Tipping Guide For Rwanda Self drive Trips

Africa is one of the places are always considered too backward by foreigner. The first thing to think about when travelling to any African country is 4×4 car hire. Similarly, 4×4 car rentals are important in Rwanda. In this country that is commonly known as the land of a thousand hills, a 4×4 car is an essential when you off-roading. Here is a Tipping Guide For Rwanda Self drive Trips.

Unlike tailored safaris where the travel agent gives you almost all the necessary information for your trip, on self drive Rwanda trips you might have to figure out things by yourself. Among the things to figure out include how much to tip for the different services. For instance, how much should you tip the person who delivers and picks up the car from you?

Tipping is not a one size fits all but there are rates that stand out by rule of thumb. Here are some of the most important tipping tips for a Rwanda self drive safari.

Tipping Currency

You can tip people in either USD or Rwandan francs. However it is important to note that some dollar notes are absolute in Rwanda. Dollar bills that were produced earlier than 2009 are often not allowed in many places. Therefore if you tip someone with an old dollar bill, it sometimes turns out not to be a tip.

How Much is Tipping In Rwanda Restaurants, Bars and Clubs

It is not customary to tip in Rwanda. No one will demand a tip from you. But if you find the service good and you wish to tip, then anything between $5 and $10 is a good tip. This can be given in either USD or Rwanda francs.

Hotel Tipping

Though it is not mandatory to tip, it is important to note that most of the staff in these establishments do not receive a decent pay. Therefore out of your good heart, you can choose what you find appropriate. Similar to the bar and restaurant tips, anything between $5 and $10 is fine.

Park Rangers and Tour Guides

It is common practice to find a tipping box at hotel. However when it comes to game rangers/ park guides, tips are issued to individual. In Rwanda, tour guides are among the highly tipped individuals. Some can receive to as much as $100. But that does not mean it’s the standard.

The most recommend is anything between $15 and $20. Unlike restaurants and bars where you will likely tip one person, some activities such as gorilla trekking will likely have more than one tour guide and for that reason, you might end up spending like $100 on tips alone.

Tipping Taxi Drivers or any other Drivers

In Rwanda, drivers are often given the change. For instance, when you visit places like Kigali market, you will be given some change after buying items such as souvenirs. Instead of going back to your home country with all this local currency or exchanging it to USD, leaving to the taxi driver or company driver would make a good tip.

However, if all you have is coins, then you might have to consider tipping the driver between $5 and $10.

Grocery Store Tipping

When you visit a grocery store in Rwanda during your self drive trip and out of your good heart choose to tip the attend serving you. Anything between $3 and $5 is good enough.

What should you budget for in Tips on your self drive trip in Rwanda?

If you intend to tip in USD, you might have to plan for something between $150 and $200. However if you intend to tip in Rwandan francs, your budget will go a little beat lower. Something like $100 will work.

To avoid over spending on tips, it is recommended that you plan your tipping in advance. If you intend to visit museums and national park, you should know that the tour guides expect tips from you. Contact us to know more about this Tipping Guide For Rwanda Self drive Trips.