This is a question that is often asked of us at the time of booking. My answer is:
Tipping, though customary, is not mandatory. The PH will, like UK Keepers and Stalkers, rely on tips to make up a living wage. Although I am involved in an outfitter's business, I still pay for my hunts and therefore I encounter the question of how much to tip. If I attend a driven pheasant shoot in UK, I will tip the keeper at least £20, so if I hunt with a PH for 10 days, he will get at least £200, if found worthy of a tip. If he has rendered service above the norm, I will give more, according to my budget. As has been said, financial ability will dictate the tip amount. Around $350 or equivalent in other currencies is a very acceptable tip in general. I also make sure that I tip the Tracker/Skinner. He is the guy who can save you a lot of work. ZAR 500 is my norm. I also leave a tip for the Lodge Manager and room and bar staff. 500ZAR for the manager, 200ZAR for each barman and 100ZAR for each of the maids. They earn it. Room Staff not only service your room but will (should if the deal states it) collect, wash and iron your clothes every day and the Bar Staff sometimes stay up to the wee hours, especially if our guests are having a morning off the following day and want to take advantage of our cellar!! Not every Lodge has such designated staff though. PH tips I will always give direct, along with a thank you and a small gift, as has already been suggested by a previous poster. Tracker/Skinner, I pay direct too. Lodge Staff and Lodge Manager, I pay to the Lodge Manager. She holds a book into which details of every tip given is noted, how much and by whom, and can be viewed by the staff at any time, so each knows what he or she has in the pot. "The Pot" is paid out at the end of the season, just before Christmas. But I say again. In Nduna's case, tips are not mandatory, nor built into the cost of a hunt. Tipping is a personal thing and whether or not you choose to tip should not affect the quality of your hunt in any way. We want our clients to come back. This expressed view is my personal view.