The moral dilemma about porters and guides

Many people worry about whether it is exploitative, cruel or insensitive to hire a porter.

Portering is not an easy job, nor is it at all prestigious. Most of the porters in the hills are villagers who turn to portering to generate cash income. They are typically farmers who have their own houses and grow their own food. In many cases, they carry their own surplus food to markets. They then return to their village carrying items purchased with the money they have earned. Other village people travel to roadheads and seek a portering contract with merchants who are shipping goods to hill villages. They earn a fixed rate, based on the weight of the load and the usual number of days required to carry it to its destination. It is not unusual for a porter to carry a double load, or for two porters to carry three loads between them in order to supplement their income. There are professional porters who do nothing else, but most porters do this work only when they do not have their own domestic chores to attend to.

Some trekkers think it is immoral or a sign of weakness to hire a porter and think they´re being independent and tougher by carrying everything themselves on a trek.

Dr Raju Tuladhar, a Nepali, takes the following view: „... taking a porter will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the trek and will help the livelihood of one man, his family, and therfore his village. For most porters, their economic burden is heavier than the weight of the backpack they are carrying for tourists. Working manual labour is not derogatory by any means. Whereas most Westeners mey feel ecstatic at giving some donations (equivalent to giving alms), it is ironic that they feel their conscience pinched to user porters and pay for their labours. Using a porter is not much different to hiring a taxi, in which we pay someone to drive for us.“

An American trekker, Scott Yost, suggests: „... hiring a porter is good for both of you. For one thing, it will help you understand how bizarre and Western your idea of even being concerned about hiring a porter is. I will admit that it is weird at first to have a personal attendant doing everything for you. But you should remember that it is a respectable occupation, often the best that is available to many Nepalis. Portering for foreigners gives the porter an opportunity to learn English if he chooses. This can be an essential step in upward mobility. You may also make a good friend in the process. So my recommendation is to hire a guide and/or porter, whether you think you need to or not. Then go with an open mind, and try to understand how your porter and/or guide sees the world, and learn from them.“