Papyrus wildlife
toursConditions and General Information
It is our sincere wish to provide you with a memorable wildlife holiday and we will certainly do our best to achieve this. In the following paragraphs we have set out details and conditions relating to our tours. These conditions form a contract between each tour member and Papyrus Tours which is deemed to have been made at our office and is governed by English Law.
What the tour price includes and excludes
The price includes all land, sea and air travel, the latter being based on London to London. Where available, we can arrange for regional departures which may incur an additional cost.
Accommodation is usually full board in hotels, lodges and camps with en suite toilet facilities. Where, exceptionally, this is not the case, we will inform you in the pre-tour information.
All accommodation is of a high standard and many venues will pleasantly surprise you with the quality of provision which has been made in remote areas.
The tour price also includes all tour literature and check-lists, the services of driver guides and/or expert local guides together with the services of the tour leader(s); also all tipping, all special journeys by safari vehicle, boat, pontoon, rickshaw or elephant, the provision of bottled water on journeys and all entrance fees and local taxes.
The tour price excludes all expenses incurred before arrival at and after return to the point of departure in the UK; also passport, visa and inoculation charges, private journeys, excess baggage charges, telephone calls, laundry services, drinks (except as referred to earlier), snacks and items of a personal nature.
Joining Tours Abroad
If you wish to join a tour at the point of arrival abroad, you may do so and we will deduct the cost of the international air flight valid at the time.
Reservations
Reservations for each tour require a deposit of £200 per person. Booking requests will be considered in their order of receipt and in this respect telephoned requests will be noted from the date of the call provided that they are followed by the appropriate deposit within ten days. In the event of the cancellation of a tour by us, which seldom happens, you will be guaranteed a full refund.
The person signing the booking form warrants that he/she has the authority to make the booking on behalf of all other persons included on the booking form.
Air Ticketing
The brochure price of your tour includes international air travel, almost always by scheduled flights. Generally, the payment for your air travel will be included in your final payment to be received by us 60 days before departure. However, because of the variation in air ticketing by different airlines, there may be occasions when we have to purchase tickets on an ‘instant’ basis, either to avoid the possibility of not securing tickets or to obtain the best price, or both.
In such cases we may seek full payment (less your deposit already received) for tickets. This payment would of course be covered against cancellation of your booking (for acceptable reasons) though your insurance obtained directly by you.
Participants must be covered by a comprehensive travel insurance which covers cancellation for medical reasons and other reasons beyond the participant's control. Details of the Policy (company name, policy number and emergency contact telephone number) must, by law, be made known to us.
We regret that due to a dramatic increase in the regulations governing travel insurance, Papyrus Tours will no longer be acting as an insurance agent. We will, however, be happy to advise members on insurance matters.
Payment and Refunds
The total cost of any booking shall be paid so as to be received by us not later than 60 days prior to the scheduled departure date. If a client wishes to cancel a booking, which must be in writing, and notification is received not less than 60 days before departure, the deposit, less payments already made, is refundable. If notice of cancellation is received less than 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable but we will refund costs, insofar as monies are returned to us.
Tour Alterations
Although infrequent, alterations to the itineraries may sometimes have to be made. If changes occur due to reasons beyond our control, an itinerary or part itinerary of equivalent quality will be arranged and any changes from the accommod-ation advertised will be of similar standard to the original venues selected.
The tour leaders reserve the right to determine the most appropriate areas to visit in a given situation, even if this is at variance with the written tour description. Such alterations, however, will always be made in the best interests of the tour members.
Cost Fluctuations
Whilst we have tried to anticipate rising costs in our pricings, unexpected increases could occur. We therefore reserve the right to charge an increase in the cost of the tour for changes due to factors such as governmental action, currency exchange rate fluctuations and air transport costs. We will absorb the first 2% of the full cost of the tour, the remainder being chargeable to the client. If, as a result of notified increases in costs, you decide to cancel your holiday, your deposit, less payments already made, will be refunded. To date increases have been small and few in number. Once you have paid your final invoice (60 days before departure) we guarantee that there will be no increase in the cost of the tour. The prices in this brochure have been fixed against an exchange rate of the Pound Sterling with the appropriate currency, usually US Dollars, at the time the brochure was published. If the number of people booked on a tour falls below that which makes the tour commercially viable, usually 66% of the advertised tour complement we will give those who have booked the chance to consider whether they are willing to pay more for the tour to avoid cancellation. This has happened only on rare occasions since, if the loss to us is small, we will elect to operate the tour.
Accommodation
All accommodation is on a full board basis with en suite toilet facilities unless otherwise stated.
Although we will do our very best to ensure that everyone requesting a single room receives one, it is impossible to guarantee this at every location particularly at small remote camps which have a limited number of beds and/or where three or more single rooms are requested on any tour. Where a single room, which has been paid for is not available, we will give a full refund of the difference between single accommodation and the accommodation used.
During twenty-five years of our operation in over twenty countries we have consistently secured over 95% of single rooms requested.
Tour Cancellation
We reserve the right to cancel the tour if there are insufficient reservations 60 days before the departure date. In the case of cancellation, all deposits and other payments will be refunded. However, we would emphasise that, since we commenced trading in 1984, we have cancelled very few tours at a late stage.
We undertake not to cancel a tour within 60 days of the departure date unless in circumstances of Force Majeure, by which we mean Acts of God (fire, earthquake, storm, etc.), act of any Government, hostilities, industrial action, strikes or breach of contract by a third party. If we do have to cancel your holiday due to Force Majeure, we shall be entitled to deduct all reasonable expenses incurred by us in connection with your tour from money refunded to you. Obviously, we will endeavour to keep any deductions to a minimum and, in circumstances where the UK Government warns, within seven days of the pre-booked departure date, against travel due to war, invasion, riot or civil commotion, your insurance will provide adequate cover.
Group size and composition
We take pride in offering one of the lowest tour member/leader ratios of any company operating scheduled wildlife itineraries. This ranges from 6:1 for certain African tours to 12:1 at destinations where there is a substantial input from expert local guides. The maximum size of group will be strictly governed by the need to ensure that the level of interpretation offered to tour members by our leaders is maintained.
Wildlife
Throughout this brochure we have tried to give a flavour of the wildlife which might be seen at each location. This is merely a guide and we cannot guarantee that you will see everything mentioned. We are confident, however, that you will see a good selection of mammals and birds not to mention a number of wildlife cameos which will live in your memory.
Passports, Visas, Vaccinations
Tour members are responsible for ensuring that their passports are valid and that they have the necessary visas. We recommend that passports expire not less than six months after the end date of the tour.
For vaccinations tour members should seek the advice of their doctor. We will, however, provide guidance with regard to all these items.
For holidays in Europe you should obtain a European Health Insurance Card.
Tour information and materials
On receipt of the deposit, each participant will be provided with a General Information Leaflet which covers medical details, currency arrangements, items to pack, etc. We will continue our links with you through the provision of further information and check lists for mammals and birds for places you will visit.
If requested, and if a sufficient number of tour members would like to meet prior to their tours, we are willing to make the necessary arrangements. This will comprise, at least, a slide show and exchange of information.
Final information, together with joining instructions, will be sent out approximately 14 days before departure.
Liabilities
The information in this brochure in respect of accommodation and other supplies and services is given in good faith. We have taken all steps to ensure that every element of each tour has been properly arranged with reputable suppliers.
We accept liability for matters resulting from the proven negligence of ourselves or that of our agents or suppliers in fulfilling contractual duties to exercise care in all their actions on behalf of clients.
We accept full liability for death, personal injury or illness arising out of our negligence or that of our suppliers. We cannot, however, accept liability for claims arising out of carriage by air since we have no control over these carriers and you will be subject to the terms and conditions operated by them. Also, we have no control over changes to the timetabling of these carriers and cannot therefore accept responsibility for rescheduling of flights. You will doubtless be aware, however, that the normal convention operated by airlines is to provide accommodation and meals free of charge to travellers where unacceptable delays occur. Also, the financial implications of travel delay is addressed by the insurance policy which we offer.
Our Trading Arrangements and Your Financial Security
The company holds an Air Travel Organisation Licence (ATOL) and bond, granted by the Cilvil Aviation Authority, guaranteeing the protection of all payments made to us for your tour. Papyrus Tours ATOL licence number is 9086. In the unlikely event of our insolvency or that of our suppliers, the ATOL protection will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will also arrange to refund any money paid to us for advance booking. Further information on ATOLs can be found at www.atol.org.uk