What is a Local Payment (LP) and what is it for?
The local payment (LP) is an additional cost. Some of the tour pricing is made up of the tour fare and the local payment. The tour fare is payable prior to departure and the local payment will be collected by your guide in cash at the pre departure meeting. The local payment is required to cover a wide variety of the on-tour expenses, which can include National Park entrance fees, excursions and activities, certain fresh foods, vehicle toll and entrance fees, as well as some accommodation costs whilst travelling throughout Africa. The local payment must be paid in cash to the tour leader. Why does it work like this? Well in remoter areas, sometimes there just are no banks! and cash in a hard currency is the only way the guides can operate effectively. The majority of adventure tours in Africa operate using a similar cash local payment system.
