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African safari

What is the going rate (US) for tipping your driver on an African Safari. There will be 4 of us in one vehicle. We will be there for 15 days.
Also what is the tipping rate for food service in the camps and lodges
Also room attendants

Posted by
4525 posts

Camps also seem to have a posted recommendation. Please don't tip like at home. When I was in Tanzania 3 years ago camp was about $5-10US per guest per night....pooled, not individual staff. Goes into a tip box. Overtipping has created a crazy skewed wealth base there with every little boy wanting to be a safari driver because they are 'rich'.
It may also differ per country, so you might also ask on the destination specific TripAdvisor forums. Not all companies give specific $figures to help you plan.

Posted by
5362 posts

Please do not tip is USD, especially with smaller notes. These are unusable in Africa. Use local currency.

Posted by
62 posts

Hi Sara, I agree that your tour company should provide you with guidelines. We went on safari in Tanzania in February 2018. Our trip was arranged through the Africa Adventure Company and they provided tipping guidelines for every portion of the trip. Camps were basically $10 per night, per person, shared amongst all staff (put in tip box). Hotels were usually slightly less per night, per person. Porterage guidelines were $1 per bag. We had 12 nights on mainland Tanzania, 10 nights on actual safari. We ended up with a private guide for the entire trip but paid for a group tour which was a great bonus for us but probably a loss for our guide. The suggested tipping range was $200-$400 for two people. We tipped a bit higher due to the circumstances and the fact that he was an excellent guide. We were told that tipping is mostly appreciated in U.S. Dollars so it may be that the monetary preference varies depending upon the country in which you are traveling. We found that U.S. $1 bills were very handy to have. We brought $50 in $1 bills and wished we had brought more.

Hope you have a wonderful safari! It was the trip of a lifetime for us.

Posted by
5362 posts

I lived in Africa for 7 years. No one wants $1 bills.

Posted by
3514 posts

Africa is a big place consisting of many countries. I'm sure some of those countries have different wants and desires than others when it comes to tipping.

I would always tip in local currency, but then that's just me.

Posted by
2527 posts

The highly experienced and superior African travel agent packaging our safari recommended tipping amounts and currency. (U.S. dollars). Your mileage may vary. Fantastic trip.