Tipping Guide

Interesting post. This will be my first trip to Africa and like many it has taken three years to pay for this hunt. I have saved up for a tip and knowing my shooting they will earn ing! I am considered hand-capped and can't walk very far so we will be doing a lot of hunting from the truck. I was told to just tip the PH and he will divide up. My question was to take cash or travelers check? I am taking a few hundred dollars for shopping and some other stuff so was not sure about running around with all that cash. I think I will pay him in checks, I hope that works. Great article and posts!

Don't pay with a check, very hard to change currency through the Reserve Bank for most people. The trackers will work hard and it is always a pleasure for them to get cash, Rands are the best. You will leave the best impression by giving a tip to them directly. Change cash at a bank for the best rate, the change booths are a hose job. The absolute best is use your card at an ATM. Learn how to shake their hand, their way, and that means no crushing. Hand the money with your right hand, not left. Sure there are a lot of comments here but R50/day is usually a nice tip. If they found a wounded animal that you would have paid for consider more.

One thing that I do if I am processing the tips is to sit the group down and have envelopes in front of me. I ask who they want to tip and put the cash in the envelope with the names on it. If it is for houskeeping I will call them all together for the tip and give them the envelope. You will find that the Africans are on the verge of Communist, they all need to know that they got the same.

Do enjoy your trip, you will have a blast. Handicaps will not be an issue.

Originally Posted by JakeinTX

Interesting post. This will be my first trip to Africa and like many it has taken three years to pay for this hunt. I have saved up for a tip and knowing my shooting they will earn ing! I am considered hand-capped and can't walk very far so we will be doing a lot of hunting from the truck. I was told to just tip the PH and he will divide up. My question was to take cash or travelers check? I am taking a few hundred dollars for shopping and some other stuff so was not sure about running around with all that cash. I think I will pay him in checks, I hope that works. Great article and posts!

Thanks, sorry I meant travelers checks. My main concern was just having a lot of cash on me. I will be in SA for awhile so would Rand be better in Zimbabwe instead of US$ or Zimbabwe money?

Zimbabwe has been using US currency for some time as the official money. Cash is best for tips. US cash in most places or the local currency, Rand in RSA.

JakeinTX as sestoppelman said tip with cash for anything owed to the outfitter you can pay with travelers checks if its a large sum of money check with the outfitter they may except a cashers check for the full amount and that will save you a lot of signing. but there's really no way of getting out of carrying cash you may need some small bills at places like airports 5's 10's and 20's for tipping or in the event you have to get a few extra helpers to get some big animals out of the some hard to get to places. and if all else fails ATM.

You will find travelers checks near to useless. They can be only cashed in big banks, no tracker can afford the transport to do this. Bob is right $US is a good choice, R in SA. R is also good in Zim. Cash talks, BS walks. Don't overdo any tips. I send guys coming over R300 in R10 notes, easily gets through to the hunt area. The clowns at the airport aren't needed, and get tipped a such. Your trackers need and deserve to be taken care of.

Just went home from a most fantastic hunting trip to SA, Limpopo province in the Marken area. I was suppose to hunt with the PH who owned the hunting lodge, but due to his planning with a "bigger" trip, i got another PH. The tracker was also driver and skinner. I payed him 50 R pr animal i shot. I payed my PH 3000 R for the week and he gave the tracker a little of that. I gave 1200 to the staff on the lodge for service and wash of clothing. My son (9) was with me and the lodge owner took him hunting 2 times and my son shot a fine Impala and a warthog. When not hunting he borrowed a quadbike and had a good time in the bush. I never payed the lodge ovner a dime. I think I regret that now. But should i?

Originally Posted by Mrbuck001

Just went home from a most fantastic hunting trip to SA, Limpopo province in the Marken area. I was suppose to hunt with the PH who owned the hunting lodge, but due to his planning with a "bigger" trip, i got another PH. The tracker was also driver and skinner. I payed him 50 R pr animal i shot. I payed my PH 3000 R for the week and he gave the tracker a little of that. I gave 1200 to the staff on the lodge for service and wash of clothing. My son (9) was with me and the lodge owner took him hunting 2 times and my son shot a fine Impala and a warthog. When not hunting he borrowed a quadbike and had a good time in the bush. I never payed the lodge ovner a dime. I think I regret that now. But should i?

Perhaps he was being generous because you were also reciprocating with being patient with his swapping PH's on you.
To someone more demanding this is a breach of contract!!

If you are concerned at all about your sons usage of the quad etc. send him an email and ask him about it.
I sincerely doubt that he would want to you to pay anything.

People can just be generous too!
It is actually a very strong trait that I found across South Africa and Namibia.

NO! You would only tip him if he had been your PH as planned, not just for being the owner. He has already been paid via your daily rate and trophy fees. If he had been your PH it would have been different. You did it right.

Why should you give tips to the lodge owner, unless he engage him self personally in your stay and well beeing. He get paid for your stay anyway. The service of the staff are different, considering their probably meager salleries.

Mr. Buck 001

I would send him an e mail asking if you owed him anything for the quadbike and see what he says.

Just let them know you and your son had a great time and appreciate the fact that your son was allowed to use there equipment and if there was a charge for the quadbike.

Originally Posted by Mrbuck001

Just went home from a most fantastic hunting trip to SA, Limpopo province in the Marken area. I was suppose to hunt with the PH who owned the hunting lodge, but due to his planning with a "bigger" trip, i got another PH. The tracker was also driver and skinner. I payed him 50 R pr animal i shot. I payed my PH 3000 R for the week and he gave the tracker a little of that. I gave 1200 to the staff on the lodge for service and wash of clothing. My son (9) was with me and the lodge owner took him hunting 2 times and my son shot a fine Impala and a warthog. When not hunting he borrowed a quadbike and had a good time in the bush. I never payed the lodge ovner a dime. I think I regret that now. But should i?

Just returning from Zulu-Natal, had a bargin hunt through an SCI banquet 9 days of hunting. The tracker was ,spotter (extrmely good), driver, skinner (also very good). Tipped tracker $250 US. Cook, clothes washer and camp helper were each $45 US, and PH got $1,200 he was exceptional, did some extra special cooking, crawled through brush which was nearly impossible to get through. Used his dogs to recover animals. PH was concerned with all aspects of the hunt. While not a complete bargain, I would not hesitate to do it again!

the tracker must have thought all his christmases had come at once. $250 for 9 days....

It depends of course on the nature and total cost of the hunt and the service everyone give you, but that tip are in my opinion way to high( half of it would have been a nice tip). I just hope that kind of tip are not becoming common..
Just my opinion..

Thanks for the great advice , we don't really tip in Australia and funny as it seems what to tip i my upcoming hunt was really a source of some misgivings for me. It was really handy to be able to read exactly what other people including outfitters say should be done.

was wondering about tipping on a two on one plainsgame hunt as opposed to a one on one as the ph is still only spending one day with clients but getting tipped twice .Any input.

Figure out the tip for a 1X1 hunt, both hunters contribute half to that, then add some premium especially if all went well. I wouldnt double tip. Its not twice as much work for the PH to have 2 guys along.

With being a hunting guide in the United States, I have learned that the tip is a way of knowing how you did as a gudie. Clients that tip well generally appricate the services they have recieved from their guide. Also its your life line when an outfitter pays poorly. As a guide or PH go the extra mile and the cleint if they care at all should play up, its the same as a good waitress or waiter.

Unless I missed it somehow, I have an interesting question....

If you are bowhunting over a waterhole, and basically being dropped off and picked up at the end of the day, should the tip for the PH reflect this?

I don't quite know what they do all day - take care of another hunter, whatever. If so, they are getting doubly tipped. If not, then they are basically working only a few hours per day.

Originally Posted by buzz1858

Unless I missed it somehow, I have an interesting question....

If you are bowhunting over a waterhole, and basically being dropped off and picked up at the end of the day, should the tip for the PH reflect this?

I don't quite know what they do all day - take care of another hunter, whatever. If so, they are getting doubly tipped. If not, then they are basically working only a few hours per day.

Well they are suppose to be with you the whole day, otherwise it is illegal (I believe).