Terms & conditions

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Terms and Conditions of VOLCANO DISCOVERY

Deposit
A deposit of 20% of the tour price, but at least 100,-EUR, is required to make a booking. Unless we agree on something different, VOLCANO DISCOVERY will hold an unconfirmed booking-reservation for a maximum of 7 days from the moment the client informs us (via email or other means) that he or she wants to book a tour. When price includes international flights a deposit of 25% is required. In case there are less than 6 weeks left to the start of a tour, a booking requires immediate and full payment. We recommend that all clients provide themselves with comprehensive travel insurance at the time of booking.

Terms of payment
Full payment (less deposit) shall reach VOLCANO DISCOVERY at least 6 weeks prior to arrival of guests. In case of further delay on payments, VOLCANO DISCOVERY reserves the right to treat this as a cancellation and withdraw its confirmation of the services. It is the client's responsability to include all charges from his bank institute when sending money through a wire transfer.

Validity of prices & price increase
During the interval between payment of a deposit and payment of the final balance, the total price of the tour is guaranteed against any surcharge, except in the case where impredictable events (such as new government regulations, natural forces, or sudden currency changes) make it necessary to alter the price. VOLCANO DISCOVERY will try to absorb such an increase to the extent possible, but VOLCANO DISCOVERY has the right to ask the client up to 5% surcharge until 3 weeks prior to the start of the tour, without any particular rights arising to the client because of this.
If the price increase charged to the client exceeds 5%, the client has the right to cancel his booking with a full refund of the money paid to VOLCANO DISCOVERY so far.

Cancellation by the client
All cancellations must be made by e-mail, fax or letter. In conformity with business practices, VOLCANO DISCOVERY is entitled to charge cancellation fees to clients as follows:

	More than 6 months prior to start of tour: none (except bank charges necessary to return a deposit)
	Less than 6 months and more than 3 months: 10%
	Less than 3 months and more than 6 weeks: 20%
	Less than 6 weeks and more than 2 weeks: 50%
	Less than 2 weeks and more than 48 hours: 80%
	Less than 48 hours 90% (no-show without notice: 100%)

Cancellation by VOLCANO DISCOVERY
VOLCANO DISCOVERY does its best not to cancel a tour. However, VOLCANO DISCOVERY may cancel any tour until 6 weeks prior to the starting date if the minimum number of a tour is not reached or for other good reasons. After 6 weeks prior to departure, VOLCANO DISCOVERY can no longer cancel a tour, except in the case of serious events that make it necessary to cancel, e.g. because of serious safety concerns for the clients (examples include war, political unrest, recent terror-attacks, outbreak of deseases in the destination country, natural disasters etc.). The same applies in the case of serious accident, illness or death of a tour guide or another key person involved in the tour and if equivalent replacement is not possible.
The client has the right to the following compensation scheme in case VOLCANO DISCOVERY cancels a tour:

	Cancellation 3 months or more prior to departure: full refund of all money paid so far to VOLCANO DISCOVERY including all bank charges. No responsibility is held by VOLCANO DISCOVERY for cancellation fees of transportation (airfare etc.) booked by the client.
	Cancellation less than 3 months and 6 weeks or more prior to departure: full refund of all money paid so far to VOLCANO DISCOVERY including all bank charges. In addition, refund of (documented) cancellation fees of airfare and other transportation already booked by the client in close connection with the tour, at a maximum sum of 20% of the added ticket value, but max. 200 EUR per person (* see note).
	Cancellation less than 6 weeks prior to departure: full refund of all money paid so far to VOLCANO DISCOVERY including all bank charges. In addition, refund of (documented) cancellation fees of airfare and other transportation already booked by the client in close connection with the tour, at 100% of the added ticket value, but max. 1000 EUR per person (* see note).
	*Note: refund of cancellation fees of transportation booked by the client requires that the client chooses to cancel this booked transportation immediately after he/she has been informed of VOLCANO DISCOVERY's decision to cancel the tour, at the latest 7 calendar days after that date; further, it is the client's not VOLCANO DISCOVERY's responsability that the information of the tour cancellation can reach him in time via email, telephone, or fax.

Program changes
The tour programs are always subject to possible changes due to dangerous volcanic activity, weather conditions and/or restrictions imposed by local authorities. VOLCANO DISCOVERY has the right to alter the program itineraries and times and individual program blocks without prior notice if this becomes necessary. In such cases, VOLCANO DISCOVERY will try its best to find appropriate, equivalent alternatives; if major parts of a program unexpectedly become unavailable and no equivalent alternative can be found, a reasonable refund will be given to the clients, in form of an amount of money equivalent to the saved expenses.

Liability

VOLCANO DISCOVERY assumes no responsibility for any damage, loss, accident, sickness or program change caused by weather, volcanic activity, regulations by local authorities or any other irregularity outside VOLCANO DISCOVERY’s control. We advise all clients to have comprehensive travel and health insurance. All activities that clients undertake outside or in addition to the tour program are at their sole own responsibility.

In particular, participants should bear in mind that visiting active volcanoes is potentiall very dangerous. The tour leader(s) will use all his/her experience and, where necessary, the experience and assistance of local guides, in order to minimize any risk to participants, in particular in connection with volcanic activity. Nevertheless, all participants on tours that include close visits on active volcanoes (*see note for definition) will be required to sign an assumption of responsibility form before joining any tour. It is even required that clients have read, understood and agree with this assumption of responsability waiver in English language (other languages apply only if this is individually agreed upon) before making a booking, in order to eliminate the possibility of surprise once the booking has been made.
Additional or similar regulations apply for tours where other potentially dangerous activities such as trekking at high altitude, technical mountain climbing, remoteness of medical and communication facilities, watersports etc. are part of the program.
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* Note: Under "visiting active volcanoes at close range", we understand the following: all trips that include visits (by any means of transport) within a 5 km horizontal range from volcanic vents (i.e. craters, rift zones on volcanoes and similar) that have had at least one eruption within the past 10 years from the time of visit, or on volcanoes that are showing scientifically accepted, documental, published or otherwise evident signs of an increased likelyhood of activity during the planned visit.

Applicable Law
This tour contract is subject to German law only.