Terms & conditions

1. Definitions

"Booking" means any safari, tour, transfer, accommodation, car hire, corporate travel arrangement or MICE service reserved through Trails of Africa.

"Confirmed booking" means a booking for which the required deposit or full payment has been received and acknowledged in writing by Trails of Africa.

"Lead traveller" means the person who makes the booking and who is responsible for payment and for providing accurate information for every traveller on that booking.

"Third-party supplier" means any hotel, lodge, camp, airline, park authority, ground handler or other service provider used to deliver part of your itinerary.

2. Booking & reservations

A booking becomes a confirmed booking only once we have received your signed booking form (or written confirmation by email) together with the required deposit, and we have issued written confirmation. Verbal quotations, draft itineraries and provisional holds do not constitute a confirmed booking and are subject to availability until this point.

The lead traveller is responsible for ensuring that the names, ages, passport details and any medical or dietary information provided for every traveller on the booking are accurate and match travel documents exactly, since airlines, parks and lodges may refuse entry where details do not match.

3. Payment terms

The deposit, balance deadline, payment currency and accepted payment methods will be set out in your written quotation and booking confirmation. Please review these before making any payment. No universal deposit percentage or payment deadline is established by this local draft.

Some accommodation, flight, permit or special-event reservations may require earlier or full payment. Your consultant will explain any supplier-specific requirements. Bank and currency conversion charges should be confirmed before payment.

4. Pricing & currency

Quotations are given in the currency stated on your quote (typically US Dollars) and are valid for the period stated on the quotation. Prices are based on costs, exchange rates, park fees and government levies known to us at the time of quoting, and are subject to change before a booking is confirmed. Once a booking is confirmed and paid in full, the price will not change except where required by a government-imposed increase in park fees, VAT or fuel levies that is beyond our control, in which case we will notify you before applying any surcharge.

5. Cancellation by you

Please send cancellation requests in writing to sales@trailsofafrica.co.ke, quoting your booking reference. Ask the team to acknowledge receipt.

Cancellation charges depend on the terms accepted for your specific booking and on non-refundable supplier commitments. The applicable schedule and refund conditions must be included in your written confirmation. No fixed cancellation percentage is established by this local draft.

Your consultant will explain the cancellation calculation, any supplier refunds available and the expected processing arrangements. A refund is not guaranteed solely because a request has been submitted.

6. Amendments to a booking

We will do our best to accommodate changes to a confirmed booking — different dates, an added destination, a change in traveller numbers — subject to availability. An amendment fee may apply in addition to any extra costs charged by our third-party suppliers, such as a hotel's own date-change policy or an airline's rebooking fee. Amendment requests must be made in writing by the lead traveller.

7. Changes or cancellation by us

We plan every itinerary carefully, but travel in East and Southern Africa can occasionally require last-minute changes — a bridge washed out after rain, a lodge closed for renovation, an internal flight rescheduled by the operator. Where we need to make a significant change to your confirmed itinerary, we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and offer a comparable alternative at no extra cost, or a partial refund reflecting the difference in value, where a comparable alternative is not available.

In rare circumstances — including those covered under Force Majeure in Section 17 — we may need to cancel a booking entirely. Where this happens for reasons within our control, you will receive a full refund of monies paid to us. Where it happens for reasons outside our control, Section 17 applies.

8. Travel documents & visas

It is the client's responsibility to hold a passport valid for at least six months beyond the return date of travel, with sufficient blank pages for entry stamps and visas. Visa requirements vary by nationality and by the countries on your itinerary, and can change with little notice; we are happy to advise on the requirements known to us at the time of booking, but the client remains responsible for confirming current requirements with the relevant embassy, consulate, or e-visa portal before travel, and for any cost or consequence of travelling without the correct documentation.

9. Health, vaccinations & insurance

Clients are responsible for obtaining up-to-date medical and vaccination advice from a qualified travel health professional or clinic before departure, and for carrying any certificates required for entry (such as a Yellow Fever certificate, where applicable to your itinerary). Clients travelling with a pre-existing medical condition should disclose it to us at the time of booking so that we can flag any relevant considerations to lodges, guides and activity operators.

Comprehensive travel insurance — covering medical treatment and evacuation, trip cancellation, and loss of luggage or personal effects — is a condition of travelling with us and must be arranged before departure. We can recommend providers on request, but the choice of policy and its adequacy remain the client's responsibility.

10. Conduct & safety on safari

Safaris take place in a genuine wilderness setting, and your safety depends on following the reasonable instructions of your driver-guide and of park and lodge staff at all times — including remaining inside the vehicle during game drives unless invited to disembark by your guide, keeping a safe distance from wildlife, and observing any lodge-specific rules about moving after dark. We reserve the right to remove any client from an activity or itinerary, without refund, where their conduct puts themselves, other travellers, our staff or the local community at risk.

11. Luggage & personal belongings

Light, soft-sided luggage is required for any itinerary that includes a light-aircraft transfer, in line with the weight and bag-type limits set by the operating air charter company; we will confirm the exact allowance for your itinerary in advance. Clients are responsible for their own personal belongings throughout the trip. We recommend using the safes provided at lodges and hotels, and keeping valuables, medication and travel documents in hand luggage rather than checked bags.

12. Wildlife & itinerary disclaimer

Wildlife sightings, migration timing, weather and road conditions cannot be guaranteed, since they depend on natural patterns outside our control. Where a specific sighting or event (such as the wildebeest migration crossing a particular river) is mentioned in your itinerary, this reflects typical patterns for the season booked and is not a guarantee. Our driver-guides use their best judgement and experience to maximise your chances, and will adjust routing within a day's game drive where it improves your experience.

13. Liability

Trails of Africa acts as an agent for third-party suppliers — airlines, lodges, hotels, park authorities and other ground operators — and, except where the law of Kenya does not allow such a limitation, our liability is limited to the direct provision of services which we control ourselves. We are not liable for injury, loss, damage, delay or inconvenience caused by the acts or omissions of a third-party supplier, by the client's own actions, by wildlife, by weather, or by any event beyond our reasonable control. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our own negligence, where such exclusion would be unlawful.

14. Complaints procedure

Please raise any concern with your driver-guide or travel consultant as soon as it arises so that the team has an opportunity to help during your trip.

If the issue remains unresolved, email sales@trailsofafrica.co.ke with your booking reference, a clear account of the issue and any relevant supporting information. The team will acknowledge your concern and advise the next steps. Response deadlines must be confirmed in the approved operating policy.

15. KATO bonding

Trails of Africa Tours and Safaris Ltd is a bonded member of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO), Membership No. FE:536. This means that, in the event Trails of Africa were to cease trading, client funds held for future travel are protected under the KATO Bonding Scheme, subject to the scheme's own rules and limits. Our activities and service standards are also governed by the KATO Code of Conduct. Full details of the scheme are available from KATO directly.

16. Data protection & privacy

Please read the Privacy Policy for information about enquiry details, booking information, optional marketing choices, suppliers, retention and how to request access or corrections. Share information about other travellers only when you are authorised to do so. Do not send passport scans or payment-card details through the general enquiry form.

17. Force majeure

We will not be liable for any failure to perform, or delay in performing, our obligations where that failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control — including but not limited to natural disaster, adverse weather, fire, flood, pandemic or epidemic, government action, border closure, civil unrest, industrial action, or the failure of a third-party supplier or transport provider caused by any of the above. Where such an event affects your trip, we will work with you in good faith to rebook, provide a credit note, or agree a partial refund reflecting costs already committed to suppliers on your behalf.

18. Governing law & jurisdiction

These terms and conditions, and any booking made with Trails of Africa Tours and Safaris Ltd, are governed by the laws of the Republic of Kenya. Any dispute arising from a booking will first be addressed through good-faith negotiation between the parties and, where necessary, will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Kenya.

19. Contact for queries

If anything in these terms is unclear, please contact us before you book:

Trails of Africa Tours and Safaris Ltd P.O. Box 22928-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Phone: +254 735 622 704 / +254 721 545 815 Email: sales@trailsofafrica.co.ke