Terms and Conditions

Home To Africa Tours and Travel Ltd (herein also called “Home To Africa”, “we”, or “us”), which is registered in Uganda under license number UTB/RTT/TT/2021/00340 and trademark, Reg No. UG/T/2023/78554, operates all safari holidays or tours as may be agreed across Uganda and/or Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania (inclusive Zanzibar).

1. OUR DETAILS.

We are based at Home To Africa House, Kamanya Church Road, Bunamwaya, Kampala, Uganda. We are duly licensed and supervised by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB). We are also a recognized brand under the Home To Africa trademark, Reg No. UG/T/2023/78554. Our service extends across the other East African countries of Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania (inclusive Zanzibar).

2. BOOKING WITH HOME TO AFRICA.

Your booking with Home To Africa will exist (be confirmed) upon receiving an agreed commitment deposit towards the service requested. We will also issue a “Safari Confirmation Sheet” that you must complete and return a duly filled, signed copy to us via email. We will make your booking based on the booking conditions detailed in the subsequent section. Ensure you read thoroughly and fully understand before signing. By agreeing to these terms, you guarantee that you understand and have the authority to accept, and you do accept on behalf of your party (with names provided) the terms of these booking conditions as follows.

A. PAYING FOR TOUR/SERVICE REQUESTED.

The following are required:

If any, permit fees (i.e. gorilla, chimp, golden monkey): 100% upfront payment.
30% of the resulting value after deducting the permit fees’ value. Take for example, a tour with total value of USD 5,400 for a solo traveler with 1 gorilla permit (@ $800) and 1 chimp permit (@ $300). In this case, $1,100 (i.e. 800 + 300) is expected upfront. Then, 30% of (5,400 – 1,100) = $1,290 is also expected. In total, the required deposit for this case is $2,390.
Last-minute booking (i.e., less than a month to the start date): 100% upfront payment.

Final payment:

All outstanding balances should be cleared (at the latest) 2 weeks before the start of the booked service/s.

Additional Info:

Sometimes your booking may require other upfront payments on top of the usual 30% deposit – for internal flights, or some bookings over peak holiday periods, or due to terms of some facilities in your program. If any, we shall let you know and we expect your due cooperation to the matter.
All permits are paid 100% upfront based on the government’s advertised price. Changes in pricing and booking terms of the permits are independent of Home To Africa’s terms and determined by the government body in charge.
We will inform you if an additional deposit is required. Then, you will pay the remaining balance (at the latest) 2 weeks before the start of the booked service/s or activity.
If the deposit and/or balance is not paid in time, your safari activities, permits, and accommodation will be subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. If your payment is late, we will send you an urgent reminder; if payment is still not received, we reserve the right to cancel all arrangements, and any deposit committed shall be retained.
Our partner service-providers have rates in US dollars. We will quote you our service/s or activity in only USD, and any quote you receive from us will be valid for a month (if not booked). In case of a decision is deferred over a month, you are encouraged to check with us if the quote is still valid or not before proceeding with a booking.

B. CANCELLING TOUR/SERVICE BOOKED.

You, or any member of your party, may cancel you’re your arrangements with us at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking must be received by email. Please send it to tour@hometoafrica.com and ensure that Home To Africa acknowledges the email. Be aware of the cancellation charges outlined below:

10% cancellation fee if cancelled 90+ days before the tour/booked service date.
30% cancellation fee if canceled within 45 to 90 days before the tour/booked service date.
50% cancellation fee if canceled within 22 to 44 days before the tour/booked service date.
80% cancellation fee if canceled within 8 to 21 days before the tour/booked service date.
100% cancellation fee if canceled 7 days or less before the tour/booked service date.
100% cancellation fee for no-shows

Additional Info:

Some facilities have high cancellation charges over periods such as December to February or June to Sept. That may affect the above cancellation charges, making them higher than expected. If any, we will inform you in writing.
If you paid upfront for permits (e.g. gorilla, chimp, golden monkey) or domestic flights at the deposit stage, these are non-refundable. So, the cost of these will be retained by us on top of the cancellation charges indicated above. Be aware all booking terms of the permits are independent of Home To Africa’s terms and are determined, implemented by the government body in charge.
Suppose the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy. In that case, you can reclaim these charges, and we can issue you a cancellation letter/invoice to support your claim.
Should you wish to postpone the arrangement instead of cancellation, Home To Africa will facilitate rebooking the trip to a new required date subject to availability and the related price changes. Your respective primary office contact (Tour consultant) will work out any price increment if any and will be communicated to you at the time of rebooking.
Please note that your safari will be completely non-refundable once your journey has commenced. For example, if you request a change in accommodation after checking in, the guest will be responsible for meeting all additional costs for the new lodging. Similarly, no refunds will be issued for any reasons should you wish to end your safari halfway. In cases where you are traveling with a group and choose to cut your trip short while other participants continue their itinerary, you will be required to meet the full costs for your transit back to the airport or to your final hotel.
We strongly encourage all our travelers to thoroughly review all suggested accommodations, itineraries, and activities—including checking external reviews—to ensure they align perfectly with your travel expectations. While we do our absolute best to deliver an exceptional safari experience, we cannot offer refunds for early departures or changes made mid-tour.

C. EFFECTING REFUND.

The refund payment will only be made to the client’s bank account via wire transfer. This payment will be effected within 120 days from the time the cancellation or refund request was made. Any delay exceeding 120 days will be communicated accordingly.

D. MAKING CHANGE(S) TO THE BOOKING.

If, after we’ve confirmed all bookings/reservations and you wish to change/amend your arrangements with us in any way—for example, changing your chosen arrival date, a specific accommodation, or an activity—we will do our best to help you. However, it may not always be possible.

Remember, any request for changes to your confirmed booking must come in writing from the person who made the booking. Depending on the time available to process the request, you may incur charges for the alteration. For instance, requesting a date change for already purchased permits will incur a 25% penalty as specified by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Other charges especially those from facilities, will vary and we will inform you accordingly.

Please, be aware that the closer to your departure date, the higher the costs of making changes to your confirmed booking will likely be. Therefore, we encourage you to contact us to make changes as soon as possible if the need arises.

All changes will be subject to availability. This means we can only make changes if we can find availability for what is requested e.g. permit or accommodation facility.

Please, be informed that the cost of any changes requested while your arrangement with us is ongoing shall be met by you (client) as an extra/additional cost. Such requests may include: switching (upgrading) to another facility midway through the program, participating in an activity that wasn’t originally in the schedule, or securing another facility near the airport so you can adapt to a change in your flight schedule while abandoning the earlier reservation.

Note: The above applies too in the circumstance of a reschedule or postponement to a later date in the future.

E. IF HOME TO AFRICA MAKE CHANGE(S) TO BOOKING.

We do not wish to alter our travel itinerary to you at any point. However, we understand that our industry is volatile and changes cannot always be avoided completely. There are moments when we are still finalizing arrangements, and by the time payment is confirmed, an available activity slot or hotel room may no longer be vacant. In these instances, we must adapt accordingly. Please note that availability can also be affected by interbank processing delays or the time it takes your bank or card processor to remit funds to our accounts. If we happen to lose availability due to these delays, we will always do our absolute best to secure an alternative option of equal value and standard.

It is therefore a term of your booking that we reserve the right to adapt your arrangement/booking if the planned date is unavailable. Examples include altering domestic flights by less than 12 hours, changing accommodation to another of a comparable standard, or changing when some activities occur. For instance, we might miss the permit for your originally planned date but by tweaking the itinerary slightly, we may align it with the next available trekking date. At times, this simply means switching the sector without changing the date. Switching the sector means switching the accommodation to a comparable one in that new sector. In all efforts, we ensure the arrangement or booking timeframe is not altered.

Home To Africa reserves the right to adjust prices at any time should there be any fluctuation in the exchange rate or increase in the cost of any element of the tour, unforeseen government tax increases. The company will however make every effort to minimize any increases. Also, we will inform you immediately once we learn of such changes and appreciate your understanding.

Although seldom, Home To Africa reserves the right to change or readjust your schedule, transportation, accommodation and services indicated in the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances before arrival or during program execution such as road closures, bad weather, problems with national parks or hotels and security considerations. We will communicate any changes to the plan to you as soon as possible.

F. MEDICAL CONDITIONS, AND OTHER SPECIAL REQUESTS.

If you encounter a medical or health difficulty while traveling with us, our professional guides and staff will immediately assist you in accessing the best available local medical care. For complete peace of mind, we strongly advise all travelers to secure comprehensive travel insurance prior to departure. Additionally, we highly recommend setting aside a small amount to purchase an AMREF Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover, which provides vital medical airlift services across East Africa in critical situations. In the event of any medical issue, our head office will immediately notify the emergency contact listed on your booking confirmation sheet to keep them fully informed.

G. DOCUMENTATION.

To ensure your smooth preparation and to help you make an informed decision about using our service(s), we will provide documentation and files that we encourage you to read thoroughly and ensure that the info provided are very well understood. Such files include: FAQs, what to know/carry, the Booking and Cancellation policy, a well-laid (detailed) itinerary that directs the flow of your schedule with us.

Ensure that you have read and understood the details of your program (itinerary), including inclusions, exclusions, and optional suggestions (i.e., services or activities that require an additional cost). If you need clarification or notice any errors, notify us immediately so we can harmonize them in time.

If you request an item’s removal from the program after preparations are complete or during execution because you hadn’t noticed it before, the request will be granted. However, we are under no obligation to refund any associated costs.

Please, be informed that we retain full control over all transactional documentation (such as invoices, receipts, credit notes etc.) regarding your arrangements that we receive through the various facilities/service providers we work with.

H. PRIVACY AND HANDLING OF INFORMATION PROVIDED.

At Home To Africa, we understand that how we collect, use, disclose and protect your information is important to you. In this section, we clarify the information we receive or collect when you use our service/s, how we collect it, what we do with it, and how we safeguard it. We hope this helps you make an informed decision about sharing personal information with us. In all your dealings with us you must ensure that the others you represent are aware of our Privacy Policy’s content and consent to your acting on their behalf.

Information we collect.

Depending on the circumstances, Home To Africa may collect and hold personal information while providing a service to you, such as: your name, date of birth, gender, postal address, telephone number, email address, passport details, medical information and travel insurance details (where applicable); details of the service/s you have booked with us or enquired about, together with any additional information necessary to deliver that/those service/s and to respond to your enquiries; and any additional information relating to you that you or a third party has provided to us directly or indirectly through our websites, or to our in-store or other representatives.

Use of information collected.

Information we collect (such as about your health, age, sex) may be considered “sensitive information” under the Privacy Act. We collect it to provide you with our services, cater to your needs, or act in your interest, and we will only accept sensitive information if we have your consent.

If you visit our website, we may also collect information that is not personal information to improve the experience for our customers. This information may include the pages you visit, your IP address, browser type and language, and the date and time of your visit. We cannot identify you individually from this information. We collect some of this information using cookies.

When you are travelling with us, we may take video and images of you that may be used in brochures, in our advertising or on our website. If you do not wish for this to happen, please notify us in writing using the email address (tour@hometoafrica.com). Otherwise, we consider your consent is granted to use such materials.

How information is collected.

You may volunteer this information when you: enquire for our service/s, make a booking with us, subscribe to one of our newsletters, use our website, connect with us via social media, speak to a consultant in-store or any other engagement we or our business partners have with you.

Disclosure of information collected.

We may disclose your personal information to some of our employees (e.g. those handling reservations, Tour Driver-guides), contractors or third-party service providers, such as accommodation facilities in Uganda or neighboring Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania (where our service/s extend) for the purposes of managing your bookings, responding to your enquiries and to otherwise provide products and services to you.

We may share information with third parties in limited circumstances without your consent if we reasonably believe the disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a threat to life, health or safety, or for enforcement bodies to take action (e.g., prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of criminal offences). We may also share information when disclosure is authorized or required by law or otherwise permitted by applicable privacy laws.

Where you provide us personal information for the purposes of booking travel related services on your behalf or on behalf of another person, we must provide such personal information to the travel provider/s you have selected for the purposes of completing the booking. Please, be informed that we have no control over how such travel/service provider/s use, disclose or store personal information. Please ensure you agree with the privacy practices of the travel/service provider/s you select prior to providing us your personal information for the purposes of booking travel related services with such travel/service provider/s. You acknowledge and agree that we provide your personal information to travel providers solely as your agent, not as the principal holder. We will not be required to ensure their compliance with applicable privacy laws or this privacy policy, nor will we be liable or accountable for your personal information including their use and disclosure of it.

Safeguarding information collected.

Only authorized employees (e.g. those handling reservations or serving as Tour Driver-guides) trained in the proper handling of client information may access that information. Employees who violate our privacy practices/promises are held accountable and subject to disciplinary process.

We store your personal information for as long as necessary, considering the purposes for which it was collected or a related/ancillary purpose. We may therefore delete your personal information after a reasonable period. If you have not used our services for some time, you may need to re-enter or resupply your personal information.

We will not disclose your personal information, other than as described in this Privacy Policy without your consent unless we reasonably believe that disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a threat to life, health or safety or if an enforcement body needs to take certain action (e.g. prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of criminal offences), disclosure is authorized or required by law or disclosure is otherwise permitted by applicable privacy laws.

Misuse of information collected.

If you believe beyond a reasonable doubt that your privacy has been breached, contact us in writing using the email address (tour@hometoafrica.com) and provide details of the incident so we can investigate. We request that complaints about privacy breaches be made in writing to ensure we have the complaint’s details. After completing our enquiries into the matter, we will contact you, usually in writing, to advise the outcome and invite a response to our conclusions about the complaint. If we receive a response from you that disagrees, we will assess it and advise whether our view/position has changed.

I. INSURANCE.

Our Terms & Conditions strongly encourage all clients to purchase adequate travel insurance. This is because unforeseen circumstances, detailed below, may interrupt our arrangements with you.

Before arrival.

Health concerns: Just as you are about to set off for your long-awaited arrangement, a disease outbreak such as Ebola, Mpox, Marburg virus may hit the headlines, causing disruption to your plans and, in the worst case, potentially requiring the cancellation of your arrangement with us. Cancellation means losing some funds but an adequate insurance policy can cushion the impact so it won’t be felt too much.

Travel advisories: The world we live in today is so volatile. Protests can occur with little warning, often around political issues and events, and may turn violent. There are also concerns about terrorism, with terrorist groups targeting religious venues, schools, government buildings. In the aftermath of these events, different governments usually issue travel advisories that might impact your trip. Therefore, it is important to have adequate insurance to maneuver through such interruptions.

Flight cancellations, delays, or missed connections: Airlines can be unpredictable. Consider investing in travel insurance that covers flight disruptions. It can help with rebooking fees, accommodations, and other expenses. If your luggage is delayed or lost, pack essentials like medications, chargers, and a change of clothes in your carry-on.

Visa or documentation issues: There’s a case of a client who processed his visa and everything looked in order until when he reached the airport and the mess reared its head. The issue came because during the application process. He altered some 2 digits of his passport number and at the airport the officer noticed a mis-match in details and couldn’t be allowed in. You can imagine his world at that point. Ensure your papers are in order, and double-check visa requirements and details.

During program execution.

Medical Emergencies & Health Crises: While preparing, remember this possibility; planning in advance is very helpful to mitigate the impact should it happen. Medical emergencies and health crises can be super stressful, especially in a foreign country. For that reason, we strongly encourage you to have travel insurance that covers medical emergencies.

Weather-related issues: Heavy rains might cause road closures or disrupt activities. During preparation, it is important to factor in a mechanism meant to reduce its impact. Imagine your most anticipated activity cannot go on because of extreme weather, and you have to miss it. You should be able to place a claim and at least redeem the cost.

Local unrest or protests: The world we live in today is so volatile. Protests can occur with little warning, often around political issues and events, and may turn violent. In the event of that, your government may suddenly change rule that could in worse case, mean abandoning your ongoing program with us. It is important to have an adequate insurance to mitigate the cost impact this will have caused.

Given all the above unforeseen circumstances, it is only prudent to secure adequate insurance policy.

J. CLIENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES.

Your specific passport, visa, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility. You should confirm these with the relevant Embassies 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 are personally responsible for ensuring that you have all necessary medical preparations for the trip. This includes, but is not limited to, obtaining the correct vaccinations, preventive medications, health certificates, and any personal medical aids or equipment required for the journey. The traveler must consult a qualified medical doctor or travel health specialist to determine the necessary vaccinations, medications, or medical measures for their specific situation. We do not accept liability for any consequences arising from the client’s (your) failure to seek proper medical advice or to meet these health and medical requirements.

You are responsible for a timely check-in for all flights and presenting yourself to take up all pre-booked components of your holiday. We do not accept liability for any advice given of a general nature before the holiday commences.

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.

Traveling to Africa and doing safari trips brings people close to wild animals. Attacks and problems are rare but cannot be excluded. It is therefore always necessary to follow the applicable rules and instructions and not to approach wild animals independently.

We also draw to your attention that certain inherent risks are involved in all of the African safari holidays we supply – especially concerning wildlife, plants, the environment and illness. You must accept these 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.

You must ensure that you have secured an appropriate insurance cover before coming to enjoy our service/s.

K. LIABILITY.

Home To Africa will make every effort to ensure that all arrangements and services offered as part of the safari are carried out as specified and efficiently. However, the company does not directly control the services provided by suppliers and, whilst every supplier is chosen with the utmost care, we do not accept liability for errors or omissions of such suppliers.

All information detailed in your itinerary is given to the best of Home To Africa’s knowledge and based on the latest information available. Home To Africa cannot be liable for modified information from third parties, nor for any obvious typing errors.

We do not accept liability or pay compensation for unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the company or its staff, including flight delays/cancellations or force majeure such as war or threat of war, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist acts, border closure, acts of government or other authorities, strikes, thefts, epidemics, road closures, industrial disputes, natural disaster, extreme weather conditions, fire, technical and/or mechanical problems to transport and all similar events beyond the company’s control. Secure appropriate insurance cover.

Unless proven beyond a reasonable doubt that negligence or failure was on our side, we bear no liability for death, injury, illness, or loss of property during the enjoyment of services or activities arranged by us.

Our liability in circumstance involving death, a serious injury or illness deemed a failure or negligence on our part, shall be limited to not more than twice the amount paid, if any, by you to us prior to the incident. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to the contractual terms of service providers who supply the service or activity that makes up your arrangement with us.

You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the booked service/s or activity included in your arrangement with us. If any services included in your booking are not performed or are improperly performed by the service supplier/s or us, and this has affected the enjoyment of the arrangement, you may be entitled to appropriate compensation. This compensation may include refunding funds paid toward such service/s or activity, offering a complimentary alternative activity to cover the missed or improperly performed one, offering a complimentary drink, or a transfer as a show of our remorse.

We will not be liable if any failure to perform or improper performance of the service/s is due to: you or another member of your party; or unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which means a situation beyond our control whose consequences could not have been avoided even if we had taken all reasonable measures.

The mode of transport used will be dependent on the number of clients and the route taken, based on the specifications of the chosen itinerary. Every effort is made to ensure that vehicles are provided in a roadworthy condition but no liability can be accepted for a puncture, breakdown, damage, or any delay as a result of the poor road conditions.

Home To Africa may exclude a client from part or all of the arrangement if that client causes hindrance or nuisance to such an extent that fulfilling the program/schedule is or could be impeded, and if we cannot reasonably expect compliance with the contract. The client will bear the resulting costs.

No credit or refund will be given to you should you fail to take up any component of your holiday or lose any travel documents.

Note: this entire clause does not apply to any contracts you may enter for excursions or activities whilst on your arrangement with us.

L. COMPLAINTS

If you have a complaint about any service included in your arrangement, you must immediately inform our representative (i.e. the guide or your primary office contact) and/or the service supplier in question, who will do their best to resolve the matter. If the problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, report the complaint in writing via the email address (tour@hometoafrica.com) or by calling +256(0)774-872185.

In most cases, the matter can be resolved locally and quickly. If that is not the case, after completing our enquiries into the matter, we will contact you, usually in writing, to advise the outcome and invite a response to our conclusions about the complaint. Finally, we should be able to resolve and close the matter amicably.

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, which affects our ability to improve the situation for you and the possibility of claiming back any form of compensation.

M. LAW AND JURISDICTION.

This booking is governed by Ugandan Law and the jurisdiction of the Ugandan Courts. However, you may choose the law and jurisdiction of Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania, where we also operate.