Please read these Terms carefully before making payment. They form part of your contract with Shah Tours and Travels Ltd. Your quotation, confirmed itinerary and any written special conditions supplied before confirmation also form part of the contract.

1. About us and these Terms

Shah Tours and Travels Ltd ("Shah Tours", "we", "us" or "our") is a Tanzanian tour operator based at 8 (Plot 6) Sekou Toure Road, Shanty Town, Moshi, P.O. Box 1821, Tanzania. These Terms apply to direct consumer bookings unless we agree otherwise in writing. Separate agency terms may apply to bookings made through a travel agent or tour operator.

In these Terms, "you" means the lead booker and every traveller included in the booking; "tour" means the itinerary and travel services booked with us; and "start date" means the first date of services in the confirmed itinerary.

If a specific written condition in your quotation or confirmation conflicts with these general Terms, the specific condition prevails for the affected service. This is particularly relevant to flights, festive-season accommodation, exclusive-use properties and other services with stricter supplier conditions.

2. The lead booker and authority to book

The lead booker must be at least 18 years old and is responsible for:
• having authority to book for every named traveller and accepting these Terms on their behalf;
• providing each traveller with the itinerary, these Terms, our Privacy Notice and all important travel information;
• ensuring names, dates of birth, passport details and other booking information are complete and accurate;
• making payments when due and communicating changes, cancellations and important information to the group; and
• obtaining appropriate authority from a parent or legal guardian for every traveller under 18.

3. Quotations and formation of the contract

1. A quotation is an invitation to book and is subject to availability until we issue written confirmation.
2. Before paying, you must check the traveller names, dates, itinerary, services, inclusions, exclusions, price and any special conditions.
3. A binding contract is formed when we have received the required deposit or other agreed payment and issue written booking confirmation. Electronic communications and records may be used to form and evidence the contract in accordance with Tanzanian law.
4. If a requested service cannot be confirmed, we may propose an alternative or refund the amount received for that unconfirmed service.

4. Prices

Prices are normally quoted in United States dollars (USD) unless stated otherwise. The confirmed price covers only the items listed as included. Items listed as excluded, optional or payable locally remain your responsibility.

• Obvious calculation or typographical errors may be corrected before confirmation. If a material error is identified after confirmation, we will notify you promptly and offer a reasonable correction or cancellation with a refund of amounts paid for the affected booking.
• Government taxes, park fees, conservation fees, concession fees, levies and similar compulsory charges may change after confirmation. Where the change was not reasonably known or controllable when we confirmed the booking, we may pass on the documented difference after giving you an explanation.
• A change in group size, rooming, residency status, nationality documentation, dates, route or services may change the per-person or total price.
• Payments in another currency are subject to our agreed exchange rate at the time of payment. Bank, card, payment-platform and currency-conversion charges are payable by you and will be disclosed where known before payment.

5. Deposit and balance payment

5.1 Standard deposit

A deposit of 30% of the total tour price is required to confirm a booking. The deposit forms part of the total price; it is not an additional fee. We may agree a payment plan or a different deposit in writing.

Some services require a higher or fully non-refundable advance payment. We will disclose any such requirement before confirmation where it affects your booking.

5.2 Balance

The remaining balance is due no later than 60 days before the start date. A booking made within 60 days of the start date must be paid in full at confirmation unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing.

If payment is not received by the due date, we may give written notice requiring payment within a reasonable stated period. If payment remains outstanding, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you and apply the cancellation charges in section 8.

5.3 Payment security

Pay only through instructions provided on an official Shah Tours invoice, secure payment link or verified @shah-tours.com email. We do not publish bank-account details in these Terms. You must contact us using independently verified contact details before acting on any unexpected request to change bank or payment details.

6. Provisional bookings

At our discretion, we may place a short provisional hold without payment. A provisional hold is not a confirmed booking and expires automatically at the stated time. Prices and services remain subject to availability until the deposit is received and written confirmation is issued.

7. Changes requested by you

A request to change names, dates, route, accommodation, group size or other services must be made in writing. We will try to assist but cannot guarantee that a change is possible.

You must pay any price difference, supplier charge, permit or ticket cost and reasonable administrative cost disclosed before the change is made. A significant change of date or traveller may be treated as cancellation and rebooking where suppliers do not permit amendment. No refund is due for services voluntarily omitted or changed after the tour begins.

8. Cancellation by you

The lead booker must cancel in writing by email to the consultant handling the booking or info@shah-tours.com. Cancellation takes effect when we receive the written notice. The following standard charges are calculated as a percentage of the total confirmed tour price:

Written cancellation received Cancellation charge
61 days or more before the start date 30% of total tour price
31-60 days before the start date 50% of total tour price
15-30 days before the start date 75% of total tour price
14 days or fewer before the start date, after commencement, or no-show 100% of total tour price

The cancellation charge is not limited to the amount already paid. Any outstanding amount becomes payable once the cancellation is confirmed.

Where a confirmed service is subject to a higher non-refundable supplier commitment that was disclosed before booking or specifically authorised by you, the cancellation charge for that service will be the higher of the standard charge above or the non-recoverable third-party amount. We will not classify our ordinary internal operating costs - such as anticipated fuel, normal equipment use or guide allocation not yet paid or irreversibly committed - as third-party charges.

We may deduct amounts payable from money already received. Any refundable balance will be returned to the original payer and, where reasonably possible, through the original payment method. External bank, card, platform or exchange charges are not refundable by us. We aim to process an approved refund promptly, although completion time may depend on suppliers and payment providers.

9. Early-cancellation booking credit

If written cancellation is received at least 90 days before the start date, we may, at your request, allow eligible value from the otherwise non-refundable 30% deposit to be used as credit instead of being forfeited as a cancellation charge. The credit option is subject to all of the following conditions:

• It applies only when Shah Tours confirms the credit in writing; it is not an automatic cash-refund right.
• The credit equals the eligible portion of the deposit remaining after deducting non-refundable or non-recoverable third-party charges already paid, contractually committed or reasonably payable for the booking.
• Third-party charges may include accommodation deposits, flights, ferry or rail tickets, permits, special activities, event services or goods ordered specifically for the booking. We will identify such deductions on request.
• Our normal internal costs that have not yet been paid or irreversibly committed are not deducted as third-party charges.
• The credit is personal to the originally booked traveller or travellers, is not transferable to another person and cannot be exchanged for cash.
• The replacement tour must start within 18 months of the original start date, unless we agree otherwise in writing.
• The credit may be transferred once only and is applied against the price current when the replacement booking is confirmed. Any increase, new service cost or additional deposit must be paid.
• Supplier availability, seasonal prices, park fees, taxes and exchange rates applicable to the replacement booking may differ.
• If the replacement booking is later cancelled, the transferred credit is forfeited and the normal cancellation charges apply to any additional amount paid.
• No credit is available for a cancellation received fewer than 90 days before the start date unless we expressly agree as a gesture of discretion.

10. Travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly required from the time of booking and must be appropriate for the itinerary. For mountain trekking and remote activities, the policy should cover the planned maximum altitude, trekking without direct road access, emergency medical treatment, evacuation or helicopter evacuation where available, repatriation, trip cancellation and interruption, delayed or lost baggage and the activities undertaken.

Insurance terms vary. You are responsible for confirming the policy wording, exclusions, excesses and geographical and activity limits directly with the insurer. You remain responsible for costs not paid by an insurer.

11. Passports, visas, permits and entry requirements

Each traveller is responsible for obtaining and carrying the correct passport, visa, permits, vaccination or health documents, parental permissions and onward or return travel documents. Requirements may change and may depend on nationality, residence, age, health and travel route.

Information we provide is general guidance and is not a warranty that a traveller will be admitted. If required documents are missing, invalid or rejected, the traveller must pay any resulting fee, delay, alternative arrangement or cancellation charge. A resident or citizen price is conditional on the relevant authority accepting the original evidence required for that rate.

12. Health, fitness and participation

You must disclose before confirmation, and update us promptly about, any medical condition, disability, pregnancy, allergy, dietary requirement, medication, recent illness or other circumstance that may materially affect participation, safety or the services required. We handle health information in accordance with our Privacy Notice and applicable law.

Adventure travel, wildlife safaris, mountain trekking and travel in remote areas involve inherent risks, variable conditions and limited access to medical care. You are responsible for obtaining appropriate medical advice and assessing your fitness for the chosen itinerary.

Our guides may adjust an activity, refuse participation or require descent or evacuation where they reasonably consider this necessary for the safety of a traveller, the group, staff, wildlife or the public. Such a decision does not normally create a refund right for unused services.

13. Conduct and safety instructions

Travellers must comply with Tanzanian law, protected-area and property rules, and reasonable safety instructions from Shah Tours, guides, drivers, rangers and suppliers. A traveller must not endanger, harass or abuse another person; damage property or the environment; interfere with wildlife; possess unlawful items; or materially disrupt the tour.

We may remove a traveller from an activity or terminate their participation where conduct or condition creates a material safety, legal or operational risk. The traveller is responsible for resulting accommodation, transport, repatriation and other costs, and no refund is normally due for unused services.

14. Itinerary changes and unused services

Travel in Tanzania is affected by weather, road and trail conditions, wildlife movements, park rules, aviation, accommodation operations, safety considerations and other circumstances. The itinerary is therefore a statement of intended services rather than a guarantee of every route, wildlife sighting, timing or named supplier.

We may make a reasonably necessary change before or during the tour. Where practicable, we will provide a comparable alternative. No refund is due for an insubstantial change or a change needed for safety, weather, authority instructions or circumstances beyond our reasonable control. If we make a material pre-departure change to a principal service for reasons within our control, we will offer an appropriate alternative, price adjustment or cancellation option having regard to the affected service.

No refund is due for accommodation, meals, transport, park visits, climbing days or other services that a traveller chooses not to use, misses through lateness, cannot use because of their documents, health or conduct, or abandons after the tour begins.

15. Minimum numbers and scheduled departures

Where a departure is expressly sold subject to a minimum group size, we will state this before booking. If the minimum is not reached, we may offer the tour at a revised price, offer an alternative date or arrangement, or cancel and refund the amounts paid to us for the affected tour. We will give as much notice as reasonably practicable.

16. Cancellation by Shah Tours

We may cancel where we cannot reasonably provide the contracted services, including for safety, legal, licensing, supplier failure, insufficient minimum numbers where disclosed, or force majeure. If we cancel for reasons within our control, we will offer a suitable alternative or refund the amount paid to us for the cancelled services.

We are not required to refund costs paid directly to third parties, including international flights, visas, insurance or personal arrangements. Where cancellation results from your non-payment, documents, conduct or breach of these Terms, section 8 applies.

17. Force majeure

Force majeure means an unusual or unforeseeable event beyond the reasonable control of the affected party whose consequences could not reasonably have been avoided. It may include severe weather or natural disaster, epidemic or pandemic measures, war, terrorism, civil unrest, border or airspace closure, government or protected-area action, fire, major transport disruption, industrial action, utility or communications failure, or a serious public-health or security event.

Where force majeure prevents or materially affects performance, we may suspend, modify, postpone or cancel affected services. We will seek recoveries from suppliers and offer any refund or credit actually recoverable after deducting services already provided and irrecoverable third-party commitments. Each traveller remains responsible for claiming other losses through travel insurance. Nothing in this section removes a right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

18. Suppliers

We arrange services provided by independent accommodation owners, airlines, transport providers, park and conservation authorities, activity operators and other suppliers. Their lawful operating rules and conditions may apply to the services they provide. We select and coordinate suppliers with reasonable care but do not control every act or omission of an independent supplier or public authority.

19. Baggage, valuables and delayed arrival

Travellers are responsible for their baggage, money, documents, medication and valuables. Essential medication, travel documents and critical trekking items should be carried in hand luggage where permitted. If a flight, luggage delivery or independent transfer is delayed, we will try to assist, but additional equipment, transport, accommodation, porterage, delivery and itinerary-change costs are payable by the traveller unless included in the booking.

20. Responsibility and limitation of liability

We will perform our contractual services with reasonable care and skill. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we are not liable for loss arising from:

• the traveller's own act, omission, health condition, inaccurate information, unlawful conduct or failure to follow reasonable instructions;
• an independent service not booked through us;
• an event that neither we nor the relevant supplier could reasonably have foreseen or prevented with due care;
• ordinary inherent risks of the disclosed activity that do not result from a failure by us to exercise reasonable care and skill; or
• indirect or consequential business loss suffered by a traveller booking for personal purposes

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability or mandatory consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded. Any compensation will take account of amounts recovered for the same loss from a supplier, insurer or other person, so that there is no double recovery.

21. Complaints

A concern during the tour must be raised promptly with the guide, driver or our 24-hour emergency contact, +255 627 060 504, so that we have a reasonable opportunity to assist. If it is not resolved, send a written complaint to info@shah-tours.com as soon as reasonably possible, preferably within 30 days after the tour ends, with the booking reference and supporting information. A delay does not remove a mandatory legal right, but it may affect our ability to investigate.

22. Personal data, photography and publicity

We process personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice and Personal Data Protection Policy. Booking information may be shared with suppliers and authorities where reasonably necessary to arrange services, protect safety or comply with law.

Booking a tour does not by itself give us consent to use an identifiable traveller's photograph, video, testimonial or full name for marketing. We will obtain separate permission where required. A person may withdraw marketing permission for future use by contacting us, subject to material already lawfully published or required records.

23. Website information and intellectual property

Website descriptions, maps, photographs and sample itineraries are provided for general information and may be updated. Wildlife sightings, weather, views, exact timings and uninterrupted access cannot be guaranteed. Shah Tours' website content, branding and original materials may not be reproduced commercially without written permission, except as allowed by law.

24. Notices and electronic communications

Booking notices, confirmations, amendments and cancellations may be sent electronically. You must provide an active email address and telephone number and check spam or junk folders. A notice to Shah Tours must be sent to the consultant handling the booking or info@shah-tours.com. An emergency message should also be communicated by telephone where practical.

25. General contractual provisions

• Entire agreement: the confirmed itinerary, quotation, invoice, written special conditions and these Terms constitute the agreement. A change is effective only when confirmed in writing by an authorised Shah Tours representative.
• Severability: if a provision is unlawful or unenforceable, it will be limited or removed only to the extent necessary; the remaining provisions continue to apply.
• No waiver: delay or failure to enforce a right does not waive that right.
• Assignment: you may not transfer the booking or contract without our written agreement. We may transfer performance to an appropriately licensed or qualified associated provider while remaining responsible to the extent required by law.
• Language: the English version governs where a translated version is inconsistent, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

26. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and the booking contract are governed by the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania. The parties should first attempt to resolve a dispute in good faith through written communication. If it cannot be resolved, the courts of competent jurisdiction in Tanzania will have jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory right or forum that applicable law does not permit the parties to exclude.

Relevant Tanzanian legislation includes the Law of Contract Act, Chapter 345; the Electronic Transactions Act, Chapter 442; the Fair Competition Act, Chapter 285; and the Personal Data Protection Act, Chapter 44, as amended or replaced from time to time.

27. Contact details

Shah Tours and Travels Ltd | 8 (Plot 6) Sekou Toure Road, Shanty Town, Moshi, Tanzania | P.O. Box 1821, Moshi, Tanzania
Email: info@shah-tours.com | Telephone/WhatsApp: +255 655 071 655 | 24-hour emergency: +255 627 060 504 | Website: www.shah-tours.com