Money Advice

Tourists coming to spend their holidays in Uganda and Rwanda need to know these are Cash based travel destinations. Currently most of the growing tourist numbers come to these destinations on topmost notch of the Great wildlife trails while trekking to the Mountain gorilla. As you look forward to that life time trip in Uganda and Rwanda, you need to have local knowledge on the form of the region’s currency and the fore bureau market. The Ugandan currency referred to as Uganda shillings abbreviated as Ugx and for Rwanda it’s called Rwandese Francs. Travelers to Uganda and Rwanda will find US Dollars as the common media to all their safari quotations and US Dollars are widely accepted. Your tour operator will package details of your tour and after issue an invoice which will be quoted in U.S Dollars; this is because the same amount quoted in US Dollars will be paid for your tour activities, hotel booking and transport arrangements.

With the currently improvement in the infrastructures and other forms of tourist’s social amenities, there are  many ATMS branches allocated in both big and small towns available throughout the countries however a better experience will always be in the big city. As the saying goes “Far from court, far from care” it’s better to handle your financial requirements before getting off the main city and feel free to ask your safari guide in case of help. While in the capitals, the use and acceptance of Visa and Master Cards is guaranteed however this deteriorates as you enter the rural wild places.

During your inland travel experiences, some of the bigger hotels and shops will accept the payment mode of credit cards. For tourists looking forward to have their traveler’s checks exchanged, you will find this time consuming and frustrating. The credit card payment system is always prompt and taking out money on a credit card can run a surcharge of 3.5 to 6% or higher. Even though Advance safari booking is a recommendation to all tours to Uganda and Rwanda, we advise clients to bring with them cash for their personalized trip experience. This must be preferably US dollars as they are very easy to exchange, although Euros and UK pound are also fine. Tourists need to make sure that dollar bills are no older than 2006, and have no tears or blemishes.

While exchanging your favourite notes on the ground, please note dollar exchanges are based on quantity in Uganda. Here I mean the higher the bill, the higher the rates. Usually Exchange rates will be a little bit lower on smaller notes and higher with big notes, on small us dollar note category they classify notes from 1$-20$ and in big note category they consider notes of 50$ and 100$. Higher bills get better exchange rates, so we recommend bringing 100 dollar bills. There are a number of places to exchange money which your guide can direct you to. Avoid exchanging money at the airport and at borders as they exchange rate is usually lower. You should also avoid using US dollars at craft markets and restaurants, as you will get more for your money by using local currency.

How much Money to Bring on your safari to Uganda,Congo and Rwanda?

As a common question asked by at least every tourist coming for safari in Uganda and Rwanda, you will find that it’s not about how much you need to bring but it’s about what you want the money for. After all Instinct safaris quotes all itineraries on Full board plan, however this doesn’t mean a client will not spend some moneys for an enriched safari experience together. We attend closely to all our tourists and the majority has been found to reveal to us what they need during their safari and from here we are able to approximate the daily costs. On every itinerary instinct safaris will list all inclusives and there are also exceptions/exclusives for each tour as well and on such a list a client can tell if he/she is interested in an exception though not part of the general tour quote. Depending on the duration of your itinerary, you will need to spend on certain stuffs like souvenirs, alcohol from your lodge and during the safari daily transfer, what about stopping at one of the green restaurant for the taste of the local cuisine? There are other fields you might find interesting and perhaps will need to pull out some cash. Usually on each tour category we recommend bringing around $20-$50 USD a day for personal expenditures.

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, Rwanda and D.R.Congo. We travel to discover, to immerse, to feel, to interact and finally with Responsible tours and travel the world has been made better. So 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 tiped at the end of your Gorilla encounter on the debriefing session. In every scenarios of your travelling, if you feel that the service has been exceptional, you are more than welcome to tip, but it is by no means mandatory.

We thank you once again for considering safaris in Africa this time, we will be more than happy to tailor down all the details of your lifetime trip to Uganda, Rwanda and D.D.R.Congo together. Feel free to reach to us as you look forward to crown up with all the necessary details for your long waited dream safari experience. Allow us hear about it, together we will design a professional itinerary only to be quite rewarding, exciting ,comfortable and professionally guided. Karibu!