Terms & conditions

Elite Africa's terms and conditions

Booking Procedure
‍The following booking conditions, together with the information set out on the relevant page of the Elite Africa website will form the contract between you and us for your holiday with us.In this contract a reference to "the client", “you” and "your" include the lead-named person on the confirmation invoice (who must be at least 18 years old at the time of booking) and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made.“We”, “our”, “us” and “the company” are Elite Africa Tours and Travel, residing at 22 Bedford street, Clearwater Estate, Rietvalleirand, 0181,“Start Date”                     means the date on which Elite Africa is responsible for your travel arrangements“Meeting Point” means the starting point specified by us in the Travel Itinerary where you will start your holiday“Tour”                             means a holiday package organised by Elite Africa Tours and Travel“Travel Itinerary”                means whatever documents we send to you in hard or soft copy to provide information about your holiday.The contract comes into existence when we have received the 50% deposit payment which confirms your booking. You will have undertaken to pay for the holiday you have booked and we will have undertaken to provide you with the holiday we describe in the brochure / on our website or on our travel itinerary.If you make a booking on behalf of others as well as yourself, we shall take it that you have the authority of each of those other people to enter into that contract and that you and they have agreed to be jointly and severally liable to us. You now accept personal liability for the acceptance and compliance of each of those people, with these contract terms.If we are unable to accept your booking, we will of course return your payment to you immediately.For you to make a booking, we require your deposit and a completed booking form. Our confirmation invoice will be sent to you by post or email. The company reserves the right to decline any bookings. If that happens we will return your money to you immediately.What is NOT included?·         International and domestic airfares (unless otherwise indicated);·          hotel/airport transfers  (unless otherwise indicated);·         all other costs incurred before the starting date and after you return to the departure point;·         travel insurance or any other insurance personal to you;·         emergency evacuation costs;·         passport and visa costs;·         passenger taxes;·         vaccinations and medication, before, during and after the Tour;·         All meals and drinks unless otherwise indicated;·         Laundry;·         Optional activities;·         Entrance fees and conservation levies (unless otherwise indicated);·         gratuities you choose to give, in addition to any we give on your behalf where we consider appropriate.

‍Booking ProcessTour Information
‍Approximately 4 weeks before the Start Date, we shall send you a pack of information relating to your tour. This information will include:·         any pick up or transfer details on your arrival that are important (will be included in your travel itinerary);·         a travel itinerary which gives you more information of your upcoming trip;·         Copies of your domestic or regional flights reservations;·         any important details relevant to a particular destination that you may visit;

‍Baggage restrictions
‍A lot of the domestic and regional airlines have different luggage allowance (ranging from 15 kg to 20 kg) than the international flights and it is important to double-check this limit before your travel. Policies vary from one carrier to another and from time to time and Airlines can be very strict on baggage limits, so it’s important to double-check your limit before you travel. If your safari will include any light aircraft flights to get to the safari lodges, different luggage requirements will apply (+/- 15 kg). Storage space on light aircraft flights is limited and therefore luggage should be soft bags (e.g. a duffel bag) so they can be squashed and manipulated into a small luggage hold in the planeIf you have an unusual requirement, perhaps for medical reasons, do contact us and we will try to help you immediately.

‍Price of the holiday
‍We reserve the right to increase or decrease the price of holidays on this website at any time. The price of your chosen holiday will be confirmed at the time of booking, based on prevailing airfares and exchange rates. Once the price is confirmed upon booking, we will do our utmost to keep to this price. Should increases be forced on us by airlines, exchange rate fluctuations, government action such as an increase in VAT, bed levy or any other Government-imposed increases, we reserve the right to surcharge, without notice, up to a maximum of 10% of the tour price.

‍Changes and alterations
‍Despite careful planning, it is possible that a destination may become inaccessible due to matters outside our control.Elite Africa reserves the right to change the routes and/or accommodation in certain circumstances. Elite Africa will not be held responsible for any compensation to you if the company is forced to cancel or in any way change the tour due to force majeure including war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural disaster, infectious diseases, fire, adverse weather conditions or other external circumstances beyond the company’s control.Elite Africa reserves the right to cancel the tour without prior notification. In this instance Elite Africa agrees to refund all monies already paid by you, the client.

‍Validity
‍The information presented on our proposals was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of presentation and may be subject to change without notice. Changes beyond our control may have occurred since the proposal with respect to prices, itineraries, duration of holidays, standard or services, tour content and fares. Furthermore, we reserve the right to change the transport or facilities described in any publication without being held liable for any compensation or refund.

‍Relevant Law
‍This agreement (including its validity, existence and implementation, the interpretation and application of its provisions, the respective rights and obligations of the parties in terms of and arising out of the conclusion, breach and termination of the provisions of this agreement) shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

‍Severability
‍Should any of the terms and conditions of this agreement be held to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, such terms and conditions will be made severable from the remaining terms and conditions, which will continue to be valid and enforceable. If any term or condition held to be invalid is capable of amendment to render it valid, the parties agree to negotiate an amendment to remove invalidity.
‍Our Responsibility 

‍The information in advertising is given in good faith by Elite Africa, and is based on the latest information given to us..Elite Africa may take photographs and video the clients whilst on any tour. We reserve the right to use such material for any advertising without the prior consent and without payment to the client.It is our responsibility to ensure that you enjoy a perfect holiday with Elite Africa. We shall do our best to make your holiday special for you.Nonetheless, we must make clear the limitations in law. We are not liable to you for:• any event which happens before you start your tour at the Meeting Point or after you leave our organized transport at departure;• any problem arising from your failure to reach the Meeting Point on time, for whatever reason; (though we would do our best to help you in any way we reasonably could)• Some factors are not under our control and early and late in the season some tourist facilities may not operate. Likewise, swimming pools have to be cleaned and sometimes emptied and maintenance work can affect the availability of certain amenities. Public holidays and religious festivals throughout the year (particularly Ramadan) may have an impact on the ambience of a destination and the reliability of shops, banks and other facilities.• the numbers or quality of wildlife that you will see on your holiday;• Please be aware that on any African safari, you  may be taken into close contact with wild animals. Attacks by wild animals are rare, but no safari into the African wilderness can guarantee that this will not occur. Neither Elite Africa, nor its employees, nor its suppliers can be held responsible for any injury or incident on the safari. Please note that many safari camps are unfenced and animals are able to wander through the camps at all times of the day and night.• any aspect of goods or services you buy or accept other than those arranged by us;• medical problems or physical difficulties, even if you have told us about them in advance;• medical emergencies;• your own carelessness or negligence in any aspect of your behaviour whilst on holiday with Elite Africa;• laws, culture and standards of service and behaviour in any country you may visit;• changes we reasonably make to an itinerary or to accommodation or any other aspect of the management of a Tour;• problems or issues which we could resolve whilst on a Tour but which you raise only after your return.Furthermore:• We and you are subject to international conventions, when they apply. This may limit the amount of a claim you may make, against us or anyone else.• The services and features included in your Tour are those specified in our web site. If you choose to buy other goods or services during your holiday, those are not part of the package we provide, even if arranged through our Tour leader. Accordingly we are not liable to you for any happening in connection with that service or those goods.

‍Company Authority
‍If your holiday includes a tour leader, the decision of  the tour leader employed by Elite Africa will be final on all matters. Elite Africa shall not be responsible for or liable for any client who commits an illegal or unlawful act in countries visited.The client may in such circumstances be excluded from the tour without a refund. If Elite Africa considers a client unsuitable for a tour it may at its sole discretion decline to carry this client any further. If any client causes inconvenience or annoyance to other passengers, Elite Africa may at its sole discretion decline to carry the client further without any refund whatsoever.

‍Client responsibility
‍It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary travel documents and tickets in your possession including passport, insurance policy, visas and medical certificates. The onus is upon you to ensure that your passport and visas are valid for the countries visited. Elite Africa, its staff and their suppliers cannot be held liable for any visas, etc not held by you. Similarly the onus is upon you to ensure that you have taken the recommended injections prior to travelling in Southern Africa. We especially draw your attention to the need for anti-malarial prophylactics to be commenced prior to your arrival in Africa if you will be travelling in a malarial area. The names listed on your confirmation invoice and/or Booking form will appear on your airline tickets and must match the names on your passports. If you are changing your name, please ensure that it is the name on your passport that appears on your flight tickets. Failure to comply may result in amendment fees or the cancellation of your flight tickets.Clients are accepted on tour on the understanding that the client appreciates the risks inherent in travel and adventure, and the client undertakes the tour at his/her own risk. Such risk could include injury, disease or death.The client agrees and concedes that Elite Africa and its members and employees shall not be responsible for loss or damage to property injury or illness to the client or loss of life or consequential damages which might occur from any cause whatsoever. The client is advised to take out appropriate insurance prior to departure date.

‍Payment
‍In order to confirm your reservation, Elite Africa requires a 50% deposit payment + 100% payment for flights at the time of making your booking. Failure to do so will result in your reservation automatically being cancelled. The balance of payment is due 8 weeks (60 days) prior to the commencement date of your itinerary. Bookings made within 8 weeks (60 days) prior to departure are subject to full prepayment at the time of confirming the reservation.Please note that should you have been quoted in foreign currency and wish to settle payment by means of a credit card, your quotation will be converted to South African Rand prior to the transaction being processed due to foreign exchange regulations by the South African Reserve Bank. The rate of exchange on the day that the transaction is processed will be used to determine the equivalent Rand amount with any resulting foreign exchange differences or bank charges being for the client’s account. The South African Reserve Bank prohibits South African companies from taking foreign credit card payments and keeping the payment in foreign currency. The payment has to be converted to South African Rand before it is credited to the recipient.Clients are welcome to settle payment by means of a bank transfer – in this instance the amount will be converted by your bankers on presentation of our invoice. It is the client’s responsibility to inform and instruct their bankers that the net invoice amount must equal the funds clearing into the Elite Africa bank account and that ALL bank charges are for the client’s account.

‍Surcharges on credit card payments
‍Any credit card payments from a client, a surcharge of 5% will be added to the total tour fare for which payment is being made.

‍Flights
‍Please note that in the event of flights being booked and secured by Elite Africa on behalf of the client, no flights will be booked before full payment of the flights have been received.The names listed on your Booking form will appear on your airline tickets and must match the names on your passport. Airlines require the full names of passengers as printed on the passports and will not accept changes once tickets are issued. Elite Africa accepts no responsibility for incorrect passport numbers or incorrect spelling of full names. Please ensure that you provide accurate information in the booking form to your Elite Africa consultant.In addition, it is sometimes necessary to change the airline, aircraft type or routing. Flight times are supplied by the carriers and cannot be guaranteed as they may be affected by operating conditions such as adverse weather conditions, need for constant maintenance or air traffic control procedures. Elite Africa has no control over these changes. In particular, we shall not be responsible for flight delays or their results, including the consequent amendment or curtailment of planned itineraries. Carriage by air is always subject to the airline’s conditions of carriage and is governed by international convention, which may limit liability in respect of claims for injury, delay and loss of baggage. In the event of delayed departure, the airline will be responsible for making any necessary arrangements. Arrangements for refreshments and, if necessary, for overnight accommodation in the event of a lengthy delay will be the responsibility of the airline concerned. However, if these delays have led to onward flight connections being missed, the carrier is not responsible for any costs involved, or for any unused holiday services, though they will offer a remedy, subject to their conditions of carriage. Airlines occasionally change the aircraft type without advance warning, and flights operated to destination countries may be provided by charter airlines. Where we are advised of such a change then we will endeavour to advise you or your travel agent. We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance which includes some compensation for delays.

‍Cancellation Policy
‍Any cancellations made by a client must be done in writing. The date on which the company receives the correspondence, will determine the cancellation charge, if any. Although we will do our utmost best to keep the cancellation charges to a minimum, the following general charges are applicable in the event of a cancellation: - Cancellation prior to 8 weeks of travel - 10% of  deposit is forfeited (& 100% of flight costs*)- Cancellation 8 – 4 weeks prior to travel - 50% of total cost is forfeited (& 100% of flight costs*)- Cancellation less than 4 weeks prior to travel - 100% of total cost is forfeitedCancellation charges may differ from the above for certain hotels and lodges or in the case of bookings made in countries other than South Africa, in which case this will be pointed out at the time of booking.*100% of flight costs unless refunds can be arranged with the airlines.
Covid-19 PoliciesWe are flexible regarding our standard terms and conditions iro deposits and cancellations during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Don’t let financial concerns determine your holiday decision.  Most suppliers are happy to  cancel, waive or postpone your booking with no cancellation fees and we will do our utmost best to get the best possible outcome for you.

‍Travel Insurance
‍Elite Africa offers all clients complimentary financial protection. We are SATSA bonded which  offers extended and complimentary cover in the event that one of the properties you may be booked into goes out of business. Only services booked and paid for through Elite Africa are covered. However travel, medical and cancellation insurance are not covered by Elite Africa and it is a condition of booking, that the sole responsibility lies with the client to ensure that you carry correct comprehensive travel and medical insurance to cover yourself and any dependents/travelling companions for the duration of your trip to Africa. This insurance should include cover in respect of, but not limited to, the following eventualities: cancellation of curtailment of the safari, emergency evacuation expenses, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, damage/theft/loss of personal baggage, money and goods.If a client becomes ill, all hospital expenses and doctor’s fees are the client’s responsibility and Elite Africa shall not be held responsible for any refund of the tour rate whatsoever. The carriage and storage of all baggage and personal effects are at all times the client's risk and at the client’s cost.Elite Africa cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage to baggage or personal effects, property or injury or illness to the client or loss of life or consequential damages which might occur from any cause whatsoever. Elite Africa will however endeavour to assist the client as much as possible if any of the above are taking place.Be sure to take your travel insurance emergency phone numbers and your policy number/details with you.

‍Passports and Visa Requirements
‍For leisure travel to South Africa, the requirement is that your passport be valid for at least six months longer than your intended stay overseas. You should also ensure that you have a minimum of TWO blank pages in your passport for each time that you will pass through an international border in your itinerary. The client must ensure that he/she has the correct visa and passport documents to travel. Elite Africa will not be held responsible for passengers travelling without the correct travel documents.KEEP CERTIFIED COPIES of all important documents such as passports, travel documents, insurance papers etc away from the originals. This will assist you in the event of replacing them if stolen

‍Travelling with children
‍The South African Department of Home Affairs amended the requirements for minors (children under 18 years) to travel with birth certificates from 11 November 2019. The requirement is ONLY applicable to minors traveling on South African Passports and they may be required to produce, in addition to their passport, a birth certificate or equivalent document which shows the details of both parents for all international travel to and from South Africa. Additional supporting documents may be required should they fall in a specific category. Customers are urged to obtain more information prior to travel.

‍Vaccinations and health
‍The client shall acknowledge an awareness of the proposed itinerary and shall confirm that he/she is medically fit, in good physical and mental health and is able to embark on the tour. Any client with a pre-existing medical condition or illness must declare such conditions to Elite Africa  before commencement of the tour.Any failure to declare may result in cancellation of the booking. A certificate of vaccination against cholera and yellow fever is required by Congo and Tanzania.Kenya requires a vaccination certificate against yellow fever. It is the client’s responsibility to ensure that he/she has the appropriate vaccinations. An antimalarial prophylactic is highly recommended for all African countries. Please check with your doctor for advice on other vaccination precautions against typhoid, tetanus, polio, meningitis and hepatitis.

‍Claims and complaints
‍We shall try our utmost to provide a happy and fulfilling holiday, but occasionally even the best-laid plans can go wrong. In the event of a problem whilst you are on holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (e.g. hotel manager) and our office in South Africa immediately. This gives us the opportunity to correct the matter so that it does not spoil your holiday. If the matter cannot be resolved immediately, please send details of your complaint to us in writing within 28 days of your return from your holiday. It is therefore a condition of this contract that you communicate any problem to the authority in question whilst on tour. If you or you fail to follow this simple procedure we cannot accept responsibility as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem.

‍General Safety
‍Your personal safety and security is mostly a matter of common sense. So take the same precautions while travelling in Africa on safari that you would in any major city at home:Don’t walk the streets at night by yourself, especially in larger cities or townsAvoid entering townships or known neighbourhoods of trouble, unless you're accompanied by a guide who knows the area wellDo not leave valuables in visible places (this includes jewellery and cameras)Do not carry large sums of cash Keep your money safe in a money-belt when going out for the day.Leave your passport, airline tickets and cash in a safe place (the hotel/lodge safe) when venturing out.If possible, leave your jewellery at homeIf you have any concerns, it is always better to check the latest travel advice issued by your country. Keep certified copies of all travel documents away from the originals. Please be aware that tours take you to close proximity to wild animals, caution is advised in these situations. Elite Africa will not be held responsible or held liable for any injury, damage or loss sustained.