How to Tip Guide & Driver in Tibet?

• by Apple
• Last Updated: 2023-11-11

Tipping in Tibet is not mandatory, however, if you go on a long trip out to EBC, western or eastern Tibet, your guide and driver will be expected a tip at the end of the trip, assuming all went well, and satisfactory service is provided.

We have a rather short tourism season in Tibet, usually from April to November. The winter months from December to February are usually too cold to receive any real business, and in March Tibet is closed to foreigners. Guide & Driver are working these 8 months, from April to November, to support themselves and their families for the whole year.

Our tour products have no souvenir shop visits to ensure tourists the best experience possible. This means except for the salary paid by us, guides & drivers in Tibet have no other source of income like a commission from souvenir shops. Your tip, big or small, will be considered a generous deed.

Tipping of guide & driver in Tibet is usually done at the end of the tour. However during peak season, especially for GROUP TOUR, good guides are usually very busy. Sometimes they may not always be able to attend on the last day to see you off Tibet at Lhasa Airport or Railway Station. If this is thus mentioned by the guide, who has accompanied you the whole tour except the last day, it is a hint and it’s appropriate to tip him/her before the last day of departing.

As for the exact amount you should tip your guide & driver in Tibet, below we give you some rough guidance.

Guide = Total Travel Days * USD 5
Driver = Total Travel Days * USD 5

Note: this means you tip as a whole to guide & drive. eg. For two friends travel together on an 8-day tour in Tibet, then the two of you tip together (not individually), after rounding it up, about USD 80/CNY 580 to the guide, and about USD 80/CNY 580 to the driver.

All in all, don’t feel too pressured about tipping guides & drivers in Tibet. Essentially it is based on the level of service quality they provided and how you feel about them.

Related Articles

• Travel From Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp
  To Everest Base Camp in Nepal, you can fly to Lukla then trek there. To EBC in Tibet, you can fly to Lhasa then drive there or travel overland from Kathmandu.

• Nepal Bhutan Tibet Travel Map
  Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet are distributed on the south and north sides of the Himalayas, sharing the beautiful scenery. Here're detailed travel maps.

• How to Travel from Nepal to Tibet?
  Traveling from Nepal to Tibet is a great way to enjoy the Buddhist culture and Himalayan landscapes. Currently, you can go by plane or by road.

• Tibet Travel Restrictions You Should Know
  Tibet is a special destination so there're many travel restrictions in Tibet. And foreign tourists should obtain Tibet travel permits before visiting Tibet.

• Tibet Neighbors, Borders and Ports
  Tibet is located in the southwest of the Tibet Plateau and neighbors India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Kashmir, and other regions, with a 4000km+ borderline.

• Tashi Delek
  Tashi Delek is a simple Tibetan greeting word, conveying the wishes of blessing, good luck and happiness. Do you know the true and original meaning of it?

• Most Famous Tibetan Monasteries and Temples
  Tibetan Monasteries and Temples can be seen everywhere in Tibet. It's no exaggeration to say that Tibetan Buddhism is the foundation of Tibetan culture.

• Most Famous Highest Mountains of Tibet
  There are 26 of the 100 highest mountains in the world clustered in Tibet. Here are the highest and most famous mountains with photos and travel tips.

• Top 10 Meditation Retreats in Tibet
  Meditation can allow us to fully release stress and traveling to Tibet can see plateau scenery. Combining both will be an amazing journey of a lifetime!

• Tibetan Food and Cuisine
  Tibetan food is waiting for you in Lhasa. Popular dishes include Tsampa, butter tea, yak meat, yogurt, etc., which are also the staple diet in Tibet.

• Wild Animals in Tibet
  In Tibet, you can only see wild animals from a distance. What do the beautiful elves on the plateau look like? Let's take a look at the top animals in Tibet.