OK, I realize I am strirring the pot.

This summer I am going on my first DG safari in Tanzania.

For a ten day safari.

What would you consider a reasonable tip for
A.) A PH that performed well.
B.) His camp staff that performed well.
Please separate the two tips.
Any other comments would be appreciated as well.
Thanks.

Hugh,

Since it includes dangerous game, a generous tip would be:
$100/day for PH;
$50/day to be divided among the staff as your PH directs; and
$10/day for the government game scout.

You should get your Outfitter to give you guidelines regarding how much to tip.

Regards,

Terry

quote:

Originally posted by Hugh W:

What would you consider a reasonable tip for
A.) A PH that performed well.

10% of the daily rate.

quote:

B.) His camp staff that performed well.

$5 per day per person for camp staff

$10 per day per tracker, and the same for the skinner.

Let me know if you think these amounts are not appropriate.

Hugh,

I believe T.Carr is very close to the where you should be with tips. Remember even if people strongly suggest that you tip the crew or whoever X amount it is your safari and the tip should be determined by how you feel the safari went.

Regards,

Mark

Mark, I am glad to hear you say that, I thought 500Grains suggestion was reasonable. If I have to tip the way T.Carr suggest I may not be making that Buff hunt.

Dr.C,

I agree with 500 grains, his tipping is close to what I tip. I also throw in some clothes and knives to the trackers and skinners. I always bring candy and smoked meat to share with everyone on safari, that always goes over big!
My PH, I bring him some items as gifts and tip him 10% of the daily rate, so he makes out good. Oh, one other thing, I bring some "smellies" for his girlfriend, he does like that!

Hugh,

You were right about stirring the pot. Examples,my friend Mike goes on a moose hunt with Butch King on the Alaska Penninsula last September. After the hunt he gives his guide a $1,000 tip. A well to do female hunter gives her guide a $2,000 tip.
At the S.C.I. convention I was talking to a guide I know from Vermejo Park Ranch, New Mexico.He told me that the first three elk hunts he guided he received $3,000, $2,000 and $2,500 tips. Now I realize these are high end clients but a $3,000 tip for a five day elk hunt seems a little excessive.
When my husband and I went to the Amazon peacock bass fishing last October, the company told us if we were happy with the service and guide a tip of $180 to $200 was appropriate.
I realize that it is the client's discretion to tip, but like you I would like to know what is appropriate.

Dr. C you need to do the math if you think my suggestions are higher than 500grains' suggested tips.


What's the average Daily Rate in Tanzania? $1,300 to $1,500, so 10% of the Daily Rate is $130 to $150 per day for the PH. More than my suggested $100/day. I think the 10% of the Daily Rate rule works well in other countries and especially for plains game hunts. It doesn't work well in countries where the Daily Rates are very high (like Tanzania and Zambia).

In Tanzania you can have a dozen camp staff, so $5/day turns out to be $60/day - in line with my suggested $50/day. My tip for the camp staff includes the tracker and skinner. 500grains has an additional $200 in tips for the them.

If you think you can get out of Tanzania without taking care of the Government game scout - good luck to you.


Regards,

Terry

P.S.
Swanepoel & Scandrol suggest the following tips:
PH - $100/day
Camp Staff - $500/week
Game Scout - $100/week
Meet & Greet - $50

Personally, I think these are bit over the top (except for the PH tip).

Terry,

when I read your first post I thought the tips were high, but then figuring in the daily rate your right there. I'm going to Zim next month for Leopard, $550.00 a day for 12 days, about $660.00, I was going to give him around $700.00. Plus gifts....

I forgot to mention:

a. Be sure to tip the game scout, because he has multiple wives, countless offspring, and beer and tobacco habits to feed.

b. Nice clothing (not used, beat up stuff) which we can get on sale in the U.S. for not much money seems to go over well with the trackers and staff.

Ganyana,

What are your suggestions on this topic?

Tanzania has the highest tip standards of any country I am aware of.

When I hunted elephant in Zimbabwe for 10 days, the PH suggested (since it was an elephant hunt) to tip the staff between $300 and $500 ($30 to $50 per day). That included all of the camp staff, trackers, skinner and game scout. 10% of the Daily Rate was $80/day to the PH (total of $800). I went ahead and tipped the PH $1,000, he seemed pleased with that tip.

On plains game only hunts, the tips should be less. I would think more like $20-$30/day total for the staff and 10% of Daily Rate to the PH, but not more than $40/day (in some cases, the Daily Rates for plains game is getting way too high. Some RSA outfitters are charging over $500 Daily Rates for plains game). No way am I tipping a South African two-week wonder $50/day for a plains game hunt.

Regards,

Terry

Ask the PH.
I did, he refused a tip for himself and the farmers involved, and advised $100 each for the trackers.
I think the minimum wage in Namibia is $107 USA. A $100 tip is almost equal to a months wages.

Every Professional Hunter has his own views on this but here's mine.

There's a pecking order in a hunting camp that really needs to be observed and you should classify the staff into groups and each group gets a different level of tip I would suggest a minimum per person of something like US$50 - US$40 - US$30. (for a 7 day hunt) Equally important is how you give the tip. The polite way is to sit at the dining table with your PH and call each individual forward one at a time and give him a few words of appropriate thanks telling the staff member how important his individual job is to the success of your safari.


Group A (which gets the highest level) consist of:-

Driver
Tracker
Gunbearer/Assistant Tracker
Head skinner
Game Guard

Group B (slightly lower)

Head Cook
Head Waiter
Assistant Skinner (often x2)

Group C

Assistant Chef
Assistant Waiter
Chief Tent Attendant
Assistant Tent Attendant
Night security Guard

Regarding the Game Guard - His/her tip should not be given at the same time as the other staff. It should be given seperately and in private. Some Game Guards will do nothing during the hunt except trail along at the back and others will take a more active role and can be very helpful indeed. How much he/she gets will be dictated by how much he/she puts into the hunt......

Another good idea is to take along a couple of cartons of cigarettes and hand out odd packets (mostly to the hunting staff) on a daily basis -they're much appreciated.

It's also a good idea not to forget the skinners contribution to your hunt. Although you don't see them much they have the worst job of the lot ......if you can pay a visit to the skinning sheds at some early point of your hunt it makes them feel appreciated.

You'll find "The Safari Experience" by Craig Boddington covers this subject and many others brilliantly.

Thanks for all input.
T. Carr You are dead on with daily rates and 10% tip would require me to not take some of my intended game. Shakari thanks for your specific feedback with regards to staff positions, and method of award. Thanks folks.

Are the tips generally given in local currency or do folks prefer $$....Would I be burnt at the stake for giving the equivilent in £££ instead?

Regards,

Pete

If at all possible, try tipping the staff in local currency. For many of them it would be hard for them to get it exchanged.

In Tanzania it's usual to tip in US$ in most other countries including RSA it's in the local currency.

Pete - if you tip SA staff in UKP they will probably get ripped off when they change it. The good news is that the tips in RSA are considerably less than in Tanzania.

Pete,

Since in most cases it is nearly impossible for you to convert dollar/pounds to kwacha, Zim dollars or whatever the local currency maybe before entering the bush just give the tip to the PH. He will convert it to local currency and bring it back to the crew. Often the PH does not want you to give money directly to the crew because they may take off and not come back until the money is gone.

As Terry suggested Tanzanaia may have the highest tipping standards but I thought Botswana took the cake. At safari's end they presented me with a list of 23 names and what the people did in camp. I was supposed to write down what I wanted to tip each person. That was in addition the local game scout, the PH's tracker who asked for his tip seperate, the camp managers and of course the PH himself. I did n't like this very much and said so. I'm used to giving the PH some money and he just handles the whole thing and that is what I did. This situation nmade me feel a little pressured and consequently I tipped less than I might have.

It would seem that often the African crew does not realize that the tip is not part of their wages. A tip to me is something you get extra and is directly dependent on the how the client feels about his service and his ability to pay.I think it should be the safari companie's job to press home the fact that a client does not have to give anything.

Regards,

Mark

Last month in the CAR, beforehand I asked the outfitter, another compulsive Africa hunter and my PH.
The camp guys : 200$
Every tracker, gunbearer and driver : 80 $ each
and pants, shirts, jungle boots.
The PH : 10% would have been 2000 $. Anyhow the minimum is 800 $.
I gave him 1300 $ and my Weatherby 460 with a
claw-mounted Zeiss 4*32. So this rifle will live in Africa again,there is no place in France for such a cannon.
jb

I think the $100 a day tip is certainly in line and generous for a dangerous game hunt. I try to avoid the political issues and provide about $400 for the balance of the staff as the PH sees fit. If I really was treated well, I up the ante a little particularly if I'm returning. Don't bother asking the Safari Company. They are supporting the home team. I did a 10 day plains game hunt in SA 3 years ago with a daily rate of $500. The company suggested a tip of $2000 for the PH and wanted it handled as an add on to my final bill which was handled back at headquarters. Bullshit! Make sure your tip gets where it is intended.

Using these daily rate guidelines for a 2-person 21-day safari in Tanzania, the cash needed to handle these tips starts getting a bit high. What is the best way to transport and keep that much cash on such a hunt?

quote:

Originally posted by Spring:
Using these daily rate guidelines for a 2-person 21-day safari in Tanzania, the cash needed to handle these tips starts getting a bit high. What is the best way to transport and keep that much cash on such a hunt?

I used traveler's checks in Tanzania and kept it locked in my Tuffpak. I did take some US currency for small purchases, but there is a lot of counterfeiting in Tanzania, so only take the newest version of US currency when you go there.

Regards,

Terry

Terry,
Who among the safari staff, besides the PH, will be easily be able to cash a travelers check? Is cash better for them and then save American Express for the PH's larger sum?

Check with your outfitter. If he wants you to pay the staff in local currency, then you are going to have to plan on stopping at a local bank before you head to the bush. Logistically that could be a real problem. I would prefer not carry that much US cash, I would think the PH wouldn't have a problem converting your traveler's checks. They may want you to pay the Game Scout in US cash or local currency, since the game scouts tend to move to other areas on occassions.

In both Tanzania and Zimbabwe, the PH had a list of the staff. I gave the PH the total tip amount and he apportioned it to each member of the staff according to the pecking order. I signed it so the staff had a record of the amount due each of them. Of course, the first camp we were in in the Selous, the camp manager had 3 "phantom" staff members on the role. The PH noticed this and eliminated them. The PH converted the traveler's checks to local currency when he was in town and paid the staff. When we were hunting Masailand, I converted the traveler's checks at the Impala Hotel and gave the tips to the staff.

It really depends on how your outfitter and PH want to handle it, so check with them.


Regards,

Terry

Thanks, Terry. I'll take your suggestion and send an e-mail to my PH to see what he thinks will work best.

I have noticed that the tipping "suggestions" and the lists presented to clients of individuals who need to be tipped and how much is getting a bit more elaborate in recent years. It seems a little strange that in a third world country, where salaries are a bit lower than our own, the tips should be so high that one would be afraid to carry that much cash with him.

Ok! here's a wrench in the spokes!

How about if you are a "Observer" on the safari, but you shoot a few plains game under the hunters list, Say a warthog, a baboon, impala, and a Zebra. What should you give as a tip?

It really shouldn't be as much as a full "hunter"

Spring,

When I hunted with TGTS they had me leave all money at the Arusha office before actually going into the bush with the exception of some cash for the Game Scout. At safari's end we gave the tips when we settled the final bill. That way with the exception of few hundred in cash you can take all the rest of the money in traveler's checks.

Regards,

Mark

Tipping is a confusing and ill defined element of the safari experience. I wish it were not that way. Many are hesitant to provide advice regarding tipping. I am not, I will tell you my opinion (based on limited experience). But it is just my opinion, nothing more.

A tip should be based on three things:

1. Guidelines provided by the outfitter/PH. They should give you a range (as my PH did in Zimbabwe, "for the staff, between $300 and $500 for a ten day elephant hunt").

2. The level of service you received.

3. Your ability to pay. If the PH says "between $300 and $500" and one can only afford $300 and one guy can afford $500, then you shouldn't feel bad because you can only afford $300. Some guy might tip the staff a $1,000 under the same circumstances, just because he can afford it.

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
Just because you cut your budget too short is no reason to tip poorly. If you planned this safari, then you should have planned a reasonable amount for tips into the budget. If you can't pay a reasonable tip, then you need to stay home until you can save enough money to adequately pay all the costs of safari.

Another fallacy is that you do not need to tip if your PH is the owner of the company. Wrong. Your PH deserves a tip commensurate with his hard work regardless of whether he is the owner of the company or whether he just got back from passing his PH exam.

quote:

Originally posted by T.Carr:
Tipping is a confusing and ill defined element of the safari experience. I wish it were not that way. Many are hesitant to provide advice regarding tipping. I am not, I will tell you my opinion (based on limited experience). But it is just my opinion, nothing more.

A tip should be based on three things:

1. Guidelines provided by the outfitter/PH. They should give you a range (as my PH did in Zimbabwe, "for the staff, between $300 and $500 for a ten day elephant hunt").

2. The level of service you received.

3. Your ability to pay. If the PH says "between $300 and $500" and one can only afford $300 and one guy can afford $500, then you shouldn't feel bad because you can only afford $300. Some guy might tip the staff a $1,000 under the same circumstances, just because he can afford it.

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
Just because you cut your budget too short is no reason to tip poorly. If you planned this safari, then you should have planned a reasonable amount for tips into the budget. If you can't pay a reasonable tip, then you need to stay home until you can save enough money to adequately pay all the costs of safari.

Terry,

I haven't came across a PH in recent years that recommended such a "low" tip for their staff. I'd like to find one that recommended that rate for 10 days of el hunting, it's not out of line. By the same token other statements gives the PH a $1000 & up. Tipping is out of hand, it is not a gift, it has became expect pay!

I personally have a problem with the statement that the guy that doesn't pay enough should stay home. If the guy $300-600 or whatever and I couldn't pay the high end, I wouldn't feel any worse giving them a $100 as the $300, because either way you'll be considered a cheap character. Tips should not be based on net worth. Furthermore, when you tip the staff the equivalent of a months pay for a 7 or a 10 day hunt, they because wealthly by the local native standards. They are carrying on with another hunter when I'm gone. I have always found a way to pay the high end of expectations, but I have been "boiling" inside everytime. JMO. It sucks!

Tipping is out of hand. I don't think the $300-$500 staff tip for a 10 day elephant hunt in Zimbabwe is a "low" tip (based on that PH's recommendations and the guidelines provided to me by HHK for my upcoming hunt, but these are my only reference points). What amount of tips have your PHs recommended on past elephant hunts in Zimbabwe? The $1,000 tip to the PH was generous, but he did an excellent job and went beyond the normal on a couple of occasions, so I decided to reward for him his service. I would have had no problem tipping him $700-$800 (10% of Daily Rate) had he just been "good" versus "excellent". I also would have had no problem giving him no tip had he been a bad PH.

But honestly, if one goes to restaurant and gets good service one should leave a 15% tip. If one can't afford a 15% tip, then one needs to go eat fast food where no tip is expected. On the other hand, I recently ate at a restaurant and had bad food and lousy service, I left no tip and told the manager that his restaurant sucked.

I you have excellent service at a restaurant and can afford it, then leave a 20% tip. If some rich guys wants to leave a 50% tip, then more power to him. But I shouldn't feel bad because I give a 15% tip.

Whether we like it or not, tipping on safari is expected. Just like in a restaurant. It's part of the cost and one should factor that into the budget in advance.

Regards,

Terry

Widowmaker mentioned companions shooting some of the trophies. Is this permissable in Namibia? Very much illegal here.

7mm. guy

quote:

Originally posted by 7mm. guy:
Widowmaker mentioned companions shooting some of the trophies. Is this permissable in Namibia? Very much illegal here.

7mm. guy

Where is here?.............your profile doesn't tell us.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

quote:

Originally posted by 7mm. guy:
Widowmaker mentioned companions shooting some of the trophies. Is this permissable in Namibia? Very much illegal here.

7mm. guy

Where is here?.............your profile doesn't tell us.

Wyoming ,USA

Zim and Namibia it is legal. I think it depends on the safari company

Allowing a non-hunting observer to take the odd animal is common & accepted practice in most African countries that I know of and usually the final decision is made by the PH or the Outfitter.

A lot obviously depends on the amount of shooting the observer does as if you're not careful it can easily turn into a "discounted 2x1 hunt"........as long as it's the odd animal it's fine.

Widowmaker,

So does that mean I probably can't let dad shoot my wildabeast for example.

7mm. guy

OOps!! Addressed last to worng person.

This thread should be made permanent.