We’ve had plenty of questions recently regarding tipping your river guides – How do I do it and how much should I tip? We’ll help you out a bit with the answers to those questions in this blog.

Tipping your river guides at the end of your rafting tour is a common practice but ultimately up to you. Grand Canyon Whitewater recommends 8 to 10 percent of the full trip price for a job well done.

The rafting trip leader, or TL, usually collects tips on the last night or in the morning of the last day. It is probably easier in the evening of the last night as there will be less going on. Rafting guests can give their tip to any of the guides; they all will ultimately go to the trip leader, who then distributes the tips evenly among the employed guides.

The best way to pay is in cash, because that is the easiest for the guides to divvy up. If you aren’t comfortable carrying that amount of cash with you, you can write a check. My suggestion would be to leave the check blank until the end of the river trip and then ask the trip leader who you should make the check out to. The trip leader may have you make the check out to him/herself or one of the other guides, whatever makes it easier for them to split the tips.

We hope this helps you plan your rafting vacation a bit better. Please call Grand Canyon Whitewater with any other questions you may have! 800-343-3121