Tipping culture and etiquette vary from country to country. On multi-day expeditions, a great amount of organizational work is done by support staff who work around the clock to ensure travelers have the best possible experience. Travelers should consider the region (including its cost of living), the size of your group, the length of your expedition, the amount of work and quality of service received while tipping.
Each trekking group in Peru requires a skilled team of guides, cooks, and horsemen or porters. Nothing can be stored on the trails, thus mules or porters carry all of the necessary equipment; camping tents, sleeping pads, dining tent, kitchen tent, tables, chairs, cooking stove, gas, and food.
Travelers often want to know how many staff members to anticipate and how to accurately tip each individual. The charts below should serve as a helpful guide when considering a tip at the end of your trek. These amounts are simply a suggestion (and are on the higher end). Trekkers are welcome to tip more or less as they see fit.
Ultimate Machu Picchu - 4 Day Trek:
Backroads Machu Picchu - 3 Day Trek:
Classic Inca Trail - 4 Day Trek
Peru Multi-Sport - 5 Day Adventure:
Taste of Peru - 3 Day Adventure:
All Taste of Peru trips are private departures. Expect to have one head guide for a full three days of sightseeing around the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. At $30/day for a head guide, the group can budget around $90 (300 Soles) total.
Some Important Things to Note:
Talk to your support team to learn about their home country and experience working on the trail. If there is a language barrier, simply showing your team that you appreciate them with a smile and words of encouragement goes a long way!
Tipping usually occurs on the last day of the trek prior to leaving your support team for Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes. It is customary to separate tips by individual if possible. If not possible, tipping the guides, cooks, and horsemen/porters separately is highly recommended to ensure everyone receives their fair share.
Regardless of the size of your expedition, we recommend budgeting around $100 USD to have on hand for the trekking portion of your expedition.
If you feel inclined, you may tip your head guide for additional days of guiding in the Sacred Valley around Cusco before your trek.
Travelers can tip in Peruvian Soles or US Dollars. Be sure to bring new/crisp small bills (nothing higher than $20) in order to tip evenly among all staff. If you prefer to exchange money, you can do so in Cusco prior to your trek at any money exchange office or bank.
Our recommendations are on the high end of the suggested tipping range for Machu Picchu treks. While you might be inclined to tip higher if you’ve received exceptional service, it’s encouraged to tip a standard amount so that your guide and support staff can continue making a living from their job rather than relying on tips. Similar to wait staff in the U.S. who often make below minimum wage due to tipping, we want to ensure all trekking companies in Peru continue to pay their staff a guaranteed living wage.
USD to Peruvian Sol Calculator
Peruvian Soles are generally 3.3 to 1 USD depending on the day of conversion. Click or tap the button below to be taken to an online USD to Sol converter with the most recent exchange rates.
Still have questions? Email us at info@oneseedexpeditions.com or ask your head guide on the trail. Guides are happy to provide you with information on the total number of support staff, names, roles, etc.