Tipping on a Safari in Africa: Who to Tip and How Much

• On a typical safari, travelers encounter dozens of people in all types of roles.
• A safari planning expert shared guidelines on who to tip and how much is standard.
• Ultimately, she said, you’ll likely leave the experience wishing you could tip more.

During a typical safari vacation, you’ll encounter dozens of people.

You might have a safari guide who helps track down the elusive black rhino or a favorite waiter who brings you dinner each evening.

You’ll encounter housekeeping, safari trackers, and porters who carry your bag from the airport to the airplane. Then, there are one-off drivers who transfer you from the airport to your lodge.

If you embark on excursions, you’ll encounter even more people — from local Maasai dancers and school teachers to dive masters and coffee roasters.

Getting to know these people is an incredible part of a safari. However, it can be daunting to know who to tip and exactly how much to tip each individual.

Business Insider spoke to Meg van Niekerk, a Go2Africa safari planning expert, who shared her tipping advice for an African safari.

Who should you tip on a safari vacation?

Most countries in Africa follow similar tipping guidelines. During a typical safari or resort stay, you’ll have two groups of people you’re tipping.

The first group is the lodge staff. You’ll see these people throughout your stay: a butler, housekeeping, your game driver.

For this group, “you can tip when you depart, and you can often pay with your credit card,” van Niekerk said. Although, you’re also welcome to tip in cash.

The second set is one-off interactions. These might include a driver who takes you from the airport to your hotel, a tour guide during a village visit, or rangers during a gorilla trekking excursion. Van Niekerk said that for this group, cash is required, and you should tip them as soon as the interaction is over.

The third set includes people you don’t need to tip, such as pilots, camp managers, airport desk staff, and lodge owners.

How much should you tip?

The tipping recommendations vary slightly depending on the lodge you’re visiting, but the good news is that many properties outline gratuity suggestions online or in brochures.

For example, some of Tanzania’s most expensive lodges recommend tipping $45 per couple a day for your game driver, $35 for your waiter, and $45 for the general staff.

Van Niekerk said the standard per day per person is to tip safari guides $20, a safari tracker $15, general staff $20, and if you have a personal butler, $15.

For short transfers, $5 works, and a few dollars for porters who carry your luggage at airports and hotels. For daylong tour guides within cities, $20 is recommended, and you may want to tip waiters at restaurants outside your lodge 10 to 15%, van Niekerk said.

Each destination also has exceptions and additions to who you tip, which Go2Africa has outlined in its tipping guide. For example, on the island of Zanzibar, you’ll likely want to tip your boat driver and snorkeling or diving staff. In Uganda, guides, trackers, rangers, and porters accept tips during gorilla trekking.

“It’s going to be different for every client,” van Niekerk said. “This, once again, is a guideline.”

Van Niekerk said that while some lodges accept credit cards, it’s not the case everywhere, so she recommends carrying cash for tipping.

Guests can typically find a communal gratuity box at the lodge for cash tips, which they can share at the end of their stay.

For tips to specific staff members — like your butler or game driver — you’re welcome to ask for envelopes and leave the tips with the lodge manager, or you can directly hand the guides your tips.

Van Niekerk said most African countries welcome US dollars for tips. South Africa and Namibia are the exceptions, where the South African rand is preferred, but the tipping amounts tend to be the same.

Van Niekerk added that it’s smart to bring small bills. These bills should be post-2006 and have no tears or rips. And it’s always helpful to pack a bit more cash than you expect since “ATMs are far and few between,” she said.

Why should you tip on a safari?

Beyond the fact that tipping has become customary in Africa, van Niekerk said it’s a way to show appreciation.

“It’s showing them that you have made my experience,” van Niekerk said. “It’s like a blessing.”

Van Niekerk added that many of the staff you’ll interact with on a safari are spending months away from their home and the families they might be supporting. Tipping is a way to recognize them for their efforts to make your vacation memorable.

Ultimately, tipping is customary but not mandatory, so tip at your discretion.

“There will be no hard feelings if you’re not tipping everywhere,” van Niekerk said.

But van Niekerk stressed that once you arrive and see how dedicated the staff is, you’ll likely not question the decision to leave behind gratuity.

“You leave wanting to bless people,” she said.