Refund and Cancellation Policy

Jovara African Safaris creates and operates tailor-made safaris, local excursions and tours itineraries throughout Kenya, using both our vehicles and reliable local tour operators and lodges during the entire process. The purpose of this policy is to state what the client should expect concerning deposits, cancellations, rebookings, and refunds once their booking has been confirmed, so that each client is aware of their situation and knows when it is appropriate to make payment.

1. Confirming Your Booking

A booking becomes a binding agreement between you and Jovara African Safaris only after we have confirmed it in writing, either through an official invoice or a payment link. To secure your dates, a non-refundable deposit of 50% of the total tour cost is due at the time of confirmation, with the balance payable ahead of departure as agreed in your itinerary. Bookings that remain unpaid past the agreed deadline may be released and treated as cancelled on your part, at which point our standard cancellation charges will apply. Because Kenya's tourism regulations and supplier terms can differ from one region or park to another, minor variations to these timelines may apply depending on your itinerary and destination.

2. If You Need to Cancel

We know that circumstances change. Any cancellation must be submitted to us in writing (email is acceptable) so that we have a clear record of the request and its date. To ensure we have an accurate record of your request, all cancellations must be communicated in writing (via email is permitted). The conditions for refunds once cancellations are confirmed are as follows:

• More than 48 hours prior to scheduled departure: the entire payment will be refunded, less 7% deducted for processing fees.
• Within 48 hours of scheduled departure: 50% of the total cost is forfeited to cover costs incurred by us to reserve your bookings.
• Within 24 hours of departure or should you fail to show up or leave early (after the tour has started): no refund is issued as all relevant arrangements would have been made.
• If you provide wrong contact details, pick-up point, or other personal information which results in cancellation or delay, you will not be refunded.

Where a domestic or international flight forms part of your package, any changes, delays, or cancellations relating to that flight are governed by the operating airline's own conditions, and any related charges are the client's responsibility.

3. If We Need to Cancel or Change a Tour

We rarely must cancel a confirmed tour, as we strive to prevent such occurrences. If cancellations do arise due to low numbers, safety concerns, road closures, bad weather, or similar operational problems, you will be given the choice of a replacement itinerary of equal value or a full refund of all your payments.

We reserve the right to change routes, vehicles and timing if necessary due to matters beyond our control and to disallow or remove any participant from a tour, in which case a fair and reasonable refund will be given for the unused portion of the tour. If a tour that has already commenced needs to be discontinued for reasons beyond our control, such as force majeure such as severe weather, civil unrest, or government regulations that we can do nothing about, we cannot offer any compensation, reimbursement, or payment for related expenses, but we will do our utmost to help make alternative arrangements.

4. Rescheduling

Requests to change dates with less than 24 hours' notice cannot be accommodated, since resources will already be allocated to your original slot.

5. Special Circumstances

We recognize that some cancellations are caused by situations that nobody can influence. In case your refund request is due to illness, death or a change made by the airline, kindly send us additional documents such as medical certificates, death certificates, or letters from airline companies, so that we could evaluate your request according to policies of our suppliers. The approval depends on the terms and conditions of an individual park, airport and airline being used.

6. Liability and Third-Party Services

Jovara African Safaris acts on your behalf when arranging vehicles, accommodation, park entries, and guiding services, including through subcontracted operators of equivalent standard. While we take great care in selecting our partners, we cannot be held liable for injury, illness, loss, or damage arising from third-party services, luggage, or personal belongings. Any disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the Kenyan courts, in line with the country in which your tour takes place.

7. Travel Insurance

If you want to cancel any travel plans due to unforeseen circumstances, we recommend that our clients get travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical emergencies, and loss beforehand.

8. Requesting a Refund

To cancel the travel, delay your trip or get a refund for it, you have to write an email to our booking department, indicating your booking ID and the reason for the cancellation. We do our best to process all requests within few days and inform the client about the outcome as soon as possible.