Overview

We describe the booking process, booking conditions, our standard walking and cycling rules and our privacy policy.

Booking steps

The booking steps

Step 1 – Submit a request to determine availability
Step 2 – We advise availability
Step 3 – Complete and submit our booking form
Step 4 – Make payment of deposit to us
Step 5 – We submit confirmation and invoice

Process and terms

Booking process

Step 1 -Availability request

Simply complete your details online in the Availability request form.

It is a “1 minute” form, designed for quick enquiry. The information that we require to establish availability of Hotels/guest houses have been provided for in drop down menus.

Step 2 – Confirmation of availability

As soon as we receive your request we will check availability and e-mail back to confirm. If acceptable in principle, a Booking Confirmation will be issued to advise full details and next steps to secure the booking. We will also provide a Booking Acceptance form and bank details.

Step 3 – Booking form

To make a booking, simply complete the Booking Acceptance form and email, fax to us:

info@trailsandtravel.co.za
Whatsapp: +27(0)82 888 1585
V&A Waterfront Postnet, Box no 001 Private Bag X9190, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa

Read BOOKING CONDITIONS below

Step 4 – Make payment of deposit/full payment to us

Once you have completed the Booking Acceptance form, please make payment of the deposit or the full payment (Refer to the 2nd page of the Booking form)
The deposit will be stipulated in the Booking Confirmation (At least 20% of the total holiday cost)
PAYMENTS ARE IN SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR)
We will hold your place for 7 days awaiting your deposit.

The balance must reach us at least 6 weeks before the start of the holiday, otherwise we cannot guarantee to hold your booking.
Where bookings are made less than 6 weeks before the start of the tour, the full amount is payable at the time of booking.
If you wish to alter your holiday arrangements after the booking has been confirmed, we will do our best to accommodate you, subject to availability, but an alteration fee of R300 per person will be charged.

Direct bank deposit

This is our preferred method of payment.

Please refer to our email in Step 2, for bank details. For international payments your bank will do the currency conversion and pay the South African Rand  equivalent amount into our ZAR account Please e-mail proof of payment  to: info@trailsandtravel.co.za,  or Whatsapp: +27 (0) 82 888 1585

Credit card payment

We accept payments by Visa, MasterCard, Amex or Diners Club. A transaction request with your booking details will be submitted directly to our bank. You will receive an email from our bank requesting you to complete the transaction by submitting your card details and confirming the payment. Your payment will be made via a bank portal. We do not handle your card details.
Your international payment will be converted to your own currency by your own bank.

Paypal

Our invoice will specify the Trails and Travel Paypal account details. We require USD payments and the $ amount payable will be advised on dates of payment of deposit and final payment. It will be based on the South African Rand/ Dollar exchange rate from time to time. 

Click on Paypal below to login and “Send payment” from your Paypal account.
 PayPal Acceptance Mark 

Step 5 – We submit confirmation and invoice

After receipt of your deposit, we will send you a confirmation invoice for the outstanding balance, which must reach us at least six weeks before the start of your holiday. A binding agreement will come into existence between us when we despatch this invoice. The date on which the final balance of your holiday is due will be shown on the confirmation invoice. The payment of the outstanding balance can be made on any of the methods described for the deposit/full payment in  Step 4.

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Booking conditions

1. Booking and Payment Terms and Conditions

Please complete the booking form and return it to us with the required deposit payment. On receipt of your deposit, we will send you a final confirmation of your booking and an invoice for the balance, which must reach us at least six weeks before the start of your holiday. A binding agreement will come into existence between us when we despatch this invoice. The date on which the final balance of your holiday is due is shown on the confirmation invoice. No further reminder is sent. If the balance is not paid in time we reserve the right to cancel your booking, retain your deposit and apply cancellation charges as set out below. If you book a holiday within six weeks of departure full payment is required at the time of booking. Payments may be made by electronic bank transfer or credit card to Trails and Travel CC- Bank details will be provided on receipt of your booking request.

After full and final payment for your holiday has been received and generally about two weeks before the start of your holiday, you will be sent the information relevant to your holiday by email, to include accommodation details and other information relevant to the holiday in question. Route instructions and maps may be sent either in advance or will be awaiting you at your first accommodation.  If you require route instructions and maps (if available) in advance, an additional fee will be charged.  Overseas guests should allow at least 14 days for delivery.  Please advise us at the time of booking, that you plan to depart 7 or more days before the date of the holiday is due to start.

2. Groups:

When making a group booking, the booking form must be signed by the person first named on the booking form (the party leader), accepting on behalf of all your party these booking conditions. The confirmation invoice and tour pack for the group will be sent to the group leader.  Any questions concerning the holiday from members of the group should be sent to us by the party leader only.

3. If you change your booking:

If you need to change your booking for any reason up to 6 weeks before departure you have three options:

(a) Move to an alternative trip
(b) Postpone to a later date
(c) Cancel and incur cancellation cost of 20%

We will charge an administrative fee of R500 per person for each change or postponement, plus any increase in the cost of the trip. If your new trip is cheaper, we will refund the difference. For any changes within 6 weeks of departure the cancellation charges in par 4 below will apply.

Requests for changes are to be made in writing and signed by the party leader, referred to in par 2 above,with proof of payment of the administrative charge into our bank account.

4. If you cancel your booking:

Should you or any member of your tour booking party be forced to cancel the booking, without substitution, you must do so in writing and this letter must be signed by the person who signed the booking form. The cancellation will take effect from the date that such written notice is received in this office. Cancellation charges will be forfeited, whilst any other payment towards the cost of the holiday will be refunded. The following cancellation charges will be due:

Days notice of cancellation

Cancellation charges as % of total invoice

up to 42 days20%
41 – 28 days30%
27 – 15 days50%
14 days or less100%

No refund can be given for a cancellation 14 days or less days before the start of a holiday or whilst the holiday is in progress. In addition to the above charges, it may be necessary to add single room supplements to other members of a party where member(s) of that party cancel. These cancellation fees are implemented in all cases, so we recommend that you are fully covered by a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

5. Website/Brochure information:

The information given in this website/brochure has been carefully checked and we believe that it is correct at the time of publication. We reserve the right to make changes and where they occur, they will be advised to you before the booking contract is concluded. If there are any changes to the published prices, these will be confirmed at the time of booking.

6. Changes or cancellation by us:

Although exceptional,it may occur that we have to make changes to a holiday after a booking has been confirmed ,or cancel confirmed bookings. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations we must reserve the right to do so. If we have to cancel your holiday or make a significant change before departure (such as a change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard for the whole or a major part of the time you are away, a change of accommodation area for the whole or a major part of the time you are away or a change to the date of departure we will tell you as soon as possible and you will have the choice of:
(a) accepting the changed arrangements, or
(b) taking an alternative holiday (and where this is of a lower price we will refund the difference, but where the price is higher we may ask you to pay the difference) or
(c) cancelling or accepting the cancellation and receiving a full refund of all monies paid.
Please note that the above options are not available where any change is a minor one (i.e. any change not included above). Compensation will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above mentioned choices can be accepted where we have to cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control or force majeure. We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred by you as a result of any change or cancellation. No compensation will be payable if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel, such as paying on time.

7. Force majeure:

We regret we cannot accept any liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of force majeure. Force majeure means any event which we, or the supplier of the service(s) in question, could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events include war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, fire, natural or nuclear disasters, adverse weather conditions and all similar events outside our control. A pandemic such as Covid 19 qualifies as a natural disaster.

8. Our Responsibilities

We shall arrange, execute and prepare your holiday with reasonable skill and care but we shall not be held liable for claims arising from the acts and/or omissions of any party other than ourselves, our employees or servants acting within the course and scope of their employment or mandates.  No warranties or representations other than those contained in our contract and/or reservation documentations or in our website or brochures will give rise to any claims against us unless undertaken by us in writing and under our signature.

The maximum amount payable in respect of claims for:

(a)Loss of luggage or personal possessions will be R600-00 (Six Hundred Rand) per party member proving a right to compensation;

(b)Other claims, excluding death or personal injury, a sum equal to twice the price payable to us in respect of the holiday provided (excluding insurance and/or amendment charges).  The actual compensation will be determined proportionately and taking into account the enjoyment that the person concerned had, despite the circumstances, still attracted;

(c)Arising from or based on hotel accommodation, the maximum amount that the hotel keeper concerned would, if liable, have to pay under the international convention or regulation which applies to the hotel accommodation concerned less any amount that you may have received or are entitled to claim from the hotelier for the damage or loss concerned.

We shall not be obliged to consider any claims and shall not be liable unless it is made in writing, by way of an oath or solemn statement setting out all the facts that allegedly had given rise to the claim, as soon as may be reasonably possible after the aggrieved party had become aware thereof.   The intention is that it shall at any rate not be later than 14 days thereafter.  Simultaneously, or as soon as may be reasonably possible thereafter, he shall also provide us with sufficient and reasonable proof of the quantum of his claim whereupon we shall consider it and respond within a reasonable time.

In order to assist us to recover any damages insured under our insurance policies you will provide us and/or our insurers with all reasonable cooperation that we/they may require, and in the event of our or our insurer’s undertaking to compensate you, also with such cessions of any claims that you may have against third parties with regard to the damages for which you will so be compensated.

Our liabilities will be limited to loss or damages that, at the time of your booking and on the information supplied by you, could reasonably have been foreseen and that are directly or closely linked to the cause from which it arises and will not include remote or consequential damages, e.g. for medical expenses arising from personal injury but not for loss of business income due to incapacity resulting from such personal injury.

9. Your responsibilities:

In the interests of safety you are responsible to follow the advice in the guidebook or route notes provided, as well as that provided by anybody on our behalf, heed any warning or advisory notices encountered on your holiday, follow the Country Code and act sensibly and prudently at all times. Please refer to the General Rules and Conditions below.

10. Complaints and problems:

In the unlikely event that you may have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your holiday , you should contact our local representative immediately, who will do his best to resolve the problem as soon as reasonably possible.

11. Jurisdiction:

Any action taken with regard to a dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us, relating to the holiday, must be dealt with by the Somerset West Magistrates Court in South Africa or, should the amount involved exceed the court’s jurisdiction,the Western Cape High Court of South Africa, if the plaintiff in the matter so prefers.

12. Insurance:

We strongly recommend that you protect yourself, your equipment and luggage with a suitable holiday insurance policy. This insurance should also be arranged to cover non-refundable expenses should you have to cancel your trip due to unexpected personal circumstances such as illnesses including Covid 19.

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Data protection and privacy

In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements, we need to use the information you provide (such as name, address, any special needs). We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements (e.g., hotels). The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law. We may collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns only. For the same reason, we may obtain information about your general internet usage by using a cookie file which is stored on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. They help us to improve our site and to deliver a better and more personalised service. They enable us:

To store information about your preferences, and so allow us to customise our site according to your individual interests.
To speed up your searches.
To recognise you when you return to our site.
To estimate our audience size and usage pattern.
You may refuse to accept cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of cookies. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system may issue cookies when you log on to our site.

Unless otherwise required by law, we shall only pass any information that is strictly relevant to your holiday to the suppliers concerned with your holiday. This applies to any sensitive information you may give us (dietary needs, disabilities etc.). We may pass personal data to third party organisations that provide us with IT or administrative services to us. We may use third parties to support us in providing our services and to help provide, run and manage our IT systems and website. For example, providers of information technology, cloud-based software as service providers, identity management, website hosting and management, data analysis, data back-up, security and storage services. The servers powering and facilitating that cloud infrastructure are located in secure data centres around the world, and personal data may be stored in any one of them. In making a booking, you consent to this information being passed to the relevant persons.

Trails and Travel CC will never sell personal information. Our employees and associated companies are obliged by us to respect confidentiality. We will not use your information, or information provided by you concerning others in your party, for any purpose other than carrying out your booking and to manage our business or, unless you disagree, to inform you of other offers in the future.

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General walking/cycling rules and conditions

Hiking rules-Walking holidays in South AfricaThe following rules and conditions apply to visitors while hiking/cycling a Trails and Travel CC route:
1. Visitors, acknowledging their awareness of the inherent dangers involved in trail hiking and cycling, including, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions, fire, rock falling etc, accept all risks in respect thereof.  Neither Trails and Travel CC nor the owners of the land over which the trail runs, nor any of their respective employees or people representing them in any respect, will be held liable to compensate or indemnify visitors or any other persons, whether natural or legal, in respect of damages, loss or injury to the property or persons of the visitors or any other persons resulting, directly or indirectly, from the usage of the trail by the visitors.
2. Notice boards and symbol signs along a Trails and Travel CC route must be obeyed.
3. No person may interfere with any management or activities or with structures, installations or equipment on the property of a Trails and Travel CC route.
4. No litter, refuse or containers shall be discarded on the property of a Trails and Travel CC route and each visitor will carry a garbage bag and dispose of its contents at the next overnight point.
5. No wildlife, plants, trees or vegetation of any kind, rocks or other material on a Trails and Travel CC  route may be removed, damaged or disturbed in any manner, the intention being to protect the trail as much as possible in its natural form for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
6. No smoking, making of fires or the carrying of equipment that may cause fires will be allowed on the trail.
7. Visitors may not bring pets or other animals on the trail.
8. Visitors will be personally liable to compensate, indemnify and hold harmless Trails and Travel CC and the land owners over whose property a Trails and Travel CC route runs for damages and losses suffered by themselves and/or damages and losses suffered by any other persons, whether legal or natural, that may arise, whether directly or indirectly, from their deliberate or negligent acts or failures in their usage of the trail.
Your booking is accepted on the basis of the above conditions.

How to book, first step :

  1. Submit the Availability request, or
  2. Contact us, or
  3. email: info@trailsandtravel.co.za, or
  4. Tel.:  +27 (0) 21 852 5937, or
  5. Whatsapp: +27 (0) 82 888 1585 

Go to a walking tour

Go to a cycling tour

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To ask a question:
Contact us, or
email info@trailsandtravel.co.za

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