YOUR SAFARI

HOW TO BOOK

At Ultimate Africa our team of safari consultants handles it all – accommodations, activities, air tickets and trip insurance.

1. Call or email today for your free personal safari consultation We’ll discuss your ideas and offer suggestions as to what might work best for you. We often hear “I have learned more in 5 minutes on phone with you than I did doing weeks of research on the internet.”
2. Get your itinerary We will check availability and flights and once everything meets your approval we will prepare a personalized itinerary for your reference
3. Pay your trip deposit To confirm a trip we require a 30% of the land cost non-refundable deposit per person. You may pay by MasterCard, Visa or American Express with no extra fees. Pay your land costs by bank transfer or check and save 2.5%. Your trip deposit / payment should be accompanied by completed reservation forms which we will email to you along with your full itinerary. Upon confirmation we will send you a pre-departure package including your confirmation letter, invoice, itinerary, and a wealth of travel information including details on tipping, weather, what to pack and much more!
4. Send in your final payment Your final payment is due either 120 days (East Africa) or 90 days (Southern Africa) prior to departure. If a reservation is made within 120 days (East Africa) / 90 days (Southern Africa) of the trip departure your full payment is due at the time of booking. Air tickets typically need to be paid within 24 hours of making the air ticket reservation.
5. Cancellation / Refunds All cancellations must be made in writing, signed by the client. Trips are subject to the following, per person, cancellation charges based on the number of days before trip departure that we receive your written cancellation request:
   East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar)
   More than 100 days prior to travel: Loss of deposit
   Between 100 – 60 days prior to travel: 50% of trip cost
   Fewer than 60 days: No refund of trip cost
   Southern Africa (Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
   More than 90 days: Loss of deposit
   Between 90 and 60 days: 50% of trip cost
   Fewer than 60 days: No refund of trip cost
   Covid Postponements: Please note that postponing your travel arrangements due to Covid does not reset the cancellation penalty timeline. 
   
   All refunds will be processed within 14 days of receipt of your letter of cancellation, and are calculated as of the day we receive your written verification. Any credit card refund, regardless of reason, will be subject to a 3% administrative fee. There is no refund for any unused portions of a trip once the trip has commenced. Personal trip expenses (e.g. non refundable air tickets and visas for example) are not refundable but are typically covered by travel insurance. Gorilla permits are non-refundable. Some African tour companies, lodges, camps, and hotels have deposit / payment / cancellation schedules that differ from ours. Should they differ you will be advised at time of booking. Airfares are subject to change over time (once purchased fares rarely change)
6. Travel Insurance All clients are required to purchase comprehensive travel insurance, at the time of confirmation, to ensure coverage of all trip costs before, and for the duration, of your trip. There are a good variety of policies at various price points. 

Complete terms and conditions may be viewed on our reservation forms.