South African Safari - Tipping?
 

Hello,
Could anyone remind me of the tipping guidelines for south african safari camps? I think I remember reading it was $20 pp/day (?) for both the ranger and the tracker. We tipped in dollars in botswana, but I assume rands would be better in SA?
Thanks!

I have tipped $10 ranger, $5 tracker $5 general staff per day.

Mike

On my recent SA safaris I tipped $15 ranger, $7 tracker, $7 staff, ppp day.
regards - tom

The $20ppp day that I'm remembering seems a bit high in comparison. Thanks for your responses!

We recently returned from Safari in South Africa and on advice from forums and our TA we decided to tip in rand. We exchanged at the airport on the way out. One of the lodges we stayed at gave a tipping guideline of about 300 rand per room per day (for both ranger and tracker). I think this comes to about $40. This was more than I had expected from my research ie reading forums, travel websites etc. We did, however, have the time of our lives and the rangers and trackers played a big part in that.

Hello - here is some advice from a local...
Unlike the U.S.A./Canada - Tipping in South Africa is not as widely expected and there is no set rule. It is not however expected to receive a tip by everyone who provides you with service - ie housekeeping/coach drivers/hairdressing etc etc etc.
Tips in Restaurants is 10% -15% of the bill. Depending on the level of service - bad service - no tip.
Hotel Porters there is no set rate - As far as trackers and Rangers are concerned this is purely at your discretion - in all instances by being a guest - you are providing Jobs - and that in itself is a reward, however should you wish to tip it would be entirely at your discretion - local currency I believe would normally be preferred. I hope this has helped and you enjoy your visit to our wonderful country-

I was going to use US dollars at Mala Mala and Phinda. I see many of you gave your suggestions in US dollars. But if rand is preferred, I'll change money to obtain it.

Mcfam, you indicated local (rands) would be better. That was Lily622's original question--$ or rand. Thanks!

I think either USD or Rand is just fine. On my trip I put the amounts on my room charge billing (which was in Rand) which went on my credit card. But be careful, the tipping payed out is like a cash withdrawal and the credit card companies like to charge outrageous/exorbitant interest rates for such.
regards - tom

mcfam, atravelynn and cary999 - thanks for your helpful advice!

I paid in US dollars and told it was fine and in some places, preferred. I do not think it makes a difference. If I did not have enough cash, I put it on a credit card for the lodge to disburse the money.

Mike

I was recently at Mala Mala and paid in USD as well.

Granny Joan

Yes, Lily622, rands would be better.

I lived in South Africa for a little while, and have visited there many times over the last 25 years. It's my opinion that tipping there in US dollars is a very impolite thing to do, and reinforces the stereotype of the ugly American.

South Africa has a stable currency -- indeed, some other nations in the area tie the value of their currencies to the value of the rand. When you give dollars you aren't giving something that is more valuable than its equivalent in the local currency, you're just giving the person trouble; he has to go to the bank and exchange it for "real" money, i.e. rands. And of course he loses some of the value in the exchange. I realize that some of the game lodges that cater to international visitors will tell you that dollars are ok, and maybe they are at those particular lodges. Or maybe the management of the lodge finds it profitable to operate an exchange service for their staff. But even so, the receiver of the tip DOES have to exchange it; he can't spend dollars at the grocery store. Tipping in a currency other than the local one seems to me to suggest that the tipper either didn't want to take the trouble to get local currency, or he somehow thinks dollars are superior to the local currency. I don't mean to say that people who do tip in dollars actually hold these opinions, only that one can interpret it that way.

As I say, this is only my own personal opinion, and I'm only knowledgeable about South Africa, not other African countries. But I do feel that tipping a South Afican in dollars is as impolite as a South African visiting the US and tipping in rands.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Celia

We used rands for tipping in SA last September for the reasons mentioned by Celia.

I read the information in another tipping thread on this board before our trip. It was much easier for me to get SA currency, I imagine, than for our rangers, trackers, etc., to exchange US$ for rand.

CW

Tipping in USD maybe impolite, but if someone who is getting the tip says they prefer USD, is that still impolite?
As I mentioned that seemed to be a preference for many that I talked to.

Mike

Mike,

I did not ask people in South Africa what currency they preferred. Frankly, it didn't occur to me. We stayed at CCAfrica lodges and our rates were charged in rand, shop prices were in rand, and extra expenses were charged in rand. When in South Africa . . .

What is the advantage to the staff to tipping in US$, do you know? I just thought that the best return to the staff would be in receiving tips in their own currency directly--just as in any other country with a stable economy and currency.

I certainly didn't mean to imply that those who didn't tip in rand were impolite.

CW

This is a local South African viewpoint. Tipping every person who provides you with service is a "tourist" compulsion - it is not obligatory, you are providing jobs for people - Im not saying you should not tip at all - Restaurants yes - Porters yes - "car guards" yes(they are unemployed and this is their only form of income)
The rest only at your discretion and if they have gone beyond the call of their duty - there is no fixed expected amount - Local currency is much easier as the benifit is mostly lost in the exchange process to the banks. Thank you for visiting our wonderful country!

cw I could not actually tell you the advantage. I did ask before tipping and that is what I was told. I did not inquire further as to the reasons. I prefer not to carry that much local or US currency with me. I want to do everything with credit cards. So I bring just enough cash to cover tipping and no more. If I brought a lot and converted it to rand, then I would have to convert it back and the I get two hits. I did put the general staff tips on my final bill for convenience, however the ranger and tracker I tipped personally. I have no strong feelings one way or the other. The bottom line is how much you tip. I plan to up my tipping this year. I am going back to Lion Sands and I know the quality I get there and its worth more to me.

Mike

Thanks for all your tips on tips.

Thanks Mike. We got enough rand to cover our tipping plus extra. We used up most of the extra on tips and, of course, the rest was easily disposed of at the airport shops.

Smart of you to ask about it. Next time I'll ask more questions.

CW

Hi Lily622

I definitely tip all in rand. I used to tip US$ to rangers as in the past, they preferred that, but in the last few years I understand that the rangers now prefer rand, and certainly the trackers and staff prefer rand as instant cash to them, while exchange rates at lodges etc I usually find are pretty poor!

Kind regards

Kaye

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. While I know tips are discretionary, one my one previous Africa trip I felt that the rangers/trackers/staff went the extra mile to make my stay that much more enjoyable. I'll be doing the math to figure out how many rands I need. Thanks again!