The trips, itineraries, experiences and destinations featured on our website are operated by The Odysseia Collection Pty Ltd -hereinafter referred to as ‘Odysseia’, ‘Odysseia-Explore’ (the travel side of the company) and ‘Odysseia-Create’ (the creative and photographic side of the company), ’we’ or ‘us’- , which is registered in South Africa under company number 2022/206756/07.

 

 

1. Our details. Odysseia is based at 121 Protea Gardens, 20 Curry’s Post Road, 3290 Howick, South Africa and is registered under number 2022/206756/07. 
   

2. Your booking with Odysseia – Explore. A booking with us exists as soon as we send you your invoice, and your itinerary. This will be sent out after receiving your deposit, confirming every element of your trip with Odysseia. Your booking is made in accordance with these booking conditions, and in agreeing to them, you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party (named on the booking form) the terms of these booking conditions.

3. Paying for your Odysseia trip. To hold your booking,  you must pay a non-refundable deposit of 35% of the booking cost, or full payment if your departure is within 12 weeks. Sometimes your booking may require other upfront payments on top of the usual 35% deposit – for instance, gorilla and trekking permits, or visas for certain countries. If any additional deposit is required, we will let you know beforehand. The outstanding balance of the booking cost must be paid at least 12 weeks before your departure date. If the deposit and/or balance is not paid in time, we have the right to cancel your travel arrangements and will retain your deposit. If your payment is late, we will send you a reminder, and it is not paid, we will have no option but to cancel your trip. 

Any quote offered to you is valid for 7 days from that date after which we may have to vary the price due to changes in costings.  Our operators in Africa have rates in different currencies – GBP, Euro, Rand and US dollars being the most common. We can quote you a trip in GBP, Euro or USD, and any quote you receive from us will be valid for 7 days. After this we reserve the right to recalculate the cost based on updated exchange rates. You must pay your deposit and your balance in the same currency that was agreed on when you decided to go ahead with your trip to Africa. If you add any services to your booking at a later stage, they will be costed using the exchange rate of the day. If for any reason we need to refund a part of your trip, it will be refunded using the exchange rate the cost of your trip was originally based on.

 

 

4. Cancelling your Odysseia trip. You, or any member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking must be received by email. Please send it to hello@theodysseiacollection.com and ensure that you get a response from us.  Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay cancellation charges as follows (see also the exception 

below):

Time before your trip at which you cancel	Cancellation cost
12 weeks or more (≥ 84 days)	35% of booking (Full deposit)
12 – 10 weeks (84 – 70 days)	50% of booking
10 – 4 weeks (70 – 29 days)	75% of booking
4 weeks or under (≤ 28 days)	100% of booking

Note: Some camps have very high cancellation charges over peak booking periods such as Christmas, Easter, July-August, September-October. This may affect the above cancellation charges, making them higher than normal. If your funds have been transferred to our supplier already then you are subject to the supplier’s cancelation policy. You are encouraged to request information on the suppliers cancelation policy before paying. Once your deposit is paid and we have issued you with your invoice, you are liable for these increased cancellation charges. 

If at deposit stage, you paid upfront for gorilla permits, these are non-refundable, and so cost of these will be retained by us on top of the cancellation charges indicated above. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges and we can issue you with a cancellation invoice to support your claim.

 

 

 

5. If you change your Odysseia booking. If, after our invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for instance your chosen departure date, itinerary or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing from the person who made the booking. You should be aware that the closer to your departure date changes are made, the higher these costs are likely to be, so you should contact us to make them as soon as possible. You can transfer your booking to another person, who satisfies all the conditions that apply to this booking, by giving us notice in writing at least 7 days before departure. Both you and the new traveller are responsible for paying all costs we incur in making the transfer.

Note: Certain travel arrangements may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements. In particular, any changes requested within 12 weeks of departure will be subject to the cancellation charges above.

 

 

6. If we cancel your Odysseia booking. We reserve the right to cancel all or part of your booking, if unforeseeable circumstances force us to do so. We will not cancel less than 12 weeks before your departure date, except for unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, or failure by you to pay the final balance. Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. We observe advice provided by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office only. 

7. If we change your Odysseia booking. 

(a) Changes to the price. We can change the price of your trip to Africa after you’ve booked, only in certain circumstances:

• • Changes in the price of the carriage of passengers resulting from changes to the cost of fuel, the level of taxes or fees imposed by third parties including tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. For instance, a local government deciding to increase national park fees for tourists.

• If this results in an increase equivalent to more than 8% of the total price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting or changing to another trip if we are able to offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel you must do so within one week of being told of the change.  

• Should the price of your trip go down due to the cost changes mentioned above, then any refund due will be paid to you. We will deduct from this refund our administrative expenses incurred. Please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.

(b) Changes other than the price. 

• It is a term of your booking that we are able to make changes to any aspect of your booking. If the change is insignificant, we will ensure that you are notified about it. Examples of insignificant changes include alteration of local internal flights by less than 12 hours, change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard. 

8. Odysseia – Explore’s liability to you. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in this package. If any of the travel services included in your package are not performed in accordance with the contract, or are improperly performed, by us or the travel service suppliers, and this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements, you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction or compensation or both. We will not be liable where any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services is a result of: you or another member of your party; or a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services in the package and is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

1. The contractual terms of the companies that provide the travel services that make up your package. These terms are incorporated into this booking; and
2. Any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of and conditions under which compensation can be claimed for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of the extent of or the conditions under which compensation is to be paid under these or any conventions. You can ask for copies of the travel service contractual terms, or the international conventions, from our offices. Under EU law (Regulation 261/2004) you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details will be publicised at EU airports and available from airlines. However, reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund  of the cost of your trip from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these booking conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline or any other service provider will be deducted.

Note: this entire clause 8 does not apply to any separate contracts that you may enter into for excursions or activities whilst on your trip in Africa.

 

9. 9. Complaints. If you have a complaint about any of the services included in your trip to Africa, you must inform the supplier or our representative in Africa. This may be a camp or hotel manager where you are staying, or via the contact telephone numbers we will provide in advance of your departure. If it is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to hello@theodysseiacollection.com. Please include your booking reference and all other relevant information, keeping your email as concise and to the point as possible. If you fail to report your complaint whilst on your trip, we will not have the opportunity to investigate and rectify it whilst you are travelling, affecting our ability to improve the situation for you and the possibility of claiming back any form of compensation.

10. Additional Assistance. If you’re in difficulty whilst in Africa and ask us to help we will provide necessary assistance, in particular by providing information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, medical assistance; and helping you to find alternative arrangements and any necessary phone calls/emails. You must pay any costs we incur, or claim them back from your travel insurance company.

11. Medical Conditions, Disabilities, and other Special Requests. We welcome customers who may have special needs but it is essential you notify us before booking with specific details so that we can advise on the suitability of your plans. Regrettably not every destination may be suitable and we reserve the right to refuse a booking if we feel that your needs cannot be met. If you fail to advise us in advance, we reserve the right to cancel the booking as soon as we become aware of the situation. Should you have special requests such as food intolerances or meal requests for other reasons, we are happy to pass these to the relevant suppliers but these are requests and not guarantees.

12. Excursions. Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are in Africa are not part of your trip provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

13. Documentation. Please check all the documentation you receive and notify us immediately if you notice any errors. If you do not do so, there may be additional costs if changes have to be made later. 

14. Your Responsibilities. Firstly, you must review the current travel advice, for example, those to be found at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice before booking and ensure you remain up to date with this advice before travelling. Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.

You must also ensure that your vaccination certificates are in order and that you have taken the advice of your doctor with regard to inoculations. We refer in particular to our pre-departure information sheet. We will offer general advice but cannot be held responsible if you do not comply with current requirements before your departure. We do not accept liability for any advice given of a general nature prior to the holiday commencing. You are responsible for selecting and booking your international flights, as well as a timely check-in for all flights and for presenting yourself to take up all pre-booked components of your holiday. No credit or refund will be given to you should you fail to take up any component of your holiday or if you lose any travel documents. We also draw to your attention the fact that there are certain inherent risks involved in all of the holidays to Africa that we supply – especially concerning wildlife, but also plants, the environment and illness. These must be accepted by you at your own risk. If you wish to discuss any such risks with us we would be more than happy to provide advice over the telephone or in writing.

 

 

16. Insurance. It is a part of our Terms & Conditions that all clients must purchase adequate travel insurance. We reserve the right to cancel your holiday at any time should such a policy not be taken out by you. 

17. Law and Jurisdiction. This booking is governed by South African Law and the jurisdiction of the South African Courts. 
18. Agents & Commissions.  As our scheduled safaris are already commissioned, arranged and pre-paid, we do not offer further commission on these safaris. If, and only if an Agent approaches us with a bespoke itinerary request for their client, we may grant a 7.5% commission to the Agent to respect and show appreciation for their business. Private guiding services, transfers (flights and road), extra activities, trekking permits, park fees, bank fees, Welcome Pack items are non-commissionable.