What is excluded on a Uganda Safari? This is question is one of those usual questions one should ask their tour operator when booking a Uganda safari. This question should always come to a travellers mind before they make are payments to a desired Uganda safari package. The information from your tour consultant must be clearly stated to avoid unrealistic complaints and expenses on doing the Uganda safari. Despite knowing the cost of a Uganda Safari and what is included in the quote, one must keep in mind of a few more items that will require personal payment from the clients depending in their interest and budget. Most local tour operators normally cost for the expenses their guests will do when they land in Uganda that means all ground experiences are the one quoted for while the client handles other items. Below are some of the variables that are excluded when costing for a Uganda safari
Tipping and Gratuities
Most of the established tour operators do not include the tip offs given by tourists. This is because tipping in Uganda is of a personal appreciation. The visitor is offered to tip for services rendered depending on someone’s appreciation of level of service. Some of the people who serve to you during the trip deserve to be tipped and they may include; the safari drivers, tour guides, and ranger guides, Hotel staff that is housekeepers and waiters, porters to mention a few. Yes, these people are paid by the organization they are employed to however, giving them an extra fee as a motivation and appreciation for the efforts to making your safari enjoyable is amazing! The estimated amount of tipping is not included in the safari cost because you may decide to tip more or less depending on the service. Tipping should be at least a minimum of US$10 per person. Gratuities are also voluntary and should not be obligatory on any planned Uganda safari. However, both tips and gratuities are often expected as is the local tradition in most of Uganda tourist attraction therefore, all visitors must carry extra cash for tips and gratuities.
Souvenirs
Also most tourists wish to buy cultural/traditional curios to take back home, so most tour operators do not include the cost of the souvenirs in the general quotation of the Uganda safari. When the tourist wishes to buy particular curios depending on the prices, it is all up to them to spend at their own cost. To create a memory for Uganda when you return to your home country, purchasing a souvenir for yourself or your family and friends will be a great gift, therefore before you travel save up some money for souvenirs, What is excluded on a Uganda Safari?.
International flights and Visa fees
Most tour operators in Uganda do not include international flights and Visa fees when providing a safari package because there are specific persons responsible for flight bookings, those are called Travel agents while the tour operator only handle destination ground bookings. Flight arrangements and Visa costs are incurred by the travellers directly. Your trip is only planned for ground to cover costs like ground transfers, accommodation, meals and activities. Usually travellers have a lot of connecting flights involved before reaching their final destinations so it is usually tricky for the operators so it is best for the client to manage their own flight processes including Visa application. Some of the information needed to process the Visa required a personal connection with the immigration offices where by the tour planner cannot get involved. The tour operator only needs your tour arrival and departure flights.
Optional activities
While costing for a Uganda safari, tour operators tend to only cost for the major attractions depending on the daily program of the itinerary and depending on how hectic the program can be. However, some clients do not mind to do extra activities so the tour operators usually don’t cost for extra/optional activities. The optional activities are usually shared with you upon confirmation of your trip and the cost involved. You can then choose to add a few of these optional activities to your safari experience depending on your Uganda safari budget
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is an insurance policy that provided travellers 24 hours emergency for medical assistance, personal accident cover, compensation for travel delay and loss of property and other travel related contingencies that arise during the safari. This travel insurance coverage is said to intend to cover events of sudden and expected sickness or accident that may arise when you are outside your home country. Therefore visitors are advised to have medical insurance before you travel for a Uganda safari. Tour operators usually exclude travel insurance from your safari tour because it is a personal expense, What is excluded on a Uganda Safari?.
Extra meals and beverages
When tour operators are costing for a Uganda safari, they usually include meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is mainly for clients who are foodies and who wish to make meals between breakfast and lunch hours and between lunches to dinner hours. While driving to your destination, some routes are quite long and you need to have a meal along the way such as the route from Kampala to Bwindi impenetrable national park is about 8-9 hours’ drive so you need en-route lunch, some tour operators include this lunch meal while others don’t, so you need to clarify with your tour consultant. If a client wishes to have extra meals out of the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner, that cost is incurred by the client themselves thus anything out of the safari cost will be paid extra by the client. Alcoholic beverages like wine and beer are on a personal expense.
Laundry in lodges
While on a Uganda safari, you will need your property clean especially the clothes worn during the trip. This is also a person expense on the clients so that means the client pays of their own laundry in the hotels/accommodations they stay at. Laundry can be light and heavy clothes and safari boots especially for activities like Gorilla trekking, you need to do your laundry to avoid carrying back your dirty luggage back home. This is also not an expense on the Hotel or lodge. The hotel staffs do laundry for clients at an extra charge, you agree with the staff on how much to pay them for your laundry.
