Terms & Conditions
The terms and conditions of Safari Rim are the terms and conditions for the suppliers that we use.
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For all packages supplied by Rhino Africa, the following terms and conditions apply:
Flights
For flight bookings, we require a copy of all passengers’ passports. Airlines require the full names of passengers as printed on the passports and will not accept changes once tickets are issued for security purposes. The company accepts no responsibility for incorrect passport numbers or incorrect spelling of full names. (Any additional charges for changes to flight tickets will be for the clients’ account).
Passengers weighing 100kg (220lbs) or more must please notify us in advance as an extra seat must be reserved and costed into the booking. For light aircraft transfers your consultant might request all passenger’s weights as part of the booking and confirmation process, this information is required for light aircraft transfer company’s, for weight distribution and balancing of aircraft requirements.
In the instance where an airline is grounded for whatever reason (e.g. bad weather), while the company will facilitate the booking of new or alternative transport services, the settlement of such requirements will be for the clients’ account. Should the client qualify for any flight refunds the company will facilitate the refund process. Please note airline refunds take between 6-8 weeks in any normal circumstance. Please note that the luggage allowance on all Southern Africa flights is 20 kg (44lbs) per person. In addition to this, luggage needs to be soft sided (no wheels or rigid frames for Botswana or East Africa) for scheduled charter flights and cannot be overly large or bulky. The allowance for scheduled charter flights in East Africa is 15 kg (33lbs). Please check with your consultant.
Minimum connecting times
We request that you advise us of your exact International arrival/departure dates and times and to ensure that the minimum connecting times are adhered to.
Between International & International flight – 1 ½ to 2 hours
Between International & Domestic flight (in either direction) – 1 ½ hours
Between Domestic & Domestic flight – 1 hour
We strongly recommend allowing for an additional 30 minutes onto these times to ensure a smooth and stress-free transit.
Involuntary schedule changes, technical stops en-route & Force Majeure
It is important to take special note that all IATA airlines have the right to change the times and routings of their scheduled flights, including voluntary technical stops en-route (i.e. re-fuelling) without prior notice and are protected by the Warsaw Convention from any legal liability in doing so.
Therefore, in the unlikely event of involuntary schedule changes, technical stops en-route and/or force majeure, RAS endeavours to keep any inconvenience to a minimum. It is understood though that any circumstances beyond the control of RAS which relate to unscheduled extensions will be for the Client’s account.
Please note that we will always quote and confirm on best available economy fare seats. Many domestic and regional flights to not offer a Business or First Class service. Where Business Class is available, there is not much of difference compared to economy class due to the size of the aircraft and the comparatively short distances between destinations. Should you wish to obtain an option for business class seats, please let your consultant know.
Payment Terms
On presentation of an invoice, we require full pre-payment for international, domestic and regional flights (excluding chartered flights) and 30% deposit on the difference in order to confirm your travel arrangements. (Subject to certain of our suppliers’ payment policies being more stringent than ours for bookings during their peak season or specials).
Bookings of services by Beachcomber: When booking services supplied to Rhino Africa by Beachcomber, the deposit conditions to confirm a booking vary from our standard conditions.
The balance of payment is due 8 weeks (60 days) prior to travel.
Bookings made within 8 weeks (60 days) prior to travel will be subject to full prepayment on presentation of invoice.
Our Standard Cancellation Policy
Cancellation prior to 8 weeks of travel – Full 30% deposit is forfeited
Cancellation 8 – 4 weeks prior to travel – 50% of total cost is forfeited
Cancellation less than 4 weeks prior to travel – 100% of total cost is forfeited
Please note that at certain times of the year and for certain of our suppliers, cancellation policies may be more stringent than our above policy and therefore the Company holds the right to forward such additional cancellation charges onto the client should such an instance occur. For more info regarding this, please clarify with your Travel Consultant.
Financial Protection (Included)
Guardrisk Insurance Company Limited. Please check your summary of cover for details and limitations of your financial default insurance.
Medical insurance & cancellation / curtailment cover (NOT Included)
Sufficient insurance cover is absolutely essential during your holiday. Most importantly, cover against cancellation fees should be considered a must, as you need to be protected against financial loss should you or your family members not be able to travel due to medical reasons.
Yellow Fever
Certain African countries require proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever. The requirements differ depending on your destination, which country you have travelled from and which countries were previously visited.
Passengers traveling to / from / through the following countries will need proof of yellow fever vaccination:
Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Venezuela.
It is imperative that you clarify the requirements for your particular journey before travel. Please consult the relevant embassy of your intended destination. Travelers will be denied entry to several countries without a certificate of vaccination. The vaccination must be given at a designated clinic and it is valid for 10 years.
The vaccination MUST be done no less than 10 days prior to travel
The vaccination is live and should not be given to immunocompromised or pregnant travellers
There is no specific treatment for yellow fever although rest drugs can be given to lower temperature, relieve vomiting and pain, coupled with rehydration therapy
Due to frequently the changing requirements, Rhino Africa Safaris can only give advice, and will not be held responsible for costs incurred if entry requirements and vaccination requirements are not met.
Passports and Children
Please note that your passport must have two consecutive side by side blank visa pages (i.e. a left and a right hand page) per country that is visited. Should your passport not comply with these requirements, you will either not be permitted to board the aircraft or risk deportation on arrival at your destination.
Parents travelling with children (any person under 18 years of age at time of travel) into or out of South Africa may be asked to show the child’s full unabridged birth certificate. A parent traveling with children, without the other parent, will need a police certified letter of consent from the absent parent.
Furthermore, please note that passengers entering many African Countries (including but not limited to South Africa, Botswana and Zambia) must have passports valid for at least 6 months after the travel entry date. Failure to adhere to this regulation may result in immediate deportation to the country of origin at own cost to the client.
Liability
All tours are booked and arrangements are made, on the express condition that the Company, its employees and agents, shall not be responsible for, and shall be exempt from, all liability in respect of loss, damage, accident, injury, death, delay or inconvenience to any Client (which shall be deemed to include the heirs, executors, administrators or assigns of the Client), their luggage, or other property, wherever, whenever and however the same may occur. The Client indemnifies and holds harmless the Company, its employees and agents accordingly. The Company, its employees and agents shall furthermore not be liable for any consequential loss or damages whatsoever.
The Company provide Clients with travel and/or other services either itself or acting as agents for suppliers engaged in or associated with the travel industry, such as hotels, car hire companies, transfer companies, airlines etc. The Company accepts no liability for any loss, damage, injury or death which any Client may suffer as a result of any alteration, act or omission on the part of or the failure of such suppliers to fulfill their obligations, whether in relation to travel arrangements, accommodation or otherwise. The contract in use by such suppliers shall constitute the sole contract between the supplier and the Client and
any right of recourse the Client may have, will be solely against such supplier.
Changes to Terms & Conditions
The Company reserves the right to make changes to the Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notice.
E&OE
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For all packages supplied by Wild Eye, the following terms and conditions apply:
- A reservation is made once a booking form, together with a deposit, has been received from you and the booking is confirmed in writing by Wild Eye.
- Provisional bookings can be held for 14 days, pending receipt of a completed booking form.
- You must provide us with details of any dietary requirements, medical conditions or any other special requirements you have when completing the booking form.
- Deposits paid are non-refundable.
- The date the balance is payable will be advised by us when we confirm your booking but is generally 60 days before date of departure. Unless notice of cancellation is received prior to the balance payment date, balance monies will remain due and payable. Brochure and website prices are quoted on the invoice.
- Wild Eye reserves the right to change the itinerary or safari guide due to circumstances beyond its control. Any significant alterations will be advised to you, and any alterations made will be of similar or better quality to those described on the website.
- During the safari, you must behave in a way that is not disruptive, upsetting or dangerous to you or anyone else and you must follow the reasonable requests of the safari leader. Wild Eye will be able to terminate your participation in the safari if your behaviour is in its reasonable opinion in breach of this obligation and in such circumstances Wild Eye will have no further liability to you.
- Should Wild Eye need to cancel a safari for any reason, a full refund of the amount paid by you to Wild Eye will be made, however no further liability can be accepted by Wild Eye.
- Inclusive airport/hotel transfers specified in the safari costs are only included when guests travel on the flight specified by Wild Eye. Guests arriving or departing on different flights will be responsible for their own transfer costs.
- All names and addresses held on the Wild Eye mailing list are held on computer. None of this information will ever be passed to a third party. If however, you object to your details being stored, please inform us and we will remove them.
- In the event of significant currency fluctuations and/or abnormal supply price increases between a safari being advertised and its taking place, Wild Eye reserves the right to alter the overall charge for the tour.
- Wild Eye will not be liable for any cost and/or loss you incur which is as a result of: your actions or the actions of a third party unconnected with Wild Eye, which Wild Eye could not reasonably foresee or forestall; and any unusual / unforeseeable event beyond Wild Eye’s reasonable control.
Insurance Indemnity
It is a booking condition that you accept the hazards involved in visiting remote areas and engaging in potentially dangerous activities.
To take part in one of our safaris you must be covered by adequate travel insurance for the duration of the safari and all activities undertaken. The insurance should cover cancellation and curtailment, medical and emergency expense (including repatriation), personal accident, injury and death. In addition you should be insured against loss / damage to baggage, camera equipment, personal possessions and flight delays and cancellations.
Wild Eye does not accept liability for death, injury or illness unless this arises from the negligent acts of Wild Eye employees. Wild Eye and its employees are covered by public liability insurance up to a maximum of ZAR 50,000,000 for any one event.
By signing our booking form you acknowledge that Wild Eye has taken all reasonable to safeguard it’s liability in this respect.
- Registration
Registration is complete once Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic has received an initial, non-refundable, deposit of 50% of the package price along with a signed booking form. Please note that all reservations are binding. The balance of the package price is payable 60 days before departure. In the event of a booking being made within one month of departure, the full package fee is payable within five working days.
- Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellations are only effective on receipt of written notification. If cancellation is prior to 60 days before departure your deposit of 50% is forfeited. If your cancellation is made after the due date for full payment of your tour fare, charges will be levied. The scale of charges, expressed as a percentage of the tour prices, is as follows:
More than 60 days’ notice: Deposit forfeited
Less than 60 days’ notice: Deposit plus 30% forfeited
Less than 4 weeks’ notice: 100% of total package price forfeited
Should you fail to join a safari or join it after departure or leave it prior to its completion, no safari fare refund can be made. The above policy applies to all services of Wild Eye Destinations & Photography, however third party camps or hotels may have different cancellation fee policies, which will apply to their services.
- Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
It is advised that all travelers purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance as protection against an emergency which may force you to cancel or leave from an expedition while it is in progress.
- Medical Information
Participation on a Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic expedition requires that you are in generally good health. It is essential that persons with any medical problems and related dietary restrictions make them known to us before departure. We can counsel you on whether the expedition you have selected is appropriate for you. The tour leader has the right to disqualify any participant at any time during the tour if he feels the participant is physically incapable and/or if a participant’s continued participation will jeopardize either the individual involved or the safety of the group. There will be no refund given under these circumstances. By signing this document, the participant certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other guests.
- Price Modifications
Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic reserves the right to increase the price of the expedition if cost increases arise due to changes in transport costs, changes in taxes, customs or other fees or changes in the exchange rate.
- Itinerary Changes and Trip Delay
Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic reserves the right to change a program’s dates, itinerary, or accommodations as conditions warrant. These are expeditions to remote parts of the world and we reserve the right to change the itinerary due to weather conditions, lodge availability, political conditions and other factors beyond our control without consulting the participants.
It is understood that such decisions will be made in the best interests of all participants and with regards to the safety of all staff. Participants have no right to any refund or other considerations in the event of these inevitable itinerary changes. If an expedition must be delayed, or the itinerary changed due to bad weather, road conditions, transportation delays, government intervention, sickness or other contingency for which Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic or its agents cannot make provision, the cost of delays or changes is not included.
- Itinerary Cancellations
Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic reserves the right to cancel an itinerary before departure for any reason whatsoever, including too few participants or logistical problems such as strikes, wars, acts of God, or any other circumstances which may make operation of the expedition inadvisable. All expedition payments received will be promptly refunded, and this refund will be the limit of Wild Eye Destinations and Photo graphic’s liability. Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic is not responsible for any expenses incurred by trip members in preparing for the trip, including non-refundable or penalty-carrying airline tickets, special clothing, visa or passport fees or other trip related expenses.
- Limitations and Liability
Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic, its owners, agents and employees give notice that they act only as the agents for the owners, contractors and suppliers providing means of transportation and/or all other related travel services and assume no responsibility howsoever caused for injury, loss or damage to person or property in connection with any service resulting directly from: acts of God, detention, annoyance, delays, expenses arising from quarantine, strikes, thefts, pilferage, force majeure, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well-being of the passengers.
In case of a medical problem arising during the expedition, which results in costs for evacuation, use of aircraft or repatriation, the responsibility for payment of these costs belongs solely to the passenger. Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic strongly advises that participants ensure that such eventualities are covered by travel insurance. If not covered by travel insurance the responsibility still remains with the passenger and Wild Eye Destinations and Photographic specifically declines any responsibility whatsoever.