Terms & Conditions

Acceptance

Making a booking with King Mufasa Expeditions (“the Company”) is taken as acceptance by the customer of these Terms and Conditions.

Booking tours

A. Making a booking

Booking a safari or tour is often an interactive process. After clients find us and have an idea of what they want to do, we’ll communicate back and forth on the tour and the recommended package. This is normal, and ensures that you book the right tour for you.

Once this process is complete and you’re ready to proceed with a quote we’ve agreed upon, we’ll send payment details so you can make a deposit for the tour, then send confirmation for the tour.

We’ll then issue clients with forms to fill out so we can get details such as inbound flights and dietary restrictions. Our Registration Form permits certain limited special requests to be entered into the contract, such as dietary restrictions. We will do our best to ensure such requests can be honoured, and will communicate in advance if they can’t.

However, if a request is made which does not form part of our Registration Form, then it does not form part of the contract, regardless of what other communication may have passed outside the trip documentation. At any time between the making of a booking and the delivery of receipt paperwork to the client or client representative, the Company reserves the right to decline to supply the trip.

B. Price guarantee

Once you’ve made your booking and we’ve received your deposit, we guarantee to honour the prices for each individual item shown on your quotation, with the following exceptions:

• Estimated price increases — where we are making a booking for a period for which we do not yet have prices from the supplier (i.e. a year in advance of the tour date), we usually include an estimated price increase. This is reassessed by the time final payment becomes due, and the client or client representative is obliged to cover such increases to a maximum of twice the estimated increase.
• Government-regulated fees and taxes — in Tanzania, we are exposed to unannounced and sudden changes in items such as national park fees and taxes. The client or client representative is responsible for paying any additional charges of this nature.
• Fuel surcharges — similarly, we are occasionally exposed to sudden changes in fuel costs, which we need to pass on to our customers if our suppliers demand them of us. The client or client representative is responsible for paying any additional charges of this nature.
• Major errors — in the event of a major error in our quotation whereby we have significantly undercharged for a tour, we reserve the right to withdraw our offer.
• Exchange rate fluctuations — very rarely, our suppliers suffer a large movement in international exchange rates and add an exchange rate surcharge to their invoices to us. The client or client representative is responsible for paying any additional charges of this nature.

Payment terms

Payments are scheduled as follows:

• Deposit due on camping safari bookings: 10%
• Deposit due on lodge safari bookings: 40%
• Deposit due on tailor-made bookings: 10%–70%, on request
• Final payment is due on arrival (cash accepted and preferred)

Payment can be made by bank wire/transfer, credit card, or online payment (e.g. PesaPal). We will provide our banking details to enable this process.

All payments should be made to company accounts, which are all held in Tanzania — we do not hold any offshore accounts.

It is common for us to receive separate payments from different individuals within a group touring together, and we accept payments from each (a payment link will be sent to each person to facilitate this). However, communication of the relevant information should always take place via the group leader, who remains financially responsible for the whole trip.

Payment and invoices

All payments and instalments must be paid prior to your tour start date.

When the client or representative has made a payment by bank/wire transfer, please email a copy of the bank receipt to the Company. We will confirm receipt of the funds by email.

All costs arising from payment are the client’s responsibility, including the 3.5% surcharge for credit card and online payments, and any wire transfer charges.

Currency

All our quotations are made in US$, Euros, and Tanzanian shillings. Cash is accepted, preferably in US$, though Euros and Pound sterling are also accepted. Customers may pay in any currency mentioned above, including by direct bank transfer into our account — we will provide banking details to facilitate this.

Tour element modifications

By the Company

The payment duties for the client or client representative described above assume that we are able to book the trip exactly as quoted. While every effort is made to honour the itinerary, King Mufasa Expeditions reserves the right to make itinerary changes for your suitability.

In the unlikely event of an unscheduled delay, itinerary alteration, or extension caused by flight delays, bad weather, strike, civil unrest, or other reasons beyond our control, any resulting expenses (hotel accommodation, meals, flight change fees, etc.) are the responsibility of the client. We strongly recommend all clients obtain insurance coverage for such events.

On group tours, where clients have a variety of package options and matching a group can be difficult, the Company may alter the itinerary — without changing the duration spent at any destination or the destinations visited — to accommodate other group members. For example, an itinerary set to visit Park A, then B, then C may instead run C, then B, then A, if some clients have opted for only two of the three parks on the same dates.

Sometimes we are unable to book the trip exactly as quoted — often due to a lack of room availability at a lodge, or a serious issue such as a lodge or road being damaged by fire or flooding. If this occurs, all payment obligations for the affected element are waived. We do, however, reserve the right to make small modifications during the booking process that have no impact on the contract or the client’s payment obligations. Such modifications are limited to:

• Replacing up to two lodges/hotels within a trip with lodges the Company defines as interchangeable
• Rearranging the order of lodge/hotel nights within a trip
• Adjusting the number of nights spent at each lodge/hotel
• Moving a transport element from one supplier to another

By the time a trip reaches final quote stage, most elements are either confirmed as available or already on hold with suppliers, so such changes are relatively uncommon. These conditions exist so a customer cannot use a small invoice change as an excuse to cancel a whole trip without honouring their obligation to pay cancellation charges.

Any change that reduces the price will be charged at the lower price. Any change that increases the price will either be put to the client or client representative for agreement before passing on the cost, or the Company will absorb the increase and continue to offer the trip at the agreed price.

The client or client representative is obliged to accept any changes arising from errors or omissions in the trip paperwork, so please read your quotation carefully. The exception is an error or omission that could not reasonably have been picked up by the group leader — this will either be absorbed by us, or the change will be declined as described below.

By the client or client representative

Should you wish to change your booking after deposits have been paid, we will usually need to charge an amendment fee to cover additional administration costs. Itinerary changes can involve significant time and administration, so it’s best to avoid them where possible. Any change that involves cancelling an element of the booking will attract standard cancellation charges.

Changes that add to an existing booking can usually be made without an amendment charge.

Cancellation

Cancelling less than 10 days before the tour forfeits the tour fee. A refund may be considered in extraordinary, provable circumstances.

Cancelling more than 10 days before the tour date will result in a refund, less bank transaction costs (lodge-based tours are the exception, and follow the lodge’s own cancellation policy).

Exchanges are allowed; no refunds are given for cancelled individual tours. Full travel and flight insurance is required to protect you in the event of a cancellation or alteration. In some cases — most often bookings made in shoulder season — a credit note against the deposit paid may be offered instead.

Changes and cancellations by the Company

Occasionally we may experience the failure of a supplier, or the inability of a supplier to deliver an agreed service — for example, a safari operator being unable to put a mobile camp into the field due to a change in park regulations, a road or border closure, or extreme weather. A more common but still rare occurrence is an error made during booking, by ourselves or our suppliers, that leaves a particular element unavailable. In either case, we will attempt to substitute an equivalent service, without affecting the status of the booking or its payment and delivery terms. Where this isn’t possible, we will seek your agreement to a more significant change.

King Mufasa Expeditions reserves the right to cancel a tour at any time before departure, in dangerous cases, if terrorism, natural disaster, political instability, or any other reason makes it unviable to operate the planned itinerary. Refunding all land payments received releases the Company from any further liability.

The Company is not responsible for incidental expenses arising from your booking, such as visa fees, vaccinations, or non-refundable air tickets.

Insurance

Travel and medical insurance is recommended for all King Mufasa Expeditions participants. Your policy should cover trip cancellation or limitation, medical expenses arising from illness or accident before or during the trip, evacuation and repatriation in an emergency, death, and loss or theft of baggage, money, or personal effects.

Clients are responsible for arranging their own insurance; King Mufasa Expeditions is not legally liable in the event a guest fails to take out adequate coverage. All optional sporting activities — including para-sailing, scuba diving, mountain climbing, other water sports, and horse riding — are undertaken at the client’s own choice and own risk. Please review your policy carefully, as many policies exclude injuries sustained during high-risk activities. Travel insurance is one of the most important protections for your trip, so make sure it’s in place from the moment you first book, covering the whole period before, during, and after travel.

Tour suitability and inappropriate behaviour

We reserve the right, at our absolute discretion, to terminate without notice the arrangements of any customer whose behaviour is likely, in our reasonable opinion or that of any operator or authority, to cause distress, damage, danger, or annoyance to any third party or the customer, or to cause damage to property, or is illegal.

Our trips can be physically demanding. It is your responsibility to disclose an accurate account of any limitations to your mobility, and all other relevant information about your health and fitness, at the time of booking — and to update us on any change between booking and the start of your trip.

We reserve the right, at our absolute discretion, to terminate without notice the arrangements of any customer judged, in our reasonable opinion or that of any operator or other person in authority, unable to cope adequately with the demands of the trip. In either of these circumstances, all our obligations to you under this contract cease, full cancellation charges apply, and we are not liable for any refund, compensation, or costs incurred by you.

Problems arising during a trip

If problems arise during a trip, please make the Company, your guide, or its agents aware of the details as soon as possible, so corrective action can be taken.

Usually we can act quickly to resolve a problem satisfactorily. Claims arising from problems the customer suffered in silence — without giving us the chance to correct them, only raising a complaint well after the event — will not be entertained.

When raising a genuine complaint after a trip, any evidence you’re able to gather at the time is helpful, especially photographs. Bear in mind that determining whether a refund is due requires us to negotiate with the supplier concerned after your return, so any concessions you’re able to obtain from them directly can help reach a quicker resolution.

Liabilities and their limitations

Neither King Mufasa Expeditions nor any person or agent acting for, through, or on behalf of the Company shall be liable for any claims, losses, damages, injuries, death, costs, expenses, delays, or inconvenience arising from a delay or change in schedule, overbooking of accommodation, default of any third party, attacks by wild or domestic animals, epidemics or the threat of one, sickness, lack of appropriate medical care, evacuation, weather, strikes, acts of god or government, lost or misplaced luggage, terrorism or its threat, force majeure, war, quarantine, criminal activity, or any other cause beyond its control — including those arising directly or indirectly from an act or omission, negligent or otherwise, of any person, independent contractor, company, or firm providing goods or services connected to the trip or any optional component of it. The Company does not accept liability for the acts or omissions of tour operators, hotels, carriers, or other parties outside the Company over which it has no control. You are travelling in parts of the world that can be dangerous or difficult.

We expect a certain level of awareness of such issues from our guests, and cannot take responsibility for guests being fooled by scams, or otherwise disrupted or injured by parties not directly concerned with the services described in the contract — in short, we expect you to be reasonably streetwise in public places, especially airports and towns. We do not accept responsibility for any services that don’t form part of our contract — for example, additional services a hotel or other supplier agrees to provide that we haven’t advertised or arranged, or any excursion you purchase independently during your trip.

Whether the services we’ve agreed to provide were properly delivered will be judged against our promises to you and the laws and regulations of Tanzania. If the services in question complied with local Tanzanian law applicable at the time, they will be treated as having been properly provided — even where they wouldn’t have complied with the law of the traveller’s home country, and even where a claim concerns the absence of a safety feature (such as a child seat) that would be taken for granted at home but is not provided as standard in Tanzania.

Additional excursions and activities

We may provide information about activities and excursions available in the area you’re visiting. We have no involvement in these — they are neither run, supervised, nor controlled by us, and are provided by local operators or other third parties entirely independent of us. They do not form part of your contract with us, even where we suggest a particular operator or help you book. We accept no liability, on any basis, in relation to such activities or excursions, and our acceptance of liability elsewhere in these terms does not apply to them.

We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information about such activities, or about the area you’re visiting generally (except where it concerns services forming part of your contract), or that any excursion outside our contract will take place as it isn’t under our control. If any activity mentioned in our materials, but not part of our contract, is important to your trip, email us and we’ll advise on the latest known situation. If we become aware of a material change to lodge or area information, or to outside activities, that could reasonably affect your decision to book with us, we’ll pass this on at the time of booking.

Airline and flight issues

If a flight you’ve booked is cancelled or delayed, downgraded, or you’re denied boarding in circumstances entitling you to compensation from the airline (e.g. under EC Regulation No 261/2004, the Denied Boarding Regulations 2004), you must pursue the airline directly. Any sum you receive or are entitled to receive under those regulations represents the full amount of your entitlement to compensation arising from the event.

A delay that entitles you to cancel a flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel other arrangements, even where they were made alongside your flight. We have no liability to make any payment to you under the Denied Boarding Regulations, as that entitlement is covered by the airline’s own obligations. Your rights under “Changes and cancellations by the Company” and our “Liabilities and their limitations” are unaffected by this, except that we are entitled to argue that any sum you receive from the airline is sufficient to meet any compensation obligation we might otherwise owe you as tour operator.

Transfer problems

Should any element of a trip fail — such as the non-departure of a boat or plane — we will attempt to rearrange the trip to minimise the impact, but cannot be responsible for any knock-on effects. For legal reasons, we ask that customers check exact times and schedules with local operators directly, though in practice this is rarely needed. Few departures carry a risk of serious knock-on effects, and we design trips to avoid them where we can, flagging any such possibility in advance. In Tanzania, it pays to build a little slack into your schedule — the country is not set up for last-minute or instantaneous changes. Any booking made less than seven days in advance is entirely at the customer’s own risk.

Information

The Company takes no responsibility for loss, damage, or injury arising from a shortfall, error, or omission in information passed to the customer during the sale or subsequent delivery of the trip. Specific room requests are usually honoured but cannot be guaranteed. Where a booking has been made incorrectly or double-booked, and the customer cannot stay at the chosen hotel, the Company’s liability is limited to returning the sum paid for that element of the trip.

Health and safety expectations

It is the client’s responsibility to take all necessary and recommended health precautions before travelling. Vaccination requirements vary and change over time — we recommend visiting a local travel health specialist, or consulting the CDC’s travel site for general guidance.

Customers should not necessarily expect the same standards of hygiene, security, or service in Tanzania as in more developed parts of the world — one of our most common problem areas is clients failing to take adequate health precautions while travelling. Similarly, travellers cannot always expect the same standards of health and safety they may be used to at home; for example, child seats may not be required or available. If you have particular concerns or requirements in this area, please raise them before your trip — we cannot offer special cancellation terms arising from any shortcoming here.

Terms and conditions of suppliers

Many of the services making up your trip are provided by independent suppliers under their own terms and conditions, which may limit or exclude their liability to you, usually in line with applicable international agreements. Copies of the relevant terms are available from the supplier concerned.

Customer protection

Our customers come from all over the world, and in the absence of a worldwide bonding agency, we take a practical approach to protecting you against a catastrophic failure of our company:

• We pay all suppliers well in advance of your arrival, so your bookings remain intact even if our company were to fail.
• We hold all other monies (our profit) in a separate bank account until after you’ve returned from your trip.

Everything else should be covered by your travel insurance, which we require all customers to hold from the time of booking, in order to protect against the need to make a cancellation. This is how we’re able to offer booking security to customers worldwide.

Legal jurisdiction

Tanzanian law applies to this contract and to any dispute, claim, or other matter arising between us. All parties agree that any such dispute must be dealt with exclusively by the courts of Tanzania.

Fraudulent enquiries

Requests for quotations or other information submitted to us by a competitor, potential supplier, or their associate, under the appearance of a genuine customer enquiry, will be treated as fraudulent. Any such fraud discovered will be pursued through the courts to the maximum penalty available — including claims for time lost fielding the enquiry, and for the competitive advantage gained from the information obtained.

Definitions

Company — King Mufasa Expeditions, registered in Tanzania. Office: P.O. Box 10171, Arusha, Tanzania. Tel: +255 624 036 021. Email: info@kingmufasaexpeditions.com.

Group Leader — for each trip we book, the first customer named on the paperwork. Most of the dialogue during the sales process takes place with the group leader, who remains responsible for providing all necessary information to us, and for honouring all payments and penalties due on the trip.

Contract — these terms and conditions, forming the agreement between the Company and the Group Leader, also referred to as the “booking” or the “trip.”