Terms and conditions

1. About us and these terms

1.1 These terms apply to your use of this website and to every enquiry, quote, booking and service that you have with Canine Safaris Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”). We are a tour operator based in Mbarara, Uganda, licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board under the Tourism Act, 2008 (licence number UTB/RTT/TO/2022/100268).

1.2 “You” means the person who makes the enquiry or booking and every traveller included in it. If you book for other people, you confirm that you have their authority to accept these terms for them, and you must give them a copy.

1.3 “The Services” means the safaris, tours, day trips, group and corporate trips, transport, guiding, accommodation and activity arrangements that we offer or arrange. Some Services are provided by us and some by other suppliers, such as lodges, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, boat operators and airlines.

1.4 Our Refund and Cancellation Policy, Health and Safety Policy and Privacy Policy form part of these terms. If a rule on cancellation or refunds appears in more than one place, the Refund and Cancellation Policy applies.

1.5 These terms are governed by the laws of Uganda, including the Contracts Act, 2010, the Tourism Act, 2008, the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011 and the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.

2. Agreement and acceptance

2.1 By using this website, sending an enquiry, accepting a quote, paying a deposit or travelling with us, you accept these terms. If you do not agree with any part of them, please do not use the website or book with us.

2.2 Agreements made by email, through the website forms or by messaging services such as WhatsApp are valid and binding, in line with the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011.

2.3 We may change these terms, the Services and this website at any time. A change takes effect when it is published here. The terms that apply to your booking are the ones published on the date we confirm it.

2.4 Words that refer to one gender include every gender, and the singular includes the plural.

3. Quotes and bookings

3.1 An enquiry or quote request is not a booking. A quote is our offer to provide the Services at the price and on the dates stated in it. It stays open for the period written in the quote and is subject to availability.

3.2 A booking exists only when we confirm it to you in writing and we have received the deposit or payment set out in that confirmation. Your confirmation will state the Services, dates, price, what is included and excluded, and the payment schedule.

3.3 You must give us complete and correct information, including each traveller's full name as it appears on their passport, date of birth, nationality, contact details, and any medical, dietary or accessibility needs. You are responsible for errors in the information you give. If an error means a supplier charges us to correct it, we will pass on that charge to you.

3.4 We may decline a booking, or propose changes to it, for example when a service is unavailable or a trip would not be safe. If we decline a booking, we will refund everything you have paid for it.

3.5 If a trip needs a minimum number of travellers to go ahead, we will say so in the quote.

4. Prices and payments

4.1 Prices are per person unless the quote says otherwise, and are stated in US dollars or Ugandan shillings as shown in the quote. Park fees, permits and some lodge rates differ for foreign visitors, foreign residents and East African citizens. You may be asked for proof of residence or citizenship, such as a national identity card, work permit or passport.

4.2 A price includes only what the quote lists as included. Unless the quote says otherwise, it does not include international flights, visa fees, travel and medical insurance, tips for guides and staff, drinks not listed in the itinerary, or personal items such as laundry and souvenirs.

4.3 Park fees, permit prices, taxes and supplier rates are set by others and can change. Before we confirm a booking, we may update a quote for such a change. After we confirm a booking, we will not increase the price unless a government fee, tax or park tariff changes. If that happens we will tell you in writing and you may accept the change or cancel and receive a refund of what you have paid, less any non-refundable third-party costs already committed.

4.4 Payments are arranged directly with our team after you confirm a quote, by bank transfer, mobile money or another method named in your written confirmation. This website does not take payments or card details. We will only give payment details through our official contact channels. Before paying, please confirm the account details with us by phone, because fraudsters sometimes copy company emails.

4.5 The deposit and balance, and the dates they are due, are set out in your confirmation. If the balance is not paid by its due date, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you under the Refund and Cancellation Policy.

4.6 If you pay in a currency other than the one quoted, we will convert the payment at the rate stated in your confirmation or, if none is stated, at the bank rate on the day we receive it. You are responsible for bank and mobile money charges.

4.7 We issue a receipt for every payment. Prices include the taxes and levies that Ugandan law requires unless the quote says otherwise.

5. Changes you ask us to make

5.1 Please send change requests in writing. We will try to make the change, subject to availability and to the terms of our suppliers.

5.2 We do not charge an administration fee for a change that costs us nothing to make. Where a supplier charges us, we will pass on the actual charge and show you proof of it, together with any difference in price.

5.3 A request to move a trip to other dates, or to reduce the trip, is handled as described in the Refund and Cancellation Policy. If we cannot make the change, the cancellation terms in that policy apply to the original booking.

6. Cancellation and refunds

6.1 You may cancel a booking by writing to us. The date we receive your written notice is the cancellation date.

6.2 The percentage of your payment that is refunded depends on how long before the start date of the Services you cancel: 60 days or more, full refund; 30 to 59 days, 90 percent; 14 to 29 days, 85 percent; 7 to 13 days, 75 percent; less than 7 days, 50 percent. Failing to arrive, and cancelling on or after the day the trip starts, are not refundable except as the Refund and Cancellation Policy provides.

6.3 Permits and other amounts paid to third parties are treated as the Refund and Cancellation Policy explains. In particular, gorilla trekking permits and chimpanzee tracking permits issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority are not refundable.

6.4 We may cancel or change a trip if a supplier, the Government or the Uganda Wildlife Authority cannot provide the activity, if events beyond our control make it unsafe or impossible, or if a change you ask for would make the trip impractical. If we cancel for a reason that is not your fault, we will offer a new date or an alternative of similar value, or refund what you have paid for the cancelled Services.

6.5 Refunds are paid within 45 days of the cancellation date, as set out in the Refund and Cancellation Policy.

7. Your responsibilities

7.1 You are responsible for having a valid passport, any visa, entry or exit permit, and any health documents such as vaccination certificates that the countries and parks you visit require. Your passport should be valid for the period those countries require, which is usually at least six months beyond your travel date. We can advise but we cannot check these for you.

7.2 If you are refused boarding, entry or exit because you do not have the right documents, you are responsible for the resulting costs. You must compensate us for any loss we suffer because of your missing or incorrect documents, to the extent that the loss is caused by you.

7.3 You must follow the instructions of your guide, park rangers and our staff at all times, and the rules of every park, lodge and site you visit. You must not carry firearms, ammunition or dangerous goods. Smoking is not permitted in our vehicles.

7.4 You must not behave in a way that endangers, threatens, abuses, harasses or seriously inconveniences others, including our staff, or that damages property, wildlife or the environment. Our guides and drivers may refuse an instruction that is unsafe, unlawful or against park rules, and their decision on safety is final. We may end the Services for a person who breaks this clause, without refund, and you will be liable for the damage you cause.

7.5 Bookings may be made only by people aged 18 or over. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Infants under 2 years travel free if they do not need their own seat. Children under 12 are charged 70 percent of the adult price for our own services, unless the quote says otherwise. Parks, lodges and other suppliers apply their own child rates.

7.6 Please tell us when you book about any disability, illness, pregnancy, physical challenge or other need that could affect your trip, so that we can make reasonable arrangements. If a traveller could not safely evacuate a vehicle or building unaided, we may ask that they travel with a companion who can assist them.

7.7 You will compensate us, and our directors, employees, guides, drivers and agents, for loss, damage, claims and costs, including reasonable legal costs, that arise from your breach of these terms, your failure to follow safety instructions or park rules, false or missing information, or harm or damage that you cause to people, property, wildlife or the environment.

8. Transport, luggage and meeting times

8.1 The luggage allowance is 15 kilograms per person in soft bags, including hand luggage. We carry excess luggage only if the vehicle has space, and charge USD 3 per kilogram for it.

8.2 Please be at the pick-up point at the time stated in your itinerary. Where your trip includes scheduled transport run by others, such as a flight or ferry, please be at the departure point 90 minutes before the scheduled departure unless we tell you otherwise. Check-in for such services can close 30 minutes before departure. If you are late, we may not be able to wait, and the Services you miss are not refundable.

8.3 We carry animals only if we agree in advance. Pets must travel in a suitable container, and a fee of USD 30 applies.

8.4 Our liability for luggage or freight that we carry and that is lost or damaged is limited to UGX 2,500 per kilogram. We accept no liability for cash, jewellery or other valuables. Claims must be made in writing within 7 days of the loss or damage.

8.5 Itineraries, routes, accommodation and the mode of transport can change because of weather, road conditions, park closures, safety concerns or supplier changes. We will tell you as soon as we can and offer a suitable alternative.

9. Health, safety and wildlife

9.1 Our Health and Safety Policy explains how we manage safety. Safaris take place outdoors and involve wild animals, uneven ground, rivers and lakes, long journeys on rough roads and remote places with limited medical help. These activities carry risks, including serious injury, illness and death, that cannot be removed completely. You understand and accept those risks, you take part voluntarily, and you agree to take reasonable care of your own safety and of that of the people you travel with.

9.2 Travel insurance is a condition of booking. Before you travel, every traveller must have insurance that covers cancellation, medical costs, personal accident and emergency evacuation or rescue, and you must show us the policy if we ask. We do not provide insurance for travellers, and we are not responsible for any cost that insurance would have covered. We may refuse to take a traveller who has no suitable insurance, and the Services not used are then not refundable. We also advise you to consult a doctor about vaccinations and malaria prevention, and to carry the medication you need.

9.3 Rules of the Uganda Wildlife Authority apply to activities in the parks, including its rules on minimum age, health and conduct for gorilla and chimpanzee activities. We cannot guarantee that you will see any particular animal.

9.4 You confirm that every traveller in your booking is fit to take part in the Services, and that you have told us about every medical condition, injury, pregnancy or disability that could affect their safety or that of others. We may refuse to take part, or remove from an activity or trip, a person whom we reasonably believe is unfit or unsafe to continue, and the Services they do not use are not refundable.

10. Our responsibility to you

10.1 We will provide the Services with reasonable care and skill, as the law requires, and as described in your confirmation.

10.2 Where the Services are provided by independent suppliers, such as lodges, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, airlines and boat operators, we choose them with reasonable care and organise them on your behalf. Their own terms also apply to you. We are not liable for their acts or omissions, but we will help you make a claim against a supplier at fault. We are responsible for our own acts and omissions and for those of our employees and guides, subject to these terms.

10.3 Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under the laws of Uganda.

10.4 Subject to clause 10.3, our total liability to you for a claim about the Services is limited to the amount you paid us for the affected Services. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as lost income, lost savings or loss of enjoyment beyond what the law provides.

10.5 We are not liable for a failure or delay caused by something beyond our reasonable control, including severe weather, natural disasters, epidemics, war, civil unrest, strikes, road or park closures, government action, or failures of third parties we could not reasonably have prevented. Clause 6.4 explains what we will offer you in that case.

10.6 Photographs and descriptions on this website show typical experiences and are not a promise of a particular outcome.

10.7 Our directors, employees, guides, drivers and agents may rely on the limits and exclusions in this clause 10 and in clauses 7.7 and 9, and we hold the benefit of those terms on their behalf.

11. Complaints and disputes

11.1 If something goes wrong on a trip, please tell your guide or us straight away so that we can put it right while you are still travelling.

11.2 If you are not satisfied, please write to us at caninesafarisltd@gmail.com within 28 days of the end of your trip, with your booking details and what you would like us to do. We aim to acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and to reply fully within 30 days. This does not shorten the time the law gives you to bring a claim. You may also contact the Uganda Tourism Board, which regulates tour operators.

11.3 We will try to settle any dispute by discussion first, and then by mediation if discussion does not succeed. Either of us may ask the courts of Uganda to decide a dispute that is still unresolved. The courts of Kampala have jurisdiction.

12. Using this website

12.1 The content, design, trademarks and software on this website belong to Canine Safaris Ltd or to others who have allowed us to use them. You may view, download and print one copy of a page for your own personal, non-commercial use. You must not copy, republish, sell, modify or otherwise use the content without our written permission.

12.2 You must not use the website unlawfully, post unlawful, threatening, defamatory or obscene material, make false or speculative enquiries, or try to interfere with its security or operation.

12.3 We work to keep the website accurate and available, but we provide it as it is. We do not promise that it is free of errors or malicious software, or always available. The website may link to other sites. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or for anything you do on them.

12.4 We may change or stop any part of the website or the Services at any time.

13. Your personal information

13.1 We handle your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy and in line with the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019. We share it with suppliers only as far as needed to arrange your trip, for example to obtain permits and book accommodation.

14. General

14.1 These terms, together with your written confirmation and the policies named in clause 1.4, are the entire agreement between us about the Services and replace any earlier understanding.

14.2 If a part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that part is applied as far as the law allows and the rest continues in force.

14.3 If we do not insist on a right straight away, we have not given it up. You may not transfer your booking to another person without our written agreement. Notices to you are sent to the email address or telephone number you gave us.

14.4 These terms are written in English, and the English version prevails over any translation.

15. Contact us

15.1 For questions about these terms, please email caninesafarisltd@gmail.com or call +256 700 226975. Our address and other contact details are on the contact page.