TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Cancellation and Refund Policy

We have all been through turbulent times in 2020. Fortunately, the worst part of it appears to be past us and the global tourism industry is on the mend. You can’t imagine how happy we are to see hikers on the slopes of Kilimanjaro again. We realized that the roar of a safari vehicle engine in the early morning hours is the most pleasant sound for our ears, and that we had missed it dearly.

We understand that booking a trip and sending money to Africa may seem risky. Understandably, there are many concerns to keep in mind: what will happen if the new restrictions are put? what if my flight is cancelled, and I miss the expedition dates? What if I catch COVID-19 and am not able to travel?

We have answers for all of these questions. All expeditions of Twende Africa Tours are financially risk-free for our customers.

Your options if you need to cancel a trip

If you book your Kilimanjaro adventure with Twende Africa Tours, and for some reason are unable to travel, the following options are available:

You may freely change the dates of your Kilimanjaro adventure.

Twende Africa Tours offers flexibility for our clients - if you have an unfortunate hold-up to your travel plans, you may reschedule your climbing dates for another time. The exception here is if you decide to reschedule your climb in less than 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. With such short notice we would have organized supplies for the trip and paid park entry fees.

Lifetime deposits.

Twende Africa Tours allows indefinite holds on your deposit; and you will be able to use it for any trip with us in the future. This rule applies without reservation for all our Kilimanjaro adventures.
Also, our deposit for reserving a place in the Kilimanjaro expedition is USD 100 only, and it is fully refundable. You will be able to pay the remaining balance when you arrive in Tanzania.

Please note that if you are planning a safari trip with us, this option will subject to the cancellation penalties of the safari hotels and lodges. All our partnered hotels and lodges understand the global uncertainty brought by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and try to be flexible as well. Usually, we will be able to place your full deposit on hold if informed in 30 days before the start of your safari trip.

Getting a refund.

We have never frozen any payment ever paid to us, and if you decide to cancel your adventure, we will be able to provide you with a refund. During the peak of the pandemic in the summer of 2020 Twende Africa Tours was proud to have made all refunds to every client who had to cancel their trip.

Some of our clients told us that they got sick with coronavirus and asked for a refund, which we readily provided. Please note: being sick or having other valid reasons for cancellation is not necessary - we will return your deposit under any circumstances. After all it is your money. The only thing required is an email to confirm cancellation.
Our financial liability is insured for one million ($1,000,000) USD with The Heritage Insurance company, one of the leading providers of insurance services in Tanzania.

What makes us so confident?

It is fair to ask why we are so sure in our ability to be flexible and make refunds when the global tourism sector is in shambles. Here is what we have to say:

When we just started our work, our management made the right decision to launch an emergency fund.

Every month we contributed a certain amount of our earnings to that fund. Of course, we have never imagined that anything as impactful as COVID-19 would ever happen, but this fund turned out to be much opportune. We did not have to scrap here and there to make the payouts.

We are one of the largest local tour operators on Kilimanjaro.
Twende Africa Tours runs over 150 Kilimanjaro expeditions and 100 safaris every year. Almost 200 tourists explore the wonders of Tanzania with Twende Africa Tours annually, and we are one of the largest tourism taxpayers in the area.

Finally, we always put people before profits.
We understand that the uncertainty of today is nerve-racking for many, and we don’t want our customers to feel insecure even for a minute. When circumstances change, or our customer needs to cancel a trip, we try to help in whatever way we can. We believe that if we show flexibility and understanding, our customers will definitely travel with us later. Twende Africa Tours is committed to making everyone happy and confident in their adventures with us.

And finally, the best guarantee of your positive experience with us are the TripAdvisor reviews, left by our happy customers. Check out the independent reviews from Twende Africa Tours travelers to see for yourself!