How much spending cash should I bring on safari?
Money Tips
How much money, ATMs and tipping suggestions for travelers.
Our guests often want to know how much spending cash they will need once they are on their trip. The good thing about safaris is that your activities and meals are usually included in the price, so you don’t have much extra to pay once you have paid for your trip. However, there are some additional expenses as listed below:
Gratuities/Tips: tipping follows the North American culture of tipping and expect to tip just about everyone when you are on your trip. It is helpful to have local currency and small bills for tips. We list some suggested tipping guidelines for safari below.
Drinks: bottled water is in your safari vehicle and included at most properties. Coffee/tea is also usually included unless it is a specialty coffee. At most properties you can expect to pay extra for soda and alcohol unless it is indicated on your itinerary that these items are included. Drink prices are less than they are in western countries and I would budget about half of what you are used to paying at a bar or restaurant for drinks in East Africa.
Laundry: as most safari itineraries include small flights with limited baggage allowances, you will likely have to do your laundry at some point during your trip. Some properties include laundry but if they don’t a rough estimate would be USD $3.00 for a shirt and USD $4.00 for pants.
Souvenirs: you will have the opportunity to buy souvenirs throughout your trip. If you are a big shopper, plan accordingly. Small trinkets are inexpensive but large and intricate pieces of art can be quite expensive. Most large souvenir shops accept credit cards (usually with a surcharge).
Excursions: some excursions may not be included in your trip and you may wish to add these once you are on safari. These tend to be short cultural tours and museum visits. Olduvai Gorge, for example, is a museum visit that many people add on to a safari in Tanzania. The cost of Olduvai Gorge is USD 35 per person. Cultural tours and short walks range from USD 10 - USD 50 per person and can usually be added last minute.
In general, you have to bring all of your European or American currency with you. USD, GBP and Euros are widely accepted. To avoid carrying a lot of foreign currency, we advise withdrawing local currency when you need. ATMs are available throughout East Africa and it is easy to get cash. Please note ATMs dispense only local currency and up to 40 notes per transaction (which is under $200 in some countries). Make sure you have a debit card with a four digit pin and notify your bank in advance that you will be traveling.
Please note USD bills must be year 2010 or newer. Torn or damaged bills are not accepted.
Credit cards are widely accepted in East Africa. Many properties and stores charge a surcharge to accept credit cards which is usually around 5%.
We do not recommend bringing travelers checks.
Safari Tipping Guide
Safari Guide
The suggested tipping amount is USD 10 per guest per day, but if you are in a smaller group you may want to tip USD 40 - 50 to the safari guide per day. It is best to tip at the end of the safari.
Hotels and Restaurants
Tips are expected at tented camps and lodges that cater to tourists. Tips are not expected at restaurants and hotels frequented by locals. Most tourist properties will have tip boxes at the reception desk. You can tip hotel staff individually, place a tip for all hotel staff in the tip box, or do both. Tips can be made in local currency, USD, Euros, or Sterling. At high-end properties you will likely also have a room attendant who should be tipped separately.
We recommend tipping a hotel USD 10 per person per night to the tip box. At tented camps and high-end lodges the recommended tipping can be higher due to the personalized service. It is best to bring some small notes to make small tips to helpful individuals along the way.
Other Activities
During walks and other activities, a tip of USD 5 - USD 10 to the guide is appropriate depending on the length of the walk. Activities such as balloon safaris will have a general tip box.
