At the time of making a booking with us, a deposit of up to 20% of the total amount is payable, and 30% of the gorilla and chimpanzee permits. The permits must be fully paid 90 days before the tracking date. If the booking is done in less than 90 days to the date of tracking, 20% of the cost is payable, and 100% of the gorilla and chimpanzee permits.
Bookings must be made at least 60 days before the start of the Safari. Safari bookings made less than 60 days before the start of the Safari can only be confirmed based on availability.
Payment: Full payment will be made not less than 21 days before departure for your Uganda tour or Rwanda Safari. If the full payment is not made in due time, Gracious Tours & Travel Ltd reserves the right to treat the booking as canceled unless otherwise agreed upon.
Cancellations: 60 days before the date of departure for the tour, full refund of the deposit, between 60-30 days refund 50% of the deposit, less than 30 days no refund. Gorilla and chimpanzee permits are nonrefundable.
Please Note: Do read these Terms and Conditions carefully as they set out our respective responsibilities and obligations, form the basis of your relationship with us. In our booking terms and conditions, “you” means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date) and “we” and “us” means Gracious Tours & Travel
Gracious Tours & Travel booking terms will be subject to amendment from time to time depending on the prevailing circumstances in the tourism industry worldwide. The valid reservation terms will be those prevailing at your booking time. It is important to note that the laws and regulations governing your holiday arrangements are determined by the country in which the services are provided, and not by those of your home country.
Information including descriptions and opinions given by us in respect to Uganda national parks, Wildlife sightings, Hotel lodging and accommodation, Safari itineraries, Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits and security are given in good company faith, based on the latest information available to us. Tight precautions have been taken to promote and ensure the accuracy of the information provided. We cannot accept any liability for any errors or omissions caused by matters beyond our control.
Occasionally we hold and reserve rights to cancel confirmed bookings. We always endeavor to avoid cancellations, 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 circumstances 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 but if it is more expensive, you will have to top up the difference. Alternatively, you are entitled to a full refund of all monies you have paid to us except the money paid for gorilla permits which can only be refunded if the refund has been made available to us from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Except where we cancel for reasons other than those mentioned in this clause, we shall have no further liability to you. We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred as a result of any cancellation.
We reserve the right without prior notice, to terminate the holiday of any person in your party/group if, in our opinion or in the opinion of any other person in authority, the persons concerned behave in such a way to cause or be likely to cause danger, annoyance or distress to any third party or damage to property. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation or other service immediately. We shall have no further responsibility towards such person(s). No refunds will be made and we shall not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.
Should you or any member of your party be forced to cancel, you must advise us in writing. A cancellation is not effective until we receive a copy of your written notice.
To cover our estimated loss caused by the cancellation and as we may be unable to resell your holiday, cancellation fees, excluding insurance, will be levied per person as follows:
Period before departure Cancellation charge (as a percentage of total Safari/Tour price paid where applicable)
It is recommended that you take out insurance covering cancellation. Cancellations made within 29 days of departure date will incur the following charges: –
(Expressed as a percentage of the Tour and Holiday confirmed price).
- 29-22 days prior to departure – 25%
- 21-10 days prior to departure – 50%
- 9 days or less prior to departure – 100%
No refunds will be made once the safari has commenced nor will any refund be available in respect of any safaris, accommodation, hires, services or inclusions not utilized.
Complaints must be reported immediately to our representative or staff and to the supplier of the service(s) in question, who will do their best to resolve any problem. If you remain dissatisfied, please Contact your Safari planner as soon as you can to enable our dedicated team to investigate and resolve matters to your satisfaction. Regrettably, liability for any complaints not notified will not be accepted.
We regret we cannot accept liability or pay compensation where the performance or proper performance of our obligations is prevented or affected by any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events include war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, border closures, unexpected government acts, terrorist activity, industrial disputes, natural or nuclear disaster, extreme weather conditions, fire, road closures, pilferage, epidemics, quarantines, dangers incident at sea, land and air travel, and other similar acts or incidents beyond our ability to control.
We outsource hotel accommodations, restaurant services medical evacuation services and other services from various independent suppliers that are not subject to our control. We cannot therefore be liable for any death, personal injury, property damage or other loss that may occur due to any act or omission of any such supplier, or because of any other event over which we have no control.
Only when payment has been received can permits for gorilla tracking and chimpanzee tracking in the relevant National Parks be purchased. Getting a gorilla or chimpanzee permit is not a guarantee of seeing the gorillas or chimpanzees. 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 closure of the National Park or borders; absence of the gorillas; security changes. Refunds are at the discretion of Uganda Wildlife authority and we cannot accept liability for them. We shall use our best endeavors to obtain a refund and if a refund is paid by the relevant authority, we shall pass it on to the client as soon as possible.
Note: Gorilla permit payments and chimpanzee permit payments should be made and secured early in advance as their demand is very high. Chances of seeing the gorillas and chimpanzees stand at 98%.
It is advisable that before undertaking a holiday with us that you have, appropriate insurance for the type of holiday being taken. Such insurance should fully cover death, personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation in the event of accident or illness or death, cancellation or curtailment of the holiday by side and loss of, damage to, or theft of the clients’ personal property. Activities with a greater inherent risk, such as mountaineering, animal tracking on foot, white-water rafting and bungee jumping should be covered.
The principal company is incorporated in the Republic of Uganda and it operates under the laws of Uganda.
ACCIDENT OR LOSS – We have no liability for loss, damage, delay, inconvenience, or direct or consequential loss, however caused, unless due to our representative negligence, in which case our liability is limited (except for death or personal injury) to a maximum of the refund of the tour cost. We do not own or manage the ferries, accommodation and restaurants used and we have no liability for loss or damage caused by the proprietors or operators thereof.
At the time of booking you must confirm acceptance of these terms and conditions and pay a deposit of 40% of the price of your holiday including fees for gorilla and chimpanzee permits. If written acceptance is not received from you, we shall assume acceptance of the Terms and Conditions once you make the deposit. The balance must be paid in full before the safari starts. It could be paid before coming or just before the start of the safari. We however reserve the right to request full payment at least 30 days before your safari kick-off. We do accept bank transfers and online payments (DPO). The client is at liberty to make a choice.
Prices provided in the quote include airport transfers; accommodation and meals as per the itinerary; the services of an English-speaking (or preferred language) driver/guide and a 4×4 safari vehicle; portage of two items of baggage per person; Emergency evacuation Insurance boat trips; park fees; gorilla and chimpanzee permits where applicable.
Prices exclude all items of a personal nature such as entry visas, tips, telephone calls, laundry, gifts, airport taxes and all drinks. Our safari prices usually cover full board unless agreed on any other arrangements.
Our company reserves the right to change the safari services agreed with the client in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as road closures, bad weather, problems with national parks or hotels, security considerations. In such cases alternative arrangements will be made and provided as circumstances permit.
My advancement of a deposit to Gracious Tours and Travel Ltd justifies and certifies that I have carefully read and fully understood the contents of the Terms and Conditions, especially those regarding cancellation and refund policies, limitation of liability, and responsibility borne by safari participants.