Tipping etiquette guidelines for a Uganda safari

Upon getting to Uganda for a safari, definitely you get to meet several people, many will be at your service, your Uganda safari guide will take you through your trip, you meet park rangers in the safari parks, you meet several porters and community members. However, many tourists always ask, who, When, and how much should I offer as a tip/a token of appreciation to someone when am in Uganda? For all gratuities, here we give you a tipping guideline etiquette for a Uganda safari.

For whatever reason you decide to offer a tip to someone in Uganda while on a trip, it’s all about your own will there’s no order for who to give a tip. On how much you can offer, you can decide from the quality of service offered in comparison to other people you came along or just offer in a bid to give back to the community.

 However, before you tip, measure the potential impact of the tip to the community. The tips received by the people who help around could create a great positive impact since their earnings increase and therefore their standards of living too. However, for instance, in Uganda’s national parks different people take on different roles according to their levels of education and knowledge they have a bout the park. Offering a high tip to a porter would at times make the rangers who do the conservation demoralized. If you can estimate on a fine amount to tip then it could be reasonable.

All roles carried out in the park are important and can be appreciated as long as they don’t affect responsibility and remuneration since conservation is all about dedication.

Who you can tip while on a safari in Uganda

Hotel and Lodge service providers

For all the great accommodation facilities in Uganda, you have good service from the waiters and waitresses, maintenance, chefs and housekeeping staff of whom some you won’t even see. Most of the accommodation facilities have a general tip box and its advisable to drop your tip there such that the whole team can share from it.

Your Uganda safari driver guide

For any kind of trip in Uganda, your driver guide is key in making the tour successful. You can always tip them separately during the trip for all the efforts they put in to make sure your trip is wonderful. While on a gorilla trekking safari or any other trekking safari, you go along with trekking guides who help you throughout the trek and they can also be tipped separately.

Rangers, trackers and porters

 park rangers lead tourists during gorilla trekking

On any primate trek, you are accompanied by either one or two park rangers who ensure your security in the jungle. They offer all the guidance and help needed during your safari activity and can actually be tipped. Mountain gorilla trackers in Bwindi impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla national Park always work tirelessly closely with the gorillas to identify where they spent the previous night such that the rangers can easily get to them with the tourists/trekkers and they always stay behind after your trek. You can decide to tip them as a group if they can be found in a group or individually. 


If you need help for instance during tracking mountain gorillas, you can always hire a porter to carry luggage and help with the trek. For their great role you can tip them separately.  

Non-recommendable individuals for tipping?

Every individual who plays a role as you travel in Uganda can be appreciated with a considerable tip. However, tipping hotel managers is not recommendable. Leaving behind a tip for a hotel manager may demoralize the service providers who offer most of the services at the orders of the manager.  

When should you tip?

For when to tip those you appreciate on your trip, throughout the trip you can tip but the most recommendable time is after the trip or activities. For your driver guide, you can tip them at the end of your trip during departure. For the trackers, you can offer them a tip after tracking. The rangers and porters can also be tipped after the activity. For the hotel, check out time is the perfect time to drop your tip in the tip box.  

How best to tip

Tipping is best done by cash that’s why you have to change a few dollars to the Ugandan shilling if you expect to tip anyone. For places with tip boxes it’s the best way to tip and if you would love to offer dollars this can be for the safari guides since they have more frequent access to the Forex bureaus.  

Always remember to tip accordingly and note that tipping is not compulsory but dependable to your service satisfaction and opinions.

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