Is Tipping Allowed on a Gorilla Safari?
On a gorilla safari, is it acceptable to tip? During the preparation stages of their gorilla safari, most travelers ask themselves or their tour operator these and other questions. Tipping is permitted on a gorilla trekking safari, thus the answer to this question is yes.
Tipping is highly encouraged in the tourist sector as a way to show gratitude to those who have been most helpful to you throughout the preparation stages of your gorilla safari and to anybody who may have provided you with great service during your trip. In contrast to other nations where tipping is required, it is vital to remember that tipping is not required in Uganda; rather, it is only considered kind.
One then asks what one should tip various groups of individuals if the answer to the issue of whether tipping is permitted on a gorilla safari is yes. Depending on their individual tasks throughout your gorilla expedition, you may need to provide your crew different things. As you will see in a moment, this guide on gorilla trekking tipping should help you understand who, how, and why to tip.
Advice on gorilla trekking for safari organizers
The tour operator you are booking your gorilla safari with employs safari planners. As a result, they get compensation for their labor. However, some travelers do tip these safari planners, usually because they believe they did a great job organizing their gorilla safari, or because they frequently change their travel plans, or even because they have to plan a gorilla safari quickly—for example, less than a week during the busiest time of year.
Guide to Gorilla Trekking Safari Tips for Local Porters
Porters are the individuals you will invariably encounter at the beginning of any gorilla trekking journey. Travelers may often reserve one immediately after the park authorities’ briefing. Porters do not get a wage, and the most of them are ex-poachers who have given up poaching in favor of tourism because they understand its potential advantages for both themselves and future generations.
In addition to helping with their bags and other stuff, such as photography or food equipment, travelers hire porters to push or pull them while they go gorilla trekking. In addition to the money you give them for the baggage they would have carried for you, they rely heavily on your tip since they are not paid.
Depending on how much baggage has to be carried and where the gorilla family is staying, hiring a porter in Uganda usually costs at least $20. Tipping these porters anything from $5 to $10 at the conclusion of the gorilla trekking trip is appreciated if their services were excellent.
Tips for ranger guides, trackers, and security guards on gorilla trekking
Each party typically has one Ranger guide, two to three trackers, and two to four security guards. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) pays all of them, but it’s a good idea to tip them if their services were excellent and they went above and beyond for you. $40 a day per person is the suggested tip, which should ideally be placed in the head guide’s visible area so that the other team members are aware of it and expect to get their portion.
Tipping lodge employees on a gorilla safari
Every employee at the lodge, including the gatekeepers, gardeners, and receptionists, receives a pay. Nonetheless, tipping makes these hotel or lodge employees considerably happy since it shows gratitude for the fantastic services they provide, particularly to you, the traveler.
It’s a team effort that gets you enjoying your lodge stay, so it’s not only the kind and smiling receptionist who deserves a tip. Since everything in the tip box is shared by all hotel or lodge employees, it is really appreciated if you leave anything in it at all times.
You should tip the cooks, cleaners, gardeners, and other lodge employees in addition to the receptionists. Although you may not see or speak to them directly, they all contribute to making your stay more pleasant.
Driver guides’ handbook to gorilla trekking tips
Driver guides often get wages or allowances before the gorilla trekking safari begins since they work for the tour organization you are utilizing for your gorilla safari. However, as is customary in the travel business, it is recommended that you provide a little “thank you gift” for your driving guide, who will often accompany you on your gorilla safari, especially if they were very kind to you. $5 to $10 per traveler every day is a suitable gratuity. Tipping a driving guide is often done in person when he drops you off at the airport or your hotel/apartment at the conclusion of the safari.
Since they are not required in East Africa, tipping during a gorilla safari may be made in local currency or US dollars, provided that the tip is made in a series that is not older than 2009.
