WILD ECHO

Terms and Conditions

WILD ECHO LIMITED Booking Terms and Conditions

These are the terms and conditions that will apply to your holiday, tour or other arrangement with Wild Echo. Please read them carefully as on booking a tour with us you will be bound by them.

The Contract

Wild Echo Limited is a special interest wildlife tours and photography company incorporated in 2005. On booking with Wild Echo you are entering a contract with it. This agreement is to be interpreted and enforced in accordance with Bulgarian Law.

Our tour operator license is PK-01-7449/02.06.2016
Our current insurance policy is 13062110001038

YOUR COMMITMENTS TO US

Payment

On booking you must enclose the required deposit per person. Deposits are non-refundable but are transferable. The balance of the holiday is due for payment 45 days prior to departure. You will be sent an invoice from Wild Echo Ltd. approximately 8 weeks before departure reminding you of this. If the balance remains unpaid after this due date we reserve the right to cancel your booking and retain the deposit you have paid.  Balance payment for overseas tours outside Europe is due 90 days prior the tour start.

Our bank details are:

UNITED BULGARIAN BANK (UBB)
Bulgaria
Sofia 1000, 89 B VITOSHA BUL.
IBAN:BG30UBBS80021085781440
BIC: UBBSBGSF
Beneficiary: Wild Echo Ltd

Some bank clerks also require the bank number which is the last 10 digits of the IBAN number – 1085781440; also a sort code which in fact is the same as the BIC – UBBSBGSF.

Cancellation By You

The deposit is paid to us as a sign of your willingness to utilise travel arrangements and accommodation which we reserve on your behalf. Should you, or any member of your booking, be forced to cancel your holiday reservation you must do so in writing and this must be signed by the person who have paid the deposit. The cancellation will take effect from the date that written notice is received at our office. All cancellations are subject to a charge (payable by the person who have paid the deposit) based on estimated losses and calculated on a sliding scale as follows:

Cancelations  for the tours in Europa:

Period before date of departure           Cancellation costs 
                                                        
                           Prior to 45 days               Deposit only

                  Between 44 - 1 days               100%   of the total holiday cost

           Day of departure or later             100%   of the total holiday cost

Cancelations for overseas tours:

Period before date of departure           Cancellation costs 
                                                        
                           Prior to 91 days               Deposit only

                  Between 90 - 1 days               100%   of the total holiday cost

           Day of departure or later             100%   of the total holiday cost

Alterations by You

The following sets out any charges applicable for changes you may decide to make to your booking once you have sent us your deposit. In all cases you must notify us of your wishes in writing.  We will acknowledge receipt of your request in writing also.
a) A change of holiday within 6 weeks of departure will be treated as a cancellation and charges will be levied as set out in paragraph 2 above.
b) If you wish to make any other alteration to your original booking you will be charged an alteration fee of 25.00 Euro per change, together with any costs incurred by ourselves and any costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. Whilst we will endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet any such requests. We regret that we can only make such alterations on receipt of the necessary fee.

Insurance

All participants must be covered by insurance before setting out on their Wild Echo holiday, tour or other arrangement, preferably from the time of booking. This must cover you fully against the cost of cancellation by you, medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue the holiday, tour or other arrangement, and must cover you against the cost of air evacuation from remote locations should sickness or injury necessitate such a course of action. You should also note that passenger liability insurance covering the vehicles that we use, particularly in third world countries, may be inadequate; it is therefore important that your insurance cover makes sufficient provision for your dependants in the event of an accident. Please read your policy carefully and take it with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your needs. We do not check insurance policies.

Passports and Visas

It is the responsibility of each passenger to ensure that they have a passport valid for 6 months beyond the end of the holiday, tour or other arrangement (assuming that a passport is required) and that they have any applicable visas plus any compulsory vaccination certificates at the time of travel.
On an arrangement of this nature it is necessary that you abide by the Authority of the Tour leader. Joining a tour with  Wild Echo signifies your agreement to this and if you commit any illegal act when on the holiday, tour or other arrangement, or you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property or fauna (including the collecting of any specimen from the natural world) we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the holiday of the persons concerned. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

Complaints

In the unlikely event of a complaint please refer to the group leader. If the problem still cannot be resolved, then please write to our office within 14 days of the end of the holiday, tour or other arrangement, giving your booking details and all relevant information.  We will acknowledge your letter within 14 days of receipt and provide a full reply within 28 days; the matter should be resolved within 56 days.  It is unlikely that you will have a complaint that cannot be settled amicably between us. Disputes that cannot be amicably settled may, if you wish, be referred to the relevant Bulgarian court. 


OUR COMMITMENTS TO YOU

Alterations By Us

We will do our utmost to provide the arrangements that have been confirmed, but we must reserve the right to modify or cancel any holiday, tour, accommodation or arrangement, or change tour leader, if unforeseen circumstances arise. In such circumstances, we will inform you as soon as possible and, should the change be a major one, we shall offer you the choice of acceptance of the change, an alternative holiday, or a full refund of all monies paid. Where the change is a minor change we will, if practicable, advise you before departure but we are not obliged to do so or to pay you compensation. A major change includes such changes as an alteration to your outward or return flight time by more than 12 hours, a change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard for the whole or a major part of the time you are away, and a change of departure point to one which is significantly more inconvenient for you. We accept no responsibility for additional expense due to delays or changes by the air, sea or coach services, nor weather, strikes, acts of God, quarantine, and other causes beyond our control.

Itinerary Alterations

We will be travelling to foreign countries with all the uncertainties of local bureaucracy and travel that this entails, and so we must be flexible. Circumstances can change, requiring immediate and necessary decisions by our tour leaders. In the best interests of our clients, we reserve the right to alter the itineraries at any time, and will not be held liable for any loss whatsoever caused as a result of changes or delays.

Tour Cancellation

We must regretfully reserve the right not to operate any holiday, tour or other arrangement on which there are insufficient bookings ten weeks before departure. Full payment including your deposit will be refunded. Should your arrangement have to be cancelled by us, including within 8 weeks of your departure date for reasons of "force majeure" (circumstances such as, but not limited to, war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear activity, disease, fire or adverse weather conditions) you will be offered a full and prompt refund (excluding insurance) of all monies paid by you. Please note expenses relating to a delayed return due to strikes or natural disasters are normally the responsibility of the airline concerned.

Our liabilities To You

It should be noted that your booking is accepted on the understanding that you come on the holiday, tour or other arrangement entirely at your own risk. We accept responsibility for ensuring the holiday, tour or other arrangement that you book with us is supplied as described and the services reach a reasonable standard. However we cannot accept liability for physical injury, loss, damage or expense resulting from the actions or omissions of those involved in your holiday, tour or other arrangement over which Wild Echo has no direct control, such as employees of airlines, transport undertakings, and others. Naturally we cannot assume responsibility for loss or expense due to war, riots, strikes, terrorist activities or natural disasters or any scenario regarded as "force majeure". Additionally Wild Echo shall in no circumstances be liable in respect of consequential loss or damage, detention, delay or overcharge howsoever caused.