomson Partnership
Thomson sets “the premier standard for ethical treatment of Kilimanjaro porters,” according to KPAP. What does that mean? Let’s talk about the specifics: pay, equipment and accountability.
Who Are They?
What brought them to Kilimanjaro? Who inspires them to climb a mountain for a living? Each person has a story – here are just a few delivered in their words.
Kilimanjaro’s Porter Protectors
Thomson Safaris was one of the original Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Project (KPAP) members, and our collaboration with KPAP has changed the way that Kili operators treat their staff.
Donate to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP)
STORIES FROM OUR GUESTS
Porters carry food, equipment and gear the crew needs to summit Kilimanjaro. Their strength and support inspire many; read the special stories and memories shared by Thomson guests below.
Photo: Peter Matthews
Organ Recipient Overcomes All to Climb Kili
After a life-saving liver transplant in 2017, Peter Matthews set a lofty recovery goal: trek Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest free-standing mountain.
A First-Class Experience
My Thomson experience was first class all the way, and I can see why the workers on this mountain all aspire to work for Thomson. I would like to point out just how great some of the members of the staff were.
Trekking for a Cause
After climbing Kili, most of our trekkers realize how integral the porters are to the experience. They carry everything from luggage to dinner tables to tents up the mountain, and they always seem to keep a smile on their faces.
REady to meet the porters? Book a trek today!
Porter Videos
Setting up camps, cheering on trekkers, singing, dancing and more – watch the videos below to find out why our guests love the porters so much.
Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Program and Thomson Treks
Thomson is a leading member of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP), which establishes and monitors porter ethics to improve porter treatment industry-wide. The porters Thomson works with receive some of the highest compensation packages in Tanzania.
Meet Porter Eunice
Meet Kili porter Eunice, one of a growing number of female porters on the mountain.
Thomson Staffers take the 30lb. Porter Challenge
Watch as Thomson Treks’ US staff puts themselves in Kilimanjaro porters’ shoes and carries 30 lbs. while climbing stadium steps.
Porters Set Up Camp in an Instant!
Watch as porters set up Thomson sleeping tents, dining tent and toilet tent in an instant in this timelapse.
Support on the Mountain
Thomson guides and porters give the extra support and encouragement this trekker needed to reach Kilimanjaro’s Stella Point.
How Heavy is 30 lbs?
Kilimanjaro’s porters carry 30lbs. of gear up the mountain every day (in addition to packing up camp, running ahead to set up the next camp and offering support along the way). Just how much is 30lbs., anyway?
Watch the Porters in Action
Follow along with a Thomson guest as she summits Kilimanjaro in six days. The porters provide support every step of the way.
Jambo!
Porters and guides sing the Jambo Song at Mweka Millennium Camp.