Kitano Tours Terms & Conditions

1. Booking & Confirmation

A booking is considered confirmed only after Kitano Tours & Safaris has received the required deposit or full payment and has issued written confirmation of the booking.

All bookings are subject to availability at the time of confirmation.
The person making the booking accepts these Terms & Conditions for all travelers in the booking.
Any special requests must be made in writing and can only be treated as confirmed when we confirm them in writing.

2. Payments

A deposit is usually required to secure a booking. The remaining balance must be paid within the agreed timeline and, unless otherwise confirmed in writing, before the start of the tour.

Payments may be made by bank transfer, card payment, online payment gateway, or cash where accepted.
Card and online payments may include transaction charges. Once charged by the payment provider, these fees are non-refundable.
Bank transfer charges, receiving fees, and payment platform fees are the responsibility of the client unless agreed otherwise in writing.

Important: Once a deposit or payment has been used to secure hotels, permits, park fees, flights, train tickets, vehicle reservations, or other supplier services, those amounts may become non-refundable if the supplier does not allow cancellation or refund.

3. Pricing

All prices are quoted in USD unless stated otherwise. Prices include only the items clearly listed in the relevant itinerary, quotation, or booking confirmation.

Government taxes, park fees, concession fees, visa fees, and other official charges may change without notice.
Kitano Tours & Safaris reserves the right to revise prices before final payment if taxes, park fees, exchange rates, fuel costs, or supplier charges change.
Any additional services requested after confirmation may be charged separately.

4. Cancellations & Refund Policy

All cancellations must be made in writing by email or another official written communication channel accepted by Kitano Tours & Safaris. The cancellation date will be the date on which written notice is received.

Important: Deposits and payments already committed to third-party services are not refundable where the hotel, airline, railway, park authority, government authority, or other supplier does not refund them.

Cancellation Period	Standard Cancellation Charge	Important Note
60+ days before departure	Loss of non-refundable supplier costs, transaction fees, and reasonable admin charges only	Any hotel deposit, permit, SGR ticket, flight, park fee, or other prepaid supplier cost already committed remains non-refundable
30 - 59 days before departure	Up to 50% of total trip cost may be retained, plus all non-refundable supplier costs	Any refund depends on what has already been paid or committed to suppliers
15 - 29 days before departure	Up to 75% of total trip cost may be retained, plus all non-refundable supplier costs	Late changes or cancellations often result in substantial unrecoverable costs
0 - 14 days before departure	100% of total trip cost may be retained	In most cases no refund is available due to committed operational and supplier costs
No-show / late arrival / unused services	100% non-refundable	No refund is available for missed services, unused hotel nights, transfers, activities, or partial trip usage

Examples of non-refundable costs include, but are not limited to:

Government park fees, rescue fees, permits, concession fees, and compulsory official charges
Hotel, lodge, camp, or supplier deposits that are non-refundable under supplier policy
SGR train tickets, domestic flights, international flights, ferry tickets, and similar transport tickets
Visa costs, vaccination costs, travel insurance premiums, and payment platform or banking fees
Tailor-made services purchased specifically for one booking and not reusable for another client

Where a supplier provides only a partial refund, Kitano Tours & Safaris will refund only the amount actually recovered, less any reasonable administrative, banking, or payment transaction charges.

5. Changes by Client

Requests to change travel dates, accommodation, route, transport, or other services must be made in writing and are always subject to availability and supplier acceptance.

Changes may result in additional costs or updated pricing.
Flights, trains, permits, hotels, and park-related services may carry penalties set by third parties.
Kitano Tours & Safaris is not responsible for penalties or extra charges imposed by third-party suppliers.

6. Changes by Kitano Tours & Safaris

We always aim to operate trips as confirmed. However, Kitano Tours & Safaris reserves the right to make reasonable changes to routes, accommodation, transport, timing, or specific services where necessary due to weather, safety, operational needs, government instructions, supplier issues, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

Where possible, an equivalent or better alternative will be provided.
Such changes do not automatically entitle the client to a refund.
If a major change is necessary before departure, we will inform the client as soon as reasonably possible.

7. Travel Insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended and may be mandatory for certain trips, especially mountain climbs and adventure travel.

Insurance should cover medical expenses, emergency evacuation, personal accident, trip cancellation, trip interruption, baggage loss, and personal liability.
For Kilimanjaro and other trekking activities, suitable high-altitude trekking and evacuation cover is essential.

8. Health, Fitness & Medical Disclosure

Clients are responsible for ensuring that they are physically and medically fit for the trip they have booked.

Any medical condition, allergy, dietary requirement, injury, mobility issue, or other relevant matter must be disclosed before booking or as soon as possible.
Kitano Tours & Safaris reserves the right to refuse participation where a traveler's condition may create a risk to themselves, staff, or other travelers.
No refund will be due where a traveler cannot participate because important health or fitness information was not disclosed in advance.

9. Liability

Kitano Tours & Safaris arranges and operates tours with reasonable care and professional skill. However, adventure travel, wildlife travel, trekking, road travel, and outdoor activities involve inherent risks.

Participation is at the client's own risk.
Kitano Tours & Safaris shall not be liable for loss, damage, injury, illness, delay, inconvenience, or additional expense caused by third parties, force majeure events, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
We are not responsible for loss, theft, or damage to luggage, electronics, passports, money, or other personal belongings.
Any claim against Kitano Tours & Safaris shall be limited to the amount actually paid to us for the specific service giving rise to the claim, except where law does not allow such limitation.

10. Force Majeure

Kitano Tours & Safaris will not be liable for failure, delay, cancellation, alteration, or reduction of services caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to:

Natural disasters, floods, storms, drought, fire, earthquakes, epidemics, or pandemics
War, terrorism threats, civil unrest, riots, strikes, or labor disputes
Government orders, border closures, changes in law, transport suspension, or airline disruption
Road closures, severe weather, safety restrictions, wildlife conditions, or park authority decisions

In such cases, any refund will be strictly limited to the amount actually recovered from third-party suppliers after deduction of unrecoverable costs.

11. Client Conduct

Clients are expected to behave respectfully and responsibly throughout the trip.

Abusive, dangerous, illegal, reckless, or disruptive behaviour will not be accepted.
Any traveler whose conduct puts other guests, staff, guides, porters, drivers, wildlife, property, or operations at risk may be removed from part or all of the trip without refund.
Clients are responsible for any loss, damage, penalty, or extra cost caused by their own conduct.

12. Porter Welfare & Ethical Operations

Kitano Tours & Safaris believes in fair and respectful treatment of porters, guides, drivers, cooks, and local support teams.

We support fair working conditions and respectful treatment of staff.
We aim to maintain safe operational practices and suitable working standards.
Clients are expected to treat our staff and local communities with dignity and respect at all times.

13. Photography & Media

Kitano Tours & Safaris may use photographs or video footage taken during trips for website, social media, promotional, or marketing purposes, unless the client informs us in writing before the trip starts that they do not wish to appear.

14. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms & Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania. Any dispute arising from or connected with a booking or service provided by Kitano Tours & Safaris shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts of Tanzania, unless applicable law requires otherwise.