Terms & Conditions

These terms apply to every journey booked with Culture Dreamer Safari & Tours (“Culture Dreamer”, “we”, “us”), a tour operator based in Sakina, Arusha, Tanzania. Please read them carefully. By paying a deposit you confirm that you, and everyone travelling with you, accept these terms. If your written quote or booking confirmation says something different from these terms, the quote or confirmation applies.

1. Enquiries and quotes

Planning your journey with us is free and places you under no obligation. Quotes are tailor-made, shown in US dollars and valid for 14 days unless they say otherwise. Lodges, camps and flights are not held until we receive your deposit, and availability can change quickly in busy seasons.

2. Booking and deposit

Your booking is confirmed when we receive your deposit and send you a written booking confirmation. Unless your quote says otherwise:

• a deposit of 30% of the total price is due to confirm your booking;
• the balance is due 60 days before your arrival;
• bookings made less than 60 days before arrival must be paid in full.

Some lodges, camps and airlines ask for larger or earlier payments, particularly over Christmas, New Year and the migration river-crossing season. Where this applies, your quote will show it clearly.

If the balance is not paid on time, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you and apply the cancellation charges below.

3. Prices

Our prices include what is listed as included in your quote and itinerary. Park entry, conservation and concession fees are set by Tanzania National Parks, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, the Zanzibar authorities and Kenyan park and conservancy authorities. If a government authority introduces or increases a fee or tax after you book, we may need to pass that change on. We will show you the change in writing and will not add any profit to it.

Prices do not include international flights, visas, travel insurance, tips, drinks not listed as included, personal expenses, or optional activities unless your quote says so.

4. Payments

We accept payment by bank transfer and by other methods shown on your invoice. Bank and card charges are your responsibility unless agreed otherwise. Never send full card details by email or WhatsApp; we will tell you how to pay securely.

5. Changes by you

We will always try to help if you want to change your journey after booking. Changes depend on availability and may involve extra costs charged by lodges, camps or airlines, plus any difference in price. Changing your travel dates, or replacing a traveller, may be treated as a cancellation by some suppliers, and their charges will apply. Name changes on flights are often not possible.

6. Cancellation by you

Cancellations must be sent to us in writing by the lead traveller. Unless your quote or booking confirmation says otherwise, the following charges apply, calculated as a percentage of the total price of the journey:

• 60 days or more before arrival: loss of the deposit;
• 59 to 30 days before arrival: 50%;
• 29 to 15 days before arrival: 75%;
• 14 days or less before arrival, or failure to arrive: 100%.

Some suppliers, including certain lodges, camps and airlines, have stricter cancellation terms. Where they do, those terms apply to that part of your journey and will be shown in your quote. No refunds can be given for any part of a journey that you do not use once it has started. We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.

7. Changes and cancellation by us

Journeys sometimes need to change. If we have to make a significant change before you travel, such as a change of lodge to one of a lower standard or a change of travel dates, we will tell you as soon as possible and offer you a choice of accepting the change, choosing a comparable alternative, or cancelling and receiving a full refund of the money you have paid us.

We will never cancel your journey without good reason. If we cannot run it because of events outside our control, such as natural disasters, epidemics, war, civil unrest, government action, severe weather, park or road closures, or the failure of a supplier, we will refund the money we can recover from our suppliers, less any costs already incurred, or move your journey to new dates. We are not responsible for costs that are not part of our booking, such as international flights or visas.

On safari, your guide may need to change the route, timing or order of activities because of weather, road conditions, animal movements, park rules or your safety. These changes are part of travelling in the wild and do not entitle you to a refund.

8. Travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of booking. It must cover medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation, and we strongly recommend that it also covers cancellation, curtailment, and loss of baggage and personal belongings. We recommend that your cover includes evacuation by air, for example with AMREF Flying Doctors. Please send us your policy details before you travel.

9. Passports, visas and health

You are responsible for having a valid passport (valid for at least six months after your journey ends, with blank pages), the correct visas, and any vaccination certificates required for Tanzania, Kenya and Zanzibar, including a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from or through a country with yellow fever risk. Entry rules can change, so please check them before you travel. We are happy to point you in the right direction, but the final responsibility is yours.

Please speak to a doctor or travel clinic about malaria prevention and other health precautions well before you travel, and tell us about any medical conditions, mobility needs, allergies or dietary requirements when you book so that we can make suitable arrangements.

10. Your responsibilities on the journey

Travelling with us means visiting wild places and people’s homes. We ask every guest to:

• follow the instructions of your guide, camp staff and park rangers at all times, especially around wildlife;
• respect the communities you visit, their customs, privacy and right to say no to photographs;
• respect park rules, including staying in the vehicle unless your guide says it is safe, and never feeding animals;
• behave in a way that does not put yourself, other travellers or local people at risk.

We may end the journey of anyone whose behaviour puts others at risk or causes serious offence, without a refund.

11. Wildlife and adventure activities

Safaris and activities such as walking safaris, balloon flights, boat trips, snorkelling and hiking carry some risk. Wild animals are unpredictable, roads can be rough, and medical facilities can be far away. Our guides are experienced and safety comes first, but by booking you accept these natural risks. Some activities have age, health or fitness requirements set by the operator.

12. Our responsibility to you

We plan every journey with care and choose suppliers we trust. We accept responsibility for the services we provide ourselves, such as our own guiding and vehicles. Many parts of your journey, including lodges, camps, airlines and some activities, are provided by independent suppliers under their own terms, and we act as your booking agent for them. We will always help you if something goes wrong, but we are not responsible for loss, injury, damage or delay caused by the actions of independent suppliers, by you, or by events outside our control.

Where we are responsible, our liability is limited to the price you paid us for the journey, except where the law does not allow this limit, for example in cases of death or personal injury caused by our negligence.

13. Photographs and stories

We sometimes photograph journeys and may ask whether we can share photos of you on our website or social media. We will only share photos in which you can be identified if you agree. You can also send us your own photos and stories, and we will credit you if we use them.

14. Complaints

If something is not right during your journey, please tell your guide or call our Arusha office straight away, so that we can put it right while you are still travelling. If you are still unhappy, write to us within 30 days of your return at info@culturedreamersafaris.com, and we will reply within 14 days.

15. Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania. Any dispute will be handled by the courts of Tanzania, sitting in Arusha, unless the law of the country where you live gives you the right to bring a claim there.

16. Contact us

Culture Dreamer Safari & Tours
Sakina, Arusha, Tanzania
Email: info@culturedreamersafaris.com
Phone and WhatsApp: +255 758 762 344