One of the perennial questions we are asked is about tipping on safari which is why on our group safaris tips are included. If you are not travelling with one of our groups or will be doing a pre or post extension tour on your own, you may find the following a useful guideline.

In camps, there is usually some sort of communal tipping system so you should from management what is customary on arrival, and be sure to clarify who is included in the box and who is excluded. Usually, the box is for camp staff with the expectation that you will tip your guide separately. We budget US$ 20 per person, per day, which we split between the guides and camp staff 50/50, which may seem unfair but takes into account that the guides work long antisocial hours compared with their fellow camp-wallah’s and are at the frontline when it comes to delivering guest satisfaction.

In city hotels, typically they do not have a tip box, so then it’s customary to add 10% to any bill unless there is a service charge included, in which case a tip is superfluous. You can budget US$ 1 per bag for porterage and leave a sealed envelope in the room when you depart containing US$ 5 per day to show your appreciation for the cleaning staff.