Please read the following carefully.

These terms & conditions constitute part of the contract with Epic Escapes Ltd when booking your holiday.

Your booking is with Epic Escapes Ltd with registered number at 15448202 and registered address at 3 Wathen Road, St Andrews, Bristol, BS6 5BY (“we”, “us”, the “Company” or “our”).

When you book, we will accept your booking from the “Lead Traveller” and will assume, unless corrected, that correspondence with this person is authorised, to confirm, alter and cancel any and or all arrangements with any travellers included and named within the original booking.

Insurance

Travel insurance is compulsory for all travellers on holidays with Epic Escapes Ltd. 

Your booking requires that you obtain valid and sufficient travel insurance for all the activities involved in your trip. You may request clarification on any of these to ensure you are confident you have cover. For example, some policies cover mountain trekking to 4000 m, and others up to 6000 m altitude.

You must obtain this prior to travel, and furnish Epic Escapes Ltd with a copy of your cover, prior to travel, so that we can ensure your safety by checking its extent and sufficiency. You must also bring with you proof of cover, and details of how to activate, for us to inspect and view at any time during the trip. This is for your safety, and to assist you should you be unable to activate cover when you require it yourself.

It’s best to obtain this cover as soon as you book your trip, to help with any issues that might arise out of anyone’s control, such as pandemic etc.

We are very happy to provide additional detail that your insurer might ask for, to ensure accurate cover.



Medical

Epic Escapes Ltd puts people and safety before everything else. You are required to complete a medical questionnaire, as soon as possible, once you’ve booked with us, and the answers you give are relied upon by us to ensure your safety.

Don’t be alarmed by this. We are proud to open up travel to everyone in places that might have been inaccessible to individuals, but we need the facts to plan accordingly. We will work hard to make your trip happen, even if you are worried about your medical form.

Prices and charges

Epic Escapes Ltd must reserve the right to alter prices when local factors weigh in. Changes in the costs of local transportation, taxes, sometimes national park taxes, fuel or, (in exceptional circumstances) exchange rates mean that the price of your trip may need to be altered following your booking. 

Given currency fluctuations, the rate of your currency exchange will be fixed at the time of booking. This might mean that there could be an increase in the cost of the trip at the time of final payment. 

On occasion national or local governments will impose or increase taxes on the entry to national parks. If this happens we will communicate these increases to you, but Epic Escapes Ltd will need to request that these are met by you, and will advise you accordingly.

Schedules and to some extent dates, are subject to alteration, subject to emergencies and wider events in the world.

Cancellation conditions


Epic Escapes Ltd retains the right to cancellation of the trip, in the unlikely event that booking participant numbers make the trip unviable. If this should occur we will make every effort to offer and accommodate your booking on a trip of similar, or greater value, and at no extra cost to you. In the event that no replacement is possible, any monies paid will be refunded.

Any cancellation of your trip by you must be made by the Lead Traveller, and needs to be written and received by Epic Escapes Ltd, and will be valid upon receipt of the same.

Booking deposits are non-refundable. This is due to the fact that in advance of your trip, Epic Escapes Ltd will be booking hotels, national parks, local staff and transportation. Often these are non-refundable by the supplier, booked in advance, and in good faith. 

In addition other cancellation charges apply, depending upon the date of your cancellation, and the date of the trip you have booked. Please see below for further details.

These charges have been calculated based upon the lead time between the date your cancellation is received by us, and the date of the first day  of your trip.

Cancellations are based on the 100% of the trip price and scale according to the timescales around which you cancel. They are not calculated based upon the monies paid at the time of cancellation. 

Your trip might be cancelled due to reasons out of our control (force majeure). If you are unable to pay the balance of your trip then the trip will be cancelled. In the event that an offered experience or service is cancelled, or unavailable, your trip may be cancelled.

In the event of any of the above we’ll try our best to refund you in full or part, this will depend upon our success in repatriating funds from 3rd parties, and suppliers whom we have stood down, but this can’t be relied upon.

• Deposits are non-refundable. You understand this when booking your trip.

• If you cancel your trip up to 6 months before departure date (26 weeks) 50% of the trip costs apply.

• If you cancel your trip between 6 months and 3 months (26-13 weeks) before departure then 75% costs apply.

• Your cancellation less than 3 months from departure won’t be eligible for a refund, as 100% of the trip costs will apply.

These terms exist even if you book your trip within the refund reduction windows stated above.

Payment Terms

Epic Escapes Ltd offers a system of non-refundable deposit, followed by staged interest-free payments for the remainder of your balance

You will receive a payment schedule, with dates and payment amounts, and receive reminders for each payment.

This schedule is sent upon receipt of your booking details via the Booking Details form, which requires these terms to be accepted in order to be completed.

By accepting these Terms, as part of your details submission, you are agreeing to abide by the terms of the payment schedule.

Booking Changes or Cancellations

We reserve the right to cancel your booking or alter any accommodation, services or prices. 

Travel arrangements are made in advance, and items such as mountain permits must sometimes be reserved up to a year before travel. We will aim to offer services of equal, or greater value, where this happens.

Force Majeure includes the following:

Any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not even with all due care, foresee or forestall such as (by way of example and not by way of limitation) war, threat of war, riots, civil disturbances, industrial disputes, actual or threatened terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disasters, fire, epidemics, health risks and pandemics, acts of God, unavoidable and unforeseeable technical problems with transport for reasons beyond our control or that of our suppliers, closed or congested airports or ports, hurricanes and other actual or potential adverse weather conditions, unforeseen terminal or critical illness of a supplier, and any other similar events.

We cannot be held liable where failures by 3rd party suppliers result in other aspects of the trip being affected or cancelled. Epic Escapes takes you to places where timetables and standards don’t always match those we are used to in the UK. This is part of the attraction in visiting remote and unusual destinations. Similarly, standards of medical care, hygiene, and health and safety provision will differ from what you  may be used to. Our itinerary is our plan, but may need to be modified as this is the nature of the adventurous trip you have booked, and you accept that we owe no liability for discomfort, illness, injury or loss, where the natural environment and normal conditions of the area we travel to are the cause. An example of this would be altitude sickness. 

Should this occur we do everything we can to mitigate it, so that the trip can continue but it must be held in mind that many of these reservations are made up to a year in advance.

An example of this could be low river levels where rafting is booked, we’d seek to book another river or similar experience to meet your expectations. Bear in mind this could mean cancellation of the trip where funds are non-refundable.

For example, where a bus or flight connection fails, there may be a knock on effect which is beyond our control, resulting in the loss of a permit, hotel booking, or other booked service.

Should you elect to participate in any activity, accommodation, transport, or service that is not part of your pre-booked itinerary, the contract for the provision of that activity will be between you and the provider. 

Any decision to partake in any of these is entirely at your own discretion and risk. If you do have any complaint about, or problem with, any optional activity you must pursue your claim with the contracted 3rd party, and not to us.

Other changes in our itinerary may be caused by local political conditions, flight cancellations, mechanical breakdown, weather, border restrictions, sickness, or other unforeseeable circumstances.

Our Liability, Conditions of Carriage & Limitations
 

We and our suppliers should comply with the rules and standards of the regions which we visit. These can be very different from those you might be used to.

Standards of, for example, safety, hygiene and quality vary throughout the transport and destinations that your trip may involve. Sometimes these standards will be lower than those which would be expected in the UK. 

We shall have no liability where the cause of the failure to provide, or failure in, your holiday or any death or personal injury you may suffer is not due to any fault on our part or that of our agents or suppliers, because it is either attributable to you, or attributable to someone unconnected with your holiday and is unforeseeable or unavoidable, or is attributable to our employees, agents, subcontractors and suppliers and their staff whilst acting outside the scope of their employment.


We operate all our trips in accordance with the recommendations from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). If you are booking from outside the UK you should recognise that the FCO advice may not always be aligned with the advice from your own consulate or government travel authority.



Visa, Health, Passport, Travel Documentation


Whilst we are able to provide basic advice to clients regarding passports and visa requirements, you should check with the appropriate embassy, consulate or the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the exact requirements for your chosen tour and date of travel. 

You must ensure that you have the correct passport and visas to gain access to any country/region included in the travel arrangements which you purchase from us including checking that your passport has the required period of validity left on it. 

If you fail to do so, we are not liable for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer, nor can we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements. In some cases, countries will refuse entry to clients who have criminal records. Should you be concerned about this, please check with the embassy or consulate of the countries to which you are travelling. You are entirely responsible for ensuring that you have the correct and valid documentation for travel. 

We cannot accept responsibility for any failure to comply resulting in any costs or fines being incurred and we advise you to check with your passport office or the consulate in question if you have any queries. Clients travelling overland to certain destinations may need to also pass through controls of other countries en-route so this should be allowed for with any passport/visa applications.


If you have any medical problems, are pregnant, or have recently visited other countries, you should check requirements with your general practitioner. You must advise us and you may need to be cleared for travel from your GP (who may charge you for such and, for the avoidance of doubt, we are not liable for any such charges or related costs). Any known medical conditions must be disclosed on the medical form we supply, and cleared by us in advance of travel.

When assessing whether holidays will operate we use information from our local offices in conjunction with advice from the Foreign Office and other relevant government bodies. It is your responsibility to acquaint yourself with the travel advice provided by these government bodies.

Please note that for some trips we need to request special permits, and as such we will require your passport details prior to accepting your booking. Furthermore, if you renew your passport after you have booked, you may be required to take your old passport with you to maintain the validity of the permit.


Local Laws, Customs and Travel Aware


Laws and customs of the country/ies you visit can be very different to those in the UK.

Be aware of your actions to ensure that they do not offend, especially if you intend to visit religious areas.

There may be serious penalties for doing something that might not be illegal in the UK.

You are strongly advised to check with the appropriate embassy, consulate or British and Commonwealth Office or https:// www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for further information regarding local laws and customs of the country/ies you plan to visit.

It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with, and respect local laws and customs. If you fail to do so, we will have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements.

You are also recommended to read the Foreign Office’s “Travel Aware” guidance to familiarise yourself with Government advice for overseas travel. This advice can be found at https:// travelaware.campaign.gov.uk

We are able to advise on mandatory health requirements; however, we are not medical experts. It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two months prior to travel for the latest health requirements, recommendations for your destination and any costs. Where you do not do so and either are not allowed to enter any country, or suffer personal injury or death as a result, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss or damage which you suffer nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel arrangements.