Terms and Conditions

CAPE WEST COAST BIOSPHERE TRAILS
Trail Booking Terms and Conditions

Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, Reg. No. 2000/014447/08, herein after referred to as ‘the Company’, accepts bookings subject to the terms and conditions outlined herein, which agreement shall be the whole agreement between the parties:

The Booking

• This booking shall be deemed to have been concluded in Cape Town, South Africa and shall be interpreted according to the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
• The parties consent to the jurisdiction of the Magistrates Court of Cape Town in terms of the provisions of Section 45 of Act 32 of 1944 as amended but it is specifically agreed that the Company at its instance will have the discretion to sue in the High Court if it deems is appropriate.
• Single and high season supplements apply.
• Prices vary with group size and time of year.
• Darling Stagger prices does not include cycling.

Cancellations

• In the case of a booking cancellation, then the client is subject to a cancellation fee as follows:

31 Days or more – 25% of Total Fare
22 – 30 Days – 50% of Total Fare
15 – 21 Days – 75% of Total Fare
0  – 14 Days – 100% of Total Fare

• Any client joining a trail after the departure date, or not at all, or leaving before the completion of the trail for any reason whatsoever, is not entitled to any refunds whatsoever from the Company, or entitled to claim any costs for any added expenses.
• The Company reserves the right to cancel any trail at its sole and absolute discretion, without prior notification in instances where this is unavoidable. However, in this instance the Company agrees to refund all monies already paid by the client. This shall be the Company’s sole responsibility to the client and no claim for any damages, howsoever arising, shall accrue against the company.

Passports, visas and other travel papers

• It is the client’s sole responsibility to ensure that passports, visas, health certificates, proof of vaccinations and any other required documentation are all in order for entry into South Africa.
• The Company cannot be held liable for any consequences, damages or claims if the client prior to commencement of the trail does not correctly attend to the client’s documentation and related matters.

Insurance

• Comprehensive medical and travel insurance is the client’s responsibility to obtain before embarking on the trail.
• Any resulting consequence of not having adequate insurance is the sole responsibility of the client.
• The client agrees that they accept full liability for any and all costs incurred by the Company as a result of such lack or inadequacy of insurance, without exception.

Baggage

All baggage and personal effects are at all times the client’s responsibility and the Company does not accept any liability for any loss or damage of any personal effects, howsoever arising.

What to Bring

Comfortable, casual, warm clothes and shoes are fine for after walking and evenings. For protection from the sun, walking clothes may include a collared, long sleeved shirt, thermal top (in winter), comfortable long or short walking pants (long give protection from sun, ticks ands cratches), windbreaker, rain jacket and pants if you have them, cap and/or warm hat. Shoe options are rather a personal thing. The terrain ranges from fine sand to rocks to old sandy jeep tracks. It is advisable to have a couple of dry changes of clothes, sleepwear, toiletries, sunblock, broad-brimmed hat, daypack, water bottle, camera, between meal energy drinks and snacks and cash for incidentals. There are towels at the guesthouses but you may want to bring an extra one. A sarong or something of that nature is always useful and light to carry in your daypack. Don’t forget your costume.

Weather

The weather is changeable – bring a hat for the sun, a costume for swimming, a windbreaker for the wind, a rain suit in case of rain and a change of clothes just in case your gear gets wet. Again a ‘sarong’ is very useful as a towel, sun shield and wind breaker.

Luggage & Day-pack

You will spend both nights in the same guesthouse so you can leave your luggage in your room. We advise you to lock your rooms or guesthouse when you are not there – just to be safe. Please bring a daypack with you as you will need to carry your lunch and water.

Water

We are trying to cut down on the amount of plastic waste. Please bring a re-usable 1-1.5 litre plastic water bottle and fill up either at the guesthouse or from the 25 litre drum of tap water on hand. If you only drink bottled water – rather than several small bottles, please bring your own 1 – 1.5 liter bottles for the hikes or cycling. Feel free to bring any additional bottled water you may need but please stick to large bottles and take the bottles back home with you to recycle.

Tea / Coffee

We supply tea and filter coffee with breakfast and guesthouses normally provide complimentary sachets of instant coffee and tea. If you would prefer to drink tea / coffee rather than juice and water while paddling – please bring along your own flask, cup and ingredients.

Meals & Drinks

West Coast style dinners (fish braai or potjie) are prepared by marvelous local chefs. The guesthouse provides a breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, fruit and various delicious bacon and egg dishes. A lunch of bread, cheese, snoek pate and other homemade delicacies will either be served picnic style along the route or carried with you. The final lunch is a surprise prepared by local caterers. Please bring your own drinks and snacks.

Safety and Security

To be safe we advise you to take basic security precautions – lock your car and don’t leave anything in it, lock your room or guesthouse when you are not in it and put valuables away where they can’t be seen, don’t walk alone, especially not in areas you don’t know.

As per legal requirements and good sense – one or more of the guides will have basic first aid training and carry a basic first aid kit. In case of mishap the guide may request the assistance of one or more persons in the group, especially a doctor or medic. In cases where evacuation is required the guide will call the trail support vehicle or in the case of emergency evacuation – Atlantic Emergency Medical Response or District Emergency Response. The guides have these numbers on their phones. If something happens to one or more of the guides – please use their phone to call these services.

The trails are relatively easily accessible but injured folk may need to be carried a short distance to exit points. There is cell phone reception along trail but not in all areas. If injury happens at a point where there is no reception and evacuation is required, two people will go to the nearest reception point to call for help the others will remain with the injured party unless otherwise directed by the guide. If the guide is injured, he/she may delegate a person in the group to help manage the situation or in a case where the guide cannot talk, the group should elect a person to manage the situation.

Snakes – if you encounter a snake the best is to stand still until it moves off.

Ostriches – they breed in spring and summer, so wait until they move off or try to keep your distance especially if they have young ones.

It is essential to follow the safety precautions as directed by the guides on the trail.

Code of Conduct

• Reduce carbon emissions – share transport, use green transport, buy locally
• Save water – shower, use the same towels throughout
• Save electricity – turn off the lights when you are not in the room
• Reduce waste – avoid small plastic bottled water containers, use a non-plastic 1-1.5 litre water bottle we can decant into
• Recycle or reuse waste – carry your waste home and give plastic to the guides to recycle
• Do not litter – dispose of all your waste in a dustbin or give it to the guides to recycle
• Choose biodegradable products – packaging, detergents and soaps
• Choose responsible organic products – organic, recyclable, zero footprint, biodiversity & wine initiative (All Darling Cellars belong to this initiative), Fair Trade, SASSI fish products
• Support local economies – procure locally produced goods, create local employment
• Respect the land and the landowners who have been kind enough to let us pass through their property – leave no footprint, close gates and follow the guides lead
• Respect all the people, service providers, property and communities your trail comes in contact with and follow the guides lead
• Respect your natural and cultural heritage and follow your guides lead:
  • Watch where you are walking – don’t trample
  • Use existing paths – don’t disturb virgin territory
  • Observe from a distance
  • Take photographs – don’t remove or disturb
  • When in doubt, don’t

We kindly ask all our guests and service providers to help us practice responsible tourism.