Money Matters

Most safaris are paid for in advance, so you need money only to cover personal purchases and gratuities. (The cash you take should include small denominations, like US$1, US$5, and US$10, for tips.) If you're not on a package tour and are self-driving, you need to carry more money. Credit cards—MasterCard, Visa, and, to a much lesser extent, American Express and Diners Club—are accepted throughout South Africa and at most group-owned lodges and hotels but often not elsewhere. Always check in advance whether your preferred card is accepted at the lodge. If you're self-driving, note that many places prefer to be paid in the local currency, so make sure you change money where you can.

Tips for Tipping

Plan to give the local equivalents (U.S. dollars are also fine) of about US$10 per person per day to the ranger and not much less to the tracker; an additional tip of US$25 for the general staff would be sufficient for a couple staying two days. Mark Harris, managing director of Tanzania Odyssey, a London-based tour operator, suggests that tipping roughly $15 a day (per couple) into the general tip box and approximately $15 a day to your specific driver is generous.

Guides should be tipped at least US$5 per person per day.

It's also a good idea to bring some thank-you cards with you from home to include with the tip as a personal touch. Fodor's Forum member atravelynn adds, "Put bills in an envelope for your guide and in a separate envelope with your name on it for the camp staff. Sometimes the camps have envelopes, but bringing some from home is also a good idea."