Overlanding West Africa Terms & Conditions
Booking
The following ‘terms and conditions’ must be read, understood and accepted in conjunction with the following pages on our website:
- Overlanding: What To Expect
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Trip Price and Kitty Explained
- The specific trip page for each of the trip/s you are booking
- The information found under the ‘Kitty & Accommodation’ tab on the specific trip page/s of the trip/s you are booking
We strongly advise you to read all of the above information on our website before sending us your deposit and booking form. However, if after reading these documents you feel you have misunderstood any of this information, you may cancel your booking within 14 days of us receiving your deposit and booking form without penalty (minus any bank transfer fees charged to return the deposit).
We reserve the right to decline any booking at our discretion.
Please note your booking will only be confirmed once a deposit or full payment has been received and cleared into our bank account, as well as a signed and dated booking form, and medical form (if necessary).
Jurisdiction
If you book a trip with Overlanding West Africa, you must understand, accept and agree that English Law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between yourself and Overlanding West Africa Ltd. Please do not book this trip or sign and date this form if you cannot accept or agree to this.
Payment
If you book on to a trip more than 90 days before the departure date, you must pay a non-refundable and non-transferable deposit of £325 GBP (equivalent in Euros at a rate OWA will set) or 12.5% of the total trip price (whichever is the greater amount) at the time of booking.
If you are booking multiple trips we will treat it as a single booking. Therefore you will need to pay a deposit for all of the trips you want to book at the same time.
The balance of the trip price must be paid no later than 90 days before the departure date of the first trip booked, otherwise we are entitled to treat the booking as cancelled by you, in which case the cancellation charges detailed further down this document will apply.
If you book onto one of our trips less than 90 days before departure then we must receive full payment to secure your place on the specified trip/s.
Please note that if you pay for the trip via bank transfer, we must receive the amount we specify in to our account after any transfer fees are paid. If paying via PayPal, we must receive the amount that we ask for. Please note that PayPal often charge as much as 4.5% of the total amount in fees, so it will almost certainly be cheaper to send a bank transfer!
Travel Insurance
It is your responsibility to arrange suitable adventure travel insurance for the duration of the trip/s with benefits that cover personal accident, medical expenses, repatriation and loss and damage to personal effects (amongst other things). We strongly advise you purchase a policy with the highest level of medical and repatriation cover as possible. In the event that you do not have suitable travel insurance you will not be allowed to join the trip.
Please note that travel insurance policies provided with your bank account/credit card are, in most circumstances, unsuitable for travelling in the countries of West Africa. You should instead obtain a policy that is specifically designed for adventure travel to more remote and challenging countries, with a travel insurance provider who is experienced in dealing with complex logistics in the ‘developing’ world.
We strongly recommend obtaining travel insurance at the time of booking in order to cover you for losses should you/we have to cancel your trip/s. We cannot refund your deposit or subsequent payments once the cancellation deadlines have passed.
If at the time of departure the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (or your countries equivalent) have a travel alert/warning in place for any of the trip/s, you must obtain suitable travel insurance which will cover you for visiting those particular countries.
Visas & Travel Documentation
It is your own responsibility to comply with all current passport, visa and health requirements for the countries we will be visiting on the trip/s you are booked on to.
Your passport must have enough blank pages for the required visas and entry/exit stamps to complete the trip/s, and be valid for at least 6 months from the last day of the trip/s.
We will advise you on which visas you need to obtain in advance and which ones we should be able to arrange on the road as a group (based upon the latest information we have). We will provide you with the necessary copies of our vehicle documentation/letters of guarantee/hotel reservations etc in good time. It is then up to you to obtain the visas you need in advance. Please pay particular attention to the specified dates of entry/exit we provide you with.
We advise using a travel visa service agency to assist with obtaining the visas. It will cost you extra money but will save you endless time and stress in the long run.
General passport and visa requirements for all of our trips are specified on our website on the Visas page. Upon booking we will send you more specific and detailed information about the visas for your trip/s with your booking confirmation documents.
You must understand and accept that all visa information given by Overlanding West Africa is given in good faith and is based upon the most up to date information we have. You must understand and accept that visa requirements often change at very short notice with little or no warning, so all visa information we provide you with is liable to change.
Overlanding West Africa will in no way be held responsible or liable for the failure of a client to obtain the necessary visas required in advance, or for the loss of passports or visa applications by an embassy/visa service agency/postal service/courier etc. We strongly advise clients to send their passports/visa applications by recorded mail with a tracking reference ID for peace of mind.
All passengers must have a Yellow Fever vaccination before travel and bring their certificate with them on the trip/s. It is a condition of entry into all countries we visit that clients can prove they have been vaccinated against Yellow Fever. Please note that the World Health Organisation now advise that a Yellow Fever vaccination covers you for life, and not the 10 years they previously suggested. See here: https://www.who.int/ith/updates/20160727/en/
For sources of information on travel health and vaccination requirements, malaria prophylaxis etc please see websites listed in the ‘Inherent Risks and Hazards’ section further down this page.
Cancellation
Cancellation by You
Should you wish to cancel your trip/s, you must notify us in writing/email as soon as possible. If written notification of cancellation is received more than 90 days before departure only your deposit will be forfeited.
If you cancel 90 days or less before departure, the following cancellation charges will be applied:
- 90 to 61 days: 50% of final invoice
- 60 to 31 days: 75% of final invoice
- 30 days or less: 100% of final invoice
Please note: If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your travel insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges, but it is your sole responsibility to do so and Overlanding West Africa accept no liability for any such claim. We can provide you with a cancellation invoice if necessary.
Once your trip/s has/have started, no refunds will be made under any circumstances for any unused sector(s) or section(s) or services. We will be able to refund you any kitty money MINUS any pre-paid costs that are non-refundable.
Cancellation by Us
Overlanding West Africa reserves the right to cancel your trip for any reason up to 60 days before the departure date, or after this date where we are forced to do so for reasons outside our control including Force Majeure* (please see the bottom of this page for a definition of Force Majeure). In the event of cancellation we will tell you as soon as possible and refund any monies owed.
We will not compensate you for any money you have paid for international or domestic flights, airport transfers, travel insurance, equipment, vaccinations and/or pre/post trip accommodation and activities.
Our trips require a minimum number of participants to enable us to operate them. If the minimum number of bookings required for a particular trip is not met, we are entitled to cancel it. We will notify you no later than 60 days prior to departure.
Trip Itinerary
The itineraries and other information on our website and in our client literature are published in good faith as statements of intention only, and changes to the itinerary, vehicle and equipment use, etc. may be made where we deem necessary or advisable.
If any additional expenses are incurred through delays, accidents or disruption of planned itineraries because of force majeure*, or considered advisable by us (e.g. security concerns), such expenses are to be borne by you, the client. This includes any costs related to booking domestic and/or international flights to avoid the security issues, or any changes to your international flights due to the trip being delayed, or having to change the end point of the trip due to security concerns.
You accept that Force Majeure may prevent us from supplying or performing services and/or itineraries as described. For a full description of ‘Force Majeure’ please see the bottom of this page.
No refund will be made for any unused services which are included as part of the trip cost, nor for any accommodation and activities pre-paid for by the kitty.
Changes
We reserve the right to alter our descriptions of the facilities and services described on our website at any time before a booking is made, although notification of any such changes which are material will be given to you at the time of booking.
Once your booking has been confirmed, we will do our best to ensure that none of the ingredients of your trip arrangements have to be altered in any material way. However, you will appreciate that, because arrangements are planned many months in advance and because of the unpredictability of travel in most areas we visit, sometimes changes have to be made.
We reserve the right to use alternative forms of transport and/or vary the itinerary if force majeure, breakdown, accident, sickness, etc. make such a change necessary.
Because of the nature of the areas we travel through, significant changes can and do occur after departure, often for reasons which we have no control over. On rare occasions, force majeure may require us to curtail a trip before its scheduled end. We will try and organise a contingency itinerary but, where force majeure occurs, cannot be held responsible for compensation or additional expenses or offer any refunds.
Inherent Risks and Hazards
Your booking is accepted on the understanding that you realise and accept the potential risks and hazards involved with adventure travel of this kind, including death, serious injury, loss or damage to property, discomfort and inconvenience.
By completing the booking form you confirm that you are aware that standards of health and hygiene vary from country to country, and are seldom as high as they are in the ‘western’ world. The trip/s may be physically challenging and include visits to remote areas where access to medical care is often very basic and at times non-existent.
You should be aware of the risks to your health from sources such as, but not restricted to, poor local hygiene, high altitude, heat related illnesses, fatigue, physical injury and tropical diseases.
We recommend that you research your chosen destination using such resources as Fit For Travel , FCO Travel Advice and NaTHNac before booking.
Your Responsibilities
You must at all times comply with the laws and customs of the countries we visit. We have absolute discretion to order a client to leave the trip/s if they are found contravening such laws and customs, or interfering (or judged to have the potential to interfere) with the well-being of the group, individual member, members or themselves. In such cases, there will be no refund of the trip price and we accept no liability for expenses incurred as a result.
Overlanding West Africa will not tolerate any illegal drugs or dangerous weapons on the truck at any time. We reserve the right to remove a client from the trip if they are found to have broken this rule.
If any client behaves in a threatening, aggressive or anti-social manner towards another client, the crew or local people, they will be asked to leave the trip with no refund of the trip cost paid. Remember, this is a group trip so if you struggle/don’t get along with other people very easily this is not the trip for you!
Overlanding West Africa is a ground transportation operator and do not book or ticket flights for clients. It is the sole responsibility of the client to arrange and purchase flights to meet the start and finish dates of the trip/s they are booked on to. Overlanding West Africa will not be held liable for flight bookings or the failure of an airline to get you to the starting point of the trip. Overlanding West Africa strongly advises clients to have suitable travel insurance in place when purchasing flights in case of cancellation (please refer to our cancellation policy). In addition we advise that you purchase flights which are fully refundable, or flights which can be changed for a nominal fee.
You are responsible for your own equipment and belongings during the trip and bear the sole responsibility for loss, wear and tear and incidental or accidental damage to your own equipment. We recommend that you take out adequate insurance to cover your equipment. You will be provided with a list of suggested equipment to bring with you on the trip.
Before and after booking a trip with us, you acknowledge that you are responsible for making yourself aware through British Foreign Office or State Department (or equivalent institution in your country of origin) any travel advice/warnings/alerts with regard to the safety of countries and areas in which you will be travelling to, and to make your own decisions accordingly. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes regularly updated travel advice and information on the FCO Travel Advice Website which we strongly advise you read through before booking, and in good time before departure in case of any changes/updates.
If necessary you must obtain travel insurance which will cover you for travel in areas where the British FCO (and your country equivalent) has such travel advice warnings/alerts.
You are responsible for informing us in writing at the time of booking of any known illnesses, disabilities or medical conditions, or, if not known at the time of booking, at the earliest opportunity thereafter prior to the departure of the trip. If you are found to have an undeclared or understated medical condition you may be asked to leave the trip with no refund of the trip price.
If you are 65 years of age or above you must complete a medical self-declaration form notifying us of any medical conditions. If particularly serious, we reserve the right to refuse your booking. In such circumstances a signed letter from a medical professional (i.e. a Doctor) confirming you are fit to travel and your condition is manageable might be sufficient to book on to our trips – though please note that it is at our discretion.
The crew have the authority to make difficult decisions. Should you present or develop a medical condition whilst on the trip we reserve the right to insist that you seek medical advice. If you decline to act upon this advice, you could be putting others on the trip at risk, and/or hinder the group, and may be asked to leave the trip. This extends to physical, mental and behavioural conditions.
Any arrangements which you make independently which do not form part of the published trip itinerary are entirely at your own risk. In such an event all liability and responsibility that we have for you will immediately cease.
Please note, we do not allow any animals and/or pets on the truck at any time.
At the beginning of the trip you must provide the crew with your kitty contribution, which must be paid in cash, the amount of which is specified on our website. Failure to do so will be deemed a breach of contract on your part and you will not be carried on the trip/s. The kitty amount can change based upon price increases and exchange rates.
If you have a problem during your trip, please inform the Trip Leader immediately who will endeavour to solve the problem. If your complaint is not resolved please follow this up by writing to us with all relevant information and, where possible, evidence. Please keep your email concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you and to try and help resolve the issue (if possible). It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the Tour Leader immediately and not let the problem get any worse than it is. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were on the trip, and this may affect your rights under this contract.
Our Responsibilities
The contents of this website are based on knowledge and information available to Overlanding West Africa at the time of writing. No warranty is given for the validity of the information supplied.
We cannot accept any liability for any delay or cancellation in your flight to the joining point of the trip or returning from the end point of the trip, whether the delay or cancellation is caused by adverse weather conditions, rescheduling by an airline, airport authority and/or action by air traffic controllers, mechanical breakdown or industrial action. In certain circumstances delayed departure may be covered by your travel insurance.
Overlanding West Africa will not be held responsible or liable for the failure of a client to obtain the necessary visas that we advise them are needed in advance of the trip starting. Overlanding West Africa will also not be held responsible or liable for the failure to obtain any visas we plan on obtaining en route as a group once the trip/s start. You must understand and accept that visa requirements can change with little or no notice at all.
* ’Force majeure’ is any event or circumstances which we could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include, whether actual or threatened, war, riot, civil strife, worsening security situation, terrorist activity, disease outbreak, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather or road conditions, fire, bureaucratic obstacles, border closures, changes in schedules or mode of transport by ferry companies, airlines, bus or train operators, mechanical breakdown to our vehicle and all similar events outside our control *
