Terms and Conditions

Please read the following Terms and Conditions carefully before booking with Venture North Safaris. They contain important information about tour inclusions, payments, cancellations, travel insurance, health requirements and travelling in remote areas.

Tour Inclusions

All costs as per your supplied itinerary inclusions such as: Meals, camping or accommodation fees, park entry, permits, activities, professional tour guide.

Tour Exclusions

All costs as per your supplied itinerary exclusions such as: Domestic flights (unless arranged), pre and post tour accommodation (unless arranged), personal expenses such as laundry, telephone or alcohol other than where specified.

Licensed Operators

Venture North hold all required touring licenses and insurances while all Venture North guides are accredited and hold current first aid certificates.

Vehicles

Primarily Toyota Landcruiser VX and Altitude four-wheel drives (4WD) licensed to carry 7 passengers. Vehicles are airconditioned throughout and have been outfitted with heavy duty suspension, shock absorbers, a bullbar and snorkel for river crossings. Each 4WD is equipped with a first aid kit, drinking water, satellite phone and recovery equipment.

Dietary Requirements

Before departure, please advise any dietary requirements including allergies and meal preference (low fat, gluten free etc). Please also discuss your dietary requirement with your guide when on tour.

Medical / Health & Fitness

Before departure, please advise of any medical conditions or existing health and fitness issues. A ‘reasonable’ level of fitness is required on all shared-group tours as walks and hikes are graded from moderate to difficult. If uncertain about an activity on-tour, it is important to discuss with your tour guide whether specific walks or activities are appropriate for your fitness level.

Please note that private charters can be tailored to one’s fitness level and ability.

Age Requirements

Shared-group tours are not suitable for children under 6 years of age. Please note that private charters have no age limits.

Emergency Contact

Before departure, please provide emergency contact details for management to utilise in the event of a serious illness, accident or any other unexpected mishap. We also strongly advise to pass on Venture North’s business contact details to relatives or friends that may need to contact you whilst on tour.

Venture North office: 08 89 275500 - this number is staffed 24/7 while tours are taking place.

Venture North email: [email protected]

Please note that each vehicle carries a satellite phone for emergency contact.

Booking Process

Upon indicating your intent to book a tour, confirmation will be sent to you by email, this will include a 20% non-refundable deposit invoice. Payment is due within 72hrs of this email.

Your balance payment will then become due 6 weeks prior to your tour departing. A reminder email (inc. your current statement) will be raised approximately 14 days prior to the balance falling due.

Tours not paid in full 14 days prior to departure will be cancelled (email & phone warnings will be issued prior to this occurrence)

Before departure, it is a requirement to provide all information requested in your confirmation email such as dietary requirements, medical requirements & pick-up address.

Travel Insurance

We recommend that all guests obtain travel insurance which includes a cancellation policy and emergency medical care. Just imagine having to cancel a tour and forfeiting your non-refundable deposit or even worse the entire balance, due to an event out of your control.

For this reason, we STRONGLY recommend that all guests obtain travel insurance to cover unforeseen circumstances that may affect your ability to travel such as ill health, weather events and transportation cancellations.

Cancellation Policy

Due to operating in a highly seasonal market with very small group touring numbers, Venture North apply a strict cancellation policy. Please be aware the policy is not flexible, and Travel Insurance is STRONGLY recommended to cover you for any unforeseen events.

The below cancellation penaltiesapply (& relateto the entire value of the tour booked):

• 42 days (or more) prior to departure a 20% cancellation fee applies (i.e. deposit forfeited)
• 41 – 22 days prior to departure a 50% cancellation fee applies
• 21 days (or less) prior to departure a 100% cancellation fee applies.

Flights, Tours & General Transport Connections

Venture North is unable to amend or change a tour booking due to interruptions experienced from unrelated 3rd party tour or transport operators prior to your tour departing.

Example: if your flight, train or cruise ship to Darwin is delayed or cancelled, it is not the responsibility of Venture North to refund or recover losses if you are unable to join your tour. Travel Insurance is STRONGLY recommended to cover such events.

Ill Health Prior to Tour

Sadly, it’s a reality that some travelers are forced to cancel their holiday plans due to ill health such a serious medical diagnosis or personal injury. For this reason, we STRONGLY recommend Travel Insurance to protect yourself from such occasions where an unexpected ailment affects your potential to travel on a Venture North tour.

Natural Disasters

Unfortunately, it has become more and more common for natural disasters to create significant obstacles to one’s travel plans and we therefore also recommended to make sure your travel insurance covers you for weather events such as floods, bushfires, cyclones, earthquakes etc.

Force Majeure

'Force Majeure' means (without restriction) any event which Venture North could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid. Force Majeure covers events such as, but not limited to; adverse weather conditions, fire, pandemic, flood and all similar circumstances beyond our control. In the case of Force Majeure, Venture North will not accept liability and reserves the right to change and cancel tours. Any changes will be communicated in writing with due care and consideration.