Terms & Conditions

1. Who we are and definitions

Luxury Family Safaris is a trading name of AfriVenture Experiences (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2017/250890/07), a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of South Africa, 53 Hobart Road, Bryanston, Johannesburg, 2191.

• Contact: info@luxuryfamilysafaris.com · +27 73 168 0048 (phone and WhatsApp) · www.luxuryfamilysafaris.com
• “We”, “us”, “our” means AfriVenture Experiences (Pty) Ltd t/a Luxury Family Safaris.
• “You”, “the client” means the lead traveller who makes the booking and every person travelling under that booking, including children.
• “Lead traveller” means the adult who makes the booking, is at least 18 years old, and is authorised to accept these terms for the whole party.
• “Supplier” means any independent third party providing a travel service in your itinerary — lodges, camps, hotels, airlines, charter and helicopter operators, transfer and vehicle-hire companies, guides and activity providers.
• “Land arrangements” means all services in your itinerary other than international flights.
• “Itinerary” / “booking confirmation” means the written document we issue setting out the services booked, dates and inclusions.

We design and arrange tailor-made travel and act as an agent for the suppliers who deliver the services. Each supplier’s own terms (including age, cancellation and safety policies) also apply to the services it provides.

2. Quotations, bookings and payment

A booking is confirmed only when we have received your deposit and issued a written booking confirmation.

Quotations. Quotations are proposals, not reservations. Space is held only once the deposit is received, and prices and availability may change until then. Quotations are valid for the period stated on them, or 7 days if no period is stated.

Bookings within 60 days of travel

The full trip cost (100%) is payable at the time of booking.

How to pay. Invoices are issued in US Dollars (USD) or South African Rand (ZAR), as stated on your invoice. You can pay by:

• EFT / SWIFT bank transfer to the account on your invoice; or
• Credit Card, which carries a 3.5% surcharge on the amount paid.

All bank charges and intermediary fees are for your account, and payments must reach us in full.

Non-payment. If the balance is not received by the due date, we may cancel the booking and apply the cancellation fees in section 4. Services will not start until payment is received in full.

Your details. The lead traveller must give us full names exactly as in passports, dates of birth for children, nationalities, dietary and medical requirements relevant to the trip, and weights where light-aircraft or helicopter transfers are included. Please check your booking confirmation carefully and tell us of any error within 7 days of receiving it.

3. Prices, inclusions and changes

Your price includes only the services listed as inclusions in your booking confirmation; everything else is excluded.

Typical exclusions (unless your confirmation states otherwise): international flights, visas, travel insurance, tips and gratuities, items of a personal nature, optional activities, premium drinks, spa treatments, and park or conservancy fees not stated as included.

Price changes before departure. Our prices are based on supplier rates, taxes and exchange rates at the time of quoting. We may pass on increases beyond our control that arise before departure, including:

• government taxes, VAT and newly imposed charges;
• park entry fees, conservation levies and permit prices;
• fuel surcharges and airline or charter price increases;
• material exchange-rate movements where a supplier charges in another currency.

We will notify you in writing as soon as possible and show how the increase arises. If an increase exceeds 10% of the total trip cost, you may cancel within 7 days of our notice. In that case we will refund the money you have paid that we are able to recover from suppliers; deposits, permits and flight costs already paid to suppliers on a non-refundable basis cannot be refunded.

Exchange rates. Where your invoice is in a different currency from the one a supplier charges in (for example, a ZAR invoice for services priced in USD), the price is based on the exchange rate on the date of the quotation. Until your trip is paid in full, we may adjust the price to reflect exchange-rate movements, and any such difference is for your account. Once we have received full payment, we will not adjust your price for further exchange-rate movements.

Changes you ask for. We will try to accommodate changes after confirmation, but they depend on supplier availability. We do not charge an amendment fee, but any charge a supplier makes for the change will be passed on to you. Reducing nights, rooms or travellers, or changing travel dates, may be treated as a cancellation of the affected services under section 4. A change of name may not be possible on flights and permits.

Changes we must make. Safari travel needs flexibility. A supplier may change a camp, room, vehicle, flight time, route or activity for operational, safety, weather or wildlife reasons. Where we must make a significant change before departure, such as a change of lodge or travel dates, we will tell you promptly and offer a comparable alternative.

Website information. Lodge descriptions, age policies, photographs and facilities on our website are based on supplier information and are given in good faith. Suppliers can change them without notice; your booking confirmation takes precedence over the website.

4. Cancellations, refunds and force majeure

If you cancel, the fee depends on when we receive your written notice; the charges below are a reasonable estimate of the costs and losses we and our suppliers incur.

Cancellation by you. Notice must be in writing (email is fine) and takes effect on the day we acknowledge receipt.

In addition, the following are non-refundable once issued or paid, whenever you cancel: gorilla and chimpanzee permits, and issued flight and charter tickets.

Unused services. No refund is due for services you choose not to use, or for leaving a trip early or joining it late.

Your consumer rights. Nothing in these terms limits rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (where it applies), including the right to cancel an advance booking subject to a reasonable cancellation charge. Because our services are travel and accommodation for specific dates, the cooling-off period in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 does not apply.

Cancellation by us. We may cancel a booking if full payment is not received on time. If we cancel for any other reason that is not force majeure, you may choose a refund of all money paid or a transfer to alternative dates or arrangements of equal value.

Force majeure. We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control. Examples include war, terrorism, civil unrest, natural disaster, extreme weather, fire, flood, epidemic or pandemic, government action or travel restrictions, airport or border closures, strikes, and supplier insolvency. If a trip cannot go ahead for such a reason, we will help rearrange it and refund the money we actually recover from suppliers, less unrecoverable costs, once we have received it from them. We are not responsible for incidental expenses such as visas, vaccinations, insurance excesses or non-refundable flights.

Travel insurance that includes cancellation cover is compulsory from the moment you pay your deposit (see section 5).

5. Travelling with children, documents, health and insurance

Parents and guardians remain responsible for the supervision and safety of their children throughout the trip, including in camps and on activities.

Lodge age policies. Each lodge sets its own rules on minimum ages, children on game drives and walks, family rooms and private vehicles. These rules are shown in your booking confirmation and must be followed. A guide or lodge manager may refuse or end an activity for a child for safety reasons, without refund. Many camps are unfenced and wild animals move through them freely: children must be accompanied at all times and follow staff instructions.

Children’s ages and rates. Child rates and room configurations are based on each child’s age on the travel date. Please give us correct dates of birth; incorrect ages may lead to extra charges or refused rooms or activities.

Passports, visas and minors. You are responsible for valid passports, visas, health certificates and other entry documents for every traveller.

• Many countries require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return and to have at least 2–3 blank pages. Requirements vary by nationality and destination, so please check the current rules for every country in your itinerary, including transit countries.
• Children need their own passports.
• Border officials, including in South Africa, may ask for proof of parentage (such as an unabridged birth certificate) and, where a child travels with one parent or another adult, a parental consent affidavit. Please carry these documents.

We give general guidance but cannot accept liability if entry is refused because documents are missing or wrong.

Health and fitness. You confirm that everyone travelling is fit to take part in the itinerary. Please tell us before booking about any medical condition, allergy, mobility need or dietary requirement relevant to the trip. Some areas carry a malaria risk: ask a travel clinic about prevention suitable for each child. Remote camps can be several hours from medical facilities.

Travel insurance. Comprehensive travel insurance is compulsory for every traveller, including children, from the date of your deposit. It must cover cancellation and curtailment, medical expenses (including illness from communicable diseases such as COVID-19), emergency evacuation and repatriation, personal accident, and loss of baggage and valuables. Please send us your policy details before travel. If you travel without adequate insurance, you are responsible for all costs that such insurance would have covered, including medical, evacuation and cancellation costs, and you indemnify us against them.

Light aircraft and luggage. Charter and helicopter transfers have strict weight limits, usually around 20 kg per person including hand luggage, in soft-sided bags without wheels or frames. Exact limits are on your confirmation. Excess luggage may be refused or charged. Charter flights also have individual passenger weight limits, which must be adhered to; operators will ask for each traveller’s weight, and a passenger over the limit will need to purchase an extra seat.

6. Responsibility, conduct, complaints and law

We take reasonable care in selecting suppliers and arranging your trip, but suppliers are independent and we are not liable for their acts or omissions.

Our liability. We are not liable for loss, injury, illness, damage, delay or extra expense caused by suppliers, by you, by third parties, or by force majeure, including missed flight connections and their consequences. Where we are found liable, our liability is limited to the amount you paid us for the affected services, except where the law does not allow liability to be limited (for example, death or injury caused by our gross negligence). We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss.

Risk, waiver and indemnity. Safari and island travel involves inherent risks, including wild animals, remote locations, light aircraft, boats, walking and water activities, and limited medical facilities. You accept these risks for yourself and the children in your care. To the extent permitted by law, you waive any claim against us, our directors, employees and agents for death, injury, illness, loss or damage arising from your trip, and you indemnify us against claims arising from your participation, except where the claim results from our gross negligence or wilful misconduct. Suppliers may ask you to sign their own indemnity forms before activities.

Conduct. You must follow the instructions of guides, rangers and camp staff, and respect the laws and customs of each country you visit. A guide or supplier may exclude anyone whose behaviour endangers people or wildlife, without refund. You are responsible for any damage you or your children cause.

Optional activities. Activities booked locally and not in your confirmation are contracts between you and the provider.

Complaints. If something is not right during your trip, tell the lodge manager and contact us straight away on +27 73 168 0048 so we can try to fix it on the spot. Complaints not raised during travel should reach us in writing within 30 days of your return. We aim to respond within 14 days.

Privacy. We process your personal information, including information about children, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 and our Privacy Policy.

Photographs and content. Website images and content belong to us or are used with permission and may not be copied. We will only use photographs from your trip with your written consent, and never images of your children without it.

Disputes and governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Before starting legal proceedings, both parties will try in good faith to resolve any dispute within 21 days of written notice of it. If it is not resolved, it falls under the jurisdiction of the South African courts, and you consent to the jurisdiction of the Magistrates’ Court where the claim falls within its limits. If we take legal action to recover money you owe us, you are liable for our legal costs on the attorney-and-client scale, including collection costs. Any provision found invalid is severed; the rest remain in force.

Changes to these terms. We may update these terms from time to time. The version on our website on the date of your booking applies to that booking.