I had the tipping all mapped out for upcoming Kenya-Tanzania Safari. Change of plans; We have been moved from Mara Serena, where we had our own guide, to Mara Intrepids, where we will share guides with other guests staying at the camp. What is the fair daily rate to tip for shared guides? Thanks ahead of time for Fodorite help. You have all helped immensely with all my planning. I have read every trip report posted in the last two years, but I can't locate the answer to this.
Sandy

I just got back from my trip and I'm pretty sure we over-tipped. We gave $10 - $13 per day for each of us (we were 2)when we were in the shared vehicle. We also tipped $10 each when we were solo -- even though the recommended amount was $10 per vehicle. We just couldn't figure out what was appropriate. I would be interested to hear other opinions.

if the guiding was good, you come back from the drive happy, had a good day, tip <b>well</b> whether in a shared vehicle or private vehicle. what's an extra $10-$20 a day after spending so much to get there and experience Africa? if you get a &quot;lemon&quot; like Imelda did, then tip low. maybe he'll get the hint and wise up or quit the guiding as obviously he doesn't enjoy it. the recommended tip is $5.00 a day pp but we never left that small of a tip whether sharing or solo.

Well, I'm glad to read this...our Safari arranger recommended a $10 a day pp gratuity at our places of lodging per day, which she says covers everything. She mentioned additionally tipping our guide/driver if he does something extrordinary or beyond the call of duty. But it seems we really should tip our guide for sure, and do it at the end of every day. Is that right?
Cindy

Cindy,

Tip the guide at the end of your stay. Never tip at the end of each day....

Hari

We tipped $5 per person per game drive. After each game drive. We had fantastic service. Maybe it was because we paid so much.

If we can afford to go to Africa, I believe we can afford to pay these wonderful guides. So little for us means so much to them. &quot;Cast your bread upon the waters and it shall be returned unto you.&quot;

Just my humble opinion.

Kevin from California (finally an East Africa safari veteran)

Kevin,
Did you have the same guide for the duration of your stay at each camp?

Kevin,

I wasnt suggesting that you tip less....what i meant was, at the end of your stay, having utilized the services of a certain guide..... tip him a lump-sum amount. Maybe, that's just something i do.....

Hari

We also tipped everyone at the end of our stays at the various properties -- but we had the same drivers throughout. We even tipped the wait-staff at the end of our stays. The only people we tipped immediately were the porters who carried our bags and any lodge attendants who delivered something to our room.

We had the same guide throughout our stay at Larsen's (Francis) and then we had Joshua at Little Gov. Quite frankly I wanted to tip after each drive to give them the incentive to do a great job, which each of them did.

Kevin

Marty,
I 'thought' the 'standard' amount was $10per person per day - that's what we tipped our 'lemon' - now I'm thinking it was DEFINATELY too much - especially if the guideline is $5!!! I hope not, otherwise he has gotten the wrong message and we haven't 'taught' him anything

I am still confused. My travel agent/safari coordinator suggested $10-20 per person per day for the guide and the $5-10 per person per day for the Lodge Staff. I calculated out what our family of 5 [3 adults and 2 five year olds] was going to be $800 just for the guides alone at $20 per person, and is not including the lodge staff which adds another $350 for a grand total of $1150. What do you do about the trackers that ride along with the guide? Do they split the cost or do you give them both $20 per day? I did not really calculate this into my trip and am getting a little nervous about the extra expense. On the other hand, I realize this is their livlihood and and do not want to be cheap. Is it too cheap to give $10 per person per day? That still comes out to $725 for tips for us. Thanks.

Heather -

Your TA is being very generous with your money even before you have received a service. Yes, tipping is the only additional expense most visitors have, as the land portion is prepaid, but it is still up to the individual traveler. And tipping is generally done at the conclusion of the service; no need to tip daily.

As many threads here indicate, the usual tip for guide/driver is $7-$10/person/day = $15-$20/day per couple. For camp staff figure $3-$5/person day = $6-$10/day per couple. Camp staff tips get distributed to porters, chef, waiters, housekeeping. If you happen to have a tracker you can set aside $5-$7/day for a couple.

In your case, traveling with your dad (if I recall correctly) then his tip should be the same as an individual of a couple (so $15/daily). But for the children, little ones at that, you can combine the twins as an individual adult and maybe even less. But also, consider that you may require the services of an ayah (babysitter) for a few hours if you want a private dinner, or if going on a game drive and the twins aren't up for this; so figure $5 for any of these individual services of a few hours, if that.

Generally, for a couple, I suggest (whether a mid- or high- priced itinerary) they set aside $30/day for tips (+$5-$7/day, if you have a tracker). Of course, you can tip more or less; many here indicate they tip more, but it's certainly fine to tip less, especially for your guide if the service is wanting.

In your case, your alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Kenya and Tanzania are included, so no separate bill when checking out. Any other expense would be souvenirs you may purchase.

If I recall correctly, Shompole has a tracker, Elephant Pepper does not, nor does Sabuk. So you just saved a few dollars. Don't let the tipping put you off and use your good judgement based on the service received.

Heather,
The general recommended amounts I've seen here and used as a guideline for my own tipping is $10 per person per day for your guide and $5 per person per day for lodge/camp staff. Your agent's recommendations are a bit higher than most of the suggested amounts I've seen. You should of course feel free to tip whatever you think is appropriate based on your level of satisfaction with the services. You may also want to see what others have done when traveling with young children sharing a room/tent.

HLester,

Hi! Certain camps use trackers along with their guides. Usually, tip half the amount of what you would tip the guide (for the tracker). Yes, tip the tracker seperately. What i do is, use envelopes....one for guide, one for tracker and one for the general staff tip.....some camps have a tip box for the general staff.

Hari

I've always followed fairly standard advice which has been accepted at all camps I've been to: tip at the end of the camp stay. One exception-- I completed my first safari at a lodge in the Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe, historically and scenically brilliant but short on wildlife. One day, I wanted to visit Cecil Rhodes' grave on the top of one of those spectacular granite domes. The driver seemed uncomfortable about it, and being no fan of Rhodes' methods, I understood this. But I insisted, because I was a journalist and prejudices meant nothing to me. Tyrant, colonial exploiter, or hero, I wanted to see Rhodes' last resting place. So the driver took me and my companions. I gave him an extra tip at the end of that day.

John

Heather, I think a good portion of the tip should come from the heart. Your operator appears to worry their clients don't have one and are concerned only with 'face'. Perhaps they are worried they will get a rep as a company with stingy clients ; -) Or perhaps they simply didn't take into consideration that you were a group of 5 with two kids? I'd consider the cost of the drives (guess it) what the person has done for you and consider what you have to give and then listen to your heart for the rest. You know ...don't tip an insincere guide more than the guy who spent hours entertaining the kids out of the goodness of his heart just because of 'face'.... I think that would be totally inappropriate...

Your situatioon is different from most of us because you're a larger group and all ages - I think you'll find it better to spend your money differently and more fairly given the circumstances. Hope I'm making sense - I just thought you sounded a bit stressed by protocol. You'll be glad to tip at the high end at some places I'm sure - because your heart will be singing!

Hi Sandy,
Some good advice here.
Just a few more thoughts to ponder:
If you're on a private safari and there's only 2 of you, and you've received exceptional service, you may want to tip higher to pick up some of the slack.

I was told that for a person to live relatively well (modest home, school for kids etc.) in Tanzania they must earn around 1000. per month.
I took that into consideration and pro-rated the amount of time spent with our wonderful guide and tipped accordingly. Not nec. useful for everyone, but it worked for me.

As a few have stated above, these people really depend on those tips so give from your heart. Remember these people leave their families and lives behind to give us our trips of a lifetime.

Sherry

For as many visitors who may spend $5,000 -$10,000+/person for their itinerary, there are as many who have a budget of half that or less. For those who can easily take the funds out of a sizeable brokerage account, there are those who save their pennies for their safaris.

So the tipping suggestions are only a guideline for each visitor to decide for themselves the value of the services receive from guide, drivers, trackers, porters, chef, waiters and housekeepers, others.

As an example: Being a New Yorker with many living in hi-rise apartment buildings, Holiday (Christmas) time is &quot;big tipping&quot; time. While being a doorman may be considered very much a blue collar job, there are some who work in luxury buildings, who earn enough tips during this season in excess of their yearly salary. Yup, they sure do. And then there are other buildings where the tips aren't as liberal. And for some tenants even providing tips at this time of year is more than they can afford. Or for that matter, waiters or waitresses who work in a neighborhood coffee shop versus a fine 5* French restaurant.

Wherever one is or for whatever service, for those who can tip more, it's wonderful; for those who can't, that's also okay.

Before discovering Fodor’s I was thinking of myself as a generous tipper. Europeans are normally told the standard tip for the driver is $4-5 pppd and I tip about $10 pd (I calculate 500 shillings per day plus 50%). Next time I’ll have to open up my wallet a bit more; I definitely want to tip more than “standard”.

Sherry,
$1000 per month is a Western style salary and almost no Tanzanians earn that much. A normal salary for a teacher is $80 per month. I never earned as much as $1000 when I was living in southern Europe and being paid a “normal” salary, and now I don’t in northern Europe, but that’s another story. This just means that almost nobody in Tanzania lives “relatively well”. Some long-term expat-types would say you’re upsetting the balance (they use another expression that I can’t remember), but I’d say you’re setting a standard (a bit difficult to keep up with though).