Please take time to read these terms and conditions before confirming your booking with Nature Trails East Africa Ltd. Confirming your booking with us implies that you fully understand and accept the following terms.
Reservations and Bookings
When booking your tour direct with Nature Trails East Africa, please quote your specialized itinerary, intended date for arrival and departure, number of people traveling in your party and their respective genders & ages, accommodation preferences and flight details – if known. This will ensure that our arrangements are to your satisfaction.
To reserve gorilla permits we need your full names as they appear in passport, your nationality, home address and passport number.
Please note that for tours that include gorilla trekking, advance bookings of at least three months are strongly recommended if specific dates are needed. Children under 12 years are not allowed to track chimpanzees and children under 15 years are not allowed to track the gorillas and this applies for both Rwanda and Uganda. Nature Trails East Africa bears no responsibility for individuals rejected early from tracking by Park Authorities.
Anyone with signs of communicable disease will not be allowed to track the gorillas.
Upon confirmation of the tour, the client must inform Nature Trails East Africa of any preferences and special requests of the participants; e.g. medical needs, diet, requirements relating to disabilities and any other requirements. Nature Trails East Africa will meet the requests if possible.
All packages are subject to availability and not guaranteed until confirmed. Many of the accommodations options offered by Nature Trails East Africa have limited capacity and therefore it is essential to make reservations well in advance.
In the event that you wish to amend your reservation in any way, Nature Trails East Africa will endeavor to make the amendments and confirm accordingly. Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to charge an amendment fee in accordance with any additional costs incurred, which will be added to the total invoice.
Payment
A 50% deposit plus the fee for the Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits is required at the time of confirmation of the tour. This enables us to purchase the Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits well in advance. The remainder of the balance is expected 14 days before commencement of the tour to enable us clear any other pending expenditure such as the accommodation. If you so wish, you can make full payment at the time of confirmation.
Nature Trails East Africa will issue a receipt for your payment, thereby confirming your safari. If a reservation is made within 14 days of departure, the entire amount must be paid at the time of confirmation.
All prices are quoted in US dollars.
Payment can be done by Bank transfers, OR Visa and MasterCard via a secure online payment platform called PesaPal. The Visa and MasterCard attract a 3.5% service charge.
If payment is not received in accordance with the above, Nature Trails East Africa has the right to cancel the booking.
Cancellations and Refunds
All cancellation requests must be made in writing and shall be effective on the date of actual receipt by Nature Trails East Africa.
The following cancellation charges apply to the basic program rate:
60 days or more prior to arrival 10% charge, refund 90%
59 – 32 days prior to arrival 25% charge, refund 75%
31 – 8 days prior to arrival 50% charge, refund 50%
7 – 3 days prior to arrival 75% charge, refund 25%
48 hours or less prior to arrival 100% charge, no refund!
We reserve the right to deduct all the expenses incurred from any money paid.
Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits are non-refundable. We can however try to resell them and if successful we can provide this refund as well.
No refunds will be made for any unused services, late arrival or no-show of any of the members of the tour.
Alteration of Tour
Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to alter any route or arrangement, to cancel the operation of any scheduled tour or vary the safari services in any way in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as road closures, bad weather, problems with national parks or hotels and security considerations. In such cases alternative arrangements will be made as circumstances permit.
Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to change and adjust the tour schedule, transportation, accommodation and services indicated in the itinerary in the event of unforeseen circumstances before arrival.
Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to refuse any person from participating or continuing on any tour if, in Nature Trails East Africa’ opinion or in the opinion of any other person in authority, the person concerned behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, hazard or inconvenience to any third party, damage to property or to environments and ecosystems. No refunds will be made and Nature Trails East Africa shall not be liable for expenses incurred as a result of the termination.
Transport
The mode of transport utilized will be dependent on the number of clients and the route taken based on the specifications of the chosen itinerary. Every effort is made to ensure that vehicles are provided in a roadworthy condition but no liability can be accepted for a puncture, breakdown, damage, or any delay as a result of the poor road conditions.
Most safaris use 4WD minibuses (up to eight passengers) with pop-up tops and seven window seats for game viewing. We also use 4WD long chassis land cruisers. Groups of twelve or more people who would like to travel in one vehicle are offered 25-29 seat coasters that have about 16 window seats.
Experienced English speaking driver/guides are provided; who will be the only persons allowed to drive the vehicles of Nature Trails East Africa. The driver’s decision on all matters, such as the route taken, is final.
Accommodation
Accommodation is based on twin bedded rooms or tents with private bathrooms where possible. Single rooms may be available with the payment of a supplement fee but cannot always be guaranteed. Some facilities have double beds available upon request.
Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to substitute equivalent or superior hotels. If a hotel of equivalent standard is not available Nature Trails East Africa may substitute the next best quality hotel or suggest a superior at an extra charge.
Tour Price
The price quotes are inclusive of all transportation as per the itinerary, park entrance fees, sightseeing as noted, permits where applicable, drivers allowance, bottled water and third party insurance unless stated differently.
The rates are not inclusive of traveler Insurance (which should be purchased individually), local airport departure tax, international flight, visa fees, tips, meals not mentioned in the itinerary, supplemental activities not included in the itinerary, sodas and alcoholic beverages, telephone calls, laundry and other personal expenses.
Prices quoted to our clients are subject to change without notice and are not guaranteed until confirmed. All bookings are subject to availability.
Prices are subject to change based upon accommodation availability, your tour alterations and other parameters until time of full and final confirmation.
Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to adjust the price at any time should there be any fluctuation in the exchange rate or increase in the cost of any proportion of the tour, though the company will make every effort to minimize the increase.
Emergency and Safety
While Nature Trails East Africa ensures that you are safe while on safari, we highly recommend that you take the necessary medical and travel insurance through your Agent before coming to Uganda.
Liability
Nature Trails East Africa reserves the right to employee subcontractors to carry out all or part of the services agreed to be supplied.
All bookings are accepted on the specific condition that Nature Trails East Africa Limited and its agents (who are chosen with utmost care) act only as agents of passengers in all matters relating to hotel/lodge accommodations, tours, transport, etc. Nature Trails East Africa will not be responsible for errors or omissions by the suppliers.
Whilst every care is taken, Nature Trails East Africa shall not be liable for injury, delay, loss or damage in any manner whatsoever whether to person or property.
All information given in the itinerary to our clients is to the best of Nature Trails East Africa’ knowledge and based on the latest information available. Nature Trails East Africa cannot be liable for modified information from third parties after the moment of sending, nor for any obvious typing errors.
Nature Trails East Africa’ liability to passengers is governed by the respective laws of the country. All claims are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the country in which the cause of action arises.
Nature Trails East Africa cannot accept liability or pay compensation for unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the company or its staff, including flight delays/cancellations or force majeure such as war or threat of war, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist acts, border closure, acts of government or other authorities, strikes, thefts, epidemics, road closures, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, extreme weather conditions, fire, technical and/or mechanical problems to transport and all similar events beyond the company’s control.
Complaints
Nature Trails East Africa shall try to ensure that the company exceeds the expectations in every area of the tour arrangements. However, suggestions are very much appreciated in order to keep improving the quality of the service.
Complaints must be reported immediately to the driver/guide or Nature Trails East Africa representative and to the supplier of the service in question, who will do their best to resolve the matter. If the problem is not solved to the client’s satisfaction the complaint should be reported in written form and not later than 30 days after completion of the tour.
Liability for any complaints not notified in accordance with the above described procedure cannot be accepted.
Viewing Animals
Caution is advised when viewing the animals, please be advised that there are no guarantees.
It is a privilege to see animals in their natural habitat, keep a safe distance while taking photographs.
A gorilla permit guarantees you will track gorillas to their location but does not guarantee that the gorillas will be in plain sight.
Responsible Travel Policy
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make. Our responsible travel policy allows guests to depart emotionally rich, more informed, more ecologically aware, and more appreciative of the natural resources, people and cultures.
