Tipping
Tipping is always your choice and never expected on the day, and no tip appears in your quote. When guests ask for a figure, the planning guide suggests ranges by country; most guests hand over an envelope on the last day.
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India
In India the suggested range for your driver is ₹500 to 800 a day, handed over in one envelope at the end of the journey rather than day by day.
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India
Local guides in Darjeeling, Kalimpong or Gangtok are thanked at the end of their days with you. The suggested figure is about ₹500 for each half day they spend guiding.
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Houses and estates
At a tea estate or hotel, give whatever feels right, in a single envelope for the whole staff at checkout. Glenburn has no ATM, so bring cash for small purchases and tips.
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Bhutan
For one or two guests, a common rule of thumb is US$8 to 10 per guest a day for your guide and US$5 to 7 per guest a day for your driver, in an envelope on the last day, often at the airport on the way out.
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Nepal
For guides and drivers in Nepal, suggested amounts are set out in the final papers you receive before you fly, and tips are given at the end of each section of the journey.
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Trails and parks
A trek crew gets a guideline for its size at booking, handed over once, together, on the last evening in Yuksom. In the Dooars parks, the safari driver and forest guide are tipped after each run, if you choose.
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Cash
Keep enough cash for tips, shrine offerings and market stalls, and draw it in Darjeeling, Kalimpong or Gangtok: the machines at Kurseong, Ravangla, Yuksom and Zuluk can be empty when you reach them.
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