Terms and Conditions - T&Cs

Section A: Your Dealings with Rhino Africa in Respect of Travel Services and Products Offered by Suppliers, before Travel

1. Securing your Booking

a. In order to confirm your booking, you need to make the following payments to Rhino Africa:
- i. 30% Deposit at time of booking, with the exception of air travel and gorilla permits, which both require 100% payment upon booking to secure, and self-catering villa bookings which require 50% deposit;
- ii. Final balance due 60 days prior to travel;
- iii. 100% Of the Total Confirmed Price for bookings made less than 60 days prior to departure,
- iv. Greater deposits may be required in instances of specialist product and/or peak season travel.
b. If the above payments are not received as indicated, Rhino Africa will be unable to confirm the booking for you.

2. Prices and Payment

a. You will be liable for the Total Confirmed Price, less any payments made by you plus any additional charges due to booking changes that may be charged as explained in clause 4 of this Agreement.
b. All clients agree to transact electronically with Rhino Africa via our 3rd party payment vendor Checkout for all international payments and VCS for all payments made in South Africa
c. All payments must be made by credit card, internet transfer (electronic funds transfer) or telegraphic transfer (SWIFT). Payments are normally cleared within five business days. Cash and travellers’ cheques are not accepted.
d. If you fail to make the payments on or before the due date, your booking will be cancelled and you will forfeit the relevant deposit paid in terms of clause 1 above.

3. Price Increase

a. All client Quotations generated by Rhino Africa are based upon external supplier costs such as air fares, airport taxes, fuel surcharges, accommodation, car hire, park fees and gate fees which are outside of the control of Rhino Africa. These supplier costs are therefore subject to change until final payment has been received or in the instance of air travel, until air tickets have been issued.
b. You agree that should any such costs increase, such an increase will be for your account and shall be payable to Rhino Africa or as otherwise instructed by Rhino Africa.
c. You also acknowledge that:
- i. airlines reserve the right to levy additional or increased airport taxes and fuel charges – without notice – at any stage prior to flight and any such costs increased as a result of an increase affected by the airline will be for the Client’s account and shall be payable to Rhino Africa or as otherwise instructed by the airlines
- ii. road transportation companies such as transfer and car rental companies reserve the right to levy additional charges due to fuel price increases and/or government road levies – without notice – at any stage prior to and any such costs increase as a result of an increase affected by the road transportation company will be for the Client’s account and shall be payable to Rhino Africa or as otherwise instructed by the road transportation company;
- iii. Government/National Bodies, concession owners and other such parties involved in the running of private or public natural parks reserve the right to levy additional or increased park fees – without notice – at any stage prior to arrival and any such costs increased as a result of an increase affected by such parties will be for the Client’s account and shall be payable to Rhino Africa or as otherwise instructed by such parties.
d. Rhino Africa will always work with suppliers to minimise any monetary increases that might possibly impact our clients booking. We note that expected increase can be anywhere from 5-10% on the service provider. Rhino Africa will always communicate any cost increases with a client beforehand and these are limited to airlines, road transportation companies and government bodies/institutions.

4. Changes to Bookings

a. Rhino Africa will make every effort to adhere to the confirmed itinerary. However, where Involuntary Changes are significant – such as change of accommodation or transportation – Rhino Africa undertakes:
- i. To provide a reasonable alternative at no additional cost, subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant Supplier;
- ii. In the event that you reject the reasonable alternative provided or should a reasonable alternative not be available as per 4.a.i above, to refund you the monies arising from the Involuntary Changes, subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant Supplier
b. In the event of refunding you, to assist you in identifying alternative services, subject to all additional costs for the alternative services being for your account.
c. Should you wish to make a Voluntary Change to your booking, Rhino Africa will use its best endeavours to accommodate you. However, Rhino Africa reserves the right to charge the applicable cancellation fees referred to in clause 7

5. Travel Deals and Discount Rates

a. All travel deals and competitive rates advertised on the Rhino Africa website or quoted to the client are subject to separate terms and conditions as specified by the supplier of the relevant goods and/or services. Any deals with specific terms and conditions will be communicated to the client at the time of quoting.

6. Waiver, Indemnity, and Liability

a. All vouchers, receipts and tickets issued by Rhino Africa to you are subject to the supplier’s terms and conditions.
b. Participation in any tour or travel package arranged by Rhino Africa and provided by any of its Suppliers (including but not limited to transportation to or from any venue) is undertaken at your own risk.
c. You indemnify Rhino Africa and its directors, employees, assignees and/or agents against any claim arising for any damages or loss which might be instituted against it arising from or connection with the services contemplated in these Terms and Conditions.
d. The Client, his/her heirs, dependants, agents, executors or their assignees hereby irrevocably waive any claims which they may have against Rhino Africa for any form of compensation for damages which they may suffer due to injury and/or loss of any nature whatsoever, which includes accidents caused by the Client’s own actions, injuries or death while on the tour, in a transportation vehicle or at any place during the tour or illness or death at any time after the tour.
e. Rhino Africa acts solely in the capacity of an agent for third parties and as such Rhino Africa holds themselves free of responsibility or liability for any delays, loss or damages from any cause whatsoever including loss/ delay/damages/ dissatisfaction caused by third party products and services. Rhino Africa shall be exempt from all liability in respect of any claim whatsoever as aforesaid, the Client acknowledging that, in the case of a defective product, it is unreasonable to expect Rhino Africa to have discovered the product failure having regard to Rhino Africa’s role in arranging access to the third-party products and services on behalf of the Client.
f. All our suppliers will have their own terms and conditions and in certain cases would require a client to sign these terms and conditions when arriving at the accommodation or a requirement for car rental, we would like to encourage our clients to familiarise themselves with these terms and conditions prior to signing.
g. We would also like to make clients aware that car rental companies will send notifications when going over speed limits, after a final notification it will result in insurance being cancelled.

7. 3rd Party Terms and Conditions

By accepting Rhino Africa Safaris' terms and conditions, you also agree to the terms and conditions of our suppliers. These suppliers include, but are not limited to, accommodation providers, transportation services, and activity providers.
a. When you confirm your booking with Rhino Africa Safaris, you enter into a direct contractual relationship with our suppliers. This means their terms and conditions will apply in addition to ours.
b. While Rhino Africa Safaris acts as an intermediary, each supplier operates independently and is responsible for providing the services you have booked. We strongly advise you to review the specific terms and conditions of each supplier, as they will govern the respective services provided.
c. Any claims, disputes, or issues related to the services provided by our suppliers must be resolved directly with the supplier. Rhino Africa Safaris will assist to the best of our ability but cannot assume liability for services provided by third parties.
d. Suppliers reserve the right to make changes to their services, including pricing, itineraries, and availability. We will communicate any such changes to you promptly, and your acceptance of our terms includes acceptance of potential modifications by suppliers.
e. Each supplier may have specific requirements, such as health and safety regulations, entry permits, and other travel-related conditions. It is your responsibility to comply with these requirements as stipulated by the suppliers.
f. By proceeding with your booking, you acknowledge and accept that Rhino Africa Safaris’ terms and conditions encompass the terms and conditions of our suppliers. We recommend thoroughly reading all relevant documents to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience.

8. Cancellation and Refund Policy

a. In the event that you cancel your booking, in full or partially, for any reason whatsoever Rhino Africa will levy cancellation charges as defined in Section C below. In the occasional instance where Rhino Africa is able to obtain waivers of cancellation fees and/or secure an ex-gratia refund from suppliers Rhino Africa will pass this onto you less the Service Fee.The Service Fee from the suppliers can be attributed to merchant fees for the refund and any other fees associated with processing the refund. However, Rhino Africa makes no guarantees as to securing such waivers or refunds.
b. Cancellations of bookings must be done in writing. Where cancellations are sent by email, you must obtain an e-mail proof of receipt and retain written acknowledgement of receipt from Rhino Africa.
c. Cancellation of bookings
- i. 61+ days before departure: Deposit non-refundable
- ii. 0-60 days before departure: 100% Cancellation fee
- iii. Rhino Africa will make every effort to confirm the services exactly as quoted after deposit payment. In the unlikely event of us being unable to confirm the itinerary travel services you will be offered alternative available travel services. Should the alternative available travel services not be acceptable to you we will provide a full refund
- iv. If you do not provide names or complete booking forms promptly after paying your deposit, resulting in delays in booking flights or other arrangements, you will be liable for any subsequent flight increases or itinerary changes due to the delay or as a result of losing space
- v. Rhino Africa will make every effort to ensure delivery of services as defined in the confirmed itinerary however we reserve the right to cancel services where unavoidable due to circumstances beyond the control of Rhino Africa. In the unlikely instance that Rhino Africa should cancel services defined in the confirmed itinerary Rhino Africa will provide a full refund on the cancelled service/s only.
- vi. Rhino Africa will make every effort to avoid misquotation. However, we reserve the right to cancel a reservation without liability or penalty if an obvious error or omission leads to a material cost implication.
- vii. No refunds will be given by Rhino Africa for partly used vouchers or for no-shows.
- viii. If your cancellation falls under our Deposit Protection, please ensure that you adhere to our claim process by following the link provided. We encourage you to review our terms and conditions regarding Deposit Protection to familiarise yourself with the coverage.

9. Our Deposit Protection Terms

a. For all new bookings made with us from 15 August 2021, we provide all our clients with enhanced protection terms on their deposit amount (not applicable for existing bookings, new bookings with arrival less than 60 days prior, new SADC bookings, new bookings with one (1) hotel only, and vouchers). If you are unable to travel, due to any one and/or more of the situations honoured by our protection cover, which are unforeseen circumstances outside of your control, you may be entitled to a refund or postponement of your booking. Please consult our refundable deposit T&Cs for more information.

10. Complaint and Dispute Resolution

a. Any complaints should be telephonically reported to Rhino Africa at the time of the incident and should be followed up in writing to Rhino Africa, marked for the attention of the Client Experience Manager, no later than 30 days after the Incident has occurred.
b. Complaints should be forwarded via email to clientexperience@rhinoafrica.com
c. Rhino Africa will acknowledge your complaint and endeavour to investigate it with the relevant service provider within a 30 days period after which it will provide you with written feedback.
d. Although Rhino Africa will make every effort to assist in the resolution of the complaint, it cannot guarantee the satisfactory resolution of complaints for services and products outside of its control and for which it is not responsible.

11. Flight Rules

a. All airlines require the full names of passengers as stated in their passports.In addition to this, when booking flights with Rhino Africa, we require passport details of all passengers’ booked.Please provide full First/Given name (including middle name if it’s shown in said passport) and Last/Family name as indicated on the "barcode" at the bottom of your passport bio page
b. Failure to provide the correct spelling at the outset or any name changes post flight issuance, may result in additional fees for the client's account, if any corrections/changes need to be made. It is a security procedure which will ensure there are no discrepancies. Rhino Africa accepts no responsibility for incorrect passport numbers or incorrect spelling of full names as submitted by the client. Any additional charges for changes to flight tickets will be for the clients’ account. Please ensure that you provide accurate information via the Traveller Information Form.
c. After air tickets have been issued, any changes will be subject to the relevant Airline’s terms and conditions applicable to that fare type.
d. It is your responsibility to check and correct any errors in respect of your flight reservations which appear on the Travellers Information Form. Rhino Africa accepts no liability for incorrect details provided by you.
e. Airfares are only guaranteed once the consultant has your deposit and a traveller information from for each traveller. It's then that the air ticket can be issued and thus guarantee the airfare.
f. If any Airline levies additional or increased airport taxes and fuel charges at any stage prior to your flight, you agree that such an increase will be for your account and shall be payable to Rhino Africa or to the Airline if instructed to do so.
g. Rhino Africa cannot guarantee any airline seating or meal requests. However, Rhino Africa will endeavour to assist you in this regard.
h. All of your baggage and personal belongings are at all times at your responsibility. Rhino Africa will not accept any liability for your misplaced baggage or any loss or damage to your baggage or personal effects.
i. Should you cancel your air ticket, the cancellation will be subject to the relevant Airline’s terms and conditions applicable to that fare type.
j. Should a refund be granted by the relevant Airline, it may be subject to a delay. Rhino Africa will only be obliged to refund any amounts once it receives them from the relevant airline.
k. Air tickets which are unused for more than 1 year from the date of their issue are considered as expired and must be submitted to the relevant airline for their authority to refund. Rhino Africa will make every effort to assist you in obtaining this refund but cannot provide you with any guarantees in this regard.
l. Rhino Africa will provide you with an e-ticket reference number together with a full itinerary, once the air ticket has been fully paid for.
m. In the event of a Voluntary Change, you will be responsible for the difference in all applicable fares and taxes.
n. Passengers weighing 100kg (220lbs) or more must please notify us in advance as an extra seat may need to be reserved from the outset and its associated costs included into the booking. When there are any flights within your itinerary you will be prompted to insert your weight as part of the traveller information form completed by yourself at the time of booking and confirmation. This information is required for airlines weight distribution and balancing of aircraft requirements
o. In the instance where an airline is grounded for whatever reason (e.g. bad weather), while the company will facilitate the booking of new or alternative transport services, the settlement of such requirements will be for the clients’ account. Should the client qualify for any flight refunds the company will facilitate the refund process. Please note airline refunds take between 6-8 weeks in any normal circumstances.

Section B: Your Dealings in Respect of Travel Services and Products offered by Suppliers, During Travel

12.Baggage Rules

a. You must ensure that you meet the baggage regulations of the airlines and charter companies that you will be using. Rhino Africa recommends that you seek the advice of its Africa Safari Experts. However, you remain responsible for ensuring you meet the baggage regulations of each airline and charter company you travel with.
b. In particular, light aircraft flights have extraordinary baggage regulations which include but are not limited to weight, structure and shape. Rhino Africa recommends that you seek the advice of its Africa Safari Experts.
c. If you do not adhere to the relevant baggage regulations, the transfer of your baggage may be delayed and/or transferred at extra cost to you.

13. Passports and Visas

a. You must ensure that you meet the necessary travel documentation, permit and/or visa regulations of the countries you intend entering, transiting or visiting. Rhino Africa recommends that you seek the advice of its Africa Safari Experts. However, you remain responsible for ensuring you meet these regulations.
b. Your passport must have sufficient blank visa pages available in accordance with the regulations of various African countries. A minimum of 2 adjacent blank Visa pages per country to be allocated per entry, transit or visit.
c. Your passport must be valid for the prescribed period contained in the applicable regulations of the countries you will be entering, transiting and/or visiting. As a minimum and worldwide standard, your passports must be valid for at least 6 months after your travel dates.
d. It is imperative to check your visa requirements with the relevant embassies /consulates as it may vary according to your nationality.
e. To view the visa requirements, we've collaborated with Sherpa. Follow this link to check your visa requirements.
f. If you are travelling alone with minor children (any person under 18 years of age at the time of travel), you will need to provide a police certified letter of consent from the absent parent/s that the children are allowed to travel with you. Rhino Africa recommends that you seek the advice of its Africa Safari Experts. However, you remain responsible for ensuring you meet these regulations.
g. Parents travelling internationally with children (any person under 18 years of age at the time of travel), especially to Africa, may be asked by their home civil servants, and/or by those of the country they are travelling to, to show the child’s full unabridged birth certificate on respective exit/entry. Most of the countries we offer, do not officially require as such, but this requirement can often be presumed as such, albeit incorrectly, so rather travel with the aforementioned, than wish you had. Rhino Africa recommends that you seek the advice of its Africa Safari Experts. However, you remain responsible for ensuring you meet these regulations.

14. Inoculation, Immunisation and Medication

a. You must ensure that you meet the immunisation, inoculation and medication regulations of various African countries. Rhino Africa recommends you seek the advice of its Africa Safari Experts and review the guidelines for each country on their requirements for travel relating to immunisation, inoculation and medication regulations. However, you remain ultimately responsible for ensuring you meet the immunisation, inoculation and medication regulations requirements of each African country you visit.
b. It is your obligation to ensure that you are medically fit to travel

15. Travel Insurance

a. You agree to purchase comprehensive travel insurance at the time of your booking. You acknowledge that without such travel insurance, you will be responsible for all costs arising from any cancellation, re-routing or rescheduling of your trip or any emergency (medical or other) that may arise during your travels. As agreed in Clause 6, you agree that in the event of you failing to purchase adequate insurance cover, you will not hold Rhino Africa responsible for any harm or loss that you may suffer.
b. We kindly ask you to acquaint yourself with the terms and conditions of our Deposit Protection. It's important to note that our deposit protection is not intended to replace travel insurance.
c. Please note that when a client cancels their booking and thus requests an insurance letter to proceed with a claim, Rhino Africa cancels all services with the respective suppliers and provides the claims letter to the client. Once a booking is cancelled by us in writing to the suppliers, it is considered a full cancellation. Any new / replacement booking will be subject to the applicable payments as outlined in our terms and conditions associated with the new travel dates and services.

Section C: Legals

16. General

a. No amendment, addition or consensual cancellation of this Agreement will be binding unless it is recorded in writing.
b. These Terms and Conditions can be found in the online quotation, online itinerary, and your sales invoice. They contain all the terms and conditions of the agreement between you and Rhino Africa. Please ensure that everything you have agreed to is recorded in this Agreement. If there is any conflict between the provisions of these documents, the provisions of the Client Travellers information form will prevail.
c. If any provision of this Agreement is found by a court of law to be invalid or void, such provision will be severed from the remaining provisions, without affecting the remainder of the agreement.
d. Neither Party shall lose any of its rights under this Agreement if it does not immediately and in every instance insist on them.
e. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa and shall be enforced by the courts within the Republic of South Africa.
f. You consent to the jurisdiction of the Magistrate’s Court, notwithstanding the fact that the amount involved may exceed the jurisdiction of the Magistrate’s Court.
g. If Rhino Africa has to bring legal proceedings against you to enforce payments of amounts owed to it, you shall be responsible to pay all costs Rhino Africa incurs in collecting the payment.
h. You shall not be entitled to cede any of your rights or assign any of your obligations under this Agreement.
i. If Rhino Africa is prevented from carrying out all or any of its obligations under this Agreement because of an event beyond its control, Rhino Africa shall be relieved of its obligations under the Agreement during the period that such event and its consequences continue, but only to the extent so prevented and shall not be liable for any delay or failure in the performance of any such obligations or loss or damages which you may suffer due to such delay or failure.
j. Updated versions of this Agreement may be sent to you from time to time as and when our policies and procedures change and when external factors such as legislative updates require. Please make sure that you read these amended terms and conditions carefully and raise any queries that you may have.

17. Addresses for Notices and Legal Process

a. The Parties choose the following physical addresses at which documents in legal proceedings in connection with this Agreement may be served (i.e. their domicilia citandi et executandi) and at which any written notice in connection with this Agreement may be addressed:
- i. Rhino Africa House, 103 Francis Street, Zonnebloem, Cape Town 7925
- ii. You: The address provided by you on the Client Travellers Information Form.
b. Either of the parties may change this address to another address, by way of a notice to the other party to this Agreement, provided that such a notice is received at least 7 days prior to such a change taking effect.

18. Confidentiality

a. We are committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality. Any information provided by you during the course of using our services, including but not limited to personal details, account information, and communications, will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. We will not disclose, sell, or distribute your information to any third party without your explicit consent, except as required by law or to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. By using our services, you agree to abide by this confidentiality clause and understand that breaches of confidentiality may result in legal action.

19. Exchange Rates and Adjustments

a. Quotes are provided at the ruling daily exchange rate. Until Rhino Africa has received payment, Rhino Africa reserves the right to amend any quote before payment is received. Should the quote be increased as a result of an exchange rate fluctuation, the client undertakes to settle for any incurred increase. The onus will be on the client to check that there have been no changes in the quote prior to making the payment. Rhino Africa accepts no liability for bookings that have been cancelled because no payment has been forthcoming.

20. Agreement

a. The information contained on this site is an invitation to do business and not an offer. If you forward an offer to us, Rhino Africa Safaris shall indicate their acceptance thereof by return mail. Rhino Africa Safaris acts herein as an agent for our respective business partners and therefore any agreement resulting from the acceptance of an order is deemed to be an agreement between the relevant business partner and yourself.

21. Editorial Control

a. This website contains content provided by third parties and hyperlinks to other sites. Rhino Africa Safaris does not screen or filter such content or the other sites or information available from the other sites, and therefore does not accept any liability for defamatory, illegal or criminal content contained on those sites. We encourage our users to report any infringement, illegal or criminal content found on any of the sites available through links from this site in order to investigate whether such a link should be removed. Due to the variation of season our rates are purely an indication and whilst we do our level best to maintain the accuracy these are indicative.

22. Applicable Law

a. This site is created, maintained and controlled in the Republic of South Africa and as such, the laws of the Republic of South Africa and the jurisdiction of the South African Court govern this user agreement and the use or inability to use this site.

23. Intellectual Property Rights

a. All the content on this site, including text, graphics, logos, icons, designs, colours, layout and trademarks are the intellectual property of Rhino Africa Safaris and its associates and are as such protected by South African and International Intellectual Property Law.

24. Change to User Agreement

a. Rhino Africa Safaris reserves the right to make changes to this site and this user agreement at any time without notice.

25. Disclaimer

a. Although Rhino Africa Safaris endeavours to provide accurate, up-to-date and truthful information on this site, neither Rhino Africa Safaris nor any of its employees, agents and associates make any representations or give any warranties, whether expressly, tacitly or implied, as to the operation of the site, the information, content, materials and products included and available from this site.Rhino Africa Safaris, its employees, agents and associates will not be liable for any damage of whatsoever nature arising or resulting from the use of or inability to use this site or the information contained hereon, including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive and consequential damages.