TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The following terms and conditions form the basis of your contract with Choke Hights. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations.

1. Booking

Subject to availability, our tours can be booked by telephone or online. You will be required to pay a 30% deposit or the full amount if booking with eight weeks. A binding contract between us and you willcome into existence when we have received payment of the deposit or the full cost of your trip (where applicable) and we issue you with a booking confirmation. On receipt of your deposit we will send you a confirmation/invoice. It is important that you check the details on the invoice when you receive it. If any details are incorrect or incomplete, please contact us immediately as it may not be possible to make changes later. We regret that we cannot accept liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracy (for which we are responsible) in any document within 10 days of our sending it out. We will do our best to rectify any mistakes notified to us outside this time limitbut you must meet any additional costs involved in doing so. The balance of the cost of your arrangements is due by the date notified to you on your booking confirmation.

• Change to your Booking

It may not be possible to make changes within 28 days of your scheduled departure. If you want to change any part of your holiday arrangements after the invoice has been issued, we will do our best to make the change but it may not be possible. Any request for changes must be made by the person who made the original booking. We may ask you to put these in writing. If it is possible to make the change, it will be subject to an administration charge of $40per person, and payment of any further costs incurred as a result of the change i.e. re-ticketing costs of scheduled transport, costs associated with changed group numbers. If it is not possible for us to make the changes for whatever reason, you have the choice of proceeding with the trip as originally booked, or of cancelling and paying cancellation charges in accordance with the scale shown below. If any change can be made, you must check whether it will invalidate your insurance cover, in which case it may be necessary to take out alternative, additional or new cover depending on the circumstances.

• Tour Balance

The balance of the cost of your trip must be paid to us at least 56 days before you travel. If this is not done then we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and make cancellation charges. If you ask us not to cancel, promising to make payment but failing to do so, you must pay the cancellation charges depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled. Your failure to pay the balance in these circumstances could result in cancellation charges up to 100% of the final invoice. If you book 56 days or less before departure, then the full amount must be paid when you book.

• Cancellation

Should you need to cancel your booking, or any part of it, once it has been confirmed, you must notify us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received in writing by us at our offices. The charges which we will impose are set out below and their level will depend on when we receive your written notification of cancellation. Any amendment fees, airport taxes or higher-level deposit paid cannot be refunded and are payable in full. Since we incur costs in cancelling arrangements, we will have to pay the cancellation charges as follows.

Period before departure within which notification of cancellation is received by us:	Cancellation charge per person
More than 61 days	Deposit only*
60 – 42 days	50%*
41-33	60%*
32 – 15	90%*
14 days or less	100%*

*For flight inclusive bookings, you must in addition pay the charges levied by the airline concerned. As most airlines do not permit name changes after tickets have been issued for any reason, theses charges are likely to be the full cost of the flight.

Occasionally we have to make changes to and correct errors on the website and other details both before and after bookings have been confirmed, and cancel confirmed bookings which we must reserve the right to do.Unforeseen circumstances (natural disaster, security problem, temporary restrictions by local authorities, etc) may necessitate changes and we accept no liability due to such alterations of routes or substitution of properties. Where properties are substituted, they will be substituted for equal.

We would strongly recommend that you take out appropriate travel insurance which provides cover against loss of deposit or cancellation fees.

• Force Majeure

We may have to make changes to your tour in the event of force majeure and if we have to cancel or change your tour in any way because of this, we will not be liable to pay compensation to you. Force majeure is for example, circumstances where performance and/or prompt performance is prevented by war, threat of war, riot, civil disturbance, natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods, chemical or biological disaster, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, fire or adverse weather conditions, outbreak of serious disease, closure of airport. Industrial dispute is defined as a dispute between a person other than ourselves supplying services comprised in a package holiday and (a) his employee and/or (b) any other person whose services affect the performance of the package holiday which we cannot reasonably be expected to overcome by substituting comparable alternative arrangements. Very rarely we may be obliged by force majeure to change or terminate your holiday after departure but before the scheduled end of your trip. This is extremely unlikely but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain refunds from our suppliers), pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result.

• Reduced Mobility/ Medical Conditions / Disabilities / Special Requests

If you have a disability or any issue with mobility you should be aware that some of our tours involve significant distances, embarkations and disembarkations, visits to places that lack lifts or ramps, and areas of rough terrain. Some or parts of our tours may be unsuitable for those with disabilities or walking difficulties. In making your booking you confirm that you and all of your party are fit to take the tour and that you have declared any disability or special need which is likely to affect the progress of the tour or the delivery to other travellers.

We are not a specialist disabled tour operator but we will do our utmost to cater for any special requirements you have. If you wish to make a special request you must advise us in writing at the time of booking e.g. dietary requirements, wheelchair assistance or special facilities for certain medical conditions. room location. We cannot guarantee that requests will be met unless their quest has been specifically confirmed.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are aware of all recommended and required vaccinations and health precautions in good time before departure, and to have any member of your party who may have doubts about their fitness consult with their own doctor.

• Passport, visa and health requirements

We can give you general information about passport, visa and health requirements for the tour you book. However, it is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all the necessary travel and health documents before departure. Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months from the date you intend to enter Ethiopia.A Tourist Visa (valid for up to three months) can be issued on arrival atAddis Ababa Bole International Airport or you can apply for an e-Visa online prior to your arrival. For full details visit https://www.evisa.gov.et

• Behaviour

We expect all clients to have consideration for others and to behave appropriately. If, in the reasonable opinion of our tour manager, agent or other employee or of any other person in authority, you behave in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, distress, upset or significant annoyance to anyone (for example, other clients or our employees, agents or suppliers) or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice where appropriate, to terminate the tour of the person(s) concerned. We will have the same right to terminate your tour if you are subject to arrest, or are prevented from travelling at the reasonable discretion of an airline or other transport or cruise provider, or if you are evicted from a hotel at the reasonable discretion of the hotel management or have your use of any other services terminated at the reasonable discretion of another supplier. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s), including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination. If we incur any expense as a result of your behaviour, you will be obliged to reimburse us for that expense.

• Insurance

It is a condition of booking that you have adequate insurance for your holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs, ensuring it covers all the activities you plan to undertake and protects you against cancellation, medical / repatriation expenses and personal liability claims. If you wish to arrange additional activities while you are away, please check your cover before doing so. Choke Hights cannot be held responsible if you purchase an inadequate insurance policy. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

1. Our Liability
2. We will accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an “organiser”, as set out below and as such, we are responsible for the proper provision of all travel services included in your package, as set out in your confirmation invoice. Subject to these Booking Conditions, if we or our suppliers negligently perform or arrange those services and we don’t remedy or resolve your complaint within a reasonable period of time, and this has affected the enjoyment of your holiday you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction or compensation or both. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in this package. The level of any such price reduction or compensation will be calculated taking into consideration all relevant factors such as but not limited to: following the complaints procedure as described in these Booking Conditions and the extent to which ours or our employees’ or suppliers’ negligence affected the overall enjoyment of your tour. Please note that it is your responsibility to show that we or our supplier(s) have been negligent if you wish to make a claim against us.
3. We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (including loss of possessions or enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any nature whatsoever which results from any of the following: (1) the act(s) and / or omission(s) of the person(s) affected; or (2) the act(s) and / or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or (3) Force Majeure as defined in clause 5.
4. We cannot accept responsibility for any services that do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities that your hotel, cruise provider or any other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised on our website as forming part of your holiday and we have not agreed to arrange them as part of our contract, and any excursion / activities you purchase while away.
5. For all claims concerning or arising out of  loss of, delay and / or damage to any luggage or personal possessions (including money) for which we are liable, the maximum amount we will have to pay you is an amount equivalent to the excess on your insurance policy which applies to this type of loss per person in total because you are required to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind, unless a different limitation applies to your claim For all other claims, if we are found liable to you on any basis, the maximum amount we will have to pay you is up to three times the total price of your holiday unless a lower limitation applies to your claim.
6. It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to us and our supplier(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in these conditions. Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it (and their parent or guardian if under 18 years) must also assign to us or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require.
7. We cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description (1) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not reasonably have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you or (2) which did not result from any breach of contract or other fault by ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our suppliers. Additionally, we cannot accept liability for any expenses or losses that relate to or arise from any business (including without limitation, self-employed loss of earnings), or any indirect or consequential loss of any kind.
8. Where it is impossible for you to return to your departure point as per the agreed return date of your package, due to “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances”, we shall provide you with any necessary accommodation (where possible, of a comparable standard) for a period not exceeding 3 nights per person. Please note that the 3-night cap does not apply to persons with reduced mobility, pregnant women or unaccompanied minors, nor to persons needing specific medical assistance, provided we have been notified of these particular needs at least 48 hours before the start of your holiday. For the purposes of this clause, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” mean warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely back to your departure point.

1. Feedback and Complaints

Your feedback is really important to us. At the end of your holiday you should receive a Choke Hights Tour & Travel questionnaire to complete, as we would like to know what you enjoyed about your tour and what could be improved.

If you have a complaint about any of the tour arrangements booked with or through Choke Hights, you must notify the Choke Hights representative straight away to give them the opportunity totake all reasonable steps to help you. It is only if you do this that Choke Hights has the opportunity to put matters right on the spot. Failure to follow the procedure set out in this clause may affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint, and will affect your rights under this contract.

If a problem remains unresolved during the holiday the lead passenger should complain in writing to Choke Hights Travel and Tour within 28 days of the completion of the holiday. We will reply to you within 28 days of receipt of your letter.