Our Porters

Nobody reaches Margherita Peak, or completes any Rwenzori trek, without porters. How an operator treats the people doing the hardest physical work on the mountain is a fair way to judge that operator, and we would rather be measured on specifics than on sentiment.

What porters do

Carry camping equipment, food and shared supplies between camps, over the same wet, steep, broken ground you walk — generally carrying more weight and moving faster than the trekkers they support.

Load limits

We cap porter loads in line with responsible-trekking practice, and the cap applies on every departure rather than being waived when a group brings more kit than expected. If your party's baggage exceeds what the assigned crew can carry within that limit, we add a porter rather than add weight.

Pay and conditions

Our crew are paid at or above local sector rates. They are issued with cold- and wet-weather gear rated for the same conditions we tell clients to prepare for — which matters more here than on drier mountains, because a porter who is soaked on day two stays soaked.

If a porter is injured or falls ill on the mountain, they come off it under the same arrangements as a client would.

Where our crew come from

The villages around the Nyakalengija and Kilembe trailheads. Guiding and portering on this mountain is largely Bakonzo work, drawing on generations of knowledge of these routes that long predates any of the names on the map.

Tipping

Tipping at the end of a trek is customary and sits outside your trek price. We give you a current guideline figure and explain how it is normally shared, so you can budget for it rather than be surprised by it.