2. Booking Procedures

Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris do not offer package holidays but will create a tailor made holiday to suit your personal needs. A binding contract comes into existence between us when:

(a) we receive a deposit of 50% of the quote price, or (b) when we receive full payment of the holiday when the booking is made less than 12 weeks before your departure date.

No contract will exist between the parties until such monies have been received. We require full payment to be made for your holiday 12 weeks prior to the departure date. If full payment is not received 12 weeks prior to the departure date, we reserve the right to cancel your holiday and apply the cancellation charges set out in paragraph 5. Cancellation will be without penalty to us and we will have no further liability to you. If however, you have already provided us with your credit or debit card details whether this was to make a payment on account or not, and you do not specifically notify us in writing to the contrary prior to the date upon which any balance becomes payable by you, you agree that we may use such credit or debit card details to obtain payment of any balance due by you under this agreement. The lead booking name is liable for making full payment for all persons in the booking party and all those in the booking party agree to be bound by conditions (including anyone added or substituted at a later stage). It is the responsibility of the lead booking name responsible for making the booking to ensure all in their party are aware of and have read these terms and conditions. If you accept our quote in respect of your holiday you must make a payment of 25% of the total price of the quote within 14 days. A delay in acceptance of the quote may result in a variation of the holiday price. Where the proposed departure date is within 12 weeks of the quote being given we require full payment at the time of your written acceptance of the quote.

3. Medical conditions and disabilities

If you or any member of your party have any medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline the booking or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.

4. Documentation

Please carefully read your confirmation invoice, tickets and all other documentation we send you as soon as you receive them. Contact us immediately if any information appears to be incorrect as it may not be possible to make changes later. We regret we cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracy in any documentation within 14 days of our sending it out. You will be responsible for any costs and expenses involved in rectifying any inaccuracies except where we made the mistake.

5. Cancellation by you

Cancellation of a holiday must be made in writing and is effective from the date we receive the written notification. In all cases of cancellation the deposit, and any amendment charges will be forfeited. Please note that any costs of international flights are 100% non-refundable. Cancellation charges are expressed at a percentage of your quoted price (excluding international flights) as follows:-

Matters influencing a surcharge would include, but are not limited to, increases in transportation costs e.g. fuel, scheduled air fares and any other airline surcharges, taxes or fees payable for services such as landing taxes, or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports, or increases in park fees, reserve fees or concession fees.The price of your itinerary will be based on known costs at the date of issue of the itinerary. At any time before a full payment of your holiday has been made Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris reserves the right to levy a surcharge where costs have changed since the date of issue of the itinerary. Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris will absorb amounts up to 2% of the total holiday price and surcharge any amount greater than 2%. Should the surcharge exceed 10% of the total holiday price you are entitled to cancel the holiday and receive a full refund of all monies paid. We reserve the right to make changes to and correct errors in advertised prices at any time before your holiday is confirmed. We will advise you of any errors of which we are aware and of the then applicable price at the time of booking.

7. Amendments by you

If you wish to change your itinerary after a deposit has been made we will do our utmost to make the changes required, provided that notification is received in writing. The change fee is $75 per person (or $100 per person for US). We cannot make alterations to your itinerary within 12 weeks of departure and any such request will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to the cancellation charges set out in paragraph 5.

8. Cancellation by Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris

We reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your holiday for any reason at any time before full payment has been received. Whilst we always endeavor to avoid changes and flight cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so. In these circumstances we will return to you all monies paid or offer an alternative holiday of a comparable standard. In this event we will pay compensation of $75 per person. We may cancel your confirmed holiday if you fail to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel.

We cannot accept liability or pay compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by, or you suffer any damage or loss as a result of force majeure. In these booking conditions force majeure means any event which we or the supplier of services in question could not even with all due care foresee or avoid. Such events are likely to include, but are not limited to, war, threat of war, civil strife, riot, civil disorder/unrest, industrial dispute, actual or threat of terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, breakout of an epidemic or pandemic disease, technical problems with transport, cancellation or amendment to any scheduled flight, closure or congestion of airports or ports, adverse weather conditions and all similar events outside our control. In circumstances amounting to force majeure we will not refund any money to you although if we can recover any monies from our suppliers we will refund these to you.

9. Amendments by Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris

It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your holiday although we reserve the right to make changes at any time. Most of these changes are minor and we will advise you of these in writing at the earliest possible date. When a major change is necessary such as the alteration of your outward or return flights by more than 12 hours or a significant change in the standard of accommodation, provided it does not arise from conditions amounting to force majeure or as a result of an amendment to a scheduled airline timetable, you will have the choice of accepting the new arrangements, taking another holiday with us or cancelling your holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. Compensation will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above mentioned choices can be accepted where we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care. No compensation will be payable and the above mentioned options will not be available if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel, or if the change is a minor one. A minor change is a change which, taking into account the information you give us at the time of booking or which we can reasonably be expected to know as a tour operator, we would not reasonably expect to have a significant affect on your confirmed holiday. No compensation is payable for children aged 2 and under. Please note we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sums of any description, which:

(a) on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you, or (b) did not result from any breach of contract or any other fault by ourselves or our employees, or where we are responsible for them our suppliers. Additionally we cannot accept liability for any sums which relate to any business losses.

10. Our responsibilities

Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris accepts responsibility for ensuring your holiday is supplied as described prior to your departure and services provided will reach a reasonable local standard, however we draw your attention to paragraph 12. Please note we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes for example any additional services or facilities, which your hotel or other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure and we have not agreed to arrange them.

11. Our Booking Terms and Conditions-Carriers

Carriage by air and sea is subject to the terms and conditions of the carriers with whom you are travelling and to international conventions. Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris accepts no liability whatsoever for cancellations, strikes, timetable changes, diversions, technical issues unrelated to Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris, lost or mislaid luggage, rescheduling costs, missed accommodation, or delays which result from any operational decision of the carrier concerned. Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris accepts no liability for death, injury or illness that derives from carriage by air or sea.

12. Our Booking Terms and Conditions-Insurance

Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris requires clients to purchase travel insurance. We reserve the right to cancel your holiday at any time should such a policy not be taken out by you.

13. Our Booking Terms and Conditions-The law

The above booking terms and conditions together with all correspondence form part of your contract with Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris. This contract and any matters arising from it shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with Dutch law and the courts of Holland shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear any and all proceedings between us either relating to our contract or arising out of it.

14. Waiver of Claim against Introducer

If you have been referred to us by another part (for example a travel agent) you agree to hold them blameless and waive any and all claims against such party. Any issues you may have must be directed to us and dealt with under the terms of our contract.

15. Our Booking Terms and Conditions-Problems

If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant organizer (camp/hotel manager/Safari provider) immediately and he will handover to put things right. If your problem cannot be resolved locally you must send full details to Bush and Forest Explorer African Safaris  in writing within 28 days of your return to the Netherlands. If you fail to follow this procedure, we will not accept liability as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem.