Kilimanjaro Guides and Porters
Every climbing group will have at least 1 lead guide, 1 assistant guide per 4 clients (a 1:2 ratio), 1 cook, and 3-4 porters per climber. On the first day of your climb, ask the guide to introduce you to the entire staff. You should have the same number of staff at the beginning of the trek and the end of the trek.
Kilimanjaro guides are trained and certified by the Kilimanjaro National Park. They start out as porters and work their way up to assistant guide. When they are ready to advance to a lead guide, they go through the national park certification process. Our guides also go through additional training like Wilderness First Responders (WFR), first aid, acute mountain sickness (AMS), and customer service.
Our guides and porters are paid good standard wages. They are provided healthy food, good tents, warm sleeping bag, and mountain clothing as needed at no charge. Sick and injured porters will be treated just as a client would be.
Our porters carry 20kg of group equipment plus 5kg of their personal gear. Your porters will stay with you for the entire trek.
AWR ensures that the mountain staff is treated with great respect. We help with classes on first aid, HIV/AIDS, financial responsibility, customer service, and English.