Maasai Mara tipping: how much to tip your guide and camp staff
Maasai Mara tipping is customary, not compulsory. Here is what camps and safari companies publish for guides, the staff tip box and everyone else, and which notes to bring.
Maasai Mara tipping is customary but not mandatory, and no Kenyan authority publishes a tipping tariff, so the figures on this page are camps’ and safari companies’ own published guidelines. The range most often published for a driver-guide on a shared safari is USD 10–20 per guest per day. Asilia, which runs camps in the Maasai Mara, suggests US$5–15 per guest per day for the communal staff tip box. Give one tip at the end of each camp stay, with your guide tipped separately, in US dollars or Kenyan shillings and in small notes.
The figures below are what camps and safari companies publish for their own guests. None of them is a rule: they are a guide to what is usual, so you can tip with confidence.
Maasai Mara tipping at a glance
Guide: USD 10–20
Per guest per day on a shared safari: the range most often published for Kenya.
Tip box: US$5–15
Asilia's guideline for the camp's communal staff tip box, per guest per day.
Once per camp
At the end of each camp stay; your guide is tipped separately.
Cash, small notes
US dollars or Kenyan shillings; few camps take tips by card.
Restaurants: about 10%
In Nairobi and on the coast, when the bill has no service charge.
Not compulsory
Tipping is customary on a Kenyan safari, not mandatory.
How much should I tip my safari guide?
Your driver-guide is usually the person you tip most: the guide finds the wildlife, places the vehicle for each sighting and explains what you are watching. The range most often published for Kenya is USD 10–20 per guest per day for a driver-guide on a shared or group safari.
Asilia adds that a couple with an outstanding guide might give US$20–40 a day between them, and that tips on a private safari should sit toward the higher end of its range. Most guidance counts tips per guest per day, not per couple or group and not as a percentage of what you paid for the safari.
Expert Africa counts per room or tent instead: about US$20 or KSh 2,000 per room or tent per day, half to the driver-guide and half to the staff tip box.
What about a private guide, a spotter or a tracker?
Private vehicle and guide. Published figures for a private guide differ, from USD 15–25 up to USD 25–30 per guest per day, or USD 40–50 per vehicle per day. Asilia suggests tipping toward the top of its USD 10–20 per guest range, and Monkey Adventures suggests USD 25–40 per day for a private safari guide, from everyone in the vehicle combined.
Spotter or tracker. Some vehicles carry a spotter or tracker as well as the driver-guide. Published figures differ: USD 5–10 or USD 5–15 per guest per day, or KES 500 per day. Expert Africa gives no figure: tip separately, or ask the driver-guide to share.
How much goes in the camp staff tip box?
Most Kenyan safari camps keep a communal staff tip box near reception, shared among all the staff, including those guests rarely see. If your camp has no box, give an envelope to the manager. Guides are not part of the box: tip them separately and directly.
Asilia suggests US$5–15 per guest per day for the tip box. Other guides differ: most say USD 5–15 per guest per day or night, but some say USD 5–10, USD 10–15 or USD 20 per guest per day. Expert Africa suggests half of about US$20 per room per day.
At luxury camps with a personal butler or head waiter, some guides suggest an extra tip on top of the box, but the figures differ: USD 2–5 for individual recognition, or USD 5–10, USD 15 or USD 20 per person per day. It is optional, because the tip box already covers the staff. Expert Africa notes there is no need to tip the camp manager.
Maasai Mara tipping guidelines: what camps and safari companies publish
These camps, safari companies and a guidebook publish their own tipping guidance. None of it is a rule. Asilia and the Governors’ Camp Collection run camps in the Mara; the others are safari companies and a guidebook, writing about Kenya or about Africa as a whole.
| Camp, company or guidebook | Guide | Camp staff | Other advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asilia | US$10–20 per guest per day; a couple with an outstanding guide US$20–40 per day combined; higher on a private safari | US$5–15 per guest per day in the tip box | Bring US$1, US$5 and US$10 notes |
| Governors’ Camp Collection | No figure: tip guides separately | No figure: ask the camp manager for advice | Customary but not mandatory; carry small notes in US dollars or shillings |
| Expert Africa | Half of about US$20 or KSh 2,000 per room or tent per day | The other half, in the staff tip box | About KSh 1,000 is often fine for a solo traveller; no need to tip the manager |
| Ker & Downey | US$10–15 per day for game drivers and guides (basis not stated) | US$10–15 per day for lodge staff (basis not stated) | US dollars are acceptable |
| Jacada Travel | USD 20 per guest per day | USD 20 per guest per day | Porters USD 5 per service; transfer drivers USD 5 per person per journey. Kenya is grouped with Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe |
| Go2Africa | USD 20 per person per day; tracker USD 15 | USD 20 per person per day; butler USD 15 | Transfer driver USD 5 per person. Written for East and southern Africa, not Kenya alone |
| Discover Corps | Group tour: guide US$6–8 per person per day (families of four or more: US$15–30 per day) and driver US$3–5 per person per day; Encounter Mara camp guides about US$5 per person per day | Not given | Families of four or more: see the guide figure |
| Lonely Planet (French edition) | US$3–5 per staff member per day per traveller, for guides and drivers | Cooks: the same US$3–5 | More on high-end safaris or for large groups |
| Monkey Adventures | Private safari guide: USD 25–40 per day from everyone in the vehicle combined | Not given | Tip on the last day, in US dollars or Kenyan shillings |
The figures vary because each company writes for its own kind of trip, from group tours to private safaris. For a standard shared safari, the most often published guide range (USD 10–20 per guest per day) and Asilia’s tip-box range (US$5–15 per guest per day) are a sensible starting point.
When and how do I hand over the tip?
Tip once, at the end of your stay at each camp or lodge, rather than every day. If one driver-guide stays with you for the whole safari, tip them when you say goodbye at the end of the trip. Guide tips are usually handed over in an envelope, and many camps keep envelopes at reception.
If you stay at two or three camps, settle the staff tip box at each camp as you leave. Keep each guide’s tip separate from the box. If you are not sure what is expected, ask the camp manager: the Governors’ Camp Collection asks guests to do exactly that.
Tipping at the end of a camp stay, step by step
Step 1
On your last evening or morning, work out a total for each person you want to tip, per guest and per day.
Step 2
Put the staff tip in the camp's tip box, or in an envelope for the manager if the camp has no box.
Step 3
Give your guide's tip separately, in an envelope, with a word of thanks.
Step 4
If the same driver-guide travels with you between camps, wait and tip at the end of the safari.
Step 5
Not sure what is expected? Ask the camp manager before you leave.
How do we split tips in a family, a group or a shared vehicle?
Because most guidance counts per guest per day, the total for a vehicle grows with the number of guests in it: two guests at USD 10–20 each come to USD 20–40 a day for the guide. If you share a vehicle with other travellers, you can pool your tips into one envelope or give them separately.
For families, Expert Africa suggests increasing its per-room figure for a family sharing one tent, but not necessarily doubling it for children in a separate tent. One safari company counts children under 12 as part of their parents’ share and teenagers per person. On group tours, Discover Corps suggests US$6–8 per person per day for the guide (for families of four or more, US$15–30 per day) and US$3–5 per person per day for the driver. Expert Africa notes that about KSh 1,000 a day is often fine for a solo traveller.
Who else might I tip on a Maasai Mara safari?
- Transfer drivers: published figures differ: USD 2–10 per transfer, USD 5–10 per party one way, USD 5 per person per journey, or USD 10 per vehicle (a 2019 figure).
- Porters at hotels and airstrips: Expert Africa suggests KSh 100–200 for taking bags to your room; other guides say KES 100–200 per bag, USD 5 per service, or USD 1–2 per bag (a 2019 figure).
- Balloon pilot and crew: the balloon operators we checked publish no tipping figure, so ask the operator whether a gratuity is already included.
- Walking guides and rangers on conservancy walks: ask the camp that runs the walk what is usual.
- Maasai village visits and dancers: ask your camp what a visit costs and whether a tip for hosts or dancers is expected.
Always ask permission before you photograph people or their property. The Governors’ Camp Collection notes that in some cases a tip is expected for photos.
US dollars or Kenyan shillings: which notes should I bring?
Tips can be given in US dollars or Kenyan shillings, and the Governors’ Camp Collection suggests carrying both. Bring small notes: Asilia suggests US$1, US$5 and US$10 notes. Cash is the most reliable way to tip, because few camps can take tips by card and card machines can carry surcharges.
Older dollar notes. Older US dollar notes may be refused by Kenyan banks, bureaus and camps, but there is no official rule, and the cut-off quoted varies widely: some guides say notes printed before 2003 or 2006 are refused, others want Series 2009, 2013 or even 2017 and newer. Bring the newest series you can.
How much is a tip in Kenyan shillings?
Converted at the Central Bank of Kenya’s rate for 9 October 2026: KES 129.91 per US dollar (and KES 172.04 per pound sterling, KES 145.92 per euro). The CBK rate is a guide only: banks and forex bureaus set their own buying and selling rates. Check today’s rate on the Central Bank of Kenya’s exchange-rate page before you travel.
| US dollars | Kenyan shillings | Where the amount comes from |
|---|---|---|
| USD 5 | KES 649.55 | Low end of Asilia’s tip-box range, per guest per day |
| USD 10 | KES 1,299.10 | Low end of the most often published guide range, per guest per day |
| USD 15 | KES 1,948.65 | Top of Asilia’s tip-box range, per guest per day |
| USD 20 | KES 2,598.20 | Top of the most often published guide range, per guest per day |
| USD 40 | KES 5,196.40 | Top of Asilia’s daily figure for a couple with an outstanding guide |
Expert Africa quotes “about US$20 or KSh 2,000” per room or tent per day as alternatives. At the CBK rate above they are not the same amount, so choose one currency and keep to it.
Can I tip by card or M-Pesa?
Cards are the hardest way to tip in the Mara: few camps can take tips by card, and card machines can carry surcharges.
M-Pesa. Some guides and restaurant staff accept tips by M-Pesa, Kenya’s mobile money service, but advice differs: one tipping guide says most safari guides prefer M-Pesa; another says cash is strongly preferred at camps and M-Pesa is fine only if you ask first. Camp tip boxes take cash, so ask before you send a tip by phone.
How much cash should I budget for Maasai Mara tipping?
Asilia publishes three worked tip budgets: US$300–500 for a couple on a 7-night mid-range safari, US$400–700 for a family of four over 5 nights, and US$600–900 for a couple on a 10-night luxury safari. Other guides give daily totals for all tips combined, but they differ: USD 15–30 per person per day on a standard Mara safari, USD 30–50, or USD 40–50 with a private guide.
Check whether your safari quote includes tips. If it does not, budget for them separately and bring the cash with you, in the small notes described above.
Example: tips for a couple on a four-day shared safari
| Tip | Published range | Couple, four days | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver-guide (shared vehicle) | USD 10–20 per guest per day | USD 80–160 | The range most often published for Kenya |
| Camp staff tip box | US$5–15 per guest per day | USD 40–120 | Asilia’s guideline |
| Total | USD 120–280 | Before transfer drivers and porters |
The arithmetic: 2 guests × 4 days × USD 10–20 for the guide, plus 2 guests × 4 days × US$5–15 for the tip box. At the CBK rate of 9 October 2026, USD 120–280 is KES 15,589.20–36,374.80. Add transfer drivers and porters from the list above if you use them.
How do I tip in Nairobi hotels and restaurants?
Hotels. In city and coast hotels, Expert Africa suggests one tip at check-out in the reception staff-tips box, roughly KSh 1,000–2,000 (US$10–20) per room per day. For porters, see the figures above.
Restaurants and bars. Leave about 10% of the bill in sit-down restaurants and bars in Nairobi and on the coast, when no service charge is included. One Kenyan hospitality expert puts the usual range at 10–15%. Some larger hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill, so check before adding a tip.
Taxes are not tips. VAT at the general rate of 16% and the 2% Tourism Levy that class A and B tourism businesses pay on their receipts are taxes, not tips for staff.
What if the service fell short?
Tipping is customary on a Kenyan safari, not mandatory, so tip according to the service you received. If something went wrong, tell the camp manager while you are still there, so that it can be put right. The ranges on this page are guidelines for good service, not a fee.
Before you leave for the Maasai Mara
- Budget for tips: USD 10–20 per guest per day for your guide and US$5–15 for each camp's tip box (published ranges).
- Bring small notes in US dollars, Kenyan shillings or both, and the newest dollar series you can.
- Keep an envelope for each guide.
- Ask each camp whether it has a staff tip box.
- Check restaurant bills for a service charge before adding about 10%.
- Unless your nationality is exempt, apply for a Kenya eTA before you fly: see our eTA guide.
More help planning your Maasai Mara safari
- Plan your Maasai Mara safari – the step-by-step guide
- Kenya eTA for Maasai Mara safaris – cost, processing time and who is exempt
- Flights to the Maasai Mara – airlines, times, fares and baggage
- Nairobi to the Maasai Mara by road – route, drive times and gates
- Maasai Mara park fees – current rates for every visitor
- Where to stay in the Maasai Mara – camps and lodges
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