Did you know that tipping impacts much on the lives of the service providers or local community members in the destination? Are you planning to spend your next safari in Uganda and you are wondering how much you can tip or which people to tip? Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda has for long featured as a lifetime experience that shouldn’t miss out in your bucket list. This dramatic primate adventure in Uganda is conducted in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, southwest of the country.
A lot of information has been published about the rare mountain gorillas however; you may need to know some of the tips or advice on the way that you can easily have the most memorable experience while on your primate safari in the pearl of Africa. Tipping while on gorilla adventure in Uganda is 100% allowed though it isn’t a must that you have to do so while on mountain gorilla safari.
However, the practice is welcome for interested and travelers. You may not know what change your tip will cause in the lives of those offering a service to you and their families or local communities. Tipping is ideally of great significance and something interesting especially for a good service rendered to you by say waitress, waiter, driver guide, park guide or local community members whose performance pleased you. It means that visitors can give their tips based on their willingness and we offer some of the tips to help you not to over appreciate or under appreciate any kind of good service offered to you while on your gorilla safari in Uganda.
Tipping Your Tour Guide
For the good work done by a driver guide, your tip is highly welcome as this is your immediate person who will always be with you from the very first day of your trip till the last day that your holiday will be done in the destination. He becomes the overall in charge and ensures that you are transferred from your area of stay in Kampala/Entebbe to a preferred destination whether Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park for your lifetime adventures in Uganda. Meaning if you are for instance four clients or more, you can decide to offer your appreciation to your driver guide by giving at least $10 to $20 each person and you can do so in your last day of gorilla safari. And for single or 2 visitors, you can give your tip depending on your willingness and level of service provided.
Tipping Park Guides
Tips for park guides are equally appreciated as they are ones who take you through the strenuous steep slopes, thick forests, slippery forest trails to look out for the group of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. For park guides, you can choose to tip them at least $5 to $15 in a group of eight visitors and usually they have a central tipping box at park headquarters or alternatively, you can give your tip directly to a guide or head guide who then distribute the amount to all guides involved in the process of gorilla adventure.
Tipping Porters
If you hire a porter to assist you carry your heavy load during breathtaking gorilla adventure, never forget to give him something at end at least $2 to $3 in addition to $15 that you will pay for hiring him. On other side, never forget to appreciate the waitresses, waiters at the restaurants, lodges, hotels or any other area that you were rendered better service. You can decide to tip such persons at least $3 to $5 each time of your stay and or simply drop your tip in the central tipping box such that they can share. For those of you who become pleased by the service of specific waiter or waitress you can give your tip directly to such an individual. Also, note that as you are on direct interaction with waiters or waitresses there are other workers behind and they equally deserve to be appreciated.
How Much do i need to Tip a day and to who?
First I need to bring it out that there is no defined rule when it comes to tipping during your safari, the same ideology is applied to who is waiting for tips at the end of the day? When it comes to tipping while on tour, we take is to be a valuable form of passing appreciation to someone in front of your service. Then who can force someone to appreciate? Definitely no one but as a tourist there is need to respect the travel traditions like elsewhere while visiting Uganda.
We travel to discover, to immerse, to feel, to interact and finally with Responsible tours and travel the world has been made better. Therefore giving tips will harmonize your relationship with the service personnel beyond someone who has not given tips, I don’t say you won’t get the same services but your appreciation will matter to the other side. For example all safari guides get paid a fair salary to escort all tours in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, while they are on safari, and tipping your guide is not mandatory but is a life support that changes a lot when it comes to his daily income and facilitating the needs of their families.
If you feel that the service has been exceptional you are more than welcome to appreciate and give a tip, usually clients tip around $5-$10 USD per day. Tourists can either do this per day or sumup everything to tip them once you complete your trip.
Hoteliers can be tipped as you checkout, another category are wildlife rangers and guides who will lead your Mountain Gorilla treks and these can be tipped at the end of your gorilla encounter on the debriefing session. In every scenarios of your traveling, if you feel that the service has been exceptional, you are more than welcome to tip, but it is by no means mandatory.
In conclusion, tipping isn’t a must to do thing but it is a generally accepted practice that you need to consider while on mountain gorilla tracking safaris in Uganda. Tipping advise also differ from one tour company to another and not necessarily as spelt out!