Encompass Africa
Booking terms & conditions

It is important that you read and understand Encompass Africa’s booking terms & conditions before making a booking. Upon confirmation of your desire to book, the full terms and conditions are sent through to you by your specialist along with booking forms and deposit invoice. If you do not receive all documentation at time of booking it is important to notify your specialist so it can be rectified.

The following terms and conditions is an excerpt only to highlight the components guests often query about.

 

Deposit 

Land payment

A 30% deposit per person of the total land arrangements, is required within 7 days (unless otherwise stated) of us accepting your booking. (Note some tours and arrangements may impose a higher deposit payment). Gorilla & Chimp permits require 100% payment at time of booking. Gorilla &Chimp permits are not refundable for any reason whatsoever.Please note that we may not hold any services for you until we receive payment of your deposit, meaning that services may become unavailable or prices may increase, in which case you will be responsible for paying the increased price, and we will not be responsible if services become unavailable.

Flight payment

Any international, regional or domestics flights booked by Encompass Africa requires full payment and airfares quoted are subject to change until paid in full and ticketed. All airfare prices for flight arrangements set out in the Invoice include a A$75 per person, per airline, Encompass Africa ticketing/administration fee. This fee is non-refundable for any reason whatsoever. All airfare costs as set out in the Invoice are subject to change prior to, or at the time of, ticketing. Please note Encompass Africa (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for any costs incurred by any airline delays and cancellation.

Final balance

Payment in full must be received no less than 90 days before commencement of your trip. Note: some trips or particular arrangements may require payment earlier or in additional instalments and this will be advised with the booking confirmation. If you fail to make payment by the due date, we will remind you to make payment. In addition to the payment, you will also be responsible for any costs imposed on us by suppliers resulting from late payment. If we do not receive payment within 7 days after the reminder, you will be deemed to have cancelled your booking.

Payment options

The company accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express. All credit card payments incur a non-negotiable merchant fee that is charged as follows:

Mastercard 1.2%

Visa 1.4%

American Express 1.8%

International Cards 3%

Please pay using Encompass Africa’s Customer Payment Link. Simply enter this link into your browser http://pay.travelpay.com.au/ENCOMPASS

If paying via the Customer Payment Link, please ensure you complete all fields and ensure you enter the correct customer reference being your invoice number starting with W, so we can identify your payment. Remember that ‘TravelPay’ will appear on your credit card statement.

Amendment fees
A fee of $100 or more per person per change plus any further cost Encompass Africa incurs will be charged for each revision, alteration or change made to a reservation on each occasion after the booking is confirmed. Costs and charges may increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made, so you should contact Encompass Africa as soon as possible. Amendments will be made at our discretion and may not always be possible.

Documentation and taxes
It is your responsibility to ensure that all passports, visas, travel permits, health certificates and other documentation required for the travel are obtained and in order. You must also pay all required taxes, including Australian departure tax and ticket levies, which are payable in relation to the holiday.

Changes while travelling
Encompass Africa is under no obligation to assist or comply with any request to alter the booking after departure and that any difficulties, fees, levies or charges incurred by the client shall be at the client’s own expense in addition to the aforementioned amendment fee.

Cancellations by you

You may cancel your booking by giving written notice to us. Cancellation fees and charges will be levied as follows:

  •  any amounts we have paid or have contractually committed to pay to third parties to deliver your travel arrangements which we cannot reasonably recover or which the third party agrees we no longer need to pay (for example payments made or due to airlines or ground operators);
  • where we or our related companies directly control any of the services included in your travel arrangements (for example, accommodation, vessels, transportation, guides), a reasonable amount attributable to such services which we reasonably determine we cannot resell or recoup;
  • a fee equal to 20% of the booking value to compensate us for work performed and associated overheads up until the time of cancellation (including work performed in connection with your travel arrangements prior to your booking) and our loss of expected profit; and
  • a fee which is the greater of $250 and 5% of the booking value to compensate us for processing the cancellation and any associated refund.

Cancellation fees and charges will not exceed payments received by us at the time of cancellation. If after the application of these fees and charges there is a surplus of payments you have made to us, we will refund this to you within a reasonable time.

Any payments we have made to third parties will only be refunded to you once we have deducted the above cancellation fees and charges and once we have actually recovered the amounts from the third parties. As we will be subject to third party terms and conditions, we make no guarantee that we will be able to make recoveries or that third parties will agree that payments attributable to your booking arrangements are no longer required.

For group departures, a transfer of a confirmed booking to another departure date is deemed to be cancellation of the original booking.

Consumer claims
Encompass Africa endeavours to have all of your arrangements running smoothly. Occasionally, problems can occur while you are away, in which case it is essential and most practical to try and resolve it locally with the provider of the service. We provide all contact information of providers and have a 24/7 Guests in Africa service to assist. If you are unhappy with your accommodation please inform duty managers so the situation can be rectified on the spot.  If you make no attempt to address the issue as it arises, any claim to compensation, if any may be reduced or denied.

If you have an unresolved complaint this should be put to Encompass Africa in writing detailing the issue and the efforts that were made with the local operator to resolve the issue. Please send this and any supporting documentation within 30 days of the date of the service by email. No claim made after this period will be considered.

 

Your obligations 

You are also obligated to:

Follow the directions of the tour guides at 
all times to ensure your safety;

Ensure that your passport is valid and does not expire within 6 months from after the last travel date;

Obtain comprehensive travel insurance at the time of booking;

Obtain any required visas to enter countries you are visiting, apply for and secure any travel permits, health certificates and other documentation required for the travel or tour;

Behave in a manner that is acceptable and 
not offensive to other passengers and crew. You may be excluded from the tour at the discretion of us or the service provider;

Comply with the reasonable instructions while on tour;

Not interfere with fellow passengers’ enjoyment of the tour;

Be respectful to fellow passengers, crew and locals;

Not engage in illegal or undesirable behaviour that is dangerous to yourself and others;

Consult your doctor or travel medical specialists in your home state before travel regarding any inoculations, medications and other health precautions that should be taken in relation to travel within the regions comprising your tour;

and Abide by the laws regardless of what country you are in. If you do not comply with the above we can withdraw you from the tour and at your own expense you must make other arrangements and we are not liable for any loss, cost or damage you may suffer or incur.

Travel and accommodation
Encompass Africa is not itself a service provider, carrier or hotelier nor do we own aircraft, hotels or transfer vehicles.  The flights, transfers and other travel and hotel accommodation comprised in your holiday are provided by reputable service providers, carriers and hoteliers on their own conditions. It is important to note therefore that all bookings are subject to the terms and conditions and limitations imposed by the individual service provider, airlines, transfer operators, hoteliers and other service providers (including but not limited to shipping, rail, car hire, and restaurant service providers) who provide services in relation to your tour. Some of these terms and conditions may permit the service provider to cancel, delay, divert or substitute services at their discretion, and may limit or exclude liability in respect of death, personal injury, delay, and loss or damage to baggage. It is your responsibility to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions of each service provider.

Travel insurance

It is a condition of your booking that you are adequately insured for the duration of your trip. We recommend comprehensive travel insurance to cover cancellation, medical requirements, luggage, repatriations and additional expenses. The choice of insurer is yours. We strongly suggest you purchase insurance at the time you pay your deposit. This is because cancellation fees and charges are payable from that time.

Health requirements
You are required to familiarise yourself with any health requirements specific to the countries you will be visiting. Any pre-existing health conditions must be discussed with your doctor who can confirm your suitability to Africa travel.

If you or any member of your party has any medical conditions, dietary requirement/food allergy, or disability, which may affect you while travelling, you must provide Encompass Africa with this detail in the booking form due at the time of confirmation. You must also promptly advise us if there are any changes to your health that may affect your holiday after your booking has been confirmed.

Encompass Africa will not be liable to refund any part of the price of the travel paid by you, or on your behalf, which you have not used due to medical reasons. You will be responsible for making alternative arrangements to accommodate any medical or dietary condition. The information provided does not, under any circumstances, make Encompass Africa liable if your condition exacerbates or affects your ability to participate in any portion of the travel.

Your medical and dietary information is collected so that we may process your booking. Your medical and dietary information will be provided to our suppliers and partners overseas for the sole purpose of endeavouring to accommodate your requirements and condition where possible.

Consular advice
We recommend that you review the information provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade prior to making your booking for the latest information.

We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the latest Government Consular advice and information. https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/