Tipping Guide

Chago said:

.....give a tip to some trackers who worked there asses off for you......layed behind the game in the dirt holding it so you have a perfect photo....

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Does this really happen? What a great idea! I'm asking other guides to do this....and will tip accordingly, of course.

Chago said:

You even saying you tip what you can afford is enough to show the kinda person you are.

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Ok, I bought the plane tickets for my first Africa hunting trip and was curious about tipping. I see this comment and now thinking WTF? Is this supposed to mean tipping more than your personal finances allow and cause yourself and family undue financial hardship or does it mean don't be a show off and top 100% of the total safari cost?

Steel Candy said:

Ok, I bought the plane tickets for my first Africa hunting trip and was curious about tipping. I see this comment and now thinking WTF? Is this supposed to mean tipping more than your personal finances allow and cause yourself and family undue financial hardship or does it mean don't be a show off and top 100% of the total safari cost?

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It is a very entertaining thread but it really doesn't provide a whole lot of clarity. There are a great many different approaches and perspectives on tip a lot, tip med, tip very little or not at all. Long and short of it is you tip when you are leaving so you have already received all the service and help you are going to get.

Take this from a guy that has both guided, and been guided a lot. Hunting with a really good guy, who has a good attitude, treats EVERYONE with respect, raises issues if they are important and is interested in learning about the local game, culture and working hard to help out is FAR more important than the tip. A Buttwipe client who leaves a big tip does NOT impress me. It does not make him into a good guy. A guy I really enjoyed hunting with who leaves a small or no tip, is someone I still like and would hunt with again any time.

You will have a good idea what feels right by the end of the trip but 1 - total tip should not exceed 15% of the trip cost excluding air and trophy fees, and I would consider that a truly generous tip already, unless you have tons of money you like to throw around and got truly superlative service and 2 - if you trust your PH tell him the total tip you want to leave, if any, and let him help you divvy the amount up so it doesn't create strife among his staff.

I give tips what I personally mean and do not question what others give. I do not care.
This begging for tips is unworthy.
The outfitters should pay their people decently and not the guests in the ears lie what one last week of tips got.
That can be an Africa suffer.
Starts by smearing the customs to get the gun cleared and stops by whining the Phs what is usual.
I am the guest who pays dearly and what I mean is true.
If he doesn't accept it he has to do another job.

Tipping is a tough one, one I do not like to get involved with, after a couple of really bad experiences we now give each client a shoe box with brown envelopes with the name of each of the staff and what their job duties were, the rest is up to the client. I do not ask or really want to know what tips the client left. In the past some of have been very generous and then there was one who had a very successful hunt and I believe a very good time. Tips for the entire staff including the PH, he still had a couple dollars left from a $20.00 bill that I changed for him!

Tokoloshe Safaris said:

Tipping is a tough one, one I do not like to get involved with, after a couple of really bad experiences we now give each client a shoe box with brown envelopes with the name of each of the staff and what their job duties were, the rest is up to the client. I do not ask or really want to know what tips the client left. In the past some of have been very generous and then there was one who had a very successful hunt and I believe a very good time. Tips for the entire staff including the PH, he still had a couple dollars left from a $20.00 bill that I changed for him!

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I guided through college and was extremely grateful for every tip - from the good guys and from the jerks (frankly, I felt I earned it more with the jerks). I am sure many of us are truly wonderful endearing sportsmen that any professional hunter should be excited merely to have the opportunity to take afield. But just in case we are blinded by our own perfection, 10-15% of the base cost of the hunt isn't a bad planning figure.

To make sure that there is no confusion about what my desires and what I have contracted and am paying for I write everything down and to make a deal we both sign the agreement. If the outfitter can not provide me what I want we can part ways with a smile. If it takes extra loot to get what I want we can vome up with an agreement. Not a problem.

My needs are really pretty simple, but I do require that I get what I am paying for.

I do eat 4 times a day, and not really anything fancy........ and a bowl of cereal as one of them. I also do not want, nor will I be served game meat for every meal for 15 or more days x's 4 a day . In 15 days that's 60 meals of red meat in a row and for me just too much.

Where ever I go i just want to have fun and not at anyone elses expense, but I do want what I have paid for and it is all written out and agreed to in advance.

Do I require record book trophy beasts? Oh hell no. Don' get me wrong....... I don't want to gun down something with the umbilical cord still attached, but let's face facts....... Anymore I simply don't have enough piss and vinegar left in me to put a really hard day in the bush to go after 'trophies" so I am pretty much tickled shitless to get out and shoot something that would anything but a "hang your head in shame" kill. My limit now is about 10 miles a day on foot and no running at all. I don't mind the ph telling me which one to shoot and when, but I don't want to hear , " shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot...." endlessly. If the ph wants he can give me some last minuite instruction, but just once. If he needs me to stop I expect him to do so even if it means having the animal run off. I will understand.

I don't want to hear complaints about other customers who were bad shots or tippers. I don't want to be solicited for tips to get to go to some, "secret spot" as I also do not want to hunt with people who stink, are rude or just plain bigmouths who know everything and are heavily inclined to tell you so why dropping the names of anyone who they can think of from Captain Kangaroo to the Captain of the Titanic.

So what does it take to get a tip out of me?

Thats easy. Do all that I ask and save me from getting snake bit for starters. If I didn't make clean kills and the ph and troops had to hump the bush for hours to track down my wound that would be worth quite a lot. If the ph had to drop game for you because you CHS ......( can't hit shit) you should feel honor bound to start peeling off the greenbacks as well.

The "tip" should be earned by all the people at the camp....... not just something that they get becaused they show up.

hammerguy said:

Does this really happen? What a great idea! I'm asking other guides to do this....and will tip accordingly, of course.

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Yes they did. Every pic I was in had a tracker laying behind the animal.

Steel Candy said:

Ok, I bought the plane tickets for my first Africa hunting trip and was curious about tipping. I see this comment and now thinking WTF? Is this supposed to mean tipping more than your personal finances allow and cause yourself and family undue financial hardship or does it mean don't be a show off and top 100% of the total safari cost?

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No just the opposite. I was saying to a person who commented earlier. That you saying you tipped what you financially can shows the kinda person you are as in generous enough to give whatever you have.

11 years and 709 posts!!! Tip what you choose. The rest is no one else's business.

An interesting thread, for sure. I might as well keep it alive and add my experience.

My general stance is that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I can also guarantee that, as evidenced through a great number of the previous 700 posts, you will never have everyone agree on the subject. MANY variables include the concept of what is fair, what is expected, perceived value or rating of performance, personal wealth and ability/willingness to share it, and so much more.

I went to Africa in August for my first ever safari, and also happens to be my first "guided" trip. Therefore, I had absolutely no frame of reference, relevant or not, for what was expected or considered fair. I did some online reading, including the original post here, asked a friend who had been to Africa (though not to RSA), and even asked the outfitter for a recommendation. The answers varied so much, I still had almost no idea of what to do.

Ultimately, I decided that the outfitter would know best what is fair for their operations, so that was my baseline. I took a little extra along, allowing myself to adjust for over the top service, but also knowing that subpar efforts would not be rewarded. I also brought along some candies and snacks that I freely shared throughout the stay, but was not considered part of my gratuities in my mind. I also left behind the remaining extras at trips end, less a little for my plane ride home.

At the end of the stay, I had thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. We had 2 PHs for 3 hunters, both of which spent time 1x1 and 2x1. 7 total animals were shot under the guide of PH1, and 4 under PH2. Each PH had a combo tracker/skinner, and the camp had 1 cook, 1 house maid, and 1 camp hand. As a group, we pooled our tips (though we equally contributed) and handed what we felt fair to each individual, along with a handshake and thank you. We did not base it off total cost, number of animals, or any percentage type analysis. The only part we asked our PHs about was the splitting of the combined total we had put in for PHs. I explained that I hoped we weren't putting them in a hard spot to answer, but we wanted to be fair to them on a perhaps unusual sharing of their time and services among odd number of hunters in camp. We offered to split the tip evenly, split it based on # of animals taken each, or to put it on the table and walk away for them to split how they saw fit without us present. They took an equal split, and I have no idea if they discussed it amongst themselves later, and dont care.

I feel we were fair, perhaps a little on the above average side, and I felt each one genuinely appreciated the personal delivery and handshake. I felt no dirty looks or hostility from that point through the rest of the time we spent with the various individuals (a couple hours in camp, the whole day with PH that took us to HQ for final paperwork, then curios, then airport).

Based purely on my single experience, I would say that getting a baseline idea from the Outfitter will be my way of doing it from here forward, and then adjust based on my feelings of the effort and service. I hope this helps others who find themselves in the position I was, but encourage you to do what you think is right.

Having now read through every post in this thread, I want to add a few items. Again, I am a novice in the world of guided hunting both in my home country (USA) and abroad. This specific post is my take on WHEN to tip, not how much.

1) If it is customary for the industry and area you are hunting in to tip, then you should plan to do so. The efforts given and your overall enjoyment of the experience should be variables from there.

2) I feel a PH should be tipped regardless of his status within the company (owner or employee). If he does the work of the PH to make you happy with the results, he did his job and refer to #1. I presume that an owner as PH works just as hard as an employee PH to get you on your animals, and then into the salt; no more, no less.

3) Cull hunts are an interesting topic, as I've seen many variables to what a cull entails. But, whatever the reason you CHOOSE to do a cull hunt, if the staff does their job well and you enjoy the experience, then they deserve the customary tip.

4) Don't presume to be an expert on world or local economics, or try to justify stiffing someone because they chose to work for the amount they're paid. A consideration of that decision is based on expectation of tips to supplement baseline, very much like the american restaurant industry. NOBODY in America would be a server for the $2/hour rate if tips were not given on top. --- You may not like or agree with the pay structure, but dont act like you're above it. You wont change anything by saying you refuse to tip because they chose to work for that amount, you will likely just look like and sound like a pompous Ass. And if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

Tips are NOT mandatory, but they are expected. Tell your PH or outfitter early if you do not feel service is up to expectations, let them try to make it right. Plan to tip a fair amount (again, how much is "fair" is a different conversation) and adjust accordingly. You can ask your outfitter for suggestions before booking, and weigh their feedback into your decision. If someone says I must tip at least X dollars, I do not have to book with them.

More food for thought. I hope it helps.

i have helped to beat this dead horse to dust so will never again get involved with the subject again.tipping has become a mandatory expense.MANDATORY!!! it no longer has anything to do with the true meaning of the act, and or word.period.do what you feel is right as i will.OVER AND OUT!!!

I recently saw suggested tips on a Limpopo based outfitters ad for plains game was $ 160 a day. I noticed that they also had packages that were under $ 3000 for some 7 day hunts. That would add $1120 to that small package, seems high.

There should be no suggested amounts put forth by an outfitter. Sometimes I ask my PH about certain people as to a proper tip if any. Like Edward says above, it has become an expected payment everywhere in life regardless the level of service.
I don't think anyone should ever ask for a tip. Most hunters are happy to pay a tip for good service though.

I read this article last week in USAToday:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...hy-gratuities-may-going-out-style/4748441002/

It says tipping is slowly going away in the US.

A few years ago, I went to the Bahamas and they automatically put a 15% service charge on everything and service was absolutely terrible. I tip when the service is good and I tip generously when the service is really good.

375 Ruger Fan said:

I read this article last week in USAToday:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...hy-gratuities-may-going-out-style/4748441002/

It says tipping is slowly going away in the US.

A few years ago, I went to the Bahamas and they automatically put a 15% service charge on everything and service was absolutely terrible. I tip when the service is good and I tip generously when the service is really good.

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I can believe that it’s going away, people are getting tired of ever increasing tips and add to that the poor service, not hard to understand why

jeff said:

I recently saw suggested tips on a Limpopo based outfitters ad for plains game was $ 160 a day. I noticed that they also had packages that were under $ 3000 for some 7 day hunts. That would add $1120 to that small package, seems high.

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@jeff, the tip you pay for a hunt, or for a burger and fries, is up to you, no one else. And it is no one else's business. If an outfitter specified to me up front how much tip I am to leave, if would be time for me to find another outfitter.

The tip at first seems high, it amounts to 37% over the $3000.00 or 27% of the total $4120.00, however the $3000,00 is more than reasonable and it is perhaps why the outfitters ask for a larger tip. The total is still very reasonable for a plains game hunt. They may have their own reasons to break it down this way. I personally would look at the grand total cost of the hunt in this instance, not the breakdown. Just a thought.

Paul Homsy said:

The tip at first seems high, it amounts to 37% over the $3000.00 or 27% of the total $4120.00, however the $3000,00 is more than reasonable and it is perhaps why the outfitters ask for a larger tip. The total is still very reasonable for a plains game hunt. They may have their own reasons to break it down this way. I personally would look at the grand total cost of the hunt in this instance, not the breakdown. Just a thought.

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This was his tip suggestion for all his hunts not just his starter package.