Terms and Conditions- Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris

Thank you for choosing Lights on Africa Safaris( LOA) as your trusted travel partner. We are dedicated to providing you with exceptional travel experiences and ensuring your journey is smooth and enjoyable. Before making a booking with us, you must ensure that you have carefully read and understood the following terms and conditions that govern our services. We are at your disposal to answer any questions you may have.

1.   Modification of our Terms & Conditions

We reserve the right to modify and/or update our terms and conditions at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting them on our website. By continuing to use our website after such changes, you agree to be bound by the modified terms. If we revise our terms and conditions, our clients who have already made a booking will receive an email about this. The revised terms and conditions will automatically apply from that time.

2. Booking, payments and cancellations

2.1.Booking Confirmations

All Bookings shall be confirmed in writing (E-mail,)only when the booking is accompanied by a Non refundable deposit valued at 30% of the tour price, whose receipt has been acknowledged by our bank.

After a client requests a quote on our website, we promptly send a comprehensive itinerary to their email address. This detailed itinerary outlines the various destinations they will visit, the activities they will do and accommodations where they will stay, allowing them to gain a clear understanding of what to anticipate. Following this, it is imperative for the client to either confirm their acceptance of the proposed itinerary or provide suggestions for any modifications they desire.

The safari services agreed upon with the client throughout this process will be diligently provided, except in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as road closures, bad weather, or security concerns. In such cases, the itinerary may be changed or terminated.

2.2 Payment

Payments can be made by bank wire/transfer, debit or credit card as well as other direct card payments.

After clients accept a proposal, they receive an invoice with all details.

We require a 30% ( Non Refundable) deposit payment of the itinerary cost within 10 days of receiving the invoice and 100% upfront payment if the booking was made within 60 days prior to departure. We cannot guarantee a booking if a deposit or a full amount is delayed.

If clients book international airline tickets with us, we require 100% payment within a specified reservation deadline.

In both cases, full payment must be made no later than 60 days before the departure date, as some hotels and other service providers in Africa require full payment in advance to guarantee the reservation. Failure to make full payment by this deadline gives us the right to cancel the holiday and apply the applicable cancellation charges (refer to section 2.3.1).

The travel agreement will then be automatically dissolved and you will receive a notification prior. In such cases, we bear no liability and cancellation is without penalty to us. The lead booking name is responsible for full payment on behalf of the entire party, and all members agree to the stated conditions. The lead booking name is severally responsible for all duties resulting from the agreement.

Deadlines for last-minute trips
In trips taking place within 60 days of the booking, the full travel price must be paid within two days of the invoice being sent, regardless of the default 10 days deadline mentioned on the invoice document. If the traveler fails to pay on time, they will be in legal default and the contract may be terminated immediately by LOA.

2.3 CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS

Any cancellation of a reservation must be in writing, either by e-mail or fax, and shall only be effective upon its receipt and acknowledgment.

The following cancellation fees will be made for cancellations

2.3.1 Cancellation by the Client

• More than 45 days prior to trip commencement 30% of tour price.(Non Refundable).
• 44 to 29 days prior to trip commencement 70% of tour price.
• 30 days prior to trip commencement or no show 100% of the total tour price

2: 3.2 Cancellation by LOA

Although it rarely happens and we shall do our utmost to avoid doing so, we must reserve the right to cancel arrangements. If this should happen, other than due to your default in payment, we will offer the choice of an alternative arrangement (and paying or receiving a refund in respect of any price difference) or receiving a full refund of all monies paid. If we are forced to curtail a tour after departure due to circumstances amounting to force majeure, we regret we cannot make any refunds or pay any compensation or be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by you as a result.

We recommend you to take out a travel cancellation insurance, which would cover all cancellation costs, should you not be able to start your trip due to an unforeseeable event. The travel cancellation insurance of CAREMED is a good choice. You need to take it out a minimum of 30 days prior to the start of your travel.

2.3.3 No refunds are given for the following

Lost travel time or substitution of facilities Itineraries amended after departure Presence of circumstances beyond company’s control which requires alternative arrangements be made to ensure the safety or further participation and enjoyment of the track of your appearance for any accommodation, service, activity, or tour segment without prior notice .

3. MODIFICATIONS/AMENDMENTS

3.1 By the client

After your booking has been confirmed, should you wish to correct any errors, make any changes to your itinerary or your arrival date, or replace a traveler, we will make every effort to accommodate your requests based on the below conditions and availability.

Modifications allowed within 10 days of booking confirmation:

Errors in the reservation: Please carefully read your confirmation email, invoice, tickets and all other documentation we send you as soon as you receive them. If you identify any necessary modifications within 10 days (such as a misspelled name), please inform us promptly to avoid any charges. However, after the ten-day period, we are obliged to apply a modification fee of $125 ,-.

Modifying international flight tickets invariably incurs additional fees, regardless of the nature or timing of the changes.

• Modifications allowed 60+ days before departure:

Itinerary route, activities and accommodations: If your departure date is beyond 60 days and provided that 30% of the itinerary cost has already been paid, you can request to modify the activities, accommodations, and route of your itinerary. This will result in a cancellation of the initial booked service (according to section 2.3.1) and you will be required to pay for the new service and charged $150 ,- as administrative cost, per one-time request.

• Arrival date: You can modify your arrival date for a later date than the original one. The new arrival date has to be within the next 12 months. This will only be possible if communicated 60+ days before the original departure date and the change is one time only.

Also, 30% of the itinerary costs must have already been paid by the client. In case one or more services of the holiday won’t be available for the new dates, at the time of change, then the client has to pay for the service(s) that they wish to substitute with. In case all services are available on the new dates, then the initial payment will be used to cover the changed bookings.

Please note that some service providers may not have postponing policies, and a change of date is regarded as a cancellation of the previous booking, with charges passed on to the client. In both scenarios, you will be charged $200 ,– as administrative cost.

Note: If you booked your international flights through us, the new travel dates will be subject to availability and changing costs will be charged to you. We cannot make alterations to your confirmed itinerary, for any reason whatsoever, within 60 days of departure (60th day included) and any such request will be treated as cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to the cancellation charges set out in section 2.3.1.

Modifications allowed up to 30 days before departure: 

• Replacing a traveler: You may request that we replace a traveler with another person. This is subject to the following conditions;

The request is submitted no later than 7 calendar days before departure, by an email to us.

The other person complies with all the conditions to which the agreement is subject, by an affirmative email to us.

Please note that:
All extra costs associated with the replacement, for reasons such as; replacing a child with an adult that increases the total holiday costs, or costs from airlines for issuing new flight tickets, or accommodations, excursions replacement fees, will be passed on to the traveler.
In any case, you will be charged $250 – as administrative cost, per traveller replaced.

We cannot accept replacement of a traveler later than 7 days before departure. Such requests will be treated as cancellation of the original traveler and will be subject to the cancellation charges set out in section 2.3.1.

3.2 By LOA

While it’s unlikely that we’ll need to make any changes to your holiday, we do reserve the right to make changes at any time. Most changes are minor, and we will inform you in writing as early as possible. If a major change is required, such as a significant alteration to your flights, all accommodations or all activities, (and as long as it is not due to a force majeure or airline schedule changes), Lights on Africa Safaris  will make every reasonable effort to ensure the same quality and comparable experience of the itinerary. If substantial changes decrease the quality or value of the travel services, LOA will give you a reasonable time to either accept the change, choose another holiday, claim a price reduction or terminate the package tour agreement and receive a full refund. In any case, you are not entitled to additional compensation.

We cannot provide compensation and cannot accept liability beyond the options mentioned above if we are required to make a change or cancel due to unforeseen or unusual circumstances beyond our control, which we could not have prevented even with the utmost care. No compensation or options will be available if we cancel due to your failure to comply with our booking conditions if the change is minor. A minor change would not significantly impact your confirmed holiday based on the information provided during booking. Children aged 3 and under are not eligible for compensation.

Please note that we cannot be held liable for any damage, loss, expense, or other costs:
a) Arising from the information provided by you regarding your booking, which we could not have reasonably foreseen, and which you would suffer or incur in the event of a breach of our contract with you.
b) That does not result from any breach of contract or any other fault by ourselves or that of our employees or suppliers. Furthermore, we cannot accept liability for any amounts related to business losses.

4. INSURANCES

Travelers must carry adequate comprehensive travel and medical insurance for themselves, as well as any dependents/travelling companions, throughout their trip. This insurance should include: medical expenses and repatriation expenses. Optional insurances are: cancellation or curtailment of the safari, emergency evacuation expenses (flying doctors), damage/theft/loss of personal baggage, money and goods.

5. MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND DISABILITIES

If you or any member of your party have any medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday, please inform us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably judge that we are unable to adequately accommodate the traveler’s specific needs, we must reserve the right to decline the booking or, if full details are not provided at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of them.

6. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

6.1 Passports, visas, vaccination documents

It is upon the traveler to ensure that passports and visas are valid for the countries visited. It is also upon the traveler to check for required proof of vaccination documents required to enter the destination.

Please verify with Immigration Services, Embassy, the regulations regarding passports, visas, and vaccinations prior to your departure. Tanzania Specialist cannot be held liable for any impediment suffered by a traveler as a result of failure to possess proper and complete travel documents or costs involved with obtaining them.

6.2 Others

We send you all vouchers (where applicable), domestic e-tickets, between two weeks and three days before departure.

7. ACCESS

Access by air and sea, international or domestic, is subject to the terms and conditions of the carriers with whom you are traveling and to international conventions. LOA accepts no liability to offer compensation whatsoever for cancellations, strikes, timetable changes, diversions, technical issues unrelated to LOA, lost or mislaid luggage, rescheduling costs, missed accommodation, or delays which result from any operational decision of the carrier concerned, even when we did make the ticket booking. We will however make sure that the booked holiday can be executed in the best way possible.

Domestic carriage by air and sea is subject to schedule changes. In the event of any modifications, the traveler will be notified at the earliest opportunity, and all necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the itinerary remains unaffected.
The liability of LOA for damages you suffer is limited to three times the travel sum. LOA is not liable for failure to perform an obligation if it is attributable to you yourself, is a consequence of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances or is attributable to a third party not engaged by the organizer in the performance of the travel services.

Domestic air travel within Tanzania is conducted by local carriers duly licensed and regulated by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), which ensures adherence to the safety standards set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The inclusion of certain Tanzanian airlines on the European Union Air Safety List is attributable to broader regulatory oversight limitations at the governmental level and does not reflect any proven safety concerns or technical inadequacies of the individual airlines.

8. RISK

You acknowledge that participation in our travel products involves inherent risks associated with the wilderness, the environment, health, transport and personal safety, which you voluntarily assume. Standards of hygiene, accommodation, healthcare, public transport and road conditions could not be up to those of your home country or region. Such risks might involve, but not be limited to: wild animal encounters, wildfire, extreme weather conditions, rough terrains, endemic diseases (e.g. malaria), public transportation safety, theft, high-altitude sickness, physical injuries, and limited rescue or evacuation options.

Lights on Africa Safaris  will make reasonable efforts to provide you with guidance on weather conditions, safety considerations, physical challenges, health formalities, local customs, and applicable laws and regulations in the areas visited.

You agree to take all reasonable measures to ensure your personal safety during the trip, including proper use of safety equipment such as seatbelts, harnesses, or helmets, and adherence to posted warnings or instructions. Lights on Africa Safaris  shall not be held liable for any harm resulting from your failure to follow safety recommendations or instructions provided by LOA or its third-party suppliers.

9. FORCE MAJEURE

“Force Majeure “ means, in relation to the company, any circumstances beyond the control of the company (including and without limitation, acts of God, explosions, floods, tempests, fires, accidents, war or threat of war, sabotage, insurrection, civil disturbance or requisition, sickness, quarantine, government intervention, weather conditions or other outwards occurrences)

If the company is affected by force majeure it shall forthwith notify you of nature and extent thereof.
The company shall not be deemed to be in breach of these items and conditions or otherwise be liable to you, by reason of delay in performance, or by non-performance, of any of its obligations hereunder to the extent that any such delay or non-performance is due to any force majeure.
If the company is affected by force majeure it shall be entitled to, and may at its sole and absolute discretion, vary or cancel any reservations or cancel any reservation or arrangement in relation to the visits. Payment of any refund by the company to you as a result of the non-performance of any company shall use its reasonable endeavors to reimburse you where possible. However, the company shall be entitled to deduct from any refund recoverable to the reasonable actual and potential costs to the company of the force majeure.

10. PROBLEMS DURING YOUR TRIP

In case you encounter any issues during your holiday, please promptly notify the respective service provider (such as the camp/hotel manager or activity organizer), who will make every effort to address and resolve the matter. We also provide you with contact details of your Customer Satisfaction Agent at the destination for this purpose and assist you as much as possible, for example providing information about medical services, local authorities and consular assistance, if necessary, and providing practical assistance such as finding an alternative travel arrangement. If the problem cannot be resolved on-site, it is essential that you provide LOA with comprehensive written details within 28 days of your return to your home country. Failure to follow this procedure will result in us being unable to accept liability (if there would be any liability), as it would deprive us of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the issue.

11: WHEN TO BOOK YOUR SAFARIS:

It is better to book as far in advance as possible to ensure availability of rooms and other services at the time you wish to travel, especially during the peak seasons (June, July & August and Christmas time). This is especially important for those wishing to travel on private custom safaris and those adding extensions to the scheduled trips.

Clients/Agents booking within 60 Days of tour departure are required to pay the full amount immediately to secure the reservation.

All bank charges are to be settled by the client or agent respectively. This includes transaction fees charged by our bank.

The amount shown on the invoice is the amount that needs to reflect in our account and should bank charges have been deducted, we would have to invoice you subsequently.

12.LAND TRANSPORTATION: 

The Company may, at its discretion, use Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Min-buses or any other suitable transport subject to weather and other condition ( a request for a specific type of vehicle will be considered). The company reserves the right to employ the service of subcontractors. English driver guides are provided, French/German/Russian/Chinees  and Spanish driver guides are provided on request .

13.TERMS AND CONDITIONS

These are the terms and conditions governing the relationship between the company and you, to the total exclusion of any other terms and conditions. No alterations to the terms and conditions may be made by any of the company’s employees, authorized representatives, or agents, unless in writing by an authorized officer of the company. All decisions and matters subject to the company’s discretion shall be by an authorized officer of the company. The Company reserves the right to employ sub-contractors for all or part of the services.

14.BAGGAGE:
At any time, all baggage and personal effects are at the client’s responsibility and the Company does not accept any liability for any loss or damage of any personal effects, howsoever arising.

Clients are entitled to one bag of not more than 15 kg (backpack or soft bag – no hardtop suitcase) and a daypack. The Company reserves the right to refuse excess baggage. Please notice that on our trekking tours and on some “bush” flights other baggage regulations may apply.

15.WEBSITE PRICING

All prices published on lightsonafrica.com are per person, based on two persons (unless otherwise stated) and quoted in US dollars (US$). Cost of obtaining passports or visas, border taxes (if applicable), tips for guide, driver and hotel staff, insurances, additional excursions or personal expenses are not included in the itinerary cost. Discount rates for children or peak-rates during high/festive season are not included. All prices on the website should be used as a guideline only. Lights on Africa cannot be held responsible for any changes or pricing errors. We reserve the right to increase or decrease published prices at any time before your booking is made. You will be given the correct current price at the time of booking. The quotations are valid for 2 weeks.

16. SURCHARGES

Matters influencing a surcharge would include, but are not limited to, increases in transportation costs (e.g. fuel, scheduled airfares and any other airline surcharges, taxes or fees payable for services such as landing taxes, or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports or airports), increases in park fees, reserve fees or concession fees, or exchange rates which are relevant to the travel package. The price of your itinerary will be based on known costs at the date of issue of the itinerary. From the date of the conclusion of the package travel agreement up to 20 days before commencement of the travel package, LOA reserves the right to levy a surcharge where costs have changed since the date of issue of the itinerary. Should the surcharge exceed 10% of the total holiday price, you are entitled to cancel the holiday and receive a full refund of all monies paid. We reserve the right to make changes to and correct errors in advertised prices at any time before your holiday is confirmed. We will advise you of any errors of which we are aware and of the then applicable price at the time of booking.

Clients shall acknowledge that in some African countries, government-regulated fees and taxes—such as national park fees—may change suddenly and without prior notice. Lights on Africa Safaris reserves the right to pass on any such changes to clients.

Updated on 1^st January 2026