- Tipping Guidelines
- What equipment and clothing will I need for the climb?
- When is the best time of year to climb Kilimanjaro?
- What health and safety precautions does SENE takes?
- What is SENE Kilimanjaro route advice?
- What environmental ethics does SENE practice?
Why should I tip? Tipping is a traditional practice after all Kilimanjaro climbs as a way of showing satisfaction to your guides and crew. The appreciation of good service helps ensure continued good service for those who follow you. As with any tipping situation, if the service was of particularly high quality, we encourage you to give generously; if the service did not meet your expectations, adjust the tip accordingly. Please note that all SENE crew are paid a fair living wage so that no one relies on tips as their only source of income. However, tips provide valuable additional financial assistance to the crew and invaluable interpersonal benefits to all.
In what currency do I tip? Climb tips can be given in U.S. dollars/Euros or the Tanzanian shilling equivalent.
How much should I tip? We recommend 10% -12% of your climb cost (approximately $300-500) per climber.
How much in tips do the crew receive? Tips are combined and distributed among the guides, climb crew, and SENE staff at the Mbahe cottages. On average, the head guide receives approximately $30-40/day, assistant guide(s) and head cook receive $20-30/day; assistant cook(s) and crew with special duties receive $10-15/day; and porters receive $5-10/day. The staff at Mbahe also receive tips from this pool to show appreciation for their important role in the complete climb experience.
We find that combining all tips from the climbers into a tip pool and then distributing among the team in relative proportion to their level of responsibility creates a simple and equitable method of tip distribution. This also recognizes the true team effort required on a climb and does not favor the more outgoing and personable crew who become climber favorites over those shy crew whose quiet contributions are equally important to the team. SENE crew members have agreed to and approved this distribution method established by Simon.
How do I know the tips are completely and fairly distributed? For transparency and to ensure trust among both climbers and crew we document the tip collection and distribution with sheets for Tips Given and Tips Received. At the conclusion of the climb, as tips are collected by Simon or a SENE manager, each climber writes his/her name, amount given, and signature on the Tips Given sheet as evidence of their tip. As tips are distributed, each guide and crew member signs the sheet next to their name and amount received on the Tips Received sheet as evidence of receipt of his fair share of the tips. The total amounts on Tips Given and Tips Received will be equal. These sheets are available for all climbers and crew to review and check. In addition, KPAP regularly monitors tips received by porters to ensure fairness.
When do I give my tip? At the conclusion of the climb either at the celebratory luncheon at Mweka or Mbahe, or at the SENE office if you have stored your cash there.
