Please read these terms carefully before you submit your application booking form to us. These terms tell you who we are, details about the Expedition, how you and we may change or end the Contract, what to do if there is a problem and other important information. If you think that there is a mistake in these terms, please contact us to discuss.
Definitions
In these Terms and Conditions, the following words shall have their associated meanings.
- “Company”, “our”, “us” or “we” means KARAI.
- “Contract” means the agreement between us and you which comprises of:
- these Terms and Conditions
- the Expedition itinerary
- the application booking form
- the Travel Risk Acknowledgement
- “Departure Date” means the date of commencement of the Expedition.
- “Terms and Conditions” means these terms and conditions.
- “Expedition” means the expedition and related activities as set out in the expedition itinerary.
- “Traveller”, “you” or “participant” means the person whose signature and details appear on the application form.
- “Unforseen Event” means an event or circumstance that is outside of either party’s reasonable control.
Reservation
Travellers who would like to join one of our expeditions should first submit the application form found on the dedicated expedition web page.
Once we receive your application, we will schedule a call with you to get to know you and make sure you are fit for the desired expedition. We reserve the right for any reason to refuse a Traveller’s application. If we do not accept a Traveller’s application, we will inform that Traveller of this.
Following this call, our acceptance of your application will be conditional upon you:
a) confirming your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions;
b) paying a non-refundable deposit to us, generally 30% of the expedition's total price per person intending to travel on the expedition, unless stated otherwise;
c) agreeing to and signing the Travel Risk Acknowledgement and Waiver for your Expedition.
Our acceptance of your application will only take place when we email you confirming that we have accepted your application and that you have a place on the relevant expedition, at which point a binding contract will come into existence between you and us.
Payments & Deposit
A non-refundable deposit of 30% of the total amount of the expedition is required to be paid after our call in order to secure a seat.
Unless we inform you otherwise, you must pay the entirety of the Expedition price on or before the day falling 90 days before the Departure Date for your Expedition.
If your application is made, and accepted, less than 90 days before the relevant Departure Date then you must contact us directly to discuss payment. We reserve the right to request full payment on application to a trip if under 90 days prior to the Departure Date.
Expeditions are quoted in Euros. All Expedition fees are inclusive of taxes. Payment to us can be made in Euros or USD (based on the exchange rate of the day the invoice was made). It is your responsibility to ensure that the full EURO amount we receive, after all applicable bank or other money transfer related charges have been applied, is equal to the total price of the relevant Expedition.
We reserve the right, in some circumstances, to request interim payments where certain services such as flights have to be secured in advance. These interim payments are only incurred after the payment of the deposit, if certain services are required to be made in more than 90 days before the Departure Date for your Expedition.
If you have not paid the total price of the relevant Expedition by the date that is 90 days prior to departure, we reserve the right to:
a) cancel your Expedition and this Contract; and
b) retain the entirety of your deposit.
Insurances
Cancellation insurance
Cancellation insurance is not included in any of our expeditions and it is therefore highly recommended that you organize cancellation insurance yourself. If you do not, you accept the financial risk in case of cancellations.
Cancellation insurance usually covers the damage you suffer by circumstances beyond your control, resulting in you having to cancel the expedition beforehand or having to shorten it before it ends. Possible examples could be an accident, the death of a family member or severe illness while traveling.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is not included in any of our expeditions but is compulsory for all participants. It is your duty to organize a specific travel insurance that will cover medical treatment and repatriation in case of injury or illness as entry to most countries we travel to is dependent upon such insurance. We recommend extending the policy to personal liability and loss of luggage and personal effects.
A copy of the current insurance policy must be produced to the Company by the Traveller prior to the Departure Date. If you fail to provide evidence of adequate insurance prior to the Departure Date, the Company reserves the right to deny your participation in the Expedition, with no right to refund.
Passport & Travel documents
You must carry a valid passport, and it is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of the correct visas, permits and certificates for the countries which you will visit during the Expedition. We will use reasonable endeavors to provide support to you on all visa applications to ensure you are able to travel with us without issue.
However, unless stated otherwise, it remains your responsibility to ensure that visas are arranged prior to the Departure Date. Karai is not responsible if you are refused entry to a country because you lack the correct passport, visa or other travel documentation.
Medical precautions are your responsibility. All required medical vaccinations, documents, health checks and passports or similar are your responsibility and must be arranged prior to the Departure Date. We take no responsibility if you are unable to travel on the Expedition.
Cancellations & refund
Cancellation by the participant
All cancellations must be sent by email. In case you need to cancel and your seat on the Expedition can be filled by another participant, all payments made by you will be refunded. In case your seat was filled while offering a discount, you will be refunded the full amount paid, minus the costs of that discount. If there is no replacement candidate available for your seat at the moment of canceling, there will be no refund.
Cancellation by the company
We reserve the right to cancel your Expedition at any time and we will provide you notice in writing of our decision to do so as soon as reasonably practicable.
Circumstances where we may cancel your Expedition include (but are not limited to):
- Unforeseen events: In case Karai has to cancel the expedition due to unforeseen circumstances (including but not limited to pandemic, natural catastrophe, conflict,...) and everything related to the expedition is already paid in full, our policy is to postpone the expedition. We will let you know by email. Our team will propose new dates and coordinate with all travel partners involved. You will receive a travel credit that can be used on this future expedition. In case it is not possible to postpone the Expedition, we will refund as much as we can. We will only refund the costs that are retrievable.
- Minimum group number to travel: Karai reserves the right to cancel an Expedition up to 21 days prior to departure if the minimum group size is not reached. You can find the minimum group size on the expedition website page. If the expedition is canceled due to the minimum group number not being reached, you will be fully refunded.
Changes to the itinerary
You agree that the nature of expeditions offered by the Company requires a degree of flexibility. Therefore the contents and timings of the expedition itinerary (including the arrival time at the expedition’s destinations, changes in route or method of transport) may be affected as a result of an Unforeseen Event, weather, local political conditions, natural disaster, strikes, entry or border difficulties, mechanical breakdowns, flight cancellations, sickness or other unforeseen circumstances.
Liabilities
Karai cannot be held responsible for occurrences that are beyond its control, such as strikes, wars, acts of government, acts of terrorism, epidemics, pandemics, natural catastrophe, or any other event whatsoever, that may make operation of the expedition impossible, illegal or inadvisable. If there are pressing reasons for Karai to cancel an expedition, all expedition payments received will be promptly refunded up to all retrievable costs. This refund is the limit of Karai’s liability.
Karai is not responsible for any expenses incurred by participants in preparing for the expedition, including non-refundable airline tickets, special clothing, visa or passport fees, or other travel-related expenses. We therefore recommend you to wait with buying airfare until the minimum number of participants is reached or book a refundable airfare.
Karai’s expeditions are typically led by Thomas Cytrynowicz. Karai reserves the right to replace the expedition leader on an expedition, in case of unforeseen events, such as serious illness of the leader or their loved ones. Karai will do its utmost to replace a leader by someone with the same set of skills, but no guarantee can be given. Replacement of an Expedition leader is under no circumstances sufficient grounds for a refund on payments already made for an Expedition, nor is it accepted as a reason for you to cancel the trip.
Karai and its partners assumes no responsibility whatsoever caused for injury, loss or damage to person or property in connection with any service resulting directly from: acts of God, detention, annoyance, delays, expenses arising from quarantine, strikes, thefts, pilferage, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well being of the participants. In case of a medical problem arising during the expedition, which results in costs for evacuation, use of aircraft or repatriation, the responsibility for payment of these costs belongs solely to the passenger. We strongly advise that passengers ensure that such eventualities are covered by travel insurance. If not covered by travel insurance the responsibility still remains with the passenger and Karai specifically declines any responsibility whatsoever.
Acceptance of Risk
By signing up to our expeditions and traveling with us, you acknowledge and accept the risk inherent in traveling on your specific expedition.
We reserve the right at any time to require a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate on the expedition.
Compliance with legislation
You must comply with all laws of the country you are visiting. You will comply at their expense and their liability with all legislation, visa requirements, and immigration, customs and foreign exchange regulations of the countries visited.
The Company reserves the right, should you fail to comply, or break contract as per these Terms and Conditions, to ask you to leave the Expedition with no further recourse, refund or compensation.
Promotional content
We reserve the right to take photographs or videos during the operation of any expedition or part thereof and to use the resulting photography in whole or in part for promotional purposes, including, but not limited to: advertising and publicity both in print and electronic media. By booking an expedition with Karai, participants agree to allow their images to be used in such photography; participants who prefer that their image not be used are asked to identify themselves to their expedition leader at the commencement of their trip. We also reserve the right to use, in all or in part, any written reviews you may provide to us in our advertising and publicity, both in print and electronic media.
Personal information and data
We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy.
Acceptance of Terms & Conditions
By paying the Expedition deposit, you agree to accept all the above Terms and Conditions.