Booking Your Trip
To secure your spot on a Tusker trip complete the trip application and make your US$1,000 deposit.  We will email you a detailed pre-departure manual.  It tells you all you'll need to know about preparing for your trip.  If we can't offer you a place you may choose join the trip wait-list, or request a refund of your trip deposit.  See below for wait list terms.

We accept US dollars in the form of personal or bank checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or Wire transfer (contact us for bank details).

Payment Schedule for Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Mongolia, Greenland, Solar Eclipse Trips

• • US$1,000  per person upon booking (to secure your spot).
  • Final payment 90 days before your departure.

Payment Schedule for Patagonia Trek

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If we haven't received your final payment and no special arrangements have been made, we will assume that you have canceled and will fill your spot from our wait-list.  If someone else is paying for any portion of your trip, you (the traveler) are responsible for payments and cancellation fees.

Additional payments may be required on extensions or customized itineraries.

Credit Card Payments
The land cost of your trip will be automatically charged to your credit card  on the dates listed in the payment schedule.  If you need to change credit card, please do so PRIOR to the charge date.  Once your card is charged, if you decide to use a different card, we will assess you the 3% processing charge.

Tusker Wait-list
If we are not able to offer you a place at the time that you book your trip, you can choose to join the Trip Wait-list by completing our trip application form. No deposit is required. When a spot opens up for you on the trip, we will let you know and ask that you confirm acceptance on the trip - in writing.  Once you have agreed to join the trip you must place your deposit of US$1,000 with us.

Cancellations
Kilimanjaro, Wildlife Safari, Everest Base Camp, Greenland, Mongolia, Solar Eclipse - While we do not recommend cancelling your trip, we understand that events out of your control may force you to do so. We do have a cancellation policy. But before cancelling and paying any penalties, consider a RAIN-CHECK for your trip.  (Rain-checks are not available certain trips - see below.)

At the time we receive written notice from you that you are cancelling your trip, the following fees will apply for each person cancelling:

• • • • From time of reservation until 91 days prior to trip departure - US$250
      • 90 to 61 days prior to trip departure – 25% of Land Cost.
      • 60 to 31 days prior to trip departure – 50% of Land Cost.
      • 30 days or less prior to trip departure – 100% of Land Cost.

Cancellation terms will differ on Zanzibar and other extensions or customized itineraries.

Appropriate Physical Condition
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are healthy enough to participate in our trips. Once Tusker has confirmed your place on a trip, cancellation fees will apply if you cancel your trip for ANY reason - even for medical issues.  We strongly recommend that you buy Trip Cancellation Insurance.

Rain-checks
We can only offer a rain check for the part of your trip that is operated by Tusker Trail. As we do not have control over service providers, we cannot offer rain checks for their services. They may levy their own cancellation fees. Rain checks are available only for the following trips:

• • • • Kilimanjaro Climb.
      • Mongolia Trek.
      • Everest Base Camp Trek.

Once you have signed up for one of the above trips, if you have to postpone, please contact our office immediately.   We cannot guarantee dates, but we'll do our best.   

Rain-Check Terms & Conditions
The Rain-check or postponement fee is $150 per person. You can postpone your trip up to 14 days before departure. No rain-checks or postponements are permitted less than 14 days before your trip departure.  Contact our office if this is the case.

If we are able to give you a rain-check, we will hold the deposits that you have paid, and apply them to your new departure.  The new price will be prevailing price at the time of the new departure.  If you decide to cancel your trip completely, we will use your first notification to us as the cancellation date and base your cancellation fees on your original trip date and apply the appropriate cancellation fees.

Tusker's Tier-Priced Trips
In order to run trips with a small group size, some of Tusker's trips are priced according to the number of full-price travelers on the trip. Tusker staff, medical personnel and other discounted members are not included in the count for this purpose.  On Tier-Priced trips, your statements will show the highest Tier Price (smallest group size that we can operate.)  This is what we will charge you when final payment is due.  On the day of departure, if the group size is large, and the price drops due to the increased group size, we will refund you the difference in price immediately.

Minimum Group Size Requirement
As there are certain fixed costs associated with running a trip, regardless of the group size, we may have to cancel a trip that falls below our Minimum Group Size Requirement.  This happens very rarely. In the event we must cancel a departure, we will inform you just prior to the time of final payment.  In such a case, we will issue you a full refund of payments made to us for the land costs. Tusker is not responsible for additional expenses you may have incurred while preparing for the trip (e.g. non-refundable air tickets, passport and visa fees, clothing, equipment, medical expenses.) This is why we STRONGLY recommend Trip Cancellation Insurance.

Airfare
Our payment, cancellation and postponement policies do not apply to air travel arranged through Tusker Trail. Full payment for air travel is usually due the day after we make your reservation. Cancellation and change policies are different for each airline we use.

Health
Each Tusker trip member is required to submit our Health and Fitness Form. This form does not require your doctor's signature; however, it does require complete disclosure about your health. Once we receive this form, we'll be able to confirm your acceptance on the trip.  If there are any concerns about your health, we may need to contact your doctor for more detailed information. Please send your Health & Fitness form to us immediately after you receive it. This will allow us adequate time for review and possible follow-up questions. It will also allow you sufficient time to make alternate plans in the event you are not eligible to join the trip.

Guaranteed Kilimanjaro Departures
We have many scheduled departures throughout the year.  All of our Kilimanjaro departures are guaranteed - even if there is only 1 climber. This means that we will NEVER cancel a Kilimanjaro climb due to low sign up.  Extension and/or other expedition departures are not guaranteed, as they are operated by other service providers.

Custom Kilimanjaro Departures
We are happy to customize dates or setup private climbs for Kilimanjaro; there is no surcharge if there are 4 or more in your group.  As we have a limited number of guides, you should place your deposit immediately.

Park Fees & Flights
Most Tusker trips involve entrance to managed areas, such as national parks.  Some Tusker trips involve internal flights. Please note that the park fees and internal flight costs can change at any time and without notice. Trip members are responsible for any cost increase.

Single Surcharge
Kilimanjaro -If you are on your own and join a Kilimanjaro climb, we'll match you up with a roommate of the same gender. If you request your own room at our hotel in Moshi and/or tent while on the Kilimanjaro climb, we will charge you a "single surcharge".  This also applies if you are forced to sleep in a single room or tent due to an odd numbered group size.  

All Other Trips & Trip Extensions - On Tusker's Trips other than Kilimanjaro, the single surcharge varies by destination. Refer to the specific information about each trip on our website for details.

Prices
Prices can change without notice. We make every effort to produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors.

Late Itinerary Changes
If you change your itinerary after you have made your final payment, we will charge you an itinerary change fee of  $125 per new itinerary.  We must receive your written approval by the next business day at 12 noon, Pacific Time US.   You will be responsible for any additional charges that may be levied by other service providers.

Personal Contact Information
We have found that trip members enjoy contacting one another prior to their Tusker trek.  For this reason, Tusker Trail provides each trip member with a list of their fellow trip members.  The list contains the name, city, state, country, phone number and email address of each member. This list is sent only to you and your fellow trip members.  If you wish to be excluded this list, please inform us within 7 days of booking your trip.  If you elect not to be added to the group member list, then you will not receive the list of other members.

Trip Member Responsibility & Tusker Discretion
It is the trip member's responsibility for understanding the nature of the trip they have elected to join, and for selecting a trip appropriate to their interests, health and fitness condition, and abilities. Tusker Trail requires trip members to be prepared physically and mentally, and to have the appropriate equipment for the trip selected. Trip members must provide us with true and accurate information about their health, abilities, and preparations. TUSKER TRAIL reserves the right to dismiss a trip member at any time without the right of refund, for any reasons that TUSKER TRAIL may later learn about the trip member, or if the trip member's further participation may be detrimental to the individual or to other trip members or our trekking crew.

If we must cancel or change a trip, we will do our best to provide you with a full or partial refund for the Tusker Trail-operated land portion of your trip.  This refund shall release Tusker Trail & Safari Co. from any further liability. Tusker Trail & Safari Co. is not responsible for expenses incurred by trip members in preparing for the trip, e.g., non-refundable fees for air tickets; equipment; visa fees, medical etc. Cancellation fees may be levied by other operators running other portions of your trip, which we will pass on to you. This is why you should purchase Trip

Cancellation/Interruption Insurance - (Strongly Recommended)
Due to the nature of these trips in the wilderness, certain events may occur which could incur additional costs not planned for at this time, including but not limited to currency fluctuation, change in costs or means of conveyance, the cost of evacuation, medical treatment, body recovery and/or repatriation and other related matters. Those additional costs are not the responsibility of Tusker Trail & Safari Co. The Trip member is responsible for the payment of those costs. Any search and rescue undertaken on the trip member's behalf will be the financial responsibility of the trip member involved, including costs incurred by Tusker Trail & Safari Co., other expeditions, governments, or other entities.

Events Beyond Our Control
Force Majeure & Delayed or Cancelled Trips - Tusker Trail may, at any time, cancel or withdraw a tour or trek due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control such as weather or other acts of God, climatic conditions, strikes, war, hostile governments, riots, fire, pandemics, epidemics, quarantine, disease, illness etc.  In these cases, we will, with no penalty to ourselves, undertake to notify you of the circumstances for our withdrawal of the tour or trek. In the event we choose to cancel a tour or trek for one of these uncontrollable and safety-oriented reasons, neither Tusker Trail nor our staff, vendors or service providers will be liable or responsible for refunds, reimbursements, increased or altered trip fees or damages to participants or clients, beyond which we can collect from overseas suppliers within two months from when the trip would have operated. We will make reasonable effort to collect refunds from these overseas suppliers two months from when the trip would have operated.

Special Note about Weather and Climate
Climate risks have become more pronounced in recent years, as reported in the news and in publicized studies. This means that severe, extreme and unexpected weather events are happening with greater frequency, at times when it is not typical or expected, and in surprising places (e.g., wildfires and smoke, heat, droughts, flash and severe floods, severe storms, tornadoes, etc.). This is all the more reason to have travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, delays and interruption in addition to your evacuation coverage which is included in the cost of your trek. We work to mitigate risks but some are out of our control and while we do our best to plan for them, they can and do have an impact on our trips. This is not common but it can happen. We want our travelers to be aware and to be prepared by obtaining travel insurance to help mitigate against the impact of financial loss, as we are not responsible for those losses.