Terms and Conditions
Adventure Fantasy Tours (AFTours)
policies for private individuals and groups.
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Payment of deposit and/or payment in
full certifies that you understand and agree to these Terms and Conditions. |
Responsibilities
It is AFTours responsibility to provide the services listed with a
tour itinerary. AFTours includes this information with every price
quote.
All lodging is double occupancy, bed & breakfast; private baths are included whenever
available. Comparable hotel substitutes will be provided if planned accommodations are not
available. For single occupancy, a single supplement will be applied. Day rooms are not included
unless specified. Hotel check-in time is 2:00 PM, and check-out time is 12:00 noon; day room
check-out time is 6:00 PM.
AFTours reserves the right to make itinerary modifications or
to change hotels or other tour components, if these are deemed necessary or advisable for the
continuation of the tour, for safety and security reasons, or to prevent delays that would be
detrimental to the tour or its members. AFTours is not responsible for
any delays or consequences of any delays due to circumstances beyond AFTours' control. AFTours will make every effort to
provide alternate and comparable services if changes are made.
For groups with independant arrivals, AFTours will provide two airport
transfers upon arrival, and two upon departure; other arrivals and departures will be assessed an
airport transfer fee. If a group member arrives late, that person is responsible for any and all
transportation costs incurred in catching up with the group.
All luggage should have sturdy identification tags and should always be locked. AFTours personnel will assist travelers with lost luggage formalities at Bamako
airport. AFTours will also make every effort to forward lost luggage
to its owner during the tour; any costs incurred in forwarding luggage are the responsibility of
the traveler.
Estimated prices to forward lost/delayed bags:
| Bamako to Segou |
50 Euros |
| Bamako to Sevare/Mopti |
100 Euros |
| Bamako to Sikasso |
100 Euros |
| Bamako to Dogon country |
150 Euros |
prices may vary with weight or number of bags
Additional ground services required as a result of international flight schedule changes, illness
or emergencies are the responsibility of the traveler. AFTours
personnel will do what they can to assist travelers who may need to make new flight arrangements.
This is done as a courtesy and implies no responsibility on the part of AFTours to find or make new arrangements. The costs or penalties for any such
arrangements are the sole responsibility of the traveler.
AFTours' guide has the ultimate recourse of removing a traveler from a
tour at any time, if that person's continued presence is deemed harmful to him/herself or others,
or if it adversely affects the quality of the tour and/or the enjoyment of the group. A pro-rata
refund will be made for missed activities, contingent upon refunds provided by suppliers.
Travelers must procure their own passport, entry visa(s), and health documents.
Travelers agree to comply with local laws and regulations, and to respect cultural practices
observed during the tour. Travelers understand that living conditions and practices in West Africa
are not the same as in their home countries. Travelers must be ready to experience cultural
differences with grace.
Travelers are expected to be on time for all tour activities; there are no refunds for missed
activities. If travelers miss any flights or other scheduled departures, the responsibility and the
cost of rejoining the tour will be theirs.
Travelers with special needs or disabilities must inform AFTours at
the time of booking; failure to disclose in advance any physical or other restrictions, or the
need for special accommodations, will make it impossible to meet those needs. When informed,
AFTours will make every effort to accommodate travelers, and will
inform travelers of local conditions they will likely encounter.
For their own safety as well as for the smooth operation of their tour, travelers are expected to
follow their guide's requests and instructions; any problems encountered during the tour should be
brought to the guide's attention immediately, so that he may remedy the situation. If he is unable
to do so, or you are not satisfied with the remedy, please call AFTours office, or report the problem to AFTours
office prior to your departure, at latest.
Tips and gratuities, while not necessary, are accepted as a recognition of quality of service by
guides, drivers, restaurant personnel. These tips and gratuities are not covered by tour fees, and
are entirely at your discretion.
Health and
Fitness
Travelers must be healthy, fit, and prepared to endure hot weather conditions.
Elevators are not routinely available outside capital cities, and some stair-climbing may be
required. If you have an underlying medical condition, AFTours must
be informed and you should get your physician's approval before reserving your tour.
Be advised that in case of illness or accident, AFTours' liability is
limited to transporting the traveler to the nearest medical facility, and/or back to Bamako for an
immediate flight home, at the traveler's expense. Missed activities due to illness are refundable
on a pro-rata basis, contingent upon refunds provided by suppliers. Appropriate insurance coverage
is recommended (see section on Insurance, below).
Yellow Fever immunization is required to enter Mali and neighboring countries—consult
your doctor, travel health clinic, or the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Malaria is endemic throughout West Africa. See your doctor for a prescription for a
malaria-prevention medication. While on tour travelers should should try to prevent mosquito bites
by wearing appropriate clothing, and by using an insect-repellent.
If you have special dietary requirements, please inform us; special requirements may be met with
advance preparation.
For the health and comfort of all AFTours clients and staff, all
vehicles are No Smoking.
Safety and
Security
Travelers' safety and security is AFTours first priority. We do not conduct tours to
dangerous areas and we always work with local personnel, who are fully apprised of local safety and
security conditions.
Please note that for safety reasons, we avoid driving after dark as much as possible. Driver
fatigue is an issue, as well as the condition of the local roads (narrow, unlit, not always in good
repair). Also, there are many road hazards specific to the nighttime hours: vehicles frequently
without headlights, pedestrians who think they are as visible at night as during the day, and
free-ranging farm animals (namely donkeys and cattle) grazing along the roadside.
Travelers are expected to exercise caution in public areas, where pickpocketing may occur.
Travelers are also expected to keep their valuables at hand at all times, and to keep their luggage
locked. AFTours is not responsible for articles forgotten or left
behind in hotel rooms, restaurants, etc.
Insurance
Travel insurance is recommended, but not required; it is not included in the tour price. In
case of accident, AFTours' responsibility is limited to transport to
the nearest medical facility, and/or to Bamako for an immediate flight home, at your expense. Check
your existing policies (health, homeowners, student, etc.) to see what coverage you may already
have. Otherwise consult one of the specialist travel insurance companies such as Access America
(800 284 8300; www.accessamerica.com) or International SOS Assistance (215 245 4707;
www.intsos.com). You should consider coverage for medical expenses including evacuation, trip
cancellation, and lost luggage or personal effects.
Domestic
flights
AFTours utilizes the services of local agencies for domestic flights;
as such, AFTours and AFTours clients are
subject to the policies of these airlines.
AFTours is not a ticket agent for domestic flights.
For sound but unforeseable reasons, scheduled domestic flights are sometimes delayed, postponed or
cancelled.
Air reservations should be made as early as possible; tickets should be purchased no later than
20-60 days prior to the flight dates, to assure availability.
Purchased tickets are the reservation confirmation; prices are subject to change until tickets are
purchased.
The airline may request payment once the flight is fully reserved, in order to eliminate frivolous
reservations and make seats available for serious requests.
Penalties:
Reservation cancellations made 15 days or less prior to the reserved flight are subject to 50%
cancellation penalty.
Reservation cancellations made 48 hours or less prior to the reserved flight are
non-refundable.
Tickets issued for groups of 5 or more travellers are non-cancellable, NON-REFUNDABLE.
Domestic flights may be replaced by ground transportation, if the domestic flight schedule renders
flights impossible within the constraints of a tour and/or the tour dates; in this case, the missed
flights are non-refundable as the ticket price will be used to make alternate land
arrangements.
The Mopti arrival/departure may be cancelled if there are enough passengers for a direct flight,
Bamako-Timbuktu or Timbuktu-Bamako.
Occasionally, the one-way flight to Timbuktu is postponed, and the roundtrip flight to/from
Timbuktu is implemented on the same day. When this happens, the time spent in Timbuktu is little
more than a few hours, at best.
Due to the uncertainties of flying and the penalties incurred when cancelling, cancellation
insurance is recommended.
See our Travel Tips page
for weight limits and excess baggage fees.
Reservations,
Payment
To reserve a tour, a deposit of 50% of the total tour price must be
payed to our bank or postal account in
Lugano/CH upon booking, we will provide our bank references after getting your booking request. Upon receipt of payment we will confirm you your hotel and transportation arrangements.
Please allow at least 5-10 working days for your deposit to be credited to our account.
The balance in full must be payed within 3 week prior to departure.
If the full amount is not paid by twentyone (21) days prior to departure, AFTours reserves the right to treat the booking as cancelled and the deposit shall be forfeited.
Passengers booking within twentyone (21) days of tour departure are required to pay the full amount immediately to secure the seat.
We do accept credit cards, but there will be a supplement of 2.5% on the tour fare.
Sorry: we do not accept checks, or travellers checks.
NB: Please be advised there is a variable 5-20% commission on travellers checks in Mali.
For tours beginning outside Bamako, the balance also is to be paid by wire transfer and is due 20
days before the tour start date.
Payment of deposit guarantees the land price of your tour; domestic airfare is subject to change by
the carrier at any time until purchase of tickets, beyond the control of AFTours.
Tour
Prices
AFTours private tour prices are digressive and depend upon the size of
your party; prices are provided upon request. Prices are in Euros, and are subject to change until
a tour deposit is received. Prices are per person, double occupancy. If requested, price conversion
to US Dollars will be made at the time of payment, at the exchange rate of the day.
Tour itineraries list what is included for that tour price; read this information carefully.
Prices do not include international travel to/from Africa, passport fees, entry visa fees, excess
baggage charges, airport taxes, immunizations or other medical services, non-specified meals,
alcoholic or other beverages, insurance, tips for tour staff, laundry and other personal
expenses.
Cancellation Policy,
Refunds
30 March 2007
AFTours' cancellation policy is as follows:
cancellation received
60 days or more, prior to tour start date
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full refund of payment minus 200 euros administrative fee, bank fees, communication fees, and reservation cancellation penalties, if any
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cancellation received
30 to 59 days prior to tour start date
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refund 65% of payment
minus bank fees, communication fees, and reservation cancellation penalties
OR
carry-over up to 100% of payment to a future tour*
minus bank fees, communication fees, and reservation cancellation penalties |
cancellation received
15 to 29 days prior to tour start date | refund 40% of payment
minus bank fees, communication fees, and reservation cancellation penalties
OR
carry-over up to 75% of payment to a future tour*
minus bank fees, communications fees, reservation cancellation penalties |
cancellation received
less than 15 days prior to tour start date | no refund
carry-over up to 50% of payment to a future tour*
minus bank fees, communications fees, reservation cancellation penalties |
| no-show | no refund
no carry-over |
* Future tour must be taken within one year of original tour start date; carry-over to be applied
in the country/countries where cancellations were effected. No carry-over beyond one year;
carry-over is non-transferable, non-refundable.
Refund or carry-over is the client's choice.
Cancellation penalities include, but are not limited to, non-refundable deposits to our suppliers,
to confirm/guarantee reservations.
Missed services due to late arrival are non-refundable. Voluntary changes or cancellations by
travelers of tour days or services during a tour are non-refundable. Cancellation insurance is
recommended.
Prior to departure, AFTours reserves the right to cancel a tour, and
will provide a full refund of all payments. FYI: AFTours has never
cancelled a tour, but would do so at its sole discretion should travelers' safety be of concern.
AFTours is not responsible for expenses incurred by travelers in
preparing for a cancelled trip.
Once travelers are in-country, AFTours will provide comparable
alternate tour arrangements, if the cancellation of a particular tour is deemed necessary. Should
travelers elect not to accept these arrangements, this will constitute voluntary refusal of
services, and no refunds will be given. Pro-rata refunds will be made if alternate arrangements are
not comparable to the original tour services.
Please note: Domestic flights may be replaced by ground transportation, if the domestic
flight schedule renders flights impossible within the constraints of a tour and/or the tour dates;
in this case, the missed flights are non-refundable as the ticket price will be used to make
alternate land arrangements.
Cancellation by individual members of group tours is handled on a case-by-case basis, as it may
require recalculation of the tour price, depending on the number of individuals cancelling (the
reduced size of the group may affect the per-person price).
General Disclaimer
Travelers must understand and accept that participation in any tour may entail certain unpredictable risks and dangers, notably but not limited to river excursions, desert excursions or treks (on foot, horseback or by camel) in any location. Animal behavior is unpredictable and may cause personal injury. Road accidents can occur anywhere.
Please be aware that precautions are taken to guard against all such dangers, but your safety cannot be guaranteed. Participation in any tour is at your own risk.
Please note, we advise all travellers to arrange for medical and repatriation insurance for the length of their stay in Mali/West Africa. In case of illness or accident, our liability is limited to transporting travellers to the nearest medical facilities, and/or back to Bamako for an immediate flight home, at the traveller's expense.
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It is also possible to compose your circuit as you wish, or modify an existent one... 
