Booking conditions

It is important to us that you are happy with your tour and that you understand the nature of our tours. We would, therefore, ask that you take a few minutes to read these Booking Conditions and if you need clarification on any point, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Your financial protection

When you buy an ATOL protected air holiday package from us you will receive a Confirmation Invoice from us confirming your arrangements and your protection under our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 6425. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website. Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking if you decide to arrange your own flights.

To make a booking

All bookings are made with Tikalanka Tours (UK) Limited (ATOL 6425) and by confirming a booking you are agreeing to the conditions set out below. To secure a booking, Tikalanka Tours (UK) Limited needs a completed Booking Form and the necessary deposit or full payment for travel within 60 days. Persons booking by fax, e-mail or telephone, will be deemed to have read these Booking Conditions and have signed the booking form. A booking is accepted and a contract is entered into when we issue you with a written confirmation of booking. The contract, including all matters arising from it, is subject to English Law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. We reserve the right to decline any booking at our discretion.

Payment for the holiday

If you are booking more than 60 days prior to the date of departure you will need to send 10% of the total cost of the holiday as a deposit. The balance of all monies due must be paid to us not later than 60 days before departure (or immediately if booking less than 60 days prior to departure). In the event of non-payment of the balance we reserve the right to cancel your booking and cancellation charges will apply. Payment for your holiday can be made by direct bank transfer (best) or personal cheque, or credit card (charges apply).

If you cancel your booking

Should you wish to cancel your booking, the following cancellation charges will be imposed. They are calculated from the day your cancellation is received in writing:

Transferring of bookings

In certain circumstances, which we consider to be reasonable, you may be able to transfer your booking to another suitable person. This can only be permitted if all suppliers (e.g. the airline) agree to accept the transfer. If a transfer is acceptable then we will need to make an administration charge of £50 per person plus any charges levied by suppliers.

If we cancel your tour

We will not cancel your tour unless we are forced to do so by circumstances beyond our control such as flight cancellations, war, civil or political unrest or 'force majeure'. If we cancel the tour, we will offer you an alternative tour if possible. If this is not possible or not acceptable to you, we will refund all payments made to us in respect of the tour cost, less any administration charges, but we are not liable for any incidental expenses you may have incurred.

Surcharges

We will absorb fluctuations in exchange rates or increased costs of less than 2%. Surcharges may, however, be imposed up to 6 weeks prior to departure due to rises in excess of 2% in exchange rates, increases in transport or other costs, or if Government action forces us to increase charges. If any surcharge is imposed which exceeds 10% of the tour cost, you have the right to cancel your booking within 7 days of the notification of the surcharge and we will refund any monies paid to us in respect of the tour.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about your tour you must make it known to your National Guide Lecturer or Chauffeur Guide as soon as possible so that he is able to take appropriate action at the earliest opportunity. If you are not satisfied with our response and you feel your enjoyment of the tour will be significantly affected you should contact our office in Kandy, Sri Lanka or our Head Office in London to discuss how we might best resolve the problem. If on return from your tour you remain unsatisfied you must notify us in writing within 30 days.

Liability

The Company will accept liability for the negligence of its own employees causing direct physical injury to passengers only to the extent that it is obliged to do so under English Law. We cannot be held responsible for any other mishaps to yourself or your property, in particular those arising as a consequence of flight cancellations, strikes, wars, riots, robbery, sickness, quarantine, Government intervention or other such happenings. The Company will not accept liability for damages caused by the total or partial failure to carry out the contract if the failure is attributable to the passenger; or unforeseeable or unavoidable and attributable to a third party unconnected to the Company; or the result of circumstances beyond the Company's control; or the result of an event that the Company even with all due care and attention could not foresee or forestall. Where the Company is found to be liable for damages in respect of its failure to carry out the contract, the maximum amount of such damages will normally be limited to the price paid for the tour. Where the damages relate to the provision of transport by air, sea or rail, or hotel accommodation, any compensation payable will be further limited by the Warsaw Convention as amended by the Hague Protocol 1955 (air), the Athens Convention 1974 (sea), the Berne Convention 1961 (rail) and the Paris Convention 1962 (hotel accommodation). Any independent arrangements that you make which are not part of the tour are entirely at your own risk.

Transport

Details such as airline and aircraft type will be confirmed at the time of your booking. Please note that we use scheduled airlines for all flights. Timings of all transport are estimates only. They may be affected by operational difficulties, weather conditions or failure of passengers to check in on time. Please also note that the carriers' conditions of carriage that apply to you have clauses that limit or exclude liability. We do not make any arrangements at the outbound or inbound airports for flight delays (airlines make provision in this case) but we will, however, if this affects your outbound flight, do all we can to make any necessary adjustments to your itinerary to ensure that there is a minimum knock-on effect to your overall tour.

WARNING

Your booking is accepted on the understanding that you realise the hazards involved in a holiday of this nature, including injury, disease, loss or damage to property, inconvenience or discomfort. It is a condition of travelling with us that you accept any necessary flexibility, local inadequacies or unpredictable events when they occur. You must abide by the authority of the National Guide Lecturer or Chauffeur Guide and your signing of our Booking Form acknowledges this. We reserve the right to terminate your travel with us immediately should you commit an illegal act or your behaviour be judged to be a danger or nuisance to our employees or service providers.