The most difficult planning part of any trip for me is how much money do I bring and how do I think about tipping my guide well? I’m not one to carry cash in my everyday life, so it is against my nature to carry hundreds of dollars especially while I’m traveling in a foreign country. It’s a stressful part of travel that I don’t think people talk about enough. Part of that is tipping and any extra cash you bring is very personal. We tell our travelers that gratuities is up to you and the experience you have and that it’s not expected. But, the truth is, it’s a very expected part of travel, especially for Americans. I think we’d go crazy if we didn’t tip. Even as prepared as I thought I was, I felt like I was hemorrhaging money the entire trip because of a few mistakes I made as well as unexpected expenses that I would have planned to pay by credit card.
We hated having to say goodbye to our guide and new friend, Rama. (Franny Friesz)
The biggest factor for the amount of money I carried was for our safari guide. He was not only just our guide, but he was our driver as well and spent the entire 8 days with us. I think it’s common to tip $15-25 USD per person, per day, depending on your budget, especially when your guide is also your driver. The lodges we stayed at were wonderful about taking tip at the end either by the host, by envelope, or a tip box. I budgeted about $10 a night per room. This could also be more as I felt like some of the places we visited deserved more since there were less travelers and we were the only ones they took care of.
They sent us off with music and a happy birthday song for my hubby. (Franny Friesz)
Another factor I didn’t expect was having alternative guides or tours on certain days. On our way from Lake Manyara to Lake Natron, we had the opportunity to have a cultural tour in Lake Manyara to see how the Tanzanian people lived day-to-day. As it was going to be a long day of driving, we eagerly took advantage of the tour and paid $20 per person and Rama (our safari guide), did not join us.
We loved Lemra! (Franny Friesz)
In Lake Natron, we were lucky enough to have a Maasai guide, Lemra. Again, Rama didn’t join us on the tours Lemra led, so we had to take into account another guide to tip these days. Luckily, Rama was able to help us find a few ATMs along the way. One in Lake Manyara (right before we went to a big mall that had great souvenirs), one near Arusha, and another in Stonetown, Zanzibar. We also needed our cash for any additional drinks we wanted at the camp. As they were more of a rural accommodation, we needed to pay for any bills by cash and not credit card. Tipping is a common question I have from travelers and it’s always so difficult to answer. Again, it’s very personal based on budget and how pleased you are with the service. That in mind, I hope these comments help you decide for any trip you take to Tanzania!
His assistant guide was our favorite and we called him, Tarzan. (Franny Friesz)
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
