Tipping in Sharm El Sheikh: a practical guide
Tipping in Sharm El Sheikh is expected rather than optional, and it forms a real part of how boat crews, dive guides, drivers, hotel staff and restaurant servers earn their living. Most workers in tourism here are paid a modest basic wage, so tips are built into the way the whole system works, even though nobody will demand one outright.
The practical questions are usually about money rather than manners: which currency to carry, roughly how much suits each type of worker, and how to hand it over without awkwardness. This guide works through the people a visitor typically meets in Sharm El Sheikh, from the boat crew on a snorkelling trip to the turndown service at a hotel.
Why tipping matters in Sharm El Sheikh
Much of the tourism workforce in Sharm El Sheikh, from boat deckhands to hotel housekeepers, is paid a fixed and fairly low basic wage. Tips are not a bonus on top of a comfortable salary; for many staff they make up a significant share of monthly income, which is why the practice is so widespread across the town.
Across Egypt more generally, small informal tips for minor help, sometimes called baksheesh, are part of daily life: a parking attendant who watches a car, someone who points out the right bus, a toilet attendant who hands you a towel. In a resort town like Sharm El Sheikh, visitors encounter this constantly, well beyond the more formal tipping moments at the end of a tour or a meal.
Some operators and hotels do add a service charge to a bill or a package, but this is usually pooled and does not always reach the individual person who carried your bags or guided your snorkel group. A direct tip to that person is still worth giving, and it is understood as separate from any service charge already included.
None of this needs to be stressful. Carrying some change through the day, tipping modestly and consistently rather than occasionally and generously, and saying thank you when you hand something over will cover almost every situation you meet in Sharm El Sheikh.
Which currency to carry, and how to keep it handy
The Egyptian pound is the easiest currency for tipping, since staff can use it immediately without needing to exchange it. Cash machines are common in the hotel strip and around Naama Bay, so withdrawing local currency before a day trip or a boat excursion is straightforward.
US dollars and euros in small denominations are also widely accepted for tipping, particularly on boats and safaris aimed mainly at international visitors. What matters more than which currency you use is having notes small enough that the person you are tipping does not need to find change, which is often difficult for them on the spot.
Before heading out for a full day, it helps to break a larger note at a shop, a cafe or hotel reception, so you set off with several smaller notes rather than one big one. Trying to split a large note in front of a boat crew or a guide at the end of a trip is awkward for everyone involved.
Keeping tipping money in a separate pocket or a small pouch, away from the rest of your spending money, means you are not searching through a full wallet in front of a group. It also makes it easier to judge, at a glance, how much you have left for the rest of the day.
Tipping the boat crew on snorkelling and diving trips
Boat trips out to spots such as Ras Mohammed or Tiran Island usually involve several crew members working together: a captain, one or two deckhands handling ropes and anchors, and often someone preparing lunch on board. Each plays a distinct part in making the day run smoothly, from safe mooring to a hot meal served mid-trip.
A tip is usually given towards the end of the trip, once the boat is heading back. On some excursions it is handed to one crew member to share out, and on others there is a tip box near the exit; if you are not sure which applies, the guide or operator on board will usually tell you if you ask.
On a longer day out with several stops, such as the Blue Hole & Abu Galum Snorkelling Tour, the crew handles anchoring at each site, setting out snorkel gear, and serving lunch between stops, all of which is worth acknowledging with a tip once you are back at the harbour.
If a dedicated snorkel guide got into the water with your group to point out reef features or keep an eye on weaker swimmers, that is usually treated as separate from the general boat crew tip, since it reflects direct personal attention rather than the running of the boat itself.
Tipping the dive guide and dive centre staff
For scuba diving, tipping the instructor or dive guide is customary, particularly after a full day with multiple dives or a short course. Guides carry and check equipment, brief divers on the site and conditions, and lead the group underwater, which is more hands-on work than a typical shore excursion.
On a first dive, such as Shore diving in Naama Bay, beginners are usually paired closely with one instructor for the whole session, and a direct tip to that person at the end reflects the one-to-one attention involved in a first underwater experience.
Dive centre support staff, such as those who handle tanks and equipment on the boat or dock, are often tipped as a group through a shared box at reception, kept separate from any personal tip given to the instructor who led the dive itself.
Divers who return to the same dive centre or instructor over several days sometimes choose to tip once at the end of the stay rather than after every single dive, which is a reasonable approach as long as the total reflects the number of sessions involved.
Tipping drivers and guides on day trips
Long day trips, for example to Cairo or Luxor, typically involve both a driver and a separate guide, often an Egyptologist, and these two roles are usually tipped separately rather than together, since they involve quite different work.
On a flight-based day out such as the Cairo Day Trip by Plane, the driver manages airport transfers and local traffic around Giza and the museum, while the guide provides the historical commentary at each site; a modest tip to each person reflects their distinct part in the day.
For shorter transfers within Sharm El Sheikh itself, such as a hotel pickup for a spa visit or a local activity, a smaller tip to the driver is still customary, though naturally less than for a full day spent together on a longer excursion.
On multi-day tours that change drivers or guides between legs, it is more practical to tip each person as they hand over to the next, rather than trying to remember everyone and tip at the very end of the trip.
Tipping guides on desert safaris and quad biking trips
A desert safari evening usually brings together several different staff: a guide who leads the quad or buggy convoy, Bedouin camp hosts who serve dinner and run any show, and sometimes a photographer working through the group. Each does a distinct job across the evening.
On a trip such as the Sharm El Sheikh Desert Safari with Quad or Buggy, Dinner and Show, tipping the lead guide for the riding part of the evening is standard, with a separate small tip for camp staff who serve food and manage the entertainment at the stop.
Where a camel ride is included alongside the quad or buggy section, the camel handler is usually tipped separately too, generally a smaller amount than the main guide, since that part of the evening tends to be shorter.
Because these trips run after dark and the desert camp has limited lighting, it helps to set aside tipping notes before you leave the hotel rather than trying to count change by torchlight at the end of the evening.
Tipping hotel staff in Sharm El Sheikh
Housekeeping staff are often worth a small daily amount left in the room, since different people may clean on different days and a single tip at checkout might only reach whoever is on duty that morning. Porters who carry luggage to and from a room, and doormen who help with taxis, are also commonly tipped.
At all-inclusive resorts, where food and drink are already covered by the stay, many guests still tip bar and restaurant staff within the hotel for individual service, separately from anything already included in the package.
A concierge who arranges a booking, a transfer or a more involved request beyond the usual front-desk tasks is also commonly tipped, reflecting the extra effort of sorting out something specific rather than a routine enquiry.
Around the pool, staff who set out towels or sun loungers are often given small change through the day, which is a common and low-key practice in resort areas like Sharm El Sheikh.
Tipping in restaurants and cafes
Many restaurants in Sharm El Sheikh already add a service charge to the bill, so it is worth checking before deciding whether to add more. Even where a service charge is included, leaving a small extra amount in cash for the waiter who served you directly is a common and appreciated practice.
In smaller, independently run restaurants without a service charge, rounding up the bill or leaving roughly what you would at home for similar service is a reasonable guide, rather than following any fixed formula.
At cafes, juice bars and similar quick-service spots, leaving small change is appreciated but less expected than in a sit-down restaurant with proper table service, since the level of interaction is usually much briefer.
Where possible, tip in cash rather than adding an amount to a card payment, since card tips do not always make their way back to the individual member of staff who served you, whereas cash handed over directly is more reliable.
Tipping at spas and the hammam
Spa visits usually involve more than one person: the therapist who carries out the massage itself, and often a separate attendant who manages the sauna, steam room or jacuzzi. Each can be tipped individually, reflecting their different roles during the visit.
For a treatment such as the 50-Minute Full-Body Massage, the common approach is to tip the therapist directly at the end of the session, handed over personally rather than left with the receptionist, so that it reaches the right person.
A traditional hammam or Turkish bath experience often involves several stages, such as a scrub and a separate massage, sometimes carried out by different staff members, in which case small tips to more than one person are worth considering.
As with restaurants, cash handed straight to the therapist is more reliable than money left at a front desk, since there is no guarantee that reception will pass on the full amount to the person who actually carried out the treatment.
How and when to hand a tip over
Discretion is generally appreciated. A folded note passed quietly into someone's hand, rather than coins counted out in public or a tip left visibly on a table for everyone to see, feels more respectful and is the more common way tips are given in Sharm El Sheikh.
Timing is usually straightforward: the end of a service, a trip or a meal is the natural moment. For anything that runs across several days with the same person, such as a dive instructor or a regular driver, it is worth deciding in advance whether you will tip daily or in one amount at the end.
A simple thank you, in English or with the Arabic word shukran, alongside the tip is a small gesture that is noticed and valued, and costs nothing beyond a moment's effort.
There is no fixed formula to follow, and you should not feel obliged to tip a set percentage of anything. Base the amount on the length and quality of the service you received, keep some small notes with you through the day, and do not let an awkward moment over change overshadow what should otherwise be a straightforward part of a trip to Sharm El Sheikh.