Comments on: Tipping On The Inca Trail – 7 Insights On Porter Welfare

By: Isabel Chouinard

Isabel Chouinard — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:05:31 +0000

You mentioned about tipping the Porter and the Chef's, but you did not mention tipping the Guide. What is the average for them? Thank you and thank you for your post

By: Mark Whitman

Mark Whitman — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:01:00 +0000

In reply to Michelle.

Hi Michelle, thanks for getting in touch. I’m not familiar with Cusco Native Tours, but in general the local companies in Peru are a lot better regulated than in Tanzania, especially ones that operate the Inca trail. I recommend booking on Skyhook, where we’ve vetted local guides and prices are very competitive. See Machu Picchu trek options here: https://www.skyhookadventure.com/go/machu-picchu

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:00:55 +0000

Hi Mark thank you for the useful tips and advice on this site. Having recently completed Mt. Kilimanjaro with a group of friends, we have decided to embark on another adventure together in 2026 and have chosen Machu Picchu. So since confirming this, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and understanding more about what to expect etc. More importantly, the company that provides these tours. We have been recommended Cusco Native Tours for our upcoming travel. Is this a reputable company that you know off, and treat their staff (porters, guides, chefs etc) fairly? I’ve visited their websites, read up their reviews on Tripadvisor, but I am keen to find out more on how they work with their staff. Is there a link that lists reputable companies that do the these treks? Many thanks in advance!

By: Mark Whitman

Mark Whitman — Sat, 25 Jan 2020 09:44:41 +0000

In reply to michelle. Hi Michelle, many thanks for pointing this out, you're 100% correct. I have updated the tipping values accordingly. All the best!

By: michelle

michelle — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 23:13:13 +0000

Hi Mark.. looks like you might have a error regarding the Porters tip rates… especially as your post is related to Porter welfare, and was updated to reflect 2019…
These guys are the backbone of the trek, receive severely low salaries and are often disadvantaged due to lack of both Spanish + English, shyness of the campesino lifestyle and generations of systemic down-trodding.

Recommended tip rates for Porters should be 60-80 soles PER Porter ($20-$26). This equates to 20 soles per day …($7).
Recommended tip for Chefs should be 150-180 soles Per Chef ($50-$60). This equates to 38-45 soles per day …($7).
The group can pool this together, but should remember that each person will generally have at least 2 porters carrying their stuff including food, toilets, camping gear and personal effects. There will generally also be a 1-2 chefs.
Of course tipping is voluntary, but seeing as many of them work crazily hard to make this trip as enjoyable, safe and easy as possible for tourists, we should at least show our gratitude.