What is a Kilimanjaro tipping ceremony?

The Kilimanjaro tipping ceremony is an important and fun custom that happens at the end of every Kilimanjaro climb. It involves singing and dancing, trekkers giving their mountain crew tips and saying thanks for all of their hard work, and trekkers receiving certificates of achievement.

Here's a video showing a Follow Alice tipping ceremony in action ...

If you have any questions about why you tip your crew instead of just paying them more, or how much to tip, please read Do I need to tip my Kilimanjaro crew? And how much? This blog post focuses solely on the tipping ceremony itself.

It’s very important for you to understand how tips should be handed out during a Kilimanjaro tipping ceremony. This is because the ceremony should follow the guidelines given by the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) to ensure the efforts of all crew members are properly recognised, and everyone receives the correct tip.

So your tipping ceremony will look something like this:

Please note that the lead guide will distribute the tips within the next two days. It can't be done immediately because usually there isn't enough correct change, and sometimes dollars need to be exchanged for shillings. Each crew member signs the sheet when they've received the correct amount. 

Singing and clapping during a Kilimanjaro tipping ceremony

Please note that it’s not recommended to give tips (or extra tips) privately to some crew members. Some crew members are more visible to climbers than others, but their personal attentions are only made possible by the behind-the-scenes work of others. For the sake of fairness, please keep your tips for each type of crew member the same. These men and women work as a team, and we encourage climbers to reward them as a team. Even if someone on the crew tells you differently, please follow these guidelines, which come directly from KPAP, the NGO created to ensure the fair treatment of porters.

Our Follow Alice porters working hard on Kilimanjaro

On the evening before you start your Kilimanjaro climb, you have a dinner with your lead guide, who briefs you on what's to come. During this briefing, you're given a tipping form and asked to appoint a spokesperson for the group.

The spokesperson will have a few duties, namely:

* You can also read Do I need to tip my Kilimanjaro crew? And how much? for guidelines on tipping norms.

An outdoor tipping ceremony

Please consider donating some of your clothing and trekking equipment to the porters in addition to tipping them. But we want to stress that donations should never take the place of tips. Tips form a vital part of the crew's income, as we explain here.

Mountain crews climb Kilimanjaro many times a year and can go through their clothes and gear rather quickly. Your donated items are of great assistance to them and they appreciate such generosity tremendously. 

Think gloves, hats, thermal socks, hiking boots, trekking trousers, backpacks, and so on.

Some clients like to solicit or buy such items while at home and carry them with them to Tanzania. Others simple donate their own clothing or gear that they're no longer going to use at the end of the climb. Again, whatever you're able to donate will be very willingly and gratefully received.

Some singing and dancing at a tipping ceremony