Terms and Conditions

Reservations

A deposit and completed Personal Information / Registration / Release Form will reserve a place for you on a Living Earth Adventures Safari. Deposits and trip payments may be made by cheque or bank transfer in British Pounds Sterling. For trip deposits only, we accept Visa or MasterCard via paypal. Full payment of the trip fee is due 120 days prior to departure date unless stated in your booking information or below. If final payment is not received by the due date, we reserve the right to treat your reservation as canceled, and will reopen your space on the tour

Cancellations and Refunds

We must receive written notice of your cancellation, at which time the following fees apply:

120 days or more before departure: $300 per person
120-90 days before departure: 30% of Trip fee
90 to 61 days before departure: 50% of trip fee
60 or fewer days before departure: 100% of trip fee

No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a trip for any reason whatsoever. Trips are sold as a package only. This policy also applies to tour extensions and independent travel arrangements. Cancellation fees are not transferable.

Special Terms and Conditions

These terms and conditions supersede those stated above. For all tours listed in this section:

The appropriate deposit (indicated below by trip) and completed Personal Information / Registration / Release Form is required to reserve a place. Deposits and trip payments may be made by cheque or bank transfer in US dollars (above and below, you've said GBP-why are they different, when nothing has changed between the two options). For trip deposits only, we accept Visa or MasterCard using paypal. Full payment of the trip fee is due on or prior to the designated day for each trip specified below, and is specified in the Initial Tour Information sheet. If final payment is not received by the due date, we reserve the right to treat your reservation as canceled, and will reopen your space on the tour.

Trip fees are quoted in British Pounds Sterling and must be paid in British Pounds Sterling. No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a trip for any reason whatsoever. Trips are sold as a package only. Cancellation fees are not transferable.

Health Considerations

Living Earth Adventures are within the capabilities of average people in good health. Some of these trips require the ability to walk for several miles over uneven trails, stepping from a small boat to a wave-washed rocky beach, flying in small planes and helicopters, and occasionally hiking at high elevations-all while carrying an assortment of camera equipment. If you have concerns about your own capabilities and/or fitness , please contact our office before making a reservation. By forwarding a signed reservation form and trip deposit, you certify that you do not knowingly have any physical disability or other conditions that would create a risk for you or other trip participants. (You might need to check this wording with the disability discrimination act) We reserve the right to request a doctor's statement of good health. The company's or trip leader's judgment shall provide the ultimate determination of an individual's ability to embark upon or to continue on a trip. Once a trip has been confirmed, medical circumstances will not be considered as exceptions to our cancellation policy. We assume no responsibility for medical care or for special dietary requirements.

Insurance

All participants are required to purchase travel insurance.-please contact our office for details. A brochure will be sent with your enrollment confirmation of a Living Earth Adventures preferred travel Insurance supplier.

Trip Costs

Pre-departure information supplied upon enrollment describes the specific costs that are included in your trip fee. Generally these costs include lodging in double room occupancy, all meals (specified in predeparture information), ground transportation during the trip in vans or small busses, air transportation as specified, and guide services provided by the trip leaders. Not included are airfare or other transportation from your home to the trip staging location, airport departure taxes, insurance, alcoholic beverages and bar expenses plus bottled water and soft drink expenses, tips and gratuities to local guides, phone calls, passport or visa expenses, laundry or items of a personal nature. Gratuities to Living Earth Adventures trip leaders are optional and always appreciated. Rates are based on group tariffs; if the trip does not have sufficient registration, a small party supplement may have to be charged.

Single accommodation is available for a supplemental cost in many locations; please see the predeparture trip information or contact us for further information. You will be charged the single supplement fee if you desire single accommodation, or if you wish to have a roommate, but one is not available.

Cost increases may occur unexpectedly due to rising costs of airfares, ground transport, fuel surcharges, accommodations and currency fluctuations, among others. Living Earth Adventures LTD. may be compelled to amend prices, and we reserve the right to do so without prior notice. An increase in trip prices shall not be sufficient grounds for any refund of funds paid for the trip other than as determined by the terms of our cancellation policy.

Contact Schedule

Participants will receive three mailings before the trip departs: 1. Initial Tour Information sheet confirms the deposit and provides pre-departure information. 2. Invoice/Practical Information provides clothing and photo gear recommendations, climate data, applicable health advisories and reading list. 3. Final Tour Information includes arrival instructions, itinerary revisions (if any) and accomodation addresses, We provide the trip leader's telephone number(s) and/or e-mail address with final documents so you can make enquiries about specific photographic issues or anyquestions you may have regarding your trip. We welcome your calls or e-mail messages to greg@livingearthadventures.com.

Logistics

Accommodation may be changed prior to departure. Living earth Adventures will endeavour to keep all standards of accommodation as stated but in some rural areas this may not be possible.

Meals are always an important part of our trips. Depending on the trip and specific location of your tour, meals may vary. Please state before the trip if you have any dietary requirements and although we cannot make guarantees, we will do our best to ensure we meet your requirements. Some trips include picnic lunches in the field or on the shoot location. Participants are responsible for their own bar tab (including bottled water, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages) at restaurant lunches and dinners.

Our itineraries are intended as guidelines only. Participants should allow for flexibility due to changes in weather, natural history or cultural events, or other logistical arrangements deemed necessary by Living Earth Adventures, or our tour leaders.

The second tour leader (and any subsequent additional leaders) listed for each trip in the catalog will be added as the group size warrants. If only one space remains on a trip, and logistics permit, we endeavour toaccept two persons traveling together, even if it exceeds the trip maximum.

Responsibility

Living Earth Adventures and/or their agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel including, but not limited to, sightseeing, meals, lodging, transportation, and all other services whether by rail, motorcar,coach, boat, ship or aircraft and they assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be encountered, either by reason of defect in any vehicle or for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the trip.

They can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine or other causes. All such losses or expenses will be borne by the passenger, as trip fees provide for arrangements only for the times and locations stated. Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely.

The right is reserved to 1) substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary or transport where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules or equipment substitution; 2) cancel any trip prior to departure, in which case full refund of the paid trip funds will be given, but Living Earth Adventures, is not responsible for any other trip preparation expenses such as penalized or non-refundable air tickets, visa fees and medical related expenses; 3) substitute trip leader(s) for the leader(s) originally specified, in which case the substitution is not a basis for participant cancellation or refund other than provided by our normal cancellation policy; or 4) accept or retain any person as a member of any trip.

Trip prices are based on tariffs and exchange rates in effect at the time of brochure printing and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein.

A Release and Risk form must be signed by each participant prior to the commencement of the trip. Participation by any trip member will be declined in absence of the signed release of liability form, with no trip fee refund. No modification to the terms of the Release and Assumption of Risk form will be accepted.

Should Living Earth Adventures, or anyone acting on their behalf be required to incur attorney's fees and costs to enforce this agreement, the enrolling trip participant(s) agree(s) to indemnify and hold them harmless for all such fees and costs. In the event a lawsuit is filed, the enrolling participant(s) agree(s) to do so solely under UK law.