Contact Us
info@oneseedexpeditions.com

How much to tip guides and porters on a trek

When you set off on your adventure, you’ll be joined by one or more of our incredible guides. OneSeed guides are highly experienced and committed to making your trip a great experience. Just like other sectors of the service industry, a tip is a great way to let your guide know how you felt about your expedition.

Our policy at OneSeed is that tips are never expected, but always appreciated. You are free to give as much or as little as you feel fit, but we have included a chart below to act as a guide.

Remember, the averages below are based on per person recommendations. The number of guides and support staff per expedition varies by country and number of expedition participants.

DAILY TIP RECOMMENDATIONs PER PERSON (all countries except Tanzania)

  • Head Guide: $10-15/day/per traveler during trek

  •  Assistant Guide (if applicable): $8-10/day/per traveler during trek

  •  Cook/Camp Assistant/Porter/Driver (if applicable): $5-10/day/per traveler during trek

EXAMPLE TIPPING BREAKDOWN:

If you travel to Chile on the Epic Patagonia trip, you will be on the trail for seven days. If you budgeted $12/day for the head guide, and $9/day for the assistant guide, your total tip amount per traveler for the trek would be $147.

** We recommend budgeting around $75 - $300 for the trekking portion of your expedition. New, crisp USD are best brought from home as ATMs can be few and far between **

Tips are gratefully accepted in either USD or local currency. In Argentina, tips are strongly preferred in USD.

You will have one guide if your group size is under 5-6 people. You will have two guides if your group size exceeds 5 people.


Traveling to Tanzania? Read our Tipping in Tanzania guide for more information.

As for when to tip, the end of your trip is best. To keep things easy, tip each guide individually as opposed to one lump sum for all. Simply find a moment at the end of the trip to thank your guide personally and give them whatever amount you see fit.

They’ll be thankful not just that you tipped them, but that you took a moment to let them know how  you felt about the experience and what role they played in shaping your expedition.

Happy Trekking!