Tipping in Uganda: Know how to tip your driver, Hotel Staff, local site guides and porters – Tips supplement their Income.
Uganda is one of the few African countries where tipping is not mandatory but is out of courtesy. Because of this, we thought it wise that we help our travellers to Uganda understand a lot more about tipping in Uganda.
Tipping in Uganda though not mandatory is still much appreciated by the local persons who help in delivering you a unique Uganda Safari experience. Among these include; your driver guide, hotel/lodge/camp staff and local site guides.
How do I tip My Uganda Safari driver guide?
Tipping in Uganda for driver guides ranges from US$5 – 10 dollar per person in a group per day. As a Culture, this is multiplied by the number of people in the tour group by the number of Days and is all handed to one person in your tour group who then delivers it to the guide in your presence. This is then followed by a handshake and or a hug with words like “Thank you for taking care of us during our visit To Uganda”…….(you could think of Something else that says what you feel about your guide service during the trip.
How do I tip my hotel/lodge or Camp staff?
Hotel staff tips should usually be US$20-US$50 per person per day. We advise that this be paid out on the Day of departure. At most hotels’ reception, a Box will be indicated ” Tip Box”. Members in the group may individually opt to drop their tip into the box or put it together and trust one of your group members to drop it into the box. We recommend collective tips that are put in the Tip Box as these will be shared among the entire staff team – meaning they all benefit.
How do I tip my local site guides & porters?
Local site guides just like other guides depend on handouts/tips from the people they guide along these trails and or during activities like bird watching, and trekking safaris. It’s important to Note that local site guides are the immediate custodians of the environment, nature and wildlife of the places we visit, tips given to them after the activity encourage them to continue to protect and conserve these sites. We recommend anything from as low as US$10 – US$50 per person in a group.
As part of your support to the communities, if you are going gorilla trekking in Bwindi we recommend that you take a porter with you on your gorilla trekking expedition. Curious why, read ” Why use a porter for Gorilla trekking“. Tipping in Uganda Tipping in Uganda Tipping in Uganda Tipping in Uganda
Tipping in Uganda just like any other country does help the locals supplement their meagre local earnings and helps them look after their families enabling them to provide basics like food, medical health and school fees for the kids (Shocked!!! – Please don’t be. In Uganda it is paid for directly by the locals)
