Your Holiday Contract
The contract is between the Company and the client, being any person travelling or intending to travel on a tour operated by the Company. The contract, including all matters arising from it, is subject to English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Booking Procedure
Once you have received our full confirmation and request for payment please complete the Booking Form and send it to us by post or scanned email copy. If you are booking 10 weeks or more before departure we will ask for a minimum non-refundable deposit of £400 per person.
For some tours and extensions (for example Socotra, Democratic Republic of Congo and our extension to Mole National Park in Ghana) we will require a higher deposit as advised at the time of booking.
Booking within this period, full payment will be required. Any balance payment will also be due at this time.
It should be noted that airlines frequently change their prices and can apply fuel surcharges which are beyond our control.
Please note that deposits are non-refundable. Unless otherwise advised payments for flights are non-refundable and dates of travel will be fixed and non-changeable. It essential that travel insurance is taken at the time of booking to cover possible cancellation.
Tour Prices
Prices are per person and are based on two people sharing a twin room. Please note that double bedded rooms cannot be guaranteed, although requests will be noted at the time of booking. Furthermore, some hotels have several different room types. We regret that we are unable to pre-allocate a particular room type and in order that we accommodate the entire group, some clients may be given a superior room type without additional charge. In such cases this will always be done in the fairest way possible.
Group Size
Unless otherwise stated our tours are based on a minimum of 3 clients and a maximum of 12. In the event that we are unable to operate the tour on this basis, you will be advised at the earliest opportunity and always no less than 1 month before departure. At that time you will be offered one of the following options:
• Travel as planned, but at an additional supplement, payable per person.
• The cost of this supplement will vary depending on the itinerary and number of confirmed clients.
• The same tour but on a different date. Alternatively a different tour, for another destination and date.
• A full refund of all monies paid to the Company.
Single Supplement
Please note unless advised otherwise a single supplement applies to all solo travellers joining one of our group tours. However, we understand that many people travel alone. Although we do charge a single supplement, if you are willing to share with another traveller then please contact us and we will do our best to match you up. In this case and once we have found another traveller for you to share with, the single supplement will be removed from your invoice.
Alterations By You
Once we have agreed a tour and itinerary with you and issued a confirmation/account, should you wish to change your arrangements we reserve the right to impose an amendment fee of £75.00 per booking.
For alterations within 10 weeks of departure Cancellation Charges may apply.
Alteration By Us
From time to time it may be necessary or advisable to alter the arrangements for your holiday. We reserve the right to make such alterations to any of the arrangements, as we consider necessary or advisable. Where such alterations are material we will inform you as soon as possible and give you the choice of accepting the revised arrangements or a full and prompt refund of all monies paid without interest payment. We may consider payment of a maximum of £75.00 per person compensation when such material alterations are necessary within 8 weeks of departure. No compensation will be paid at anytime under circumstances caused by war or threat of war, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, accident, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, airline failure, closure of airports, government or other authority travel restrictions or adverse weather conditions.
Cancellation By You
Should you wish to cancel your holiday, you must notify us as soon as possible. Please advise of the reason for cancellation as you may be covered by your insurance policy. If written notification of cancellation is received more than 10 weeks before departure only your deposit will be forfeited, together with the cost of any domestic flight(s), which are always non-refundable and non-changeable. If you cancel less than 12 weeks before departure the following cancellation charges will be applied:
70-51 days 30% of final invoice
50 to 31 days 70% of final invoice
Within 30 days – 100% of final invoice
If we are able to run your trip but you are unable to join it due to Covid related restrictions in your home country, this would be treated as a cancellation. While we would work with you as much as possible to obtain a refund, this may not be possible. For this reason it is essential that you have appropriate insurance cover in place.
Please note that some trips may be subject to different cancellation conditions, as a result of services we have to book in destination. For our trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a cancellation charge of 100% will be applied within 50 days of arrival.
Cancellation By Us
We will not cancel your holiday other than for the reasons shown in these conditions under ‘Group Size’ and for force majeure or the client’s failure to pay the final invoice. We will return promptly all monies paid as shown on the account, unless the cancellation is due to non-payment by the client, in which case the appropriate cancellation fees as listed above will be charged.
Our Responsibility for your Holiday
Your booking is accepted on the understanding that you realise the potential risks and hazards that can be involved in adventure travel of this kind, including injury, loss or damage to property, discomfort and inconvenience. We will also accept your booking on the understanding that you realise the safety facilities in the developing world – in the vehicles, on the roads and at the tourist sights – often do not match ours in the west. Where the client does not suffer personal injury, the Company accepts liability should any part of the tour arrangements booked with Company not be supplied as described in the itinerary. However we do not accept liability for compensation should there be no fault on the part of the Company or its suppliers and the reason for the failure in the tour arrangements was the client’s fault, the actions of someone unconnected with the tour arrangements or could not have been foreseen or avoided by the Company or its suppliers even if due care had been exercised. Where the client does suffer personal injury or death as a result of an activity forming part of the tour arrangements booked with the Company, the same rules shall apply. Our responsibility does not start until you meet the group or our overseas representative at the designated start point overseas; usually the airport in the city at the start of the trip. We are not responsible for any additional expenses incurred by you in getting to the meeting point.
Your responsibility
For the safety and smooth running of your tour, you must abide by the decisions of your guide and / or tour leader when travelling. Travellers who behave in such a way to jeopardise the safety of the tour, have a negative impact upon the enjoyment of the tour for other group members, or who are rude or abusive to our travellers, guides and other service providers, may be removed from the tour. In this instance, no refunds will be given for any unused services.
Most of our tours do not require any special level of fitness but you should ensure that you are able to participate in tour activities, to avoid having a negative impact on the rest of the group.
You must ensure that you meet the entry requirements for the countries that you are visiting, for example any requirements for Covid or Yellow Fever vaccination status.
Surcharges
Prices quoted are based upon a currency conversion rate of £1 = US$1.2 and £1 = €1.1. The company reserves the right to increase the holiday cost to take account of the following items; government action, including the cost of park or entrance fees, currency, transportation costs, including the cost of itinerary amendments in the interests of Client safety, fuel, overflying charges, airport charges and increases in scheduled airfares. The Company will absorb a sum equal to 2% of the holiday cost excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges should a surcharge be necessary. The Client will have to pay any sum in excess of this 2% but if the surcharge results in an increase of more than 10% of the holiday cost excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges the Client may cancel the booking within 7 days notification of the surcharge and obtain a full refund of all money paid to the Company except for any holiday insurance premium and amendment fees.
Insurance
It is a condition of joining our tours that you must take out your own insurance, and we recommend that you do this once you have paid your deposit. Adequate insurance must be in place before participating in a tour, which must include cover for medical expenses and repatriation costs should you become too ill to continue your trip. We also recommend that your insurance includes cancellation and disruption cover, and that it covers the full cost of your travel arrangements.
You should ensure that you have suitable insurance cover in place to cover any Covid related restrictions on travel that may be imposed by your home country.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Advice
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issues advice for overseas travel and advises against travel to some of the destinations that we offer. You should ensure that you read the advice regarding the destination that you are visiting, and are aware of the risks that this may involve, before booking your trip. The FCDO advice can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Financial Protection
We are members of the Travel Trust Association and hold membership number Q2133. This ensures that in the event of our failure your money will be protected; for information on the Travel Trust Association please see http://www.traveltrust.co.uk. The flights we provide are supplied by other ATOL holders and are protected by their bonds. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk
Payment for your Flight
The payments you make for your flight are held by us (in our trust account) on behalf of the ATOL holder who is supplying your flight, until the date we pass the money to that ATOL holder. The ATOL holder supplying the flight will issue an ATOL confirmation invoice to confirm its contract with you. We will forward it to you no later than the day after it has been received.
