Booking Conditions

These booking conditions were updated in November 2008. The holidays featured are operated by Imagine Africa Ltd (the Company) which is registered in England under company number 05215195. Imagine Africa has a number of subsidiary brands including Ride Africa and Imagine Latin America. The following conditions, together with our general information and the relevant details set out on this website and in our brochure, will form part of your contract with the Company.

1. BOOKING YOUR HOLIDAY
When you make a booking and pay a deposit, or pay in full (if you are booking within 8 weeks of departure), a contract will exist as soon as we issue you with a confirmation invoice. It is your responsibility to check this confirmation invoice, and to advise us if there are any errors or omissions. The Company will try and arrange for special requests to be met but these cannot be guaranteed. The Company will not be liable if any special request is not met. If you arrange your holiday direct with the Company all correspondence will be forwarded to the lead passenger on the confirmation invoice unless otherwise stipulated. If your booking is made through a travel agent all communications by the Company will be made to that address.

2. PAYMENTS
A deposit of £350.00 per person, plus insurance premium if applicable, is payable. Upon receipt of this the Company will forward a confirmation invoice. Payment of the balance is due no later than 8 weeks before departure. Please note that your accommodation, flights etc. will be requested once your deposit has been received. Your confirmation invoice will indicate the cost of your requested package and you will be advised of what is still on request and unconfirmed at the time the invoice is issued. If the booking is made within 8 weeks of departure, full payment is required at the time of booking. If the holiday is made through a travel agent, all monies paid by the client to the travel agent, under or in contemplation of a contract with Imagine Africa Ltd are held by the travel agent as an agent of Imagine Africa Ltd. If payment is not received on the due date the holiday or travel arrangements will be liable to cancellation which will lead to loss of deposit. Tickets and other documents will normally be forwarded 10-14 days before date of departure.

3. PRICE POLICY
Prices on this website and in our brochure were calculated on the basis of known costs at the time of writing in November 2008. Individual accommodation and service prices have calculated using the following exchange rates for £1; 1.68 US Dollars, 13.5 South African Rand, 1.25 Euros, 55 Mauritius Rupees. The price of unsold holidays may be increased or decreased at any time. The price of your holiday will be confirmed on booking. When you have booked your holiday and paid your deposit or the full amount if you book within eight weeks of departure, the price of your holiday as shown on your confirmation invoice is guaranteed and will not be subject to any changes or surcharges unless you elect to change the confirmed booking (see Clause 5). At no time is the Company liable to give a breakdown of costs due to the nature of the holiday bought by the client. Due to the financial commitments being made by the above Company we regret we are not able to make reductions in holiday prices should the £ strengthen.

4. CANCELLATION BY YOU
Any cancellation by the client must be advised in writing to the Company by the lead passenger. Cancellation will only come into effect on the day written advice is received by the Company. Recorded or Special Delivery is strongly recommended. Upon receipt the following charges (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges paid) will be payable by the client, depending upon the number of days prior* to departure.

Days prior to departure date when written advice of cancellation
received

Percentage of holiday payable

Up to 56 Days prior

deposit forfeit

55-44 Days prior

30%

43-32 Days prior

60%

31-22 Days prior

75%

21- 0 Days prior

100%

We would strongly recommend that you take out full insurance which will in most cases cover against loss of deposit or cancellation charges.

(*For example - if you are traveling on the 25th of March and you cancel your holiday on the 1st of March, this will be calculated as 24 days prior to departure.)

5. CHANGES MADE TO A CONFIRMED BOOKING
Where changes are possible, an administration fee of £30.00 (plus any communication charges) per alteration is applicable. Alteration of a booking within 8 weeks of departure date may incur additional costs. PLEASE NOTE: Most flight tickets cannot be changed without payment of cancellation charges and/or the cost of a replacement ticket.

6. ALTERATION TO A CONFIRMED BOOKING WHILST ABROAD
We regret that no credit or refund is possible for any unused services provided in the cost of your holiday. If you decide to alter your travel arrangements whilst abroad this is your own responsibility and Imagine Africa Ltd or the Company's Agents are not responsible for any extras or difficulties that may arise with onward travel as a result of such alterations. No credit or refund is possible for any lost, mislaid, stolen or destroyed documents which could be the subject of a claim on your own insurance.

7. CANCELLATION OR ALTERATION BY US
We reserve the right to cancel your holiday at any time. In the event of the Company having to alter, amend or cancel the holiday on or before the date when the balance of payment becomes due, you will be offered a choice of an alternative holiday of at least comparable standard if available and if this is not acceptable, a full refund of all monies received by the Company will be due. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel or materially alter a holiday after the balance due date (always providing that the balance has been paid) but more than 14 days before the intended date of departure, compensation of £10 per person per affected day will be paid to the client or £20 per person per affected day in the event of cancellation or material alteration within 14 days of the intended departure date. Circumstances amounting to "force majeure" include any event which we or the supplier of the services in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid such as war or threat of war, civil strife, riot, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, sickness, bad weather, the acts of any Government or public authority and all similar events which are beyond our control. It is regretted that under such circumstances there will be no compensation payable. Please note, we are reliant on information provided by the Foreign Office.

8. OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
The Company applies all reasonable checks to ensure that those involved in the preparation and provision of your holiday maintain the appropriate standards. The descriptions, information and opinions on this website and in our brochure by the Company in respect of airlines, hotels and other suppliers whose services are used are given in good faith, based on the latest information at the time of printing. The Company accepts responsibility for acts/and or omissions of all those in our employment and all those acting as agents.

In addition the Company accepts responsibility if you suffer death or personal injury as a direct result of the holiday arrangements failing to be as described and of a reasonable standard. However the Company will not accept responsibility if there has been no fault on the part of the Company or its suppliers and the loss, death or personal injury suffered is attributable to your own acts or omissions, to the acts or omissions of a third party not involved with providing the services which make up your holiday or to the unusual or unforeseeable circumstances whose consequences could not have been avoided or anticipated. If any client suffers death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of activity which does not form part of the inclusive holiday arrangements or excursion arranged through us, we shall, at our discretion offer assistance, provided we are advised of the incident within 90 days of the occurrence. Where legal action is contemplated, our authority must be obtained prior to commencement of proceedings and be subject to your undertaking to assign any costs recovered or any benefits received under an appropriate insurance policy to ourselves. All assistance is provided subject to a maximum total cost to ourselves of £5000 per booking form. All responsibilities and obligations in respect of carriage by air and sea are limited in the manner provided in the relevant International Conventions.

9. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CLIENT
Any passports, visas, health certificates, International Driving Licences and other travel documents required for the holiday must be obtained by the client, whose responsibility it remains to ensure that these are all in order and to meet any additional costs incurred (whether by the client or by the Company on the clients behalf) as a result of failure to comply with such requirements. You are responsible to arrive at stated departure times and places and any loss or damage which you suffer through failure to do so lies with you. The Company has no liability whatsoever to you through your failure to do so. The Foreign & Commonwealth Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday destination. You are advised to check this information on BBC2 (Ceefax) page 470 onwards or on the Internet at www.fco.gov.uk.

10. AIRPORT DELAYS
We use the schedule services of the world's major international airlines. These are rarely subject to lengthy delays. In the unlikely event that this does happen, arrangements for meals, overnight accommodation, etc. should be met by your airline. Conditions of carriage are available on request.

11. COMPLAINTS
Most problems can be sorted out straight away if we know about them. If you have a complaint you must report it immediately and directly to the supplier (eg. Hotel Manager), or the emergency contact numbers provided with your travel documents. If you fail to follow this procedure, this may affect your rights under this contract, as we have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem. If the problem cannot be resolved locally and you wish to complain, full details must be received in writing within 28 days of return.

12. CONSUMER PROTECTION

The air holidays on this website and in our brochure are ATOL protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6607. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.

13. INSURANCE

We believe it is essential to take out travel insurance when you go on holiday. Travel insurance must be taken out at the time of booking. Imagine Africa have negotiated a special rate arranged with Fortis Insurance Ltd, a member of the General Insurance Standards Council. A summary of the cover can be found in our brochure. The full specimen policy can be provided before you book and there is a ‘cooling off period’ after the policy has been issued. If you decide to take your own insurance, we insist that you take comparable cover and you must advise us of the policy details by telephone or in writing.