Africa 2019-21 Brochure

156 Somak Holidays 020 8423 3000 We trust that you will thoroughly enjoy your holiday and sincerely hope that the experience will ensure that you will book with us again. The basis of a good holiday is the careful selection by you of your resort/hotel/itinerary. Space in our brochure is restricted, hence we strongly recommend you seek supplementary and independent information from the applicable tourist offices, libraries, guide books and the internet, rather than rely solely upon the necessarily limited presentation of brochure information. We are happy to advise you generally, but the ultimate choice of holiday destination is yours. ACCOMMODATION Unless otherwise stated, accommodation is in standard twin/double rooms, although twin or double beds cannot be guaranteed. Specific room requirements cannot be guaranteed as the allocation of rooms is at the discretion of the hotel proprietor. Rooms are generally available between noon and 3pm, and are to be vacated between 10am and noon, irrespective of your arrival or departure times. Dayrooms, subject to availability and extra cost, may be available. A triple room is usually a twin/double room, with an additional bed of a folding, pull-out design, hence conditions may be cramped. The standard and location of single rooms is not always as good as twin/double rooms (even if a twin/double room is booked for sole occupancy). A supplement is usually payable whether the room allocated is a single or a twin room. Superior and deluxe rooms (or similar) may have the same facilities and be the same size, it may only be the view or position of the room that is different. In the tropics, be prepared to encounter insects (e.g. cockroaches, mosquitoes, ants, etc.) in your hotel room, especially at beach resorts where they are a natural occurrence and do not reflect the standard of hygiene and cleanliness. The term 'sea view' or similar means the sea can be seen from your room but may be at an angle or partially obscured due to foliage. AIRLINES Airlines use a variety of aircraft for long haul flights, e.g. Boeing 747, 767, 777 and 787 Airbus A-300, A-310, A-330, A- 340 or A-380. Many airlines featured by us operate a code- share system, whereby partner airlines may operate flights on the stated airlines behalf. It is not possible to cancel travel arrangements without cancellation charges being applied because of this. Domestic connections within the UK or to Europe are generally on narrow-bodied aircraft. AIRPORT TAXES UK Air Passenger Duty and all UK Airport departure taxes are included in your holiday price. Foreign departure/airport taxes vary and may be payable locally, in cash, for each departure. If departure taxes need to be paid locally we will provide this information with your travel documentation, although this information is subject to change. If you are travelling to more than one destination on your holiday, you may be required to pay a departure tax at each point. BAGGAGE Baggage allowances will be shown on your air tickets (infants do not get a baggage allowance). Excess baggage is carried at the airline's discretion and usually incurs charges, payable directly to the airline. Your personal effects and baggage are the responsibility of the airline from check-in to baggage recovery at your destination airport. In accordance with the International Conventions that apply to the air travel industry, compensation for delay, loss of, or damage to baggage, from the airline (on international, or on domestic sectors ticketed as part of an international journey), is limited to up to 1200 Euros. However, if travel insurance is effected, the actual value of any loss (subject to any deductibles, limitations or exclusions of the policy) is normally payable. In order to obtain any compensation, you must complete a ‘Property Irregularity Report’ before you leave the airport, with a representative of the airline within the time limits specified on your air ticket. For all transfers, it is your responsibility to ensure that all your belongings are loaded onto the correct transfer vehicle. Please ensure that you have adequate insurance cover for loss or damage to baggage. BROCHURE ACCURACY Every care has been taken to ensure that the information in this brochure is accurate at the time of printing. The facilities described at a hotel and of tour itineraries are those that are typically available. It is conceivable that hoteliers may, without notice, decide to change facilities which may then be temporarily, or even permanently, unavailable for e.g. maintenance purposes or during periods of low occupancy. As a result of local conditions e.g. weather, time of year etc., safaris, tours or excursions may change from those advertised in our brochure/advised in your itinerary. Occasionally it is also necessary to change hotels/lodges/ camps on tours. Such changes are beyond our control but when we are advised of any significant or long-term changes prior to your departure, we will try to notify you if practicable and time permitting. BROCHURE PRICES All prices in our brochures and on our website are in £ sterling per person, based on two people sharing. The prices detailed in this brochure should be used as a guideline only, as it is possible that some of the prices contained within the brochure may have changed since it was printed. You will be informed of the actual price at the time of booking. All prices are based on special contract rates with suppliers, and we will not make any adjustments should similar services be offered at a different price locally. Extra Night Prices: All per night prices shown are based on the actual dates that you occupy the accommodation, and not on the date that you leave the UK. Number of nights stated indicate the actual number of nights spent in resort. Please see Booking Conditions (clause 3). CHILD PRICES Children under 12, sharing a room with two full paying adults, may receive a discount on their holiday. Child prices are available on request. Children must be under 12 on the return date of your holiday to qualify for a child reduction. CUSTOMERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Less developed destinations may lack even the simplest facilities e.g. ramps or lifts etc. and we cannot guarantee that the correct apparatus and necessary modifications exist in any accommodation outlined in our brochure. However, we do wish to provide every possible assistance and request that you provide full details in writing at the time of booking, so that we may assist with the planning of your holiday. COMPLAINTS WHILST ON HOLIDAY Please see Booking Conditions (clause 7). If you have reason to lodge a complaint whilst on holiday, it must be reported in writing to the representative, or your driver if on safari, for action to be taken in resort. Please retain a copy of the report lodged with the representative. It is unreasonable to take no action whilst on holiday and complain on return when it is too late for us to rectify the situation. CREDIT CARDS Payments made by credit cards overseas, may be subject to a handling fee. Services paid for by credit card will be subject to the applicable rate of exchange at the time the voucher is presented to the credit card company, and may differ from the rate prevailing on the date that the service was provided. Certain local banks may levy an additional charge. CURRENCY & EXCHANGE Some countries have restrictions on the importation and exportation of local currency. Please check with the relevant Embassy or High Commission. Never exchange money on the black market. Please ensure you have sufficient monies to cover all expenses whilst on holiday, as our local representatives are unable to help in the event of having insufficient funds in resort. ELECTRICITY AND WATER SUPPLY At times, the demands on the local supplies of electricity and water may exceed the supply, with resultant power cuts, water shortages and/or problems with plumbing and drainage. Items usually affected include air-conditioning, running water (hot and cold), lighting and mini bars. Please note that occasionally these shortages may be for extended periods and may be distributed unevenly throughout the hotel/resort. Power and water rationing imposed by the local authorities may also take place at various resorts. Whilst electrical wiring standards do always meet local safety standards, on occasion they may be lower than those applicable in the UK. Tented accommodation on safari may utilise gas lighting and have basic bathrooms. EXCURSIONS Any excursions booked and paid for at your resort are operated by the local handling company and subject to their booking conditions/cancellation charges. Refunds cannot be claimed from ourselves once you have returned to the UK as we are not party to the provision of the services. Local prices may vary. We strongly advise you to only book excursions from reputable and licensed local tour operators. Others may not be able to offer the same level of safety and security, and are often not adequately insured, or licensed. It should also be noted that some types of travel insurance do not cover claims arising from excursions and tours purchased in resort (in particular cancellation of such excursions and tours and losses suffered as a result of partaking in hazardous activities for which an additional premium was not paid). FLIGHTS All flights are subject to government approval and may be withdrawn or amended at any time, without Somak incurring liability. All travel information including aircraft types, timings, days of operation and carriers are shown for guidance purposes only and are subject to change. We reserve the right to substitute alternative airlines. Any such change will not entitle you to cancel without penalty. Flights are often full, so your choice of seats may not be available, and it may not be possible to obtain seats together. We recommend that you check-in at least 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure. Check-in desks close well before the scheduled departure time for your flight, and the carrier reserves the right to deny boarding to passengers not checking-in by the time specified. If you fail to check-in on time and miss your flight, we have no liability to you. We have no control over the allocation of seats and provision of specific meal requirements as this is the responsibility of the airline. Disabled and less mobile passengers and children, for safety reasons, will not be allocated emergency exit seats. Almost all airlines operate a total ban on smoking on their flights. The Captain in command of your aircraft by law retains all rights pertaining to the carriage of passengers, cargo, flight routing, etc. Should the Captain of the aircraft refuse to carry you, or your baggage, we will not be liable for any inconvenience suffered, costs incurred, or loss of enjoyment but would assist wherever possible in such circumstances. Flights that are described as direct are those that require no change of aircraft during the journey. Stops may, however, be made en route for refuelling or to embark/disembark passengers. Many airlines operate a ‘code share’ system whereby partner airlines may operate flights on the stated airlines behalf. Flight times are approximate and, unless otherwise stated, are from London. FLIGHT DELAYS Whilst these are regrettable, delays unfortunately may occur due to technical problems, inclement weather or air-traffic control delays. Where long flight delays result in lost holiday time, no refunds are given by hotels/suppliers for unused accommodation/services, as these are held for delayed arrivals. If your flight is cancelled or delayed and boarding is denied by the airline, you must claim compensation under the Denied Boarding Regulations 2004 from the airline itself. Any payments received constitute your only rights of compensation arising from the cancellation, delay or denied boarding. Consequently Somak is not liable for any inconvenience suffered, costs incurred, or loss of enjoyment suffered as a result of any such delay. We will, however, endeavour to assist in these circumstances. During any flight delay, the airline concerned may, at their entire discretion, be able to provide refreshments and other services and, in extreme conditions, overnight hotel accommodation. We, however, do not undertake to make any such arrangements. Holiday Guide Please read the Holiday Guide and Booking Conditions carefully as these, together with other information contained in our brochure, form the terms and conditions of the contract between you and Somak Holidays ('Somak'). The Booking Conditions detail our responsibilities to you, and yours to us, and provide guidelines to cover circumstances which may arise.