Terms And Conditions

Please, read carefully!

1. BOOKING OF THE TRIPS AND EXPEDITIONS

To participate in the trips and expeditions organized by The Antarctic Company, Ltd . (here and after referred to as TAC ) you have to act as follows:

• A client or the client's booking agent should deliver to TAC office an application. This initial application could be done by telephone or by e-mail. After that you will be included in the preliminary list of the participants of the trip or expedition and you will be sent all necessary information;
• Having made a decision about participation in the trip/expedition the client or the client's booking agent has to send to TAC a Booking Form (enclosed). This should be done well in advance to be able to discuss all trip/expedition details without any hustle;

2. DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT TERMS

To confirm booking with TAC the following deposit and payment terms must be strictly adhered to:

• Deposit Due per person: usually it is 25% of the total cost of the expedition, if other conditions are not stipulated during the booking correspondence. We will confirm your Booking on receipt of the deposit of your trip and a signed Booking form.
• Balance Payment: Final payments are due 30 days before departure. For the Booking received within 30 days of commencement of travel, full payment must be made on Booking. Although in general we are very happy to try to fit in late bookings, please, book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• For trips and expeditions cost exceeding 5,000 Euro, special deposit and payment schedules may apply. Check fee/payment information for these programs with TAC office.

FORMS OF PAYMENT ACCEPTED:

• direct transfer of funds to TAC bank account ;

•  as agreed separately.

By signing the Booking form you agree to the Conditions as outlined here. No refunds of the deposit will be made by TAC except as described below.

3. CANCELLATION

3.1 If a customer is forced to cancel his/her Booking for any reason whatsoever, the person who signed the Booking form must notify TAC in writing. At the time we receive your written cancellation, the following penalties will apply:

• 60 days and more prior to departure: 10 % of the expedition cost, but not less than 500 Euro
• 59 -31 days prior to departure: deposit;
• 30 - 0 days prior to departure : 100 % of the expedition cost
• Refund for unused air tickets is being done according to the rules of the Air Company issued the ticket.

3.2. Once an expedition has departed there will be no refunds from TAC for any unused portions of the trip. Prices calculations are based on group participation and no refunds will be made for any part of the program in which you choose not to participate. It is understood that refunds cannot be made to the clients who do not complete the trip for any reason whatsoever.

3.3. TAC reserves the right to cancel a trip for any reason prior to departure. In that event, TAC will refund the land cost of the program to the participants.

3.4. In the event of cancellation, TAC is not responsible for any expenses incurred by a participant in preparation for the trip/ expedition, including but not limited to airline tickets, visas fees, medical expenses and equipment purchases.

4. COST OF THE TRIP/ EXPEDITION

Prices quoted are valid at time of printing and are subject to change caused by exchange rates and currency fluctuations, fuel cost fluctuations, etc. Please, check the actual costs with TAC while booking the program.

5. INSURANCE

All participants are required to have insurance that provides adequate cover for the activities taking place on your trip. Medical Insurance is obligatory and it is a condition of joining our trips/ expeditions.

6. NUMBER OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN A TEAM

• Typical number of the participants in a team is 6-12 persons and one or two guides / group leaders;
• Cost of a trip usually is based on a certain minimum number of clients in a team;
• In case TAC has not enough clients for the program, it can cancel the trip/ expedition, suggest an alternative trip or change the cost of the trip/expedition;
• TAC is obliged to inform the clients about all changes connected with low number of participants not later than the dead line of the final payment indicated in the particular program;
• After the date of the final payment, the change of the number of the clients does not effect the program and its cost.

7. VISA REQUIREMENTS

Visa to the country of departure for Antarctica is completely your responsibility. However, if your departure is from the Republic of South Africa your visa invitation (if needed) will be sent right after receipt of the signed

Booking Form and the deposit. You will be given additional instruction how to proceed with visa obtaining according to the country of your residence.

8. MEDICAL INFORMATION

Participation in TAC program requires that you are in generally good health. It is essential that persons with any medical problems and related dietary restrictions make them known to us well before departure. We can counsel you on whether the expedition you have selected is appropriate for you. A tour leader/ guide has the right to disqualify any participant at any time during the trip if he feels the participant is physically incapable and/or if a participant's continued participation will jeopardize either the individual involved or the group. There will be no refund given under these circumstances. Every participant has to complete the Medical Information Form , including the details of your medical insurance coverage. You should complete the Form and return it to our office together with the Booking Form and Indemnity Agreement.

9. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPANTS

• We expect climbers/trekkers to be in good health and possess the physical fitness level required for their particular program. We also expect everyone to know and have reviewed the climbing techniques necessary to safely participate on their program.
• Participants are responsible for preparing and bringing the proper clothing and equipment for their program.
• Participants need to read and understand the materials they have received regarding their program, review the itinerary and travel plans and to contact us whenever questions arise.
• Everyone is expected to work together as a team, to be considerate of every team member and to be respectful of each country's customs and traditions. It furthermore must be understood that ultimately TAC and its guides have ultimate authority for any decisions made pertaining expeditions once the expeditions have begun.

10. ITINERARY CHANGES AND TRIPS DELAY

These are the expeditions and trips to remote parts of the world and we reserve the right to change the itinerary due to weather conditions, availability of anchorage, political conditions and other factors beyond our control without consulting the participants. It is understood that such decisions will be made in the best interests of all passengers. Participants have no right to any refund or other considerations in the event of these inevitable itinerary changes. If a trip must be delayed, or the itinerary changed due to bad weather, road conditions, transportation delays, government intervention, sickness or other contingency for which TAC or its agents cannot make provision, the cost of delays or changes is covered by the passengers.

11. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY:

This section defines TAC 's responsibility with respect to all of our trips and expeditions.

In many cases, suppliers of trip services are independent contractors to TAC , not its employees. For example, we use independent ground operators, tour guides, hotels, transportation companies, drivers, airlines, and other suppliers. TAC , its owners, agents and employees assume no responsibility for any injury, loss, damage, delay, or death to person or property arising from the negligent or willful act or failure to act of any person who is to or does provide goods or services for this trip or for the action or inaction of any other third party. Without limitation, TAC is not responsible for acts of God, equipment failures, vehicle accidents, illness from food or otherwise, detention, assaults, theft or criminal activity, annoyance, delays, quarantine, strikes, failure of anymeans of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations, and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well-being of the passengers. The right is reserved to substitute hotels, alter the itinerary, and reverse the order of places to be visited. You will be informed of any necessary changes in a timely manner.

TAC reserves the right to cancel, or change without notice, a trip which jeopardizes the health and safety of the team due to weather, trail conditions, or unforeseen circumstances

In case of a medical problem arising during the trip or expedition, either on board or on shore, which results in costs for evacuation, use of aircraft or repatriation, the responsibility for payment of these costs belongs solely to the passenger. TAC strongly advises that passengers ensure that such eventualities are covered by travel insurance.

TAC reserves the right to withdraw any trip described herein at any time and to make changes and alterations as may be found necessary for safety and proper handling of said trips. Safety is our primary goal; however, outdoor activities of this nature are not entirely risk free. To participate in some of our trips/expeditions you will be required to sign an "Assumption of Risk, Waiver, Release and Indemnification Agreement".

Please note: These Terms and Conditions apply on all TAC trips and expeditions unless other conditions are printed in the applicable brochure.

NB! : On advancement of deposit to TAC, the depositor therefore acknowledges that he/she has read and understands the above recited terms and conditions and agrees to be bound by them.