Booking Terms and Conditions

1. Quotes and confirmation

• Every quote is tailored to your dates, group size and lodge tier, and is valid for 14 days.
• Your booking is confirmed once we receive your deposit and send you a written booking confirmation with your itinerary and price.
• Lodges and permits are held for you only after the deposit is received.

2. Deposit and payment

• Deposit: 30% of the tour price, plus the full cost of any gorilla or chimpanzee permits, is due at booking.
• Balance: the remaining amount is due 45 days before your safari starts.
• Late bookings: if you book less than 45 days before arrival, the full amount is due at booking.
• How to pay: bank transfer, or card through our secure payment partner Direct Pay Online (DPO). Bank and card charges are paid by the guest.
• All prices are in US dollars unless your quote says otherwise.

3. Gorilla and chimpanzee permits

• We buy your permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) as soon as your deposit clears, and email you proof of purchase.
• Permits are non-refundable once bought. This is a UWA rule, not ours.
• Changing a permit date is only possible under UWA’s own rules and fees at the time, and depends on availability.
• UWA sets the minimum ages: 15 years for gorilla trekking and 12 years for chimpanzee tracking.
• If UWA changes permit prices after you book but before we buy the permit, the new price applies.

4. If you cancel

Cancellations must be sent to us in writing (email or WhatsApp). Charges are a percentage of the tour price, not counting permits, which follow section 3.

• Some lodges have stricter cancellation rules. If a lodge on your itinerary does, we tell you before you book and that lodge’s rule applies to its share of the cost.
• Refunds are paid within 30 days, by the same method you paid, less any bank or card charges.
• No refund is given for parts of a tour you choose not to use once it has started.

5. Changes to your booking

• We will try to make any change you ask for, such as new dates or a different lodge, subject to availability.
• Any extra cost from the change, including lodge or UWA fees, is paid by the guest.
• Moving your safari to new dates more than 60 days before arrival is treated as a change, not a cancellation, the first time.

6. If we have to change or cancel

• Weather, road conditions, park rules or safety can force a change to the route or a lodge. When that happens we replace it with something of the same standard.
• If we cancel your safari for any reason within our control, you choose between a full refund of everything you have paid us and a new date at no extra charge.
• We are not responsible for costs caused by events outside our control, such as natural disasters, political unrest, epidemics, flight cancellations or government decisions. In those cases we pass on every refund we recover from lodges and suppliers.

7. Prices

• Your confirmed price is fixed once your deposit is paid, except for changes in government taxes, park fees or permit prices, which are passed on at cost.
• What is included and excluded is listed on each tour page and in your quote. International flights, visas and travel insurance are not included unless your quote says so.

8. Travel insurance, health and documents

• Comprehensive travel insurance that covers medical treatment, emergency evacuation and cancellation is required for every guest.
• You are responsible for a valid passport, your Uganda visa and a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
• Please tell us about any medical condition, dietary need or mobility issue when you book, so we can plan around it.
• Guests who show signs of a contagious illness, such as a cold or flu, may be refused entry to gorilla and chimpanzee areas by UWA rangers to protect the animals. No refund is due in that case.

9. Your safety and conduct

• Your guide’s instructions on safety, wildlife and park rules must be followed at all times.
• We may end a tour without refund for a guest whose behaviour puts other guests, staff or wildlife at risk.
• Activities such as trekking, hiking, climbing and rafting carry natural risks. You take part at your own risk and within your own fitness level.

10. Liability

We choose lodges, vehicles and partners with care, but we are not liable for loss, injury, damage or delay caused by independent suppliers, the guest, or events outside our control. Our liability is limited to the amount you paid us for the tour.

11. Complaints

If something is not right during your safari, tell your guide straight away so we can fix it on the spot. Any complaint after the trip should reach us in writing within 30 days of your return.

12. Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Uganda.