Tipping In Kenya Safari Overview

Tipping in any of the African countries is a common thing followed by all the visitors. Tipping In Kenya Safari will make the Safari crew get some money part from their Salary. So, when travelling it is a really good idea to keep a supply of small bills in dollars or local currencies. It is recommended to give tips directly to the person you wish to tip on Kenya Safari Tours.

Tipping on Safari in Kenya - Who to Tip & How much should you tip in Kenya:

Tips are given to the workers who do excellent service to the customers and make sure their entire stay and tour is safe and successful. The main people you can tip in Kenya Safari Tours are:

Back of house staff like; Cleaners, Cooks, Gardeners, Maintenance workers, guards and other low category workers.

Front house staff likes; Guides, Spotters, trackers, waiters, spa therapist, transfer drivers and Porters.

Tipping on Safari in Kenya

Currency tips for Tipping

Most of the time tipping is done in small denominations. It is good to change the currency with the help of a guide and calculating how much would you require for Tipping In Kenya Safari. Tipping in US Dollars and local currencies are acceptable in Kenya.

If you are using US currencies, make sure they are not older than 2008 series and torn or adulterated, as they may not be accepted according to Kenya Travel Guide.

Gifts as Tips

There are few visitors who get some personalized gifts for their safari guides and other safari crew members. You can gift them stationeries, sports equipments, clothes, books, safari equipments and some of the essential items.

These are done by many of the returning visitors and you can also follow this as it will be a real help for the crew members.

How to tip in Kenya?

There are various ways to tip as per Kenya Tipping guide. Every camp and lodge has its own system to tip. Here are the few common ways of Kenya Safari Tipping

    • Communal Tipping Box: This will be located in the main area or the place where visitors gather more. Some of the camps have separate boxes for back house staff and front house staff. This box will be generally shared by the manager to all the staffs.

    • Handing Money to the Manager at the end of trip: If you do not find any communal box, you can hand over the money to the manager before you leave.

    • Handing tips to the individual staff: This is one option available where you can approach individually and tip them. You can tip according to you as per the service provided by them and help you with things to do in Kenya.

    • Adding it to a credit card bill: If the lodges and camps accept credit card, you can add the tip to your credit card bill. This will help you with Kenya Safari Cost and makes lesser usage of cash. You can talk to the manager and make a note on the slip.

Kenya Safari Tipping Guide:

The authorities have provided tipping guidelines for Kenya. However, it is your preference to tip more if the service provided exceeds your expectations.

  • $1.00 per bag for porters

  • $1.00–$2.00 per day for hotel staff

  • $3.00–$5.00 per day for personal butlers, trackers, drivers

  • $10.00 per day for professional guides and/or drivers

  • $5.00–$10.00 for guides on one day or half day tours

  • $1.00–$2.00 for airport/ hotel transfer drivers

  • 50 cents–$1.00 for gas station attendants

  • $15.00–$20.00 per day for a guide

  • $8.00–$10.00 per day for a cook

  • $8.00–$10.00 per day for a porter

When not to tip?

It is always good to be generous. However, there are times where you should avoid Tipping In Kenya Safari.

  • Do not tip to children’s who ask tip in streets rather than going to school

  • Do not tip if the service to extremely bad.

  • Do not tip if the tip is demanded.

  • One the main Kenya Safari Fact you should make sure is not to give any money to the beggars.

Hope you are ready for Tipping In Kenya Safari now and be a responsible traveller to make changes in the lifestyle of the poor people who strive to make your Kenya Safari Tours more successful.

Related Guide

Kenya Safari Costs

Kenya Tipping Guide

Kenya Tipping Guide

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How Much Should You Tip In Kenya

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Kenya Safari Tipping Guidelines

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Frequently asked questions

Kenya Safari FAQs

The cost of Safari normally depends on the number of days you have to spend in the country and what type of accommodations would you like to choose and what type of Safari would you like to go with. The Kenya Safari cost will range from $500 to $5000 per person according to your choices and preferences.

There are few extra costs for additional special activities if you prefer, like; Hot Air Balloon, Night game drives, Birding Safari and other activities. Tipping in Kenya Safari is also followed by most of the travellers and you will need to include it in the Safar cost.

Kenya welcomes you year around with its diverse nature and wildlife habitat. There are 2 main seasons in Kenya; Dry and Wet season. The best time to visit Kenya Safari is on dry season which is from June to September and December to January.

The length of the Safari depends on what you want see, what is your holiday duration, budget and if you are travelling for the first time. The normal spending time in the Safari is 7 to 9 days. The longer you spend time in the parks; it is more likely to spot wild.

You will be able to see most of the wild animals and birds in Kenya. However, the most important ones are Big5 and Big9. The Big5 are; Lion, Leopards, Rhino, Elephant and Cape buffalo. The Big Nine are; Big Five and Cheetah, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Zebra. This is one of the most important Kenya Safari Facts.

Kenya Lodge Safari and hotel accommodations range from deluxe, world-class properties to local inns, full-service tented camps, game-park lodges, beach resorts and camp grounds. You can go with properties that are Mid Luxury and above.

It depends on which state you are coming from it could take upwards of 36 hours to get from the US to Nairobi.

Example: If you are flying from Los Angeles to Nairobi with Air France and had one layover in Paris. That first leg will be 11 hrs. Paris to Nairobi would come up to 9 hours.

The price is decided according to your choice of airlines and seat preference. There are flights starting from $700 for base level economy. The flights are long and typically overnight. This is the best time to use those credit card or airline points to upgrade to business class and enjoy the every worth of it.

There are no major requirements of vaccinations to visit Kenya. However, if you are travelling from a country which is affected from Yellow fever, then you will need to carry a Yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Kenya. The other recommended vaccines are; Typhoid, Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Malaria and Rabies.

As pet the Kenya Travel guide, the best Safari in Kenya is; Game drives and bush safari, Beach Safari, Bird watching and more. The best safari destinations in Kenya are; Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, Mount Kenya, Tsavo National Parks, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Mombasa Beach, Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo spring National Reserves.

The Safaris in Kenya are 100% safe. Riding around in the open air vehicles on game drives is one of the coolest experiences. At times you will be within 5 to 6 feet of lions but never once you will feel scared. The Kenya guides are very experienced and know how to read these animals.

Additionally, if anything were to happen to a guest a guide can lose their license entirely, so they will not put you in a situation that would ultimately harm you. It’s important to trust them and listen to their directions!

The Safaris are organised in the National parks and conservation areas. The best safaris of Kenya are arranged in Masai Mara National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park and other main national parks.

Both of the countries has the similar way of tourism with all the wilderness and landscapes, but Kenya got into the tourism industry very earlier than Tanzania, so Kenya would be a preferred place for Safari in Africa. You can also opt for Kenya Tanzania combined safari.

Yes, Kenya is an expensive country to visit as a tourist. The gap between what locals earn and what you spend as a tourist is also very large. The minimum salary in Kenya is only 20038 sh, which amounts to $186, while as a tourist we already spend $186 per day. This makes Kenya even for Kenyans themselves very expensive.

Yes, if you request with specific needs, the safari and accommodation facility will be available for a wheel chair passenger. The diet requirement can also be arranged. The guides and drivers are experienced to take care of specially able people.

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