Mtembezi Safaris Terms and Conditions | Booking & Reservations
Terms and Conditions Overview
Before making any reservations with Mtembezi Safaris, it is important and mandatory to read and understand the following Terms and Conditions.
Nevertheless, here’s a summary of the most crucial points:
- Prices, including confirmed bookings in some instances, might change.
- Certain confirmed bookings may be non-refundable if you cancel, and it’s your responsibility to verify this.
- We may retain our service fees even if a booking is cancelled or doesn’t proceed for reasons not caused by us.
- You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with all relevant information for your travel arrangements, such as insurance, visa requirements, and health precautions.
Contents
- Ground Arrangements
- Booking and Payment
- Cancellation Guidelines and Refunds
- Cancellation Policy
- Travel Documents
- Travel Insurance
- Liability and Indemnification
- Force Majeure / Events beyond the company’s control
- Website Information
- Acceptance of terms
When booking a safari or tour package with Mtembezi Vacations Safaris, also known as “Mtembezi Safaris,” it’s important to thoroughly understand the terms of service. These terms outline the responsibilities of both the client and the company in organizing vacations to various destinations. We organize different kinds of safaris and tour packages in Africa and other destinations.
It’s vital to note that the standards and facilities in the travel destinations may differ from those in developed countries. This includes service standards, medical facilities, transport facilities, safety, and security.
Furthermore, it’s crucial to understand that the laws and regulations of the country in which the services are provided will apply to your trip arrangements.
Please bear in mind that the terms and conditions of the contract apply to all services provided by Mtembezi Safaris, whether they are provided freely or not. Be sure
1. Ground Arrangements
We provide and facilitate booking services for transportation, accommodation, meals, and safari activities in collaboration with various independent suppliers. For all bookings, we strive to offer the most up-to-date information. However, we cannot be held responsible for any modifications by third parties or other sources.
Upon confirming a safari with Mtembezi Safaris, we kindly request that you inform us of any additional needs not covered in our contact form. These may include, but are not limited to, disabilities, age requirements for specific activities, the need for a translator, medical or special needs, and any other specific requirements.
If you confirm a trip with us, we expect you to provide your full name as it appears on your passport, passport number, and nationality. This is necessary to assist us in reserving gorilla permits and domestic flights. Please note that no proposed trip package is guaranteed to be available until it is confirmed. A 30% payment is required for a trip to be declared as confirmed.
The free quote or cost provided for your itinerary is subject only to the inclusions stated in the itinerary. Any alterations to the itinerary may result in an increase or decrease in the total cost.
In the case of accommodation reservations, if no specific preferences have been communicated, we will recommend the best facility based on your budget. Prices are determined by the chosen hotel or lodge and are subject to the type of room and the season. The services offered at these facilities are entirely their responsibility and not ours.
2. Booking and Payment
Mtembezi Safaris is dedicated to adhering to the confirmed itinerary to the best of our ability. However, in the event of significant involuntary changes, such as alterations to accommodation or transportation, we are committed to offering a reasonable alternative at no additional cost, subject to the terms and conditions of the supplier. Should a suitable alternative not be feasible at the time or if it is declined by the client, a refund for the involuntary changes will be provided, and we will be relieved of responsibility for locating an alternative. We will assist in identifying alternative services, with any associated additional charges to be borne by the client.
For voluntary booking changes, Mtembezi Safaris will endeavour to accommodate such requests. However, we reserve the right to impose the relevant cancellation fee per our agreement and charge for any additional costs incurred with the relevant supplier.
All booking requests are subject to approval, and it is your responsibility to carefully review the provided itinerary and booking details for any inaccuracies and promptly notify us of any errors.
You are required to ensure timely compliance with all payment deadlines. To assist you, Mtembezi Safaris will endeavour to send a reminder one week before your balance payment date.
Please be advised that full payment deadlines are established to safeguard your booking, as our suppliers reserve the right to revise prices and, in certain circumstances, cancel bookings. Failure to meet the balance due date may result in the cancellation of your travel arrangements and forfeiture of your deposit.
Upon booking, a deposit equivalent to 30% of the total booking cost is required, unless your departure is within 90 days, in which case full payment is necessary. Some bookings, such as those for gorilla permits or during peak vacation periods, may necessitate additional upfront payments beyond the standard 30% deposit.
Should an additional deposit be necessary, you will be notified before finalizing your trip. Subsequently, the remaining balance of the booking cost must be settled at least 90 days before your departure date.
Any quotations provided are valid for 7 days from the date of issuance, after which our prices may be adjusted due to changes in costings.
We are pleased to quote prices in GBP or USD, and any provided quotations will remain valid for 14 days. After this period, we reserve the right to recalculate the cost based on updated exchange rates. Once you have confirmed your trip, the currency is fixed, thereby safeguarding the cost of your trip to Africa from currency fluctuations. We do not levy currency surcharges, nor can we reduce the cost of any confirmed trip to Africa (please refer to clause 7 for other potential reasons for cost adjustments).
Your deposit and balance must be paid in the same currency agreed upon when confirming your trip to Africa.
Should you decide to add extra services to your booking later, they will be priced based on the prevailing exchange rate at the time. In the event of a partial refund, it will be processed using the exchange rate applicable at the time of the initial booking.
Non-compliance with the deposit and/or balance payment timelines grants us the authority to cancel your travel arrangements and retain your deposit. We will issue a reminder in the event of late payment, and if the outstanding amount remains unpaid, we will regrettably be
3. Cancellation Guidelines and Refunds
Kindly take note of the following guidelines regarding the cancellation of bookings with Mtembezi Safaris, whether initiated by the client or the company:
Cancellations initiated by the client must be communicated in writing to us. We will acknowledge the cancellation only upon receipt of written notification.
In the event of cancellation, refunds will be processed following the terms stipulated in our refund policy to mitigate potential losses resulting from the inability to resell the holiday package.
Mtembezi Safaris commits to not cancelling confirmed holiday bookings less than 60 days before departure, except in cases of extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control.
We retain the right to cancel the booking of any individual or group without prior notice if, in our judgment or that of any other authorized personnel, their behaviour poses or is likely to pose a threat, nuisance, or disturbance to third parties or property.
Should a person on a trip be required to immediately vacate an accommodation facility or cease utilizing any other service, we will not be liable for any resulting expenses.
While Mtembezi Safaris endeavours to prevent misquotations, we reserve the right to cancel a reservation without incurring liability or penalty in the event of an obvious error or omission leading to significant cost implications.
Should it be possible to obtain waivers of cancellation charges or facilitate ex-gratia refunds from suppliers, Mtembezi Safaris will extend this benefit to the client, deducting a service fee. However, it is important to note that we cannot guarantee the procurement of waivers or refunds.
4. Cancellation Policy
Any member of your party, or you, may cancel your travel arrangements at any given time. Cancellation must be confirmed in writing by the individual who made the booking and sent via email to Mtembezi Reservations. As there are costs associated with the cancellation of your travel arrangements, the following cancellation charges will apply (please refer to the exception noted below):
| Period before departure for informing us: | Cancellation Charge on Booking Cost | Refundable Amount |
| More than 85 days | Deposit only | 100% |
| 60 to 85 days | 30% of booking cost | 70% |
| 30 to 60 days | 50% of booking cost | 50% |
| 14 to 30 days | 75% of booking cost | 30% |
| Less than 14 days | 100% of booking cost | 0% |
Please take note of the following:
This refund policy and cancellation guidelines are those of Mtembezi Safaris. The refundable amount is determined based on bookings made within several days before the trip commences.
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- Before any cancellations, it is important to review and comprehend our policy on refunds and cancellations carefully.
- Our refund policy and cancellation guidelines are standard and firm and are not open to negotiation.
- Mtembezi Safaris will not refund partially used vouchers or if customers fail to show up.
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During peak booking periods like Christmas, certain camps may have significantly higher cancellation fees, which could result in higher-than-normal cancellation charges. In such cases, we will notify you in writing at the quotation stage and before you make your deposit. Once your deposit is made and we have issued a Confirmation Invoice, you will be responsible for these increased cancellation charges.
If you have already paid in full for gorilla permits at the deposit stage, please note that these are non-refundable. Consequently, in addition to the above cancellation charges, we will retain the permit cost.
5. Travel Documents
Please check all the documentation you receive and notify us immediately if you notice any errors. Clients are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary travel documents such as passports, visas, gorilla permits, etc. We may assist with obtaining travel documents, but cannot guarantee their issuance.
6. Travel Insurance
It is a part of our Terms & Conditions that all clients must purchase adequate travel insurance. We reserve the right to cancel your vacation at any time should you not take out such a policy.
Adequate and valid travel insurance is compulsory for all Mtembezi Safaris travelers and it is a condition of booking that you agree you will have obtained adequate and valid travel insurance for your booking by the date of departure.
Each traveller’s travel insurance should include coverage for costs of repatriation (including international medical emergency and air ambulance services) as well as loss of money, personal items or baggage, cancellation or curtailment, personal accident and medical expenses.
Mtembezi Safaris is not an insurance expert. It is your responsibility to ensure that each traveller obtains adequate travel protection.
7. Liability and Indemnification
