Terms & Conditions

Aracari Privacy Policy

This privacy policy discloses the privacy practices for (www.aracari.com). This privacy policy applies solely to information collected by this web site. It will notify you of the following:

1. What personally identifiable information is collected from you through the web site, how it is used and with whom it may be shared.
2. What choices are available to you regarding the use of your data.
3. The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information.
4. How you can correct any inaccuracies in the information.

Information Collection, Use, and Sharing

We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.

We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary to fulfill your request.

Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about news and updates, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

Your Access to and Control Over Information

You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time. You can do the following at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website:

• See what data we have about you, if any.
• Change/correct any data we have about you.
• Have us delete any data we have about you.
• Express any concern you have about our use of your data.

Security

We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.

Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser, or looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

Updates

Our Privacy Policy may change from time to time and all updates will be posted on this page.

If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately via telephone at +511 651 2424 or +1 718 395 2406 or by email at travel@aracari.com

Payment and cancellation policy

I. General

A. We strongly recommend you to take out travel insurance in your country when travelling to Peru, Bolivia or the Galapagos. Travel Insurance generally protects you (depending on the policy)  from expenses incurred due to flight cancellations, theft, lost luggage and general cancellation in the event that you are unable to carry out your trip as a result of illness or other serious, unforeseen circumstances. It can also cover your medical expenses during travel in case of illness or accident.

B. In order to obtain the permits to visit various sites in Peru, your complete, correct personal information (name, passport number and date of birth) must be provided. Failure to provide these on time may result in our inability to attain permits because they are sold out. We are not responsible for the inability to purchase permits as a result of the late provision of information or for the issuance of incorrect permits as a result of the provision of incorrect information.
C. Any price increases on train, airline, boat tickets as well National Park fees and hotel rates, between the time of booking and the time payment is made will be passed on to you.
D. Please understand that there are certain hazards involved in adventurous holidays, which you must accept at your own risk. Aracari is not liable for any illness, injury or fatality that results from participation in any activities or treks during the holiday, nor will it be liable for any uninsured loss of property.
E. If you are unhappy with the services rendered during the course of your trip, you need to notify Aracari immediately so that we may assist you to alleviate the issue. Refunds will not be granted after the trip has ended unless we are notified during the course of the trip.

II. Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador land services

** In some cases, a non-refundable advance payment of US$250.00 may be requested in order to cover initial tailoring services, as well as the time spent working on travel planning and design. This payment is entirely transferrable against the final cost of the trip. It is at the discretion of Aracari to decide in what cases this advance payment will be requested.**

A. PAYMENT

1) FITS (1-7 rooms)

▪ A non-refundable deposit of US$1,000 per passenger is due at the time of booking as an advance payment for travel planning services, plus any applicable vendor expenses, such as entrance fees, permits to the Inca Trail and any amounts required to secure bookings of trains, flights, cruises and specific properties and services.

▪ Final payment must be received no later than 60 days before the beginning of the trip. If for any reason, payment is not received 60 days before, reservations will be released. We will notify you in advance

▪ Bookings made within 60 days of travel require full payment upon confirmation
▪ Bookings including Amazon cruises made 95 days or less prior to departure require full, non-refundable payment upon confirmation.

2) For Groups of 8+ rooms

• A non-refundable deposit of US$2,000.00 per passenger is due at the time of booking as an advance payment for travel planning services, plus any applicable vendor expenses, such as entrance fees, permits to the Inca Trail and any amounts required to secure bookings of trains, flights, cruises and specific properties and services.
• The balance must be received no later than 75 days prior to departure date. If for any reason, payment is not received 75 days before, reservations will be released. We will notify you in advance.

3) For Amazon Cruises (except charters)

• A non-refundable deposit of US$800.00 per passenger is due at the time of booking, and the balance is due 95 days prior to departure date.
• Reservations made 95 days or less prior to departure require a full, non-refundable payment upon confirmation.

4) For Fits & Groups Amazon Cruises charters

• A non-refundable deposit of US $10,000, $15,000, $ 20,000 or above (depending on total cruise cost) for reservations made 180 days or more before departure date is due at the time of booking (please refer to section B. Cancellations & Amendments, 2. CANCELLATIONS BY YOU).
• Final payment must be received no later than 95 days prior to departure date.
• Reservations made 95 days or less prior to departure require a full, non-refundable payment upon confirmation.

5) For Fits & Groups with overnight in Explora Sacred Valley or Kachi Lodge

• A 30% non-refundable deposit at the time of the booking.
• Final payment must be received no later than 60 days prior to departure date.
• Reservations made 60 days or less prior to departure require a full, non-refundable payment upon confirmation.

B. CANCELLATIONS & AMENDMENTS

COVID SPECIAL POLICIES

– VALID FOR BOOKINGS CONFIRMED BEFORE MARCH 31 2022

The following policies supersedes the normal cancellation and payment policies detailed in this document.

Aracari wants to give customers greater assurance when the travel that plans can be changed at short notice without incurring costs or other penalties. The new way of travel demands flexibility and consequently, Aracari has put in place a new policy that is “You may change your plans within 30 days of travel, without losing your booking deposit”

CANCELLATIONS

Prior to 30 Days of Traveling

Your booking deposit with Aracari is 100% refundable, as long as you cancel before 30 days of travelling. Should you not be able to travel due to COVID-19, we can defer your arrangements to a date when you are able to travel, subject to availability and seasonality, at no cost to you.

Any vendor expenses will be refunded according to each vendor’s policy. In the majority of cases we have secured assurances from vendors that they will issue either refunds or vouchers, so that you can rebook your trip at a later date, at no extra charge. There are of course exceptions and should this be the case, we will endeavour to recover as much of your money back from our partners with no guarantees. Please enquire with our team if you have any doubts or would like to make specific requirements.

We can change any pre-booked international, domestic flights or cruise, but this may incur additional cancellation and alteration fees imposed by the operator.

Within 30 Days of Traveling

In the event of cancellation within 30 days of intended travel, the Aracari deposit is non-refundable (but it may be possible to defer). We will endeavour to recover your funds from our vendors, but cannot guarantee the amounts.

PAYMENTS

We appreciate that paying the full balance for your holiday 60 days or more in advance, when it’s not clear if your trip can take place is a daunting prospect. To provide further reassurance, we have agreed with our suppliers to make balance payments as late as 30 days prior to departure, allowing us to ensure your trip is viable before asking for any balance payment.

There are some exceptions to this added flexibility, which may include private charters and bookings over the Christmas and New Year period. Should this apply to your booking, we will communicate it to you in advance.

For added peace of mind, all client funds deposited with us or suppliers are held in a distinct ring-fenced account, until such time as they become payable.

1. Amendments by you

• Requests for amendments less than 30 days before the start of the trip must be in writing. We will try to accommodate all reasonable amendments and modifications to the agreed itinerary after payment is made and/or the trip has begun.
• All charges corresponding to new services contracted will be passed on to you, and no refunds will be given for unused services and/or accommodation.
• If you ask us to execute new arrangements or rearrangements (*) of activities during the course of your trip, we reserve the right to charge you an extra administrative fee of US$200 plus any applicable vendor expenses.

(*) arrangements or rearrangements meaning change of hotels, guide, and/or tours

• Any substantial (*) changes to the itinerary after full payment has been received will be treated as a cancellation by you (please refer to section B. Cancellations & Amendments, 2. CANCELLATIONS BY YOU).

(*) Substantial meaning an altogether change of route as trek and/or destination changes

• If you are prevented from taking the holiday due to jury service, unavoidable work commitment, redundancy, illness, serious illness of a close family member or death, you may transfer the booking to a person acceptable to Aracari provided that:

(i) You request the transfer in writing as soon as possible.

(ii) Your request is accompanied by documentary proof of the reason for the transfer, full details of the person who will replace you, any balance due for the booking and the appropriate administrative fee (see below).

(iii) The replacement agrees to be bound by these booking conditions. The administrative fee will be US$200 per person, plus any charges levied by the suppliers of your holiday components (hotels, trains, tours, etc). Please note that airlines sometimes charge a 100% cancellation fee plus the cost of a new ticket.

(iv) Please note that the Inca Trail passes are non-transferable and non-refundable.

2. Cancellations by you
a) Fits

• 
• If during the course of the trip you decide for any reason to cancel the whole trip or to realise an altogether change of route, no refunds will be given for the unused services and/or accommodation.
• Please note that tickets for the multi-day Inca Trail and One-day Inca Trail are paid upon confirmation. These are non-refundable and non-transferable in the event of cancellation by you. If after booking the Inca Trail permits with us, you decide to change the route and/or transfer the Inca Trail to another date, please note the new permit charges will be passed on to you or your client, and no refunds will be given for the unused permits.

b) Cancellation by Groups (8+ rooms)

• If individual members of the group cancel, the group cancellation policy applies.
• If during the course of the trip, some individual members of the group decide for any reason to cancel the whole trip or to realise an altogether change of route, no refunds will be given to those passengers for the unused services and/or accommodation.
• Aracari must receive a preliminary list of confirmed passengers at least 60 days prior to departure date. Any changes made to that preliminary list within 15 days of the start of the trip will infer an administrative fee of US$200.00 per substantial change (*).

(*) Substantial meaning an altogether change of route, trek and/or destination changes.

c) For Fits & Groups Amazon cruises (except charters)

• For a cancellation made 125 or more days prior to departure date, the deposit will be refunded less a US$ 300.00 fee per person.
• For a cancellation made 124 to 91 days prior to departure date, the full deposit will not be refunded as a cancellation penalty.
• For a cancellation made 90 days or less prior to departure date, full payment will be applied as a cancellation penalty.

d) For Amazon charters

• For a cancellation made 175 or more days prior to departure date, the deposit will be refunded less USD10,000.00, (6/7nights charter) or USD7,000.00 (3/4 nights charter) minus an administrative fee of ….
• For a cancellation made between 174 and 95 days prior to departure date, the deposit will be charged as a cancellation penalty.
• For a cancellation made 94 days or less prior to departure date, full payment will be applied as a cancellation penalty.

3. Amendments by Aracari – land arrangements

• In very rare circumstances, Aracari may have to modify a confirmed holiday before you depart. If the modification is significant (*), Aracari will notify you as soon as practicably possible and offer you two choices:

1. Cancel the trip or part of the trip and receive a full and prompt refund of the unused services.
2. Accept the alternative, and in case of a change to a lower standard of accommodation, to receive a refund for the difference amount between unused and lower accommodation.

(*) We define significant as any of the following: a modification of flight time by more than 12 hours, a change of airport [except between airports serving the same city], a change of destination or a change to a lower standard of accommodation.

4. Force majeure

• Force majeure refers to any unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond Aracari’s control, the consequences of which neither Aracari nor its suppliers could avoid, including, but not limited to: war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity (actual or threatened), earthquake, industrial dispute, technical problems with transport, machinery or equipment, power failure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, flood, drought, adverse weather conditions and level of water in rivers.
• If as a result of force majeure, Aracari is rendered unable to provide a portion of your holiday after it has commenced and alternative arrangements must be made, the passengers will have to bear the cost of those arrangements.

Under no circumstances will Aracari offer refunds for cancellations in the event of a force majeure.

III. GALAPAGOS CRUISES

A. Payment for charters

• A deposit of 15% of the price of the charter is due upon booking confirmation.
• The balance must be received no later than 180 days prior to departure date.
• Bookings made within 180 days of departure date require full payment upon confirmation.
  B. Fit and Groups (8+ PASSENGERS) booking
• A deposit of US$800.00 per passenger is due upon booking confirmation.
• The balance must be received no later than 95 days prior to departure date.
• Bookings made within 95 days of departure date require full payment upon confirmation.
  C. Choice of vessel
• Departures on assigned dates in specific boats may require a minimum number of passengers. Ask your consultant for information about your boat specifications.
• In the event that the minimum number of passengers is not reached, and the departure is cancelled, Aracari will make its best efforts to find a suitable alternative. A similar alternative is, however, NOT guaranteed.
• In the event that the alternative found is agreeable to you and the cost is lower, you will receive a refund accordingly. If the alternative found is more expensive, no extra payment will be due. In the event that the alternative found is NOT SUITABLE, we will refund you the full amount of your trip.
• Force majeure conditions apply. (Please refer to section B. Cancellations and Amendments, 4. Force majeure).

D. Cancellation of Galapagos charters

• If during the course of the trip, you decide for any reason to cancel the whole trip, no refunds will be given for the unused services and/or accommodation.

E. Cancellation of Fit and Group bookings on Galapagos cruises

• If during the course of the trip, some individual members of the group decide for any reason to cancel the whole trip, no refunds will be given to those passengers for the unused services and/or accommodation.

Method of payment

• Wire transfer in US dollars to a designated account. (All remittance costs including correspondent banking charges must be covered by the sender)
• Details will be provided with the Invoice.