Find our Tanzania safari booking terms and conditions for booking a safari with us at Focus East Africa Tours.

GENERAL

We organize vacations in Uganda, Rwanda safaris, Congo, Tanzania safaris, and safari holidays in Kenya. Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully, as they set out our respective obligations and form the basis of your contract with Focus East Africa Tours Ltd.

In these Terms and Conditions, “you” means all persons named on the booking, including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date. “We” and “us” means Focus East Africa Tours Ltd.

These terms are revised from time to time due to changing circumstances. The terms applicable at the time of booking are the terms that are valid.

Conditions in Africa are not the same as those in developed countries, and standards of service, medical facilities, safety, and security may often be lower than those in your home countries. Please note that the laws and regulations of the country in which services are provided apply to your holiday arrangements and not those of your home country.

ACCOMMODATIONS

We use elegant and unique hotels, lodges, and camps that are attractive, have good facilities, hot water, friendly staff, and reasonable prices.

We request all our clients to advise us of any dietary requirements in advance. We reserve the right to use equivalent or superior hotels in regard to your booking.

COMPLAINTS

If you have any complaint, it should be reported immediately to the Safari Manager and the supplier. They will do their best to help you.

If you are not satisfied, you should submit a written report to the Manager/Supplier as soon as possible after the incident, and it should not be later than 30 days after completion of your holiday, safari, or tour. This will allow us to investigate fully.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept any complaint that is not notified in accordance with this procedure.

ACCURACY OF INFORMATION

The information, descriptions, and opinions given by us in respect of itineraries, national parks, gorilla permits, animal sightings, accommodation, and security are given in good faith and are based on the most current information available.

Care has been taken to ensure the truthfulness of the information provided. We cannot accept any responsibility for mistakes or omissions caused by issues beyond our control.

FORCE MAJEURE

We regret that we cannot compensate where the proper performance of our duty is affected by any incident which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, anticipate or avoid.

Such events may include war, terrorist activity, unexpected government acts, riots, civil strife, natural disasters, border closures, industrial disputes, fire, road closures, pilferage, epidemics, quarantines, land and air travel disruptions, extreme weather conditions, and other similar incidents beyond our capability to manage.

Depending on the itinerary you have selected, some activities carry with them the intrinsic risk of personal injury. These activities include gorilla trekking, white water rafting, chimpanzee tracking, walking tours, canoe/boat rides, and mountaineering.

However, you must understand that participation in the above activities will be at your own risk and that we assume no responsibility for your safety.

GORILLA PERMITS

As soon as payment has been received, permits for gorilla tracking can be purchased.

Getting a gorilla permit is not a guarantee of seeing a gorilla. However, the chances of seeing them are 99%.

Local conditions sometimes mean that access to the gorillas is made impossible at short notice. We are unable to accept liability for any circumstance that might lead to gorilla viewing being cancelled, whether it is due to closure of the National Park or borders, absence of the gorillas, or security changes.

Refunds are at the discretion of the relevant authority, and we cannot accept liability for them. We shall use our maximum endeavors to obtain a refund, and if a refund is paid by the relevant authority, we shall pass it on to the client.

PAYMENT

Upon booking your safari, you confirm that you are in agreement with our Terms and Conditions and pay a deposit of a percentage determined by our Tour Consultant of the total price, including the fees for the gorilla permits and necessary bookings.

The deposit is usually 40%, but you may be required to pay more depending on the prevailing conditions and the travel period.

You may be required to pay 50% during a high/peak season, where all the bookings require to be made early enough, especially the gorilla and chimpanzee permits, as well as accommodation.

The balance should be paid before the start of the safari.

Kindly note that full payment is required for bookings made within weeks of the departure.

INSURANCE

It is a requirement when booking your holiday that you arrange personal travel insurance that is relevant and effective.

Persons not fit for long trips due to heart disease, chronic illness, physical handicap, advanced pregnancy, or mental illness are advised not to participate in such rigorous travel programs.

The insurance should cover death, injury, theft of the clients’ personal property, and medical expenses. Activities with greater risk, such as white water rafting and mountaineering, should also be covered.

BAGGAGE

All personal belongings and baggage are at the passenger’s own risk.

NATIONAL PARKS

We strongly criticize the collecting of any specimen from the natural world. Our safaris provide the chance to watch and photograph wildlife only, not to disturb it.

TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS ON TOUR

We reserve the right to take photographic images of individual participants to use for commercial promotion of our safaris.

Any tour member/leader who wishes that his/her picture not be used is asked to identify him/herself to the tour guide at the start of the tour.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN OUR SAFARI PRICES

PLEASE NOTE: Any activities added by the Client that are not included in the initial itinerary issued by Focus East Africa Tours Uganda Ltd will be charged as an extra cost to be covered by the Client.

Our safari prices include, in the quotation:

  • The cost of the gorilla permit @ $700 each
  • Chimpanzee tracking permit @ $200 each
  • All accommodation
  • All ground transportation in private 4 x 4 safari vehicles
  • Full-time experienced safari guide (English-speaking) and his associated expenses
  • All meals, except where B&B is denoted
  • Water and snacks in the vehicle
  • Entrance fees in National Parks
  • Ranger guide fee
  • Chimpanzee tracking
  • Boat/canoe rides
  • All applicable taxes and administration

Our safari prices are full board.

Our safari prices exclude:

  • International flights
  • Any items of a personal nature, i.e. drinks, laundry, telephone, and souvenirs
  • Visa fees
  • Porters at the gorilla trek
  • Travel/medical insurance
  • Gratuities for the guide/driver/hotel staff
  • Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary

The company reserves the right to vary the safari services agreed with the client in the event of unpredicted conditions, such as bad weather, road closures, and security issues. In such cases, alternative arrangements will be made as situations permit.

WHEN YOU CANCEL

Should you be forced to call off the safari, you must inform us in writing. A cancellation is ineffective until we receive a copy of your written notice.

In order to cover our estimated loss caused by your cancellation, and as we may be unable to resell your holiday, cancellation fees will be charged per person as follows:

Period before departure — Cancellation charge as a percentage of total tour price paid, where applicable:

  • 60 days or more prior to arrival: 25% charge
  • 59–32 days prior to arrival: 50% charge
  • 31–8 days prior to arrival: 75% charge
  • 7 days to date of arrival: 100% charge

Otherwise, should you decide to terminate your safari when it has already started and you do not allow us time to rectify your cause, there is absolutely no refund.

WHEN WE CANCEL

Occasionally, we have to cancel confirmed bookings. We always try to avoid cancelling, but we must reserve the right to do so.

We shall not cancel your confirmed holiday less than 60 days before departure unless we are forced to do so as a result of unusual and unforeseeable conditions beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care.

If we cancel your holiday, except where you have failed to make payment or as a result of force majeure, we shall offer you the choice of purchasing an alternative holiday from us of a similar standard to that originally booked, if available.

If the chosen alternative is less expensive than your original holiday, we shall refund the difference. If it is more expensive, we shall ask you to pay the difference.

Alternatively, you are entitled to a full refund of all monies you have paid to us, save that paid for gorilla permits, which can only be refunded if the refund has been made available to us.

Except where we cancel for reasons other than those mentioned in this section, we shall have no additional charge to you. We are sorry that we cannot pay any expenses and losses incurred as a result of any cancellation.

Please note that cancellation fees are based on the date your written notification is received at Focus East Africa Tours Uganda Ltd.

VOLUNTARY EXECUTION

My advancement of a deposit to Focus East Africa Tours Uganda Ltd declares that I have fully read and understood the contents of the Terms and Conditions, especially those regarding cancellation and refund policies, responsibility borne by trip participants, and limitation of liability.

On the advance of a deposit to Focus East Africa Tours Uganda Ltd, the depositor, his or her family and beneficiary…

Note: Should you find discontent with either your vehicle or guide while on safari, we require that you allow us 24 hours to rectify the issue.

Thank you for choosing Focus East Africa Tours Ltd for your safari. We look forward to meeting you.