Tuesday, August 20, 2013

General Information and Booking Conditions for our Tours

GENERAL INFORMATION PASSPORTS. United Kingdom passport holders will require visas for Zambia and Zimbabwe. Single and double entry visas can be obtained on arrival.

You will need to ensure that you have a full 10 year passport which is valid for at least 6 months after your date of return. Your passport should contain a blank page for each visa and at least one additional blank page. If you are traveling on anything other than a United Kingdom passport you must check visa requirements with your embassy and inform us of this fact when booking. Remember to check the expiry date of your passport when you book and allow sufficient time for passport applications. All children over 16 must have their own passport.

HEALTH. The recommended vaccinations for the countries included in this brochure are Tetanus, Polio, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A. For travel from Zambia into South Africa, even in transit, a valid Yellow Fever Certificate is required. If you have a return flight from Johannesburg to Livingstone or Lusaka this will need to be shown before departing Johannesburg on the outbound journey You should also take appropriate anti-malarial tablets. It is advisable to consult your G.P. well in advance of departure in order to ensure adequate protection. A medical and dental check is also a good idea. On all guided trips your tour leader will carry a basic first aid kit. You must inform us if you are taking any medication, if you have any health problems, or if you have any disabilities. It is useful to remember that if you have gastric disorders during your trip and are taking medication it may become ineffective.

INSURANCE. It is a condition of your contract, that at the time of booking, you must either take out travel insurance that is appropriate to your tour and covers you for medical, personal liability and personal accident, including repatriation by air ambulance. Cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. Your insurance documents should be carried with you during your tour. A separate record of the policy number is helpful in event of baggage theft.

BAGGAGE. For set guided tours please keep your baggage to 14kg. If you are traveling to the Okavango Delta you will only be able to take 10kg on this part of the journey, and your remaining baggage will be stored for you. Soft bags are preferable to suitcases. Flights from Lusaka to Mfuwe have a 15kg limit. For self-drive tours the usual airline allowance is 20kg. We will provide you with a “suggested packing” list at the time of booking. We suggest carrying a change of clothes and medical necessities in hand luggage, as baggage loss and delay can occur.

DEPOSITS, PAYMENT AND TICKET DESPATCH. A deposit of at least £400 is required on booking. Should you wish us to book your flights you will also need to pay the full flight costs at this time. The balance is due 70 days before departure. Tickets will usually be sent 10 days before departure. Further details of payment can be found in the booking conditions.

YOUR FLIGHTS. On all our set tours we provide a ground only price. We can book fully ATOL (please refer to ATOL information below) protected scheduled flights with Air Namibia, South African Airways, and British Airways. On long haul legs they use Boeing 747 or 767 aircraft, whilst onward connecting flights use Boeing 737’s, Fokker F28’s, BAE 146s, or Beechcraft 1900C’s, depending on the destination and passenger volume.

MORE INFORMATION. We have tried to be comprehensive in the information that we have provided but realise that you may have further questions or require further guidance. Please do not hesitate to contact us so that we may ensure that your holiday runs as smoothly as possible.

BOOKING CONDITIONS - TOURS These conditions together with any relevant brochure description form the clients contract with the Company. Upon receipt of your signed booking form and deposit we will accept your booking and send you a receipt and confirmation invoice. You should check this carefully and advise us of any discrepancies within 7 days. Only from the date of this confirmation will a contract, based on these booking conditions, exist between you, and all named people on the booking form, and Nomad African Travel Ltd (herein after referred to as “we”, “us”, or “the Company”). Your signature on the booking form confirms you have read, understood and accepted these conditions. The contract is subject to English Law and the jurisdiction of the English courts.

PAYMENT OF YOUR TOUR For all set tours made before 70 days prior to departure a non-refundable deposit of £400 per person (including minors) must be sent to us with the booking form. This amount will be larger for some tailor-made tours. Where you wish us to book your flights we will advise you of the additional amount, which must be paid before we confirm your flight booking. The full balance of your account must then reach us not less than 70 days prior to departure. For bookings made within 70 days of departure the full balance must be sent to us with the booking form. We reserve the right to cancel your booking and /or claim any unpaid balance, including cancellation fees as detailed below, if the balance of the account is not paid in full by the said due date.

TOUR CANCELLATIONS - If we cancel your tour The Company’s tours will only operate provided that the party reaches a minimum number. We reserve the right to cancel your tour for any reason. Cancellations will not normally be made within 28 days of departure unless a situation arises which is beyond our control e.g. adverse weather conditions, a natural disaster, civil and/or political unrest and/or war (actual or threatened), terrorism, industrial action, technical problems with transport, changes made by the transport provider to the scheduled service, sickness of the party leader. If we cancel your tour we will refund all monies you have paid to us but we will not be liable to compensate you for any inconvenience or incidental expenses incurred by you.

TOUR CANCELLATIONS - If you cancel your tour If you, or any other person included on the booking form wishes to cancel their booking, the cancellation will only be effective from the date that we receive written notification by recorded or registered mail of the cancellation. Irrespective of the reason cancellation charges will be levied as follows: 71 days or more. Deposit only 70-28 days prior to departure 60% of the total tour price 27-15 days prior to departure 75% of the total tour price 14 days prior to departure 100%of the total tour price.

CHANGES TO YOUR BOOKING - If we make the change(s) prior to departure Great care has been taken in compiling this brochure and the information contained is as accurate as possible. It contains the proposed itinerary for each tour. However our tours are planned many months before departure and they may include the services of other independent suppliers e.g. accommodation providers, airlines, vehicle hire companies, parks boards etc. Because we have no direct control over such suppliers, we reserve the right to make changes to the tours. Changes to your tour will normally be minor which you are asked to accept. We define a major Change as one where we judge there to be changes to the itinerary affecting more than 20% of the tour, or a change of U.K. departure airport (except from one London airport to another one). Effort will be made to advise you of a major change prior to your departure at which time you will be offered the opportunity to accept the changes made, or book a different available tour and pay any appropriate price difference if applicable, or cancel the tour with full refund. Whichever offer you choose, you will also receive compensation of £25 per person if the major change is made within 28 days of departure. However, no such compensation will be paid if the change was due to reasons beyond our control e.g. adverse weather conditions, natural disaster, civil and/or political unrest and /or war (actual or threatened), terrorism, industrial action, technical problems with transport, changes made by the transport provider to the scheduled service, or sickness of the party leader.

CHANGES TO YOUR BOOKING -Changes made by us after departure. We reserve the absolute right to make changes to the itinerary of any tour e.g. to enable us to take advantage of any opportunities that may arise, or changes that may be required due to the cancellation of transport services, mechanical breakdown, changing political situations, weather conditions, natural disasters, sick-ness etc. Such decisions would be made at the absolute discretion of the Company or the tour leader. However, effort will be made to include all features of the tour originally proposed in the brochure or what we consider to be similar alternatives. The cost of any services not used will not be refunded. Your signature on the booking form indicates that you accept the need to adapt itineraries when deemed necessary.

IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT. We sincerely hope that your tour is a successful one. However if you have a complaint, you must express it to your Tour Leader who will try to right the situation as soon as possible. If the problem is not solved to your satisfaction you should write to the company within 28 days of your return home. If you still feel the complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily you may take advantage of the low-cost travel industry conciliation service, further details of which are available on request.

THE TOUR LEADER The very nature of the tours offered by the Company means that you will be exposed to exceptional conditions which are very different to those in normal life. Your signature on the booking form signifies that you understand and accept that there is an increased risk of loss or damage to property, injury, disease and/or general discomfort. There will be times when the tour leader, who is the local representative of the company, may need to make decisions on behalf of the party. The said signature also signifies that all persons named thereon will abide by such decisions. In addition the leader reserves the right, in his/her absolute discretion, to have any member of the party leave at any stage in the tour if the leader considers that the person’s conduct to be illegal or infringe National Park or Game Reserve regulations, or likely to cause danger, discomfort, distress, damage or annoyance to the rest of the tour members, employees of the Company, any other third party or any property. The person conducting him/herself in such a manner will relinquish the right to refund and/or compensation and/or further services of the leader or any responsibility and liability of the Company. The Tour Leader undertakes to exercise reasonable care. However, he/she will not be responsible for death or injury to person or property due to the actions of wildlife.

LIABILITY We will accept liability for the proven negligent acts and/or omission of our own employees, our agents and suppliers which cause direct physical injury or death to passengers only to the extent of our obligation under English law. Our liability to you and/or your property in respect of provision of hotel accommodation, air, sea, or rail transport will be limited in accordance with international convention. The Company cannot be held liable for any other mishaps to you or your property especially those resulting from weather conditions, natural disasters, industrial action, actual or threatened political and civil strife and/or war, terrorism, intervention by any Government, robbery, fire, ill-health, quarantine, operational decisions by transport providers e.g. airlines or airports, actions of wildlife, or any other such incidents beyond our control. The client will be financially liable for any damage caused to the Company’s equipment or vehicle due to negligence or inappropriate acts by the client. If injury or death result, to any party member, Company employee, or any other third party, from such actions, the Company will not be held liable. Any independent arrangements that the client makes, which are not part of the tour, e.g. extra excursions or activities, alternative accommodation, are entirely at his/her own risk.

FLIGHT DETAILS Flights booked by us for you are with scheduled airline carriers. Details of flight times are as provided by the Airline. In certain cases these flight times may be subject to delays due to air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions and technical problems. The Company will not be liable if a flight is delayed. In the event of a delay, Airlines generally provide refreshments, meals and accommodation as they deem appropriate. In addition clients may be entitled to claim for flight delay under their travel insurance policy. If the airline chooses to change their aircraft type or destination we will notify you, if we are informed, but the client will not have the right to cancel their contract without penalty.

SURCHARGES We reserve the right to impose surcharges if they result from Government action, a drop in the sterling exchange rate, or an increase in air fares or other transport costs. The company will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the tour price, excluding travel insurance and airline surcharges, before passing any surcharge on to the client. Should surcharges exceed 10% of the tour cost the client can decide to cancel the holiday and receive a full refund excluding any insurance premiums. This option must be exercised within 14 days of the notification of the surcharge but the Company will not be liable for any incidental expenses e.g vaccinations incurred by the client in preparing for their tour. All prices in this brochure are based on the exchange rate of £1 sterling being US$ 1.5.

PASSPORTS, VISAS, HEALTH REQUIREMENTS Any information regarding passports, visas and health requirements contained in this brochure was correct at the time of going to print. We will provide guidance at any time but it is your responsibility to ensure that the correct documentation and health protection is obtained in sufficient time for departure. The Company will not be liable for any failure by the client to discharge these responsibilities and the client will have to reimburse the Company for any costs it incurs as a result of such failure on the part of the client.

YOUR FINANCIAL PROTECTION NomadAfrican Travel hold an Air Travel Organiser’s License granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL4054. Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays in our brochure and on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed by us in our brochure or on our web-site. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate" When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.