A Complete Guide To Tipping On African Safari
Is tipping on African safari compulsory?
Most tourists ask how much they should tip on a safari. Tipping is slowly becoming a customary practice in many tourist destinations. However, this is mostly being adopted by hotel staff, Guides, Rangers, waiters, waitresses, and reservations officers who go out of their way to make sure that your time with them is perfect and memorable.
Tipping in Uganda and Rwanda is not mandatory but many tourists do leave tips and this extra money helps foster the income of people working in the tourism industry. Out of courtesy, a tourist may decide to show appreciation for the work and services offered. Tourists are free not to tip if they don’t feel satisfied with the services you offer. Tipping is only a sign of appreciation for the services being rendered to the tourists by the hotel staff, driver guides, and rangers throughout the entire trip.
In Uganda and Rwanda, there is no standard tipping policy but that doesn’t stop tourists from tipping the service providers. It is always the responsibility of tour guides and reservations officers to advise tourists on who to tip, how much to tip, and when to tip while on safari. Tourists may tip $10-15 per day if they are happy with the services in the restaurants and $5 is a good tip. I see no reason why tourists shouldn’t give a smaller or bigger tip based on the quality of the services rendered. It is not mandatory to tip the driver guides that take you around tourist destinations like national parks and reserves but it is recommended. Any amount of money tipped to the guide will be appreciated however, any amount between $20 to 30 dollars per day isn’t a bad figure.
In many African countries, it is very difficult to travel without being latched on by self-appointed guides. These self-appointed guides usually expect a tip more than the agreed price If you take on a freelance guide, it is always advisable to clarify in advance that the agreed price is final and there will be no tip. It is not compulsory to tip for the services offered it local bars and hotels though sometimes you may leave a tip.
A tip of 5% would be very allowable and 10% would be free-handed. In general, any restaurant that caters essentially to tourists and deep-pocketed Ugandan residents will automatically add a service fee to the bill. Since no one explains where that service fee charge ends up, it would still be sensible to honor good service with a cash tip.
