Is tipping allowed on gorilla safari to Bwindi

Tipping is one of the frequently asked questions by travelers intending to have a gorilla safari to Bwindi. Most travelers ask “is tipping allowed on a gorilla safari to Bwindi”. Well, the answer is yes, tipping is allowed on a gorilla safari to Bwindi although not obligatory. Tipping is allowed because it is one of the tokens of appreciation to those people that helped you during your safari in Bwindi.

Tipping is mainly done by foreign travelers and people who befit are those in the tourism industry such as hotel and lodge staff, ranger guides, porters, and driver guides. Tipping Is not a culture in Uganda but people who come from foreign countries say it’s been their culture from way back and it’s best to appreciate a person who has offered you a service.

Tipping on a gorilla safari to Bwindi is not mandatory after service but most of the tourists do it from their heart to appreciate the service providers if they have been helpful. A traveler can fail to tip a service provider if they feel like their service wasn’t so good and the service provider will learn to improve next time. Most of these people travelers tip are on salaries for their work except porters who eat only what they get from carrying luggage for trekkers.

About how much you need to tip these people in case you appreciate their service, you can always ask your driver guide because they know the ranger travelers go give. In case you don’t move with a driver guide on your gorilla safari to Bwindi, you can always google in advance to see how much these people are given.

List of people to tip on a gorilla safari to Bwindi

The armed ranger guides

Travelers on a gorilla safari to Bwindi can or may tip armed ranger guides for the world they do. Armed ranger guides are those people in the park that escort and lead trekkers in the jungle. Their role is to protect trekkers from animals that could be wild, show trekkers the right routes to use and protect as well as guide trekkers around the mountain gorillas. If you feel like these armed ranger guides have done great work, you can tip them or their head guide to share. There are usually two armed rangers per group where one leads the group and the other comes from behind. You can tip these armed ranger guides $20-$40 per day.

The porters

Porters are the local people always at the starting point of the gorilla trekking ready to help trekkers carry luggage. There are some trekkers who have excess luggage and need porters to help on carrying them throughout the whole gorilla trekking process. Porters are from the nearby communities and they come to the park to carry the luggage of trekkers at a fee so that they improve their way of leaving. Tipping is $10 to $20 per porter and if you appreciate tour world you can tip them an extra fee of about $5 and above after getting out of the jungle. Porters are not paid a salary by Uganda Wildlife Authority and therefore the money you give them is all they use for food, health, and maybe education.

The safari consultant

A safari consultant is a person employed by a safari company and their role is to communicate with a traveler from the time of booking the safari until the safari ends. They are responsible for helping a traveler book a gorilla permit, accommodation, and transport on behalf of clients. If you have a gorilla safari in Bwindi and you end it successful and memorable then don’t forget to tip your safari consultant at the end of the trip.

The driver guide

Safari drivers are normally part of the tour company that you used for your gorilla safari to Bwindi. These safari driver guides are not paid salary they are only paid when they run a safari. A driver guide will drive you throughout the whole safari and he will make sure everything is okay while the safari is going on. At the end of the safari when the safari ends and you feel like he was really good throughout your all day on the safari, you can tip them any amount of money which can be $30 and above.

The accommodation staff

Tipping the people who help you have a wonderful stay at an accommodation facility during your gorilla safari is not a must because most of these people are paid salaries. However, when you tip them it makes them feel happier and love their work. You can tip the receptionists who welcome you with a smile, the security men who make sure you are safe, or the room cleaners who make sure your room is clean every time. A traveler can tip the above people money from $5 to $15.