Topics:
Terms and conditions of Ivory Photo Safaris (herein also referred to as 'the company' / 'we' / 'our')
Amendment to the Safari:
There will be a handling charge of up to $200.00 per person, plus all costs incurred, per Amendment to the Safari, after the arrangements have previously all been confirmed.
Availability:
Once you have agreed on an itinerary, Ivory Photo Safaris will only provide an indicative but unconfirmed availability of services. After receipt of your deposit, the company will attempt to secure the accommodation and advise you of the status of the preferred accommodation.
Briefing:
In most cases, by playing a pro active role in the reservation process, you will become familiar with the program. You may however, also request a pre USA departure telephone briefing or one by the local representative upon arrival into the country. In cases where the program involves a substantial amount of independent travel, you will be briefed prior to your departure.
Changes:
There may be last minute changes to the itinerary necessitated for reasons brought to our notice such as disrepair of facilities, unannounced renovations/repairs, poor conditions of the infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc), management/personnel problems at the facility, security concerns, over booking, etc, or when where deemed advisable for your comfort and well being. When such a situation arises, we shall endeavor to give you as much notice as possible. However, circumstances may necessitate very last minute changes, and of which you may not receive any advance notice. Changes are not uncommon and before you proceed with making a commitment by confirming the tour and sending payment, please be sure that you are open minded and in agreement about such a possibility.
Cancelled Departures:
The company and/or its agents reserve the right to cancel any departure due to inadequate sign-up that makes the trip financially unfeasible to operate, but will inform you at least 45 days prior to departure. In such an event, the company's obligation is limited only to making a full refund of Land Cost or the amount paid, whichever is less. However, Ivory Photo Safaris is not responsible for additional expenses incurred by members preparing for the trip (for example, non-refundable "Advance Purchase" air tickets, visa fees if applicable, clothing, equipment, lost vacation time, medical expenses, etc.).
Cancellations of the Safari:
Cancellation/Amendment requests must be in writing, and acknowledged by the company (Ivory Photo Safaris). When the company receives written notice of cancellation 45 days or more prior to the scheduled departure date of the tour, refund will be made less a nonrefundable handling fee of $200.00 per person plus all costs involved such as hotel charges, bank fees and communication expenses. For written notice of cancellations received between 45 and 15 days prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 30% of the tour cost will be levied; between 15 days and 48 hours of the departure date, a fee of 70% of the tour cost will be levied; within 48 hours, up to 85% cancellation fee will be levied. Written notice means clear written instructions, in English, received by courier delivery, and receipt duly acknowledged in writing by Ivory Photo Safaris. Verbal and/or third party cancellations are not acceptable.
Cancellations and Amendment of Millennium Programs:
120 days prior to departure: $800
119 to 90 days prior to departure: 25% of Land Cost
89 to 60 day prior to departure: 50% of Land Cost
59 days or less prior to departure: 100% of Land Cost
No partial refunds will be given for unused hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing trips or trek arrangements for any reason whatsoever. Land Cost is quoted as a package and credits are not given for services not used.
Claims:
Unless there exist documented and verifiable extenuating circumstances which are confirmed by the Local Ground Handler, there will be no refunds made for any missed tour services, or parts thereof, for any reason whatsoever. There will be no adjustments nor refunds for meals, sightseeing excursions, national park/game reserve entrance fees, driver/guide fees or the planning and handling costs of the tour. IVORY PHOTO SAFARIS will not accept any claims, and the customer will forfeit rights to any potential claim if these are not received in writing within 30 days of the termination day of your tour, together with all supporting documentation. Any adjustment considered for refund will be based on costs of the actual services and not per diem basis.
A Passenger Travel Protection Program which provides reimbursement in the event of unanticipated eventualities such as cancellation of the tour for health reasons, is strongly recommended. Please contact a Travel Insurance specialist for advise.
Cost Increases:
Tour costs are subject to increase without prior notice, even after you have signed up on the trip. Costings for the programs are frequently made well in advance and incorporated in publications or the websites, sometimes over a year in advance. Because the likelihood of some cost increments are uncertain, these may not have been incorporated into our original seasonal costing of the program (for example currency fluctuations and tax increases). Should these therefore occur, Ivory Photo Safaris will try and give you as much notice as possible to organize payment prior to your departure.
Delays, forces of nature and third party causes:
Additional costs incurred for any reason beyond the control of the Company or its Agents, including causes such as poor weather, impassable trail / river / road conditions, any infrastructure, transport delays, government intervention and sickness are to the account of and payable by you.
Departure Guarantee:
The departure dates indicated on this site are provisional, purely indicative and cannot be guaranteed until the departure is reconfirmed by the ground handler after receipt of the payments. The tour will depart as scheduled, except in circumstances of FORCE MAJEURE or events beyond the control of Ivory Photo Safaris, its associated companies, or the local Ground Handlers.
Donation:
Ivory Photo Safaris will make a voluntary donation towards a worthy cause of its choice; presently it supports the education efforts and marine accessory purchases for the Turkana Community residing on Ferguson's Gulf near the World Heritage Site of Central Island National Park and Sibiloi National Park on Lake Turkana, Kenya.
Due Diligence:
Ivory Photo Safaris urges you to exercise due diligence before booking any tour with the company. This should include the company's understanding and recognition of your requirements; are we knowledgeable about the destinations; Is Ivory Photo Safaris accommodating to your special requests or needs; etc. You may also request Ivory Photo Safaris for names of former customers who have experienced their services and do some calling. Having done all that, be aware that you are ultimately responsible for your decision. Trip members have certain responsibilities which include being responsible for understanding the conditions implied in various tours or safaris and selecting a trip that is most appropriate to their interests and abilities, and for preparing for the trip by studying available literature and supplementing the trip information sent by Ivory Photo Safaris with that from other independent sources.
Financial responsibility for cost increments:
Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made by the company where deemed advisable for your comfort and well being. Additional costs incurred for any reason beyond the control of the company or its Agents, including conditions relating to poor weather, bad or unkempt trails, floods, health, river, conditions of any infrastructure, transportation delay, government or related actions, strikes and strife, security, sickness, etc, are to the account of and payable by you. The right is reserved to substitute hotels, alter the itinerary, and reverse the order of places to be visited; you will be kept informed of any necessary changes.
Health:
see section under Medical
Information:
During the period leading to the safari departure, you will periodically receive information and material for the safari - detailed itinerary, hotel brochures (if available), luggage labels, etc.
Insurance:
Personal insurance coverage is not included. It is strongly recommended that the appropriate insurance be obtained to cover your person and property prior to your departure. Please contact your travel agent or insurance broker for their recommendations. Particular emphasis should be on Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Emergency Evacuation Coverage, Medical Coverage, Accident, Baggage Loss, and Theft Insurance. Furthermore, please note that baggage is at the owners risk throughout the tour regardless of whether it is carried in your person, with you in the vehicle or aircraft, is left in the storage/room, or left with the driver/guide/hotel. In our billing, the cost of a basic cover is shown as a separate optional item. If you opt for this coverage, please specify this when making payment. The insurance can be activated immediately the payment is made; please note that deposits are not applied toward the insurance premium.
Itinerary:
The final itinerary will be sent to you upon receipt of the final payment for the safari. The itinerary will operate as scheduled, except in circumstances of FORCE MAJEURE or events beyond the control of Ivory Photo Safaris, its associated companies, or the local ground handlers.
Limitations of Liability:
Ivory Photo Safaris, its owners, associates, agents, and employees give you notice that they act only as the agent for the owners, contractors and suppliers providing any type or form of travel services including the means of transportation / accommodation / driver / guides, and assume no responsibility howsoever caused for injury, loss or damage to person or property in connection with any service resulting directly from acts of God, detention, annoyance, delays, expenses arising from quarantine, strikes, thefts, pilferage, force majeure, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations, and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made by the company where deemed advisable for the comfort and well being of the passengers. The right is reserved to substitute hotels, alter the itinerary, and reverse the order of places to be visited. We will keep you informed of any necessary changes in a timely fashion. By making payment of any part of the tour cost, the depositor is consenting to be bound by the above recited terms and conditions.
Also see Responsibility
Medical:
It is essential that if you experience or have any type of existing medical condition which you have any reason to be concerned about, please seek a medical clearance certification from your physician prior to booking and making payment for any tour. By making payment for any tour, you are confirming that you, and everyone else in your group on whose behalf you are acting, are in the perfect state of health to undertake the specific tour program. Ivory Photo Safaris, its Associates or the country Ground Handler have the right to disqualify anyone at any time during the trip if they are under the impression that the trip member is incapable of undertaking the program and/or if a trip member's continued participation will jeopardize the safety/well-being/enjoyment of not only the individual involved, but also the group. Under such circumstances, there will be no refunds given. Hospital facilities for serious problems are sparse and often unavailable; emergency evacuation can be prolonged, difficult, and expensive; and Ivory Photo Safaris assumes no liability what-so-ever regarding provision of medical care. Once you have been confirmed on a trip, normal cancellation penalties will apply if you cancel for any reason, including those of medical nature.
In our billing, the cost of a basic cover if shown, will be a separate optional item payable. If you opt for this coverage, please specify this when making payment.
Medical Evacuation Service:
All visitors should ensure that their personal insurance incorporates an Overseas Health, Accident, Evacuation, Hospitalization, and Treatment cover. In the event you do not have this cover in effect, Ivory Photo Safaris can, at your request and at a supplementary cost, organize for a limited local emergency evacuation cover (applicable only during the period of the tour program booked through the company ). These covers are limited to the extent that in the event of a medical emergency , request for evacuation to the closest local medical facility will be transmitted as soon as possible, including, if possible, air transportation to the nearest local medical facility. There is no provision for the costs of medical treatment or overseas/back-home evacuation under this limited cover.
In our billing, the cost of a basic cover if shown, will be a separate optional item payable. If you opt for this coverage , please specify this when making payment.
Meet/Greet/Transfer Services:
We recognize that you may be traveling to a region which will be unfamiliar to you. You should specifically request for an IVORY Meet/Greet/Transfer services which is provided by this company's local representative upon your arrival, as well as for your departure.
Not included in the Price:
Unless specifically shown as being included, generally not included in the tour programs are costs of personal nature such as International air flights, passport and visas, personal insurance (such as health, hospitalization and trip cancellation), drinks / beverages, gratuities, excess baggage charges (on both local and international flights), meals and excursions not specified as being included in the itinerary, communication, laundry, optional activities, etc.
Payment:
Can be by wire transfer or check (only if departure is at least 21 days from receipt of this check). Whichever of these method is used, all transaction and bank charges should be to your (the customer) responsibility and account. In the event that Ivory Safaris incur any costs, these will be billed to you with additional handling charges of at least US $25.00.
Wire transfers should be made to:
Ivory Photo Safaris
Customer Deposit Account
Wells Fargo Bank
Redmond, Washington, USA
Account No 0153-913587
Bank Routing Number ABA 121000248
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the company reserves the right not to execute any services if the payment is not received.
Payment Schedule:
See Reservations
Refunds:
No partial refunds will be given for unused hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing trips or any other arrangements for any reason whatsoever. Land Cost is quoted as a package and therefore services not used are forfeited and credits not given.
Also see Claims
Reservations:
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Regular Departures
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Private Trips & Special Departures
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Millennium Departures
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Responsibility:
IVORY PHOTO SAFARIS (herein also called 'the company') is acting only as agents of the passenger in all matters relating to the safari tour. In this capacity Ivory Photo Safaris and its agents are responsible only for service to the passenger and disclaim any and all liability for tour programs supplied by the tour operators or service providers in the country in which the tour takes place. These include but are not limited to variable services such as transportation, accommodation, driver/guides, restaurants as well as other services from independent or subcontracted suppliers that are not owned or under the control of Ivory Photo Safaris.
While Ivory Photo Safaris will take all reasonable care and precaution to make the tours as safe as possible for the passengers, it cannot assume responsibility or be held liable for any Personal Injury, Property Damage, Loss, Delay or Inconvenience that may occur for any reason whatsoever, including:
- any act, error or omission in the provision of any services by the supplier
- defects in or failure of any aircraft, vessel, automotive vehicle or any other means of transportation not under its control
- any act of terrorism, criminals, industrial action, acts of governments , civil strife and God
- Force Majeure beyond the control of Ivory Photo Safaris, its Agents and its Suppliers.
Ivory Photo Safaris also reserves the right to withdraw a tour or any part of it, to make such alterations in the itinerary as it deems necessary or desirable, to refuse to accept or retain as a member of any tour any person at any time, and to pass on to tour members any expenditure or losses occasioned by delays or events beyond its control, or caused by tour members. By purchasing any tour from the company, the passenger is accepting the company's limited liability and payment is deemed as contract.
Also see Limitations of Liability
Security:
The security situation is regularly monitored. In the event of any cause for concern ahead of your visit to the particular location, you will be informed and amendments made to the safari itinerary accordingly. In the event circumstances do not permit your being notified, the company reserves the right to effect the necessary changes without notice.
Single Traveler:
Accommodations (both in hotels and in tents) are based on double occupancy. If you are traveling alone and wish to share accommodations, we will try to assign you a roommate. If there is no one with whom you can share, or if you prefer single accommodations, you will be required to pay a Single Supplement Fee.
Vehicles:
The type of vehicle/s used on the tours will vary with different programs: On Safari, vehicles used will range from the safari minibus to 4 wheel-drive vehicles; public shuttle bus (unless private services are booked) for transfers between Nairobi/Arusha; in Seychelles it could be a taxi or a minibus; in Egypt an air-conditioned minivan or sedan; etc.
