Terms & Conditions

As explicitly indicated in your personalised itinerary, packages generally include:

• Accommodations based on twin-bedded rooms, double-bedded rooms, or premium tents where specified.
• Meals as indicated in each itinerary, alongside domestic bottled water provided during group meals.
• Arrival and departure airport transfers and all other specified land transportation.
• For Mountain Treks (e.g., Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru, Mount Kazbek, Everest Base Camp): Services of professional, licensed English-speaking guides, professional mountain cooks, and an adequate number of porters to carry luggage, equipment, food, and supply water.
• For Safaris: Services of a professional English-speaking driver-guide and a skilled camp cook (for mobile camping safaris).
• All applicable entrance fees to National Parks, game reserves, conservation areas, and museums, as well as specified government taxes and transit fees.

Unless explicitly listed as included in the final itinerary invoice, the following items are excluded from the package price:

• Costs of passports or visas.
• Excess baggage charges.
• Comprehensive travel insurance.
• International and domestic airfares (unless stated).
• Airport departure taxes.
• Additional sightseeing, game drives, or meals not specified in the schedule.
• Personal expenses such as alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, laundry, communication charges, and voluntary gratuities (tips) to guides, cooks, and porters.

To secure a booking, a deposit of 30% of the total tour price per person is required at the time of reservation. The remaining balance is strictly due ninety (90) days prior to your scheduled departure date.

Payment methods are made via international bank wire transfer. Last-minute reservations (made within 90 days of departure) will be accommodated where possible, subject to availability, and require immediate full payment upon confirmation.

Prior to tour departure, all cancellation requests must be submitted to Malaika Travel in writing via email. The date on which the written notice is received by our booking office will determine the applicable cancellation fees.

Payment methods are made via international bank wire transfer. Last-minute reservations (made within 90 days of departure) will be accommodated where possible, subject to availability, and require immediate full payment upon confirmation.

• 91 days or more before departure: An administrative fee of £100 per person plus any actual non-refundable deposits and commitments already paid to third-party suppliers will be retained from your deposit. Any remaining balance of your deposit will be refunded.
• 90 to 61 days before departure: 50% of the total package price, or the total of all actual non-recoverable supplier costs incurred (whichever is higher), is non-refundable.
• 60 to 46 days before departure: 65% of the total package price, or actual non-recoverable supplier costs (whichever is higher), is non-refundable.
• 45 days or less before departure: 100% of the total package price is non-refundable.

No refunds will be issued for any missed tour services, unused accommodations, or if a guest voluntarily or involuntarily cancels a tour already in progress, except under verified extenuating circumstances presented to the company in writing within 45 days of tour termination.

Malaika Travel strictly requires all participants to purchase comprehensive Trip Cancellation, Interruption, and Medical Insurance at the time of booking. For clients participating in mountaineering or trekking expeditions, this policy must explicitly cover high-altitude trekking up to the required elevation, specialised mountain search and rescue, and urgent helicopter medical evacuation.

The individual completing the booking form and submitting payment warrants that they possess the legal authority to enter into a contract on behalf of all persons included in the reservation. The submission of a deposit or any partial payment constitutes full, conscious consent by all guests covered by that booking to all provisions contained within these Terms and Conditions.

Malaika Travel operates expeditions in regions where operational environments can change rapidly. We reserve the right to modify or alter itineraries, flight paths, and surface transportation routes if necessitated by weather conditions, volcanic/seismic activity, airline schedule shifts, infrastructure safety issues, or unexpected security developments.

Accommodations are subject to change due to unexpected overbookings or events beyond our control. In such instances, Malaika Travel pledges to make every reasonable effort to secure alternative accommodation of an equivalent or superior standard.

All quoted tour costs are current at the time of publication. Malaika Travel reserves the right to adjust the tour price to reflect direct increases in national park entry fees, concession fees, government taxes, statutory VAT increases, internal airfares, or fuel surcharges imposed by third-party providers. No price increases will be applied within twenty (20) days of the scheduled departure. If any necessary price adjustment exceeds eight percent (8%) of the original total package price, the client holds the right to cancel the booking within 7 days of notification and receive a full refund of all monies paid, excluding non-recoverable commitments already made.

If a client is prevented from traveling due to serious illness, injury, or severe personal circumstances, they have the right to transfer their booking to another suitable individual, provided the Company is notified in writing at least fourteen (14) days prior to departure. The original client and the replacement guest shall be jointly and severally liable for paying any remaining balances and any explicit administrative, ticketing, or operational costs resulting from the transfer.

Please note: Certain non-transferable services, such as internal flights (e.g., domestic flights to/from Lukla or regional air transfers) or non-transferable trekking permits, cannot simply be renamed under airline/authority regulations. In such cases, the client or replacement guest will be responsible for covering the full cost of purchasing new tickets or permits, subject to availability.

Malaika Travel acts as an organizer and contracts with an independent network of hotels, lodges, transport providers, local guides, and aviation entities. While we assume full statutory responsibility under UK Package Travel Regulations for the proper performance of contracted holiday services, Malaika Travel shall not be held liable for death, injury, delay, loss, or property damage resulting directly from circumstances amounting to Force Majeure.

Force Majeure includes, but is not limited to: acts of God, extreme weather phenomena, wildlife encounters, outbreaks of infectious diseases or pandemics, civil unrest, strikes, acts of war, terrorist activity, food poisoning at independent establishments, or mechanical failures of aircraft/vehicles.

Malaika Travel retains the right to subcontract any portion of its land logistics, guiding services, mountain support, or transport arrangements to qualified, licensed, and vetted third-party service providers within the host destination.

Baggage and personal belongings remain at the owner’s risk throughout the duration of the trip. Luggage weight restrictions on internal flights or mountain portage rules apply (typically specified in your pre-departure package in soft duffel bags).

By participating in an expedition operated by Malaika Travel, guests acknowledge that photography and video recordings may be taken by guides, staff, or fellow participants. The guest agrees that Malaika Travel may utilise such media containing their likeness for marketing and promotional materials unless the guest explicitly opts out in writing prior to departure.

These Terms and Conditions, and any contract or dispute arising out of or in connection with them, shall be governed by, and construed exclusively in accordance with, the laws of England and Wales. Both parties irrevocably agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising under this agreement.