The Ultimate Guide For Tipping While Traveling To Tanzania
Tipping etiquette in foreign places is always so challenging.For many people on Tanzania Safari, tipping can be confusing and it can be awkward trying to figure out.
Though tipping in Tanzania Safari is not mandatory, every tourist give tips to their tour guides and other staffs to appreciate their dedicated services and cares. As you know, Tanzania Safari Destinations are the treasure of varied nature, rich wildlife and ecosystem. Every year the visitors and tourists come here to experience the pure charismatic nature with its varied wildlife.
If you are planning to go for Tanzania Safari Locations, then do not forget to carry money with you for tipping. Tipping the guides, chefs, and other members not only keep them motivated, but also helps their family to live a better quality of life.
The questions that arises on your mind is “How much you tip and how to tip to whom for what reason in Tanzania Safari Tour?” As one of the Best Tanzania Safari Guide, let us clear all your questions by giving these guidelines.
Why You Should Tip
In Africa, the service industries boost for the tourist destinations. The tour guide, the chef, the porters (in climbing), and other staffs with you in your safari, hold the whole responsibilities to make your safari most pleasant, comfortable and safe. Giving tips with gratitude works as a reward whereas the gratitude shows their services are well-appreciated.
Some of the tour operators underpay their staffs and give the equipment as gifts instead of money. But, the business increases by the frontline workers like guides, drivers, trackers, porters, waitresses, waiters, etc. These are the staffs who give efforts to make your safari most pleasant in an extra-ordinary way.
The frontline workers do not have any benefits like health insurance, paid sick leave, etc. They also work for long working hours like making breakfast or coffee in the morning for you to preparation and holding your camp. They do their duties to give you the most comfort during vacation.
Tipping not only helps them financially, but keep them motivated and helps emotionally too.
Can I tip in foreign currency?
Tipping to tour guide, chef, and other staffs in USD may put them in problem in time of use. For an easy use of money what they actually deserve, it’s better to tip them in their local currency or Tanzania Shillings. However, exchanging a little amount of money is not easy for everyone in Tanzania as the tips are usually given as daily wages with small amount. If your currency is not US$, then you shouldn’t forget to exchanging currency in return of Tanzania Shillings, in emergency.
If you’re tipping tour guide a big amount of money, then both USD and Tanzania Shillings are acceptable.
How much should I tip?
The question is how much you should tip to whom, as there are different roles of every staffs to make your safari or trip most comfortable and successful.
Many lodges will suggest you to tip the Tanzania Safari Guide separately, as the excitement and pleasant safari depends on the tour guide.
The back people like chefs, Kitchen teams, maids, butlers, and housekeeping staffs, play the important role behind the scene to make your safari enjoyable and memorable. Tipping them is very much important and you will see the “general staff tip box” on the outside of your accommodation.
There is no need to tip the managers, but if you like their services, then go on and give the tip for their extra-ordinary work.
The level or standard of accommodations and the extra-ordinary services are the major factor to determine the amount of money for the tips.
Can we include the tips/gratuities to our final trip cost?
Off course, giving tips at the end of your trip actually matters to the staffs. Showing gratitude to the staffs shows how much you appreciate their work.
Tipping on everyday end or end of each activity is not expected by the staffs. Tipping every end of the day may put the staffs under the pressure of performance for the tips.
Tipping just once at the end of your stay at each safari lodge or camp is recommended as the best.
Do I have to tip everyone?
You should give tips with a little gratitude to those staffs who offers a great unique service.
Tipping in Tanzania safari doesn’t mean to give more money to everyone you meet; you should consider the quality of services while thinking to give the tips. Tipping to back of house staffs like cleaners, chefs, maintenance workers, guards, etc. is necessary. You should give the priority to the front line staffs for the tipping like guides, porters, trackers, waiter, waitress, and transportation driver.
There should be a balance between tipping enough and tipping too much. Because, in Tanzania Destinations, those who are professional with some specific eligibility like forest ranger has less income than the guides, safari camp assistant and others.
How much to tip in Tanzania ?
Tipping is an individual choice where satisfaction plays an important role. The other factors like the quality of services, your own personal budget, and your ideas around gratuities also decide the amount to tip.
If you are in a group, then we recommend tipping USD 5 to USD 10 per guest per day.
For the safari chefs, you should tip USD 5 to USD 10per guest per day.
For the general staff, tipping USD 2 per guest per day is recommended.
For the general staff like city transfer driver, tipping should be USD 3.
Tipping Kilimanjaro
In your Kilimanjaro Tour, tipping to the crew including tour guides, cooks, porters, etc., when your trekking is completely successful. The porters have play the most important roles as they transfer things like tents, chairs, tables, cooking equipments, food, water, safety equipment, and portaloos through the challenging and steep ways. Other things the mountain crew do are to make breakfast and coffee, preparing tents to spend the night, preparing foods to keep you healthy, and leaving the place after you while trekking.
Some tour operators offers the porters and other staffs the camping or mountain gears as “gift”, instead of supporting them financially. So, tipping became as a part of income for the porters. On trekking, you need to pay the guide as per his/her experience and responsibilities.
As for a group of 4 to 5 people, there are 16 to 18 mountain crew members. The crew members are 4 mountain guides of which 3 are support guides, 1 mountain chef, 1 portable loo porter, 4 personal porters (1 porter for 1 person), and 6 to 9 logistic porters to carry the equipment.
After a successful summit, you have to give tips by representing them as gifts for separate groups while gathering all in an assemble.
Tipping in Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is usually done as a group rather than per person. The recommended guidelines for the tipping amount for Kilimanjaro trekking crews are as follows:
US$ 20-25 per guide per day
US$15-20 per assistant guide per day
US$15 per cook per day
US$10 per porter per day
Best Way to Handle Tips
- Put in an envelope via the manager
Both you and the receiver will feel awkward if you tip money directly to their hand. So, you should put the money inside an envelope with “thank you and individual’s name” writing on the envelope. On the end day of your staying, you have to give the envelope to the manager with showing the gratitude to them on their presence for appreciating their dedicated services.
- Drop in a tip box
Most of the camps in Tanzania offer a “tip box”, as a common way for tipping. It works as a gift box for everyone including the guide or sometimes as a gift box excluding the guide. You have to put money in each envelope with“thank you” writing on each one.
- Direct hand-over
It may feel awkward by giving the tip directly into their without the envelope. But if you have a wish to give tips after each activity or end of every day, you can hand-over the tips directly.
- Leave in your accommodation/lodging
As staffs are well-mannered, they will not take the money as an act of “stealing” after you left the lodge or accommodation. May be they will call you back to return your left money.
Leaving money for the tip to staffs may hurt the feelings of the staff as a manner of “disrespect”; you should not leave money in your room before departure.
Finally quick tips about tipping
- Do not forget to add the tips in your travel budget to avoid any unexpected surprises. It may feel awkward, while you have to interest to pay, but there is no cash left in your pocket.
- Having some cash with you is better for tips, as tipping by card is often not possible. You should keep the local currency Tanzania shillings with you to avoid the exchange of currency on the street.
- Store the cash in various places and keep it safe. To ensure the safety, keep the cash in your money belt. Don’t worry, as the guide with other staffs are with you, no one can steal the cash from you.
In economies centered on tourism, tips make a big difference in the lives of local workers. Please use your best judgment in deciding when and how much to tip.
As a best Tanzania Tour operator, passionate about being your first-choice Travel Partner. we are providing the services in an extra-ordinary way to make your safari most pleasant and enjoyable.
Still have questions? Email us at info@travelpartners.co.tz or ask our head guide on the trail. Guides are happy to provide you with information on the total number of support staff, names, roles, etc.
