Bunnik Travel Pty Ltd – Trading As Bunnik Tours.
ACN 077 203 466 • ABN 38 077 203 466 • ATAS accreditation #A10484
45 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA 5000 Australia.
These Booking Conditions set out the terms on which you contract with us for the delivery of travel arrangements for your trip. By making a booking with us, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Booking Conditions. We reserve the right to change these Booking Conditions at any time prior to you making a booking request.
“You” and “Your” means all persons named in a booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date). “We”, “us”, “our” and “Bunnik Tours” means Bunnik Travel Pty Ltd].
Last updated 16 November 2020.
View previous terms and conditions here.
Traveller safety is our highest priority. Bunnik Tours has therefore adopted the Covid Safe Travel Protocols released by the Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to ensure a high level of hygiene and safety on our tours. Bunnik Tours has always practised social distancing through our policy of using full sized coaches for small groups.
Making a Booking
A booking request is accepted when we issue a written booking confirmation and you have paid your deposit(s) as stated on the received invoice. It is at this point that a contract between us and you comes into existence subject to these Booking Conditions. We reserve the right to decline any booking at our discretion. No employee of ours other than a director has the authority to vary or omit any of these Booking Conditions or to promise any discount or refund.
We commence providing services to you as soon as we accept your booking. This includes (often significant) work undertaken prior to travel to arrange and coordinate the delivery of your travel arrangements.
Late bookings
Higher deposit payments are required for late bookings - please refer to your consultant at the time of booking. A guarantee of full payment is required at the time of booking for all bookings received within 4 weeks of departure.
Bookings sold on a share basis
Bookings may be accepted on a share room basis on the proviso that the person requesting the share reservation agrees that while every effort will be made to match suitability of the passengers including but not limited to age, we accept no responsibility for any incompatibility between persons sharing twin rooms nor is there a guarantee that a share room can be provided. If a share room is not available at the time of final payment, either the single room alternative, at an additional cost, or the cancellation conditions set out below will apply at your option.
Single rooms
If, by choice or circumstance, a single room is required, then a single room surcharge will apply. While all endeavours will be made to provide you with a single room, if for whatever reason your single room is not available, then you will be provided with a refund for the applicable dates.
Children
We understand that many of our clients may have children. Children 14 and over are welcome on our tours. For families with children younger than this we recommend a private tour. This way we can tailor the itinerary to suit your specific needs. Please feel free to contact us if you would like any further information regarding bringing your children on tour.
Prices and Exclusions
Prices stated are in Australian Dollars ($AUD) and are current at the time of publication. The most up to date pricing is available on our website. Costs associated with passports, visas, vaccinations, insurance, meals (other than those stipulated), emergency evacuation costs, and all items of a personal nature are not included.
Price Surcharges
We reserve the right to surcharge the cost of your booked travel arrangements prior to commencement for circumstances beyond our control such as currency devaluation, fuel or air fare surcharges, airline schedule changes, minimum passengers requirements or the imposition of new or amended Government charges.
We will not surcharge for currency fluctuations once full payment has been received by us.
All tours are based on a minimum number of participants, however if this number is not reached we reserve the right to cancel or re-cost the tour as appropriate. If we re-cost and you decide not to proceed, or if we cancel the tour, your deposit is refundable in full.
In all other circumstances, your deposit is non-refundable.
Deposit
A non-refundable deposit(s) per person is required within 7 days (unless otherwise stated) of us accepting your booking. Please note that we may not hold any services for you until we receive payment of your deposit, meaning that services may become unavailable or prices may increase, in which case you will be responsible for paying the increased price, and we will not be responsible if services become unavailable.
Final Payment
Payment in full must be received by the date(s) reflected on your invoice or 60 days prior to your departure, whichever dates comes first. Note: some trips may require payment earlier or in additional instalments and this will be advised with the booking confirmation.
Peace of Mind when Travelling in Australia
For tours in Australia we are offering a reduced deposit of $350 per person and a flexible amendment policy for your tour dates up to 28 days prior to departure. Speak to our consultants to find out more.
Cancellations By You
You may cancel your booking by giving written notice to us. Cancellation fees and charges will be levied as follows irrespective of when notice of cancellation is received:
- any amounts we have paid or have contractually committed to pay to third parties to deliver your travel arrangements that we cannot reasonably recover (for example payments made or due to airlines and ground operators);
- any increase in the costs to operate the tour which we incur resulting from your cancellation;
- a fee not greater than 15% of the booking value to compensate us for work performed up until the time of cancellation; and
- a fee not greater than 5% of the booking value to compensate us for processing the cancellation and any associated refund.
Please note that the earlier you cancel your booking the lower the cancellation charges are likely to be. You agree that these cancellation fees and charges are reasonable and required to protect our legitimate business interests.
If you have paid any amount to us at the time of cancellation, we may use it to pay the above fees and charges. If after the application of these fees and charges there is a surplus of payments you have made to us, we will refund this to you within a reasonable time. If there is a deficiency, then you must pay us the difference.
Any payments we have made to third parties will only be refunded to you once we have deducted the above cancellation fees and charges and once we have actually recovered the amounts from the third parties. We will use reasonable endeavours to recover third party payments, but we make no guarantee that we will be able to recover amounts from third parties.
For group departures, a transfer of a confirmed booking to another departure date is deemed to be cancellation of the original booking.
Let's Talk Fitness
At Bunnik Tours we don’t put specific age limits on our tours, but we also recognise some travellers may find our itineraries challenging.
We have a duty of care to all tour participants and the tour guides, so we do impose a firm policy on the level of fitness required by all our clients to attempt to ensure your safety and the safety of other travellers on our tours.
At Bunnik Tours our goal is for all our travellers to enjoy their tour, not struggle through it! Which is why we want to work with you to ensure you are on the best possible trip for your fitness level. We do reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding.
Bunnik Tours are for independently minded travellers with good levels of mobility.
Our Tours include:
- Generous amounts of free time
- Lots of walking, minimum of 2-3 hours on uneven surfaces without the use of any walking aid, on any given day
- Local and authentic experiences including various modes of transport and accommodation
In some regions travellers can also expect:
- Long days of travelling, at times on dirt and gravel roads in Africa
- Extended periods at high altitude (3,000-4,000 metres) in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Ethiopia
- Extended periods of walking/hiking through humid forest areas in Rwanda, Guatemala, Mexico & Costa Rica
- Limited medical facilities in remote areas
Bunnik Tours Travellers are required to at least:
- Be able to walk for a minimum of 2-3 hours on uneven surfaces without the use of any walking aid, on any given day
- Walk up multiple flights of stairs and short, steep hills
- Stand for a minimum of 20 minutes without needing to sit down, often in hot/humid climates
- Carry their own luggage
- Get on and off various modes of transport without assistance, including small boats
Passengers 75 years or over must provide a signed Fitness to Travel declaration form (Part 2) from their doctor within one month of making their booking.
While we will still confirm your place on your tour, flight tickets cannot be issued until both completed forms have been received. Additional costs may be incurred if completed forms are not received by Bunnik Tours within these time frames.
Bunnik Tours generally does not accept bookings for single travellers 80 years of age and over without a travelling companion. Neither our Tour Director nor your fellow travellers are equipped to act as a carer.
Passengers must inform us and the service provider of any medical conditions which may affect your ability to participate in the tour.
At our discretion we, including the service provider, can exclude you from a tour or in any activity if we consider that you are unable to safely participate in that tour or activity or if we consider your participation may place the safety of other guests at risk.
We reserve the right to cancel your booking if any changed or non-disclosed medical conditions mean that you will require special assistance from our personnel which we cannot reasonably provide. We strongly suggest that your travel insurance policy includes comprehensive cancellation coverage.
We will not be liable for any damage, injury, death or loss of any kind arising from your failure to fully disclose relevant medical information or resulting from any pre-existing medical condition.
Illness Preventing Tour Commencement or Continuation
If due to any illness, suspected illness or failure to satisfy any required tests (such as a temperature test):
- an airline or other common carrier refuses you carriage;
- a hotel or vessel refuses to accommodate you;
- or we or our suppliers (acting reasonably) exclude you from the trip
and you are consequently prevented from commencing or continuing your trip, then:
- if you have already commenced your trip, we will provide you with reasonable assistance to arrange alternative travel arrangements or to continue the trip. This will be at your cost.
- if you have not commenced your trip then we regret we will not be in a position to provide such assistance.
You acknowledge that if you are prevented from commencing or continuing your trip in these circumstances:
- We will not be liable to refund the cost of your trip (or any part of it) because we would have already paid (or committed to pay) suppliers and we would have already performed significant work preparing for the delivery of your trip and servicing your booking; and
- We disclaim any liability to you for the costs of airfares, visas or any other expenses incurred by you as a result of you being prevented from commencing or continuing your trip in these circumstances.
Cancellations By Us
Force Majeure - Prior to travel
If your travel arrangements cannot proceed due to flood, earthquake, war or civil strife, acts of terrorism, hurricane, cyclone, industrial disturbance, strike, fire, lock out, epidemic, pandemic, failure or delays of scheduled transportation facilities, or other Acts of God, or any law, order, decree, rule or regulation of any government authority, or for any other reason whether of a similar or dissimilar nature beyond our reasonable control (Force Majeure), we may at our election:
- postpone your travel arrangements to a future date, in which case we will issue you with a credit note equal to amounts paid at the time of postponement; or
- cancel your travel arrangements, in which case our contract with you will terminate.
If we cancel your travel arrangements and our contract terminates, neither of us will have any claim for damages against the other. However, we will refund payments made by you less unrecoverable third party costs and less fair compensation for work undertaken by us up until the time of termination and in connection with the processing of any refund.
Force Majeure - During travel
If we cancel your travel arrangements after your trip has commenced due to Force Majeure, we will provide you with a refund of recoverable third party costs only.
General
If we provide you with any alternative services or assistance where travel arrangements are cancelled because of Force Majeure, then you agree the amount to be refunded to you will be reduced by the value of these services and assistance.
If we have to cancel your trip for reasons beyond Force Majeure, you will be offered (at your election) a full refund of all funds paid over to us, or the offer of a trip of substantially equal quality if appropriate.
We disclaim any liability to you for the costs of airfares, visas or any other expenses incurred by you as a result of postponement or cancellation of your travel arrangements by us whether due to Force Majeure or otherwise.
Amendments By You
We will endeavour to accommodate amendments and additional requests. You acknowledge that these may not be possible to fulfil, and for group departures a transfer of a booking to a different departure is deemed a cancellation of the original booking. An amendment fee of $250.00 per booking will be levied to cover communication and administration costs for any changes to bookings. You will also be required to pay any additional costs charged by suppliers.
Amendments By Us
Occasionally, we may need to make amendments or modifications to the itinerary and its inclusions and you acknowledge our right to make these modifications, including during travel where modifications are required to respond to unexpected local conditions.
If we become aware of a change to your itinerary or its inclusions prior to the commencement of your trip that we consider to be significant (where the trip can still proceed), then we will notify you within a reasonable time and give you the choice to accept the change, or to accept an alternative trip.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be responsible or liable for any omissions or modifications to the itinerary or the inclusions due to Force Majeure events happening after we have accepted your booking.
If you are entitled to any compensation at law for any changes or modifications, then you agree that any compensation you are entitled to will be reduced by the value of any alternative services we provide to you which you accept.
We disclaim any liability to you for the costs of airfares, visas or any other expenses incurred by you as a result of any amendment or change to the tour itinerary or its inclusions.
Unused Services
No refunds will be made for of any travel arrangements not utilised, whether by choice or because of late arrival or early departure, including failure of transport to operate according to schedule, which we expressly disclaim liability for.
Client Names - Exactly as per Passport
For security reasons, airlines and our overseas suppliers, require names to be given exactly as stated in your passport. If you do not advise the correct information and we have to re-issue airline tickets or other documentation, then you will incur any fees charged, such as airline cancellation charges or re-issue fees, in addition to our own reasonable administration fees.
Travel Insurance
It is a condition of your booking (International Travel) and strongly encouraged (Domestic Travel) that you are adequately insured for the duration of your trip. We recommend a comprehensive travel insurance to cover cancellation, health requirements, luggage and additional expenses. The choice of insurer is yours. We strongly suggest that insurance be purchased at the time your deposit is paid, as cancellation terms will be strictly enforced from that time.
Accommodation
We reserve the right to substitute hotels, vessels and other forms of accommodation with properties or vessels of a comparable or higher standard.
Authority on Tour
When joining a group tour, you undertake to conduct yourself in a manner conducive to good group dynamics. If you act in a manner that threatens or disrupts the safety or enjoyment of others on the tour, the tour leader may, acting reasonably, require that you leave the tour. You will not be entitled to any refund for unused services and you will be responsible for any additional costs you incur.
Passports, Visas & Vaccinations
It is a requirement that you hold a valid passport and any required visas for your trip. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of the necessary documentation to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries to be visited. It is your sole responsibility to obtain vaccinations and preventative medicines as may be required for the duration of the trip. Any information provided by us is given in good faith.
Independent Services
We are not responsible for any additional activities or excursions that you arrange which are not included in the booked itinerary or principally sold by us. Any advice or recommendation made by a guide or local representative does not make us responsible or liable in any way.
Dietary Requirements
Special dietary requests are required to be notified to us at the time of booking. Although we will use reasonable endeavours to accommodate requests, we cannot guarantee requests will be met by suppliers. It is your responsibility to check that meals and beverages do not contain any allergens. We expressly disclaim any liability for meals or beverages that contain allergens.
Acceptance of Risk
You acknowledge that travel involves personal risks which may be greater than those present in your everyday life. This could be as a result of the adventurous nature of your trip or the visiting of destinations which present geographical, political or cultural risks and dangers.
You should consult guidance issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) applicable to the destinations within your itinerary. You acknowledge that your choice to travel is made having had the benefit of DFAT guidance, and you accept any additional personal risks associated with your travel. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim any liability for these risks.
Responsibility
Services supplied by independent suppliers
Where a third party over whom we have no direct control (Independent Supplier) is the supplier of travel arrangements that form part of your trip, you acknowledge that our obligations to you are limited to taking reasonable steps to select a reputable Independent Supplier and arranging for them to provide those travel arrangements to you. Independent Suppliers over whom we have no direct control include but are not limited to airlines, railway and cruise operators, hoteliers, transport companies and common carriers.
We act as an intermediary only and you will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Independent Supplier. Any disputes between you and the Independent Supplier are to be resolved between you and them.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be responsible to you for any loss, damage, personal injury or delay attributable to the actions or omissions of an Independent Supplier.
Services we directly supply
To the extent only that we are the principal supplier to you of travel arrangements or other services which we control, then we will provide those travel arrangements and services with reasonable skill and care. We will only be responsible for our employees in the course of their employment, and for our agents and suppliers (where we are not the supplier’s agent or an intermediary for an Independent Supplier) if they were carrying out the work we had asked them to do.
We will not be responsible for any loss, damage, claim or expense caused by the acts or omissions of yourself, of any other third party not connected with the provision of the travel arrangements or services, or due to an event of Force Majeure.
General Liability Limitations
You acknowledge that travel arrangements or services which comply with local laws and regulations will be deemed to have been properly performed, even if this would not be considered the case in Australia.
Australian Consumer Law and corresponding legislation in other jurisdictions in certain circumstances imply mandatory conditions and warranties into consumer contracts (“Consumer Warranties”). These Booking Conditions do not exclude or limit the application of the Consumer Warranties. Other than the Consumer Warranties, we disclaim all warranties.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our maximum liability to you under these Booking Conditions, in tort (including negligence) or at law is limited to arranging for the travel arrangements to be resupplied or payment of the cost of having the travel arrangements resupplied.
When You Get There
Local representatives: Your documentation states the name and telephone number of our local representatives for any assistance with difficulties or changes. If you need to alter your arrangements once overseas or to add services to your booking you may do this through your local representative. Any additional costs incurred must be paid directly to the supplier of the service and may not be charged back to Bunnik Tours.
We cannot be held responsible for any arrangements booked directly with suppliers abroad, and we will not consider any complaints in relation to these services.
Cancellations of confirmed services must be notified through Bunnik Tours even if you have advised the local representative. Bunnik Tours does not authorise the employees of any overseas supplier to promise refunds to clients.
Image Release
When on tour, we may take photographs or make recordings of you and your activities that identify you. We reserve the right to use any images and/or recordings for promotional and marketing purposes. You consent to this use and acknowledge you will not be entitled to any payment or other compensation. If you do not consent to the use of your image or likeness, please advise us as least 21 days prior to the commencement of your tour.
Complaints
In the event of a problem with any aspect of your travel arrangements you must tell us or make our representative or our local supplier aware of such problems immediately.
We will only consider and be responsible for claims made against us where we or our suppliers have had the opportunity to put things right on the ground. If you notify us of a problem during travel and we haven’t resolved it to your satisfaction, then you must make any claim in writing, within 30 days from the end of your travel arrangements.
Deemed Acceptance
If you place a booking on behalf of another party, you represent and warrant us that you are duly authorised to provide the agreement and consent of the other party to be bound by these Booking Conditions. You agree that you will be responsible for any loss or damage we incur if this is not the case.
General
The contract between Bunnik Tours and you is governed by the laws of the State of South Australia. Any disputes shall be dealt with by a court with the appropriate jurisdiction in South Australia
If any provision of these Booking Conditions is found to be unenforceable, then to the extent possible it will be severed without affecting the remaining provisions.
Any personal information you provide to us will be collected, stored, used, protected and shared in accordance with Australian Privacy Principles, and our Privacy Policy, which is published here www.bunniktours.com.au
Updated: 16 November 2020
Travel safety
For the latest government advice on travel safety and security please visit and register your holiday on www.smartraveller.gov.au