Booking Terms and Conditions
1. Reservations
Reservations require a booking form and a deposit. No reservation can be accepted without a signed booking form. Booking forms are available by email in the UK from: barriejames@hotmail.co.uk The deposit is only refundable if a tour is cancelled due to the minimum number of participants not being reached for the tour. Booking requests with deposits will be considered in order of their receipt. Telephoned requests will be noted as from the date of the telephone call. These must be followed by receipt of the appropriate signed booking form within seven days. Acceptance of a booking form only becomes definite from the date that has been confirmed in writing (or e-mail) and a confirmation invoice has been issued via e-mail. At this point, the signed booking form and necessary deposits paid will form a contract between the applicant and Junkung Jadama (JJ), hereinafter also referred to as Bird Tours of The Gambia. Junkung Jadama reserves the absolute right to decline any bookings for any legal reasons whatsoever, at his sole discretion.
2. Payments
DepositsAt the time of sending in the signed booking form a deposit of £100 per person must be paid to Junkung Jadama via Paypal or Bank Transfer. Details of how to make a deposit payment will be provided when required. A receipt will be issued and a final invoice raised once the deposit money has cleared the banking system.
Final Balance
Payment of the balance of the tour cost is due on arrival on the first day of the tour. (Unless any other arrangements have been agreed beforehand with Junkung Jadama). No further reminder will be sent and if payment is not received by the due date, Junkung Jadama reserves the right to treat the booking as cancelled and charge a cancellation fee, the amount of which will not exceed the total cost of the holiday. Clients are therefore strongly recommended to take out travel insurance at an early stage to cover them in event of cancellation.
3. Refunds
Deposits are non-refundable (except as laid out in 1. above) but are transferable. Deposits are transferable to another specified tour but are subject to deductions for any expenses incurred by Bird Tours of The Gambia. Balance payments are also non-refundable except as laid out in 1 above, but are transferable in accordance with Transfer of Bookings. Insurance is therefore essential.
4. Transfer of Bookings
Tours participants may transfer their booking to another person if they are prevented from proceeding with the tour due to sickness or accidents suffered by them or their close family or for other unavoidable reasons such as jury service. However, if there is a waiting list for the tour the place must first be offered to the people on that waiting list. If there is no waiting list and the participant can find another person to take up the place, any additional costs incurred by Bird Tours of The Gambia relating to the transfer have to be paid for by the transferee. Reasonable notice must be given to Bird Tours of The Gambia about such a transfer and in any case cannot be made within 30 days of departure.
6. Tour Cancellation
Bird Tours of The Gambia reserves the right to cancel any tour for which there are insufficient reservations not less than eight weeks before the departure date. In the event of any such cancellation, all deposits and tour money already made will be refunded in full.
Cancellation by the Client
If the client wishes to cancel their tour, the person who signed the booking form must notify us immediately with written and signed notification (initial email acceptable for date purposes). Cancellation is effective from the date of receipt of the client’s notification.
Where the client cancels 60 days or more before departure date, the client will forfeit their deposit.
Where cancellation is made less than 60 days before the departure date, the cancellation charges that will apply are as follows:
Period before departure during which written notification is received by us
Cancellation charge shown as percentage of total tour price
60 days or more before departure date - Loss of deposit
59 - 31 days before departure date - 50%
30 - 16 days before departure date - 75%
15 days or less before departure date - 100%
7. Cost Increases
Costs may occur unexpectedly. When calculating any tour prices in advance, Bird Tours of The Gambia try to anticipate the rising costs of ground transportation and accommodation. Price changes may also occur because of fluctuating exchange rates. If unexpected cost rises do occur it maybe necessary to increase the tour cost. If this is necessary the client will be notified not less than eight weeks before the departure date with an explanation of the amount. Should it be necessary to increase the tour cost by more than 10%, participants may withdraw without penalty. Tour cost rises of up to 5% will be absorbed within the original stated price.
8. What the Tour Price Includes
Bird Tours of The Gambia tour prices includes local airport transfers, all land travel, boat trips, accommodation and meals as specified in the itinerary of each individual tour and the services of the tour leader(s) throughout. The following items are not included in the cost: Return airfare, travel insurance, passport and visa costs, vaccinations and medication, excess baggage charges, telephone calls, laundry, drinks, water and food (unless otherwise specified in the tour details), tips and items of a purely personal nature.
9. Tour Alterations
Changes in the itinerary may occur even though tours are carefully planned. Changes could be made to the stated itinerary if it will benefit the tour by providing better bird-watching opportunities. The itinerary detailed in the tour pages is therefore an illustration of the sites that maybe visited to gain the maximum bird-watching benefit from the tour. Any major changes to the itinerary will be advised in the final tour details sent on receipt of the final balance. A change in the order that locations are visited is not deemed to be a major change. Should a major change of itinerary or schedule be forced on us while the tour is in progress by, for example, strikes, weather delay or breakdown, any additional costs are the responsibility of the participants, travel insurance is therefore essential.
10. Passport, Visa and Health Requirements
All participants are responsible for, and must be in possession of, a full relevant passport for their nationality, valid for at least six months beyond the end of the tour. In addition, participants must obtain any necessary visas and vaccination certificates required for the tour. Because of changing requirements, and the fact that the tour details are published so far in advance, requirements are not always specified. Clients will be advised of visa requirements in sufficient time. It is the client’s absolute responsibility to seek medical advice regarding vaccinations and medication to ensure that they are prepared by the date of departure.
11. Tour Information
General and more specific information will be made available to all tour participants. This may include details such as climate and clothing requirements, recommended reading, bird species that are likely to be encountered, flight/ferry information, etc. Please note, however, that there is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that specific bird species will be seen. Events such as floods, storms, fires etc. may prevent the tour from visiting certain areas resulting in specific bird species being missed, Bird Tours of The Gambia will not accept responsibility for such events. Any list provided is merely an indication of the species that may be encountered on a tour.
Please note that there can occasionally be delays on the Banjul/Barra – Barra/Banjul ferry when crossing the Gambia River for trips using the north road or to Senegal and return. These occurrences are out of the control of Bird Tours of The Gambia.
12. Accommodation
Accommodation will be in medium-standard hotels/guest houses/motels, as specified in the tour details or on the Bird Tours of The Gambia web site. Single rooms are normally available without extra cost if requested on the booking form, unless stated otherwise at the time of booking. If these arrangements are changed by the client after an invoice has been issued it is possible that the client could be liable to a single room supplement charge. Please note that in these circumstances Bird Tours of The Gambia would not be responsible for these supplement charges as they would be out of our control as they would be imposed by the hotel/guest house. Please note that medium-standard hotels in less developed countries may not have the accustomed level of facilities as expected in Europe, for example, and the food may not be quite as varied as anticipated. On rare occasions the accommodation that has been reserved for the tour may not be available and in the circumstances the tour leader will endeavour to obtain alternative accommodation of a similar standard although it may be of a lesser standard.
13. Insurance
Travel insurance is absolutely essential and Bird Tours of The Gambia insist that suitable cover, that must include adequate medical cover and medical repatriation if required, be obtained as a prerequisite to joining a tour. This will ensure that the necessary protection is provided against loss of deposit/full tour cost, and medical costs, which could be very expensive should you fall ill during the tour. Please note that travel insurance rarely provides sufficient cover for expensive optical equipment; clients are therefore recommended to add this to their home insurance policy under the 'All risks' section prior to departure. Bird Tours of The Gambia will insist on proof of travel insurance cover being in effect prior to departure.
14. Restrictions on Participation
Bird Tours of The Gambia tours do not normally entail strenuous activity but, if this cannot be avoided, it will be made clear in the tour details. Nevertheless, participants must be able to complete moderate walks of several miles a day, sometimes on uneven or slippery surfaces, to meet the schedule of the tour. If you have any health problems or physical limitations, you are required to advise Bird Tours of The Gambia prior to booking. To cater for the needs of all levels of birdwatcher, the tours sometimes involve long days in the field and traveling long distances. Subject to the itinerary of the tour, however, it can usually be arranged for a half or a full day's rest for those who wish to opt out at any time. Small groups do, of course, call for consideration from all to ensure that everybody enjoys the tour. Your co-operation is required in not participating in any antisocial behavior, such as smoking where not suitable or unacceptable drunken behavior etc. Bird Tours of The Gambia reserve the right to terminate any involvement in a tour of any person/s who does not conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. At this point all extra expenses incurred by the client will be their own responsibility.
15. Bookings
Group Bookings
The maximum group size is usually 15, excluding leaders. A suitable maximum group size to enjoy the tour will depend upon the location. As a guide, however, any group size over 15 will have a second leader. Bird Tours of The Gambia reserves the right to change leaders without notice. The minimum size of a group is 4 participants. If the number of bookings does not reach this figure within 8 weeks of the commencement of the proposed tour we reserve the right to cancel the tour and refund the full amount paid by the participants.
Individual Bookings
Bird Tours of The Gambia are happy to accept individual bookings for bird watching trips in The Gambia and/or Senegal. It is preferred that there would be a minimum of two people per trip, however we are always willing to discuss clients individual requirements.
16. Responsibilities
Bird Tours of The Gambia will take all reasonable steps to ensure that all services provided are of an acceptable standard. We cannot, however, accept liability for physical injury, loss, damage or expense resulting from any event whatsoever beyond our control. Insurance is therefore absolutely essential.
Bird Tours of The Gambia is the
trading name for Junkung Jadama (JJ) resident in The Gambia. JJ is a recognized
experienced birding guide in The Gambia and is licensed by the Gambian
Tourism Authorities. Payments for tours and deposits are made to Junkung Jadama either
by bank transfer, Paypal or in person on arrival at the start of a tour as
determined at the time of booking. JJ’s contact details
Postal Address:
JUNKUNG JADAMA
SEREKUNDA
THE GAMBIA
UK Facilitator
There is a facilitator in the UK for Bird Tours of The Gambia. This facilitator will assist clients with information concerning the tours and answer any UK telephone or email enquiries. The facilitator cannot accept any deposits or tour payments on behalf of Bird Tours of The Gambia. Any contract between the client and Bird Tours of The Gambia is solely between the client and Junkung Jadama.
The current UK facilitator is: barriejames@hotmail.co.uk
17. Data Protection Act
Clients records are maintained on a computer database and are used solely for the purpose of marketing by Bird Tours of The Gambia and are not divulged to anyone else. If the client wishes their records to be amended or deleted please advise us.
18. Errors and Omissions
Whilst the greatest care is taken in the preparation of Bird Tours of The Gambia tour details, it is possible errors or omissions could occur. Bird Tours of The Gambia will make every effort to correct any such error and omissions before, or during the tour. Due to the nature of wildlife no guarantee can be given as to the sightings of particular wildlife or particular birds but in usual circumstances the sightings in The Gambia and Senegal have proved to be very good.
