REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT
A deposit of 50% of the total tour price is required at the time of booking. The balance is due 42 days prior to departure. If the booking is made within 30 days of the tour departure date, 100% payment is required on booking. Note any Gorilla and Chimp permits for tours in Uganda are to be paid in full at time of booking and are non-refundable. We accept payment via wire transfer, PayPal or debit/credit card. You may also choose to pay full safari amount at booking confirmation if you prefer. If you decide to make payments by bank / wire transfer, you are required to include bank charges incurred on transaction. Should external factors such as government taxes, exchange rates and conservancy fees, that are beyond the Operator’s control adversely affect the cost of running your safari, the Operator reserves the right to impose any such surcharges on the Client as long as the total surcharge does not exceed 5% of the safari price. Should the surcharge be greater than 5%, the Operator will inform the Client and the Client may either pay the extra cost or cancel the trip within 7 days of notification and be entitled to a full refund. Prices quoted are per person sharing accommodation.
CANCELLATION
Clients are subject to any cancellation fees assessed by the purveyors of services including hotels or airlines used in the itinerary. Request for cancellation of your trip must be made in writing and shall be effective on the date of actual receipt by the Operator.
Cancellation Policy
More than 90 days prior to departure, full refund is less $180 per person administrative fee
60 days to 89 days – 30% of tour cost forfeited
30 days to 59 days – 50% of tour cost forfeited
Less than 29 days (and no shows) – 100% of tour cost forfeited
If you are a no-show, if you cancel your day tour/ trip or safari after the departure date, or if you leave a trip already in progress, you will not receive any refund for any unused portion of your trip. There is no right to a refund for any unused services. If some, but not all, party members cancel, additional charges may be payable by the remaining members (e.g. under occupancy charges). Note: If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charge.
IF YOU CHANGE YOUR BOOKING:
If, after our confirmation has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example, your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes MUST be in writing from the person who made the booking. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of £25 per person per change, together with any further charges and/or supplements and/or costs we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs will increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and may include the cost of replacement air tickets for local flights hence you should therefore contact us as soon as possible. We may not be able to make alterations to your holiday arrangements within 21 days of departure without you incurring cancellation charges.
SPECIAL REQUESTS:
All special requests must be notified in writing when the booking is made. This may include single rooms, diet, infants, physically challenged persons etc. whilst the company will endeavor to meet such requests they cannot be guaranteed and failure to fulfill will not be in breach of contract.
EXECUTION OF THE TOUR
Saunterland Africa Tours provides transportation, accommodation, meals, game drives and other services in cooperation with independent suppliers such as hotels, wildlife parks etc. Multi-country tours are also offered in cooperation with other operators. Saunterland Africa Tours will make every effort to ensure that all safari arrangements run as smoothly as possible and all services are offered in the most efficient way possible. However, the Operator does not have direct control over the provision of services by independent suppliers and, whilst every supplier is chosen with utmost care, Saunterland Africa Tours shall not be liable for errors or omissions of such suppliers.
Some camps and lodges offered in your itinerary may have limited capacity at peak times and as such the Operator cannot always guarantee availability. Reservations will only be made upon receipt of your booking and deposit. Should there be no availability at the time of booking your trip, the Operator reserves the right to offer alternative accommodation of equivalent standard or the next best quality accommodation, or suggest a superior standard accommodation which may attract an extra cost.
A suitable tour guide will be provided depending on the nature of your trip. The guide’s task is to ensure that your trip runs as smoothly as possible and that the quality of the safari experience meets your expectations. The Client agrees to cooperate with and respect the authority of the guide during the course of the trip.
AGE RESTRICTED ACTIVITIES:
The following are some of the activities undertaken that are limited by age:
- Children under the age of 12 years are not permitted in the Serengeti National Park.
- No children under the age of 12 permitted on AM Boat Cruise/PM Boat Cruise at Kabalega, Uganda.
- A child must be 15 years or older to partake in the Gorilla Trekking Activity and the Pygmy Village Visit to Kabale in Uganda as well as children must be 14 years or older to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on the border of Kenya and Tanzania .
- 3 – 8 Years: On most scheduled tours, no children under 8 years of age may travel.
- 8 – 16 Years: All children between the ages of 8 – 16 must be accompanied by a parent, unless specific authorization has been obtained.
- 17 – 18 Years: Guests of this age may travel with us (in most cases) with a letter of permission from their guardian if they are travelling alone.
When requesting that a child joins a tour, please ensure that you provide us with as much information as possible so that we can advise about the suitability of the child for the tours across various destinations. We are committed to informing our clientele of the activities that kids might be limited to undertaking due to their age.
INSURANCE
Saunterland Africa Tours strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance, which is available for coverage of expenses in conjunction with cancellation due to illness or accident. Baggage insurance is also recommended. In the event that you must cancel your participation in a travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement.
PASSPORTS AND VISAS
Valid passports are required for travel to most destinations. Check with the appropriate consulate or embassy for the latest visa requirements.
BAGGAGE
Prices include two pieces of baggage per person. Weight restrictions may apply on internal flights. Baggage and personal effects are at owner’s risk throughout the travel program. Check with the airline for other baggage restrictions applicable to international flights.
CHANGES
Prices are based on current rates of exchange, tariffs and taxes. Saunterland Africa Tours reserve the right to increase tour prices to cover increased costs, tariffs and taxes, and to reflect fluctuations in foreign exchange markets. Saunterland Africa Tours also reserve the right to withdraw a tour or any part of it to make such alterations in the itinerary or with the tour inclusions as it deems necessary or desirable and to pass on to tour members any expenditures or losses caused by delays or events beyond its control. Itineraries and arranged sightseeing are subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond Saunterland Africa Tours control. Every effort will be made to operate tours as planned, but alterations may occur after the final itinerary has been issued.
PROMOTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Saunterland Africa Tours reserve the right to take photographs during the operation of any program or part thereof and to use them for promotional purposes. By booking a reservation with Saunterland Africa Tours, program members agree to allow their images to be used in such photographs. Program members who prefer that their images not be used are asked to identify themselves to their travel program escort at the beginning of their program.
CLAIMS AND REFUNDS
Refunds are not made for any missed services. For verifiable claims to be considered, they must be received in writing within 15 days of the termination of the program and be accompanied by supporting documentation and/or a statement from the Operating Company verifying the claim. Any adjustment considered will be based on the actual price of the services involved and not on a per diem basis. Adjustments will not be made for unused sightseeing trips or meals. We will not accept any liability for any claims that are not received within 15 days of the termination of your travel program. All claims for days missed while travelling should be made in writing within 15 days of the termination of the program.
AIR TRANSPORTATION
Saunterland Africa Tours will not accept any responsibility for mistakes or errors in airfare bookings made by independent third parties. It is up to the traveler to ensure the correct arrival and departure flight information from the tour start and end cities.
LIMITS ON RESPONSIBILITY
Saunterland Africa Tours, its employees, officers, directors, successors, agents and assigns, does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip. It purchases transportation (by aircraft, coach, train, vessel or otherwise), hotel and other lodging accommodations, restaurant, ground handling and other services from various independent suppliers (including from time to time other affiliated Saunterland Africa Tours companies. All such persons and entities are independent contractors. As a result, Saunterland Africa Tours is not liable for any negligent or willful act of any such person or entity or of any third person.
Saunterland Africa Tours, acts solely as agents for the client with respect to all transportation, hotel and other tour arrangements. In that capacity, Saunterland Africa Tours exercises all reasonable care possible to ensure the traveler’s safety and satisfaction, but, Saunterland Africa Tours neither assumes nor bears any responsibility or liability for any injury, death, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity arising in connection with the services of any airplane, train, ship, automobile, motor coach, carriage, or other conveyance, or the actions of any third-party involved in carrying the traveler or in affecting these tours. Saunterland Africa Tours is not responsible for damages, additional expenses, or any other losses due to cancellation, delay or other changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, civil disturbances, acts or threats of terrorism, travel warnings or bans, termination or suspension of war risks or other carrier insurance, quarantine, acts of God or other causes beyond its control. All such losses must be borne by the traveler, and tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. Saunterland Africa Tours is not responsible for delays, changes or cancellation costs due to incorrect, incomplete or expired traveler documents. In the event of cancellation, delay or rescheduling mandated by any of the aforesaid causes beyond Saunterland Africa Tours control, the passenger shall have the option of accepting in lieu of the original tour such rescheduled tour or other substituted tour(s) as may be offered, or else, receiving a refund of as much of such advance tour expenditures as Saunterland Africa Tours can recover on the traveler’s behalf from carriers, third-party tour vendors, etc., but, Saunterland Africa Tours shall not have any obligation or liability to the traveler beyond the foregoing. Saunterland Africa Tours reserves the right to make alterations to the tours itinerary and to substitute hotels, vehicles, ships, or activities if this is required. Saunterland Africa Tours reserves the right to cancel, delay, or reschedule any tour prior to departure, and, so long as this is not due to any of the aforesaid causes beyond our control, the passenger shall be entitled to a full refund of all monies paid to that point if he/she so desires, less any non-refundable deposits or uncollectible expenses incurred.
In addition and without limitation, Saunterland Africa Tours is not responsible for any injury, loss, death, inconvenience, delay or damage to personal property in connection with the provision of any goods or services whether resulting from but not limited to acts of God or force majeure, illness, disease, acts of war, civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, animals, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, overbooking or downgrading of services, food poisoning, mechanical or other failure of aircraft or other means of transportation or for failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart on time.
Risks: There are certain inherent risks in adventure travel of the type involved here. These include, but are not limited to, hiking, walking safaris, climbing injuries and altitude sickness, and in all trips dangers of animals, inaccessibility to medical attention and difficulty in evacuation from remote locations in the case of a medical emergency. Passenger assumes all such risks with regard to these possibilities.
Travel Advisories/Warnings: It is the responsibility of The Traveler to become informed about the most current travel advisories and warnings by referring to the U. S. State Department’s travel website at www.travel.state.gov/ or by phone at 1-888-407- 4747. In the event of an active State Department Travel Warning against travel to the specific destination location(s) of the trip, should The Traveler still choose to travel, notwithstanding any travel advisory or warning, The Traveler assumes all risk of personal injury, death or property damage that may arise out of the events like those advised or warned against.
Travelers Representations: The Traveler represents that neither he nor she nor anyone traveling with him or her has any physical or other condition or disability that could create a hazard to him or herself or other members of the tour. Saunterland Africa Tours reserves the right to decline to accept anyone on a trip. Saunterland Africa Tours reserves the right to remove from the trip, at his or her sole expense, anyone whose condition is such that he or she could create a hazard to him or others, or otherwise impact the enjoyment of other passengers on the trip.