Guide to tipping in Rwanda

After finalizing all planning for the trip to Rwanda to see the gorillas in the Virunga mountains, chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest and take a safari trip to see the big five in Akagera national park, the last question asked, or topic of discussion is often about tipping. Travelers ask questions such as; how is tipping in Rwanda, should I tip? How much should I tip, and who should I tip? Below I shall guide on the question of tipping in Rwanda

Should I tip in Rwanda? It is not mandatory, but you should

First of all, tipping is not mandatory in Rwanda, and you will not receive an awkward look if you walk away after receiving a service. In a nutshell, the culture of tipping does not exist in Rwanda or has not picked up for most people. Tipping is there left to your discretion. However, a tip goes a long way in uplifting an individual, as the ordinary person in Rwanda earns a small monthly wage that he or she can barely survive on. It is therefore advisable to tip, and therefore plan to have a tipping budget when you travel to Rwanda.

Next question is, who should I tip?

You have so many people along the service chain, but may be not everyone deserves the tip. The persons you interface with the most and those who visibly put in the effort to see you are satisfied with a service deserve the tip. Some of the people on your service chain include; waitresses & waiters, drivers, guides, and porters

Now the most important question is, how much should I tip?

Most travelers coming from a tipping society know that they have to tip, but their question is how much should they tip? You can tip as much as you can afford depending on how you are satisfied with a service. Here is a guide on how to tip for the different personnel you might have on your service chain during your trip in Rwanda.

Waiters, waitresses and other lower hotel personnel

Waiters, waitresses and other support staff at the hotel can be tipped $5 Alternatively, you can change some dollars to Rwanda Francs and a tip from 1000 – 3000 Rwanda Francs is very decent. That is less than $5 but with good value in Rwandan currency.

Guides (guides at tourist sites)

Depending on the activity, you can tip from $10 – $20. Guides at local sites such as museums can be tipped $10. Meanwhile activity guides such as for gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, hiking, etc… can get the biggest tip of $20+ because of the enormous work they do and direct contribution towards conservation.

Tour drivers

Tour drivers are persons who spend with you the most time and share with you a wealth of information about different destinations. They also ensure you are safe all the time. These can be tipped $10 – $15 per day, per each tourist in the car. Should I also say tour drivers are one group that is used to being tipped and will be expecting a tip at the end of their service 🙂

Porters

Porters are hired at $10 when trekking to help carry your backpack and provide a push or pull were necessary. At the end of the trek you can tip them an extra $5 depending on how much more help they would have provided than just carrying the bag.