General terms and conditions
The general terms and conditions regulate the contractual conditions between the company Tanzania Experts company (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) and you (hereinafter referred to as “Guest”).
Bookings:
- All bookings must be confirmed in writing (e-mail, fax or mail).
- A booking contract is only concluded when a deposit of 35% of the travel price has been received, the receipt of which has been confirmed by our bank. This deposit forms part of the total amount to be paid for the booked trip.
- Upon receipt of your deposit of 35% of the tour price, all reservations for your Wildlife Safari, with the National Park authorities, with the hotels, lodge and camp operators etc. will be made by Tanzania Experts and you will receive a binding booking confirmation via email.
- Cancellation fees are 35 % from the date of the deposit of the tour, 50 % of the tour price up to 30 days before the start of the tour, 75 % up to 3 days before the tour and thereafter 100 % of the tour price. Cancellations must be sent to the company in writing (e-mail, fax or mail).
- If the total amount invoiced is not paid 3 weeks before the start of the tour, the company reserves the right to cancel the tour.
- Exception: for certain Safaris where advanced hotel or lodge reservations are not necessary, the remaining amount can be paid in cash directly before departure.
- All bank charges for payment must be paid by the guest (note that we also accept payment to our German bank account, the charges for bank transfers to banks in Tanzania can be extensive).
- In case of short-term changes of confirmed bookings caused by a guest (e.g. change of number of participants, change of travel period, change of flight tickets, change of accommodation, etc.), we may charge additional costs, depending on the type of change.
- Contracts resulting from bookings become legally binding in Arusha, Tanzania. Therefore the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania apply.
Force Majeure:
- Force Majeure means, in relation to the business of the Company, all circumstances beyond the Company’s control (including floods, thunderstorms, fires, accidents, threat of war, sabotage, riots, civil disturbances, epidemics and quarantine, government intervention, weather conditions or other external events).
- If the company is affected by force majeure, it will inform you immediately of the nature and extent of the event (e.g. possible delays or necessary changes to the itinerary). The company cannot be held liable in such cases. In such an unlikely exception, the Company will endeavor to make compensation payments to our Guest as a result of the non-performance of services by a third party (e.g. hotel or lodge).
Travel documents:
- It is the responsibility of each guest to verify that their travel, vaccination and visa documents are in accordance with the regulations of their home country and the rules of the United Republic of Tanzania.
- If the guest does not comply with the entry requirements of the United Republic of Tanzania, the company cannot be held responsible for any damages resulting from this.
Luggage:
- The company cannot be held responsible for the loss or damage of luggage or personal effects.
- Please note that special baggage limits apply on mountain hikes and on flights with some domestic airlines. If you book a mountain tour or domestic flight with us, we will provide you with the exact details.
- Although we follow strict security rules in our office, we cannot accept liability for stored luggage of our customers.
Personal risk and behavior:
- Safaris, hiking, mountain climbing and other activities in Tanzania are adventure trips and therefore have an inherent risk. The company cannot be held liable for injuries or other damages of personal nature.
- Please follow the instructions of our guides, drivers and other company representatives for your own safety on your safari / trip. Please respect the laws and traditions of Tanzania.
Privacy Note
Tanzania Experts is a Tanzania-based travel company specialising in tailor-made safaris, mountain trekking, beach holidays, accommodation arrangements and related travel services in Tanzania.
For the purposes of applicable data-protection law, the data controller responsible for your personal data is:
Tanzania Experts
Registered address: Boma Road, Arusha, Tanzania
Email: safari@tanzania-experts.com
This Privacy Notice applies to personal data collected through:
- our English-language website: tanzania-experts.com;
- our German-language website: de.tanzania-experts.com;
- enquiries made by email, telephone, WhatsApp, Signal or contact form;
- the preparation, booking and administration of travel services arranged through Tanzania Experts.
2. Our Commitment to Privacy
We respect your privacy and process personal data responsibly, lawfully and transparently. We truly care about your privacy!
We process personal data in accordance with applicable Tanzanian data-protection law, including the Personal Data Protection Act of Tanzania and related regulations. Where we offer travel services to individuals located in the European Union or European Economic Area, including visitors using our German-language website, we also process relevant personal data in accordance with applicable requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).
3. Personal Data We Collect
The personal data we collect depends on how you interact with us and which travel services you request.
3.1 Enquiries and Travel Planning
When you contact us or request a travel proposal, we may collect:
- your name and the names of other travellers included in your enquiry;
- your email address;
- your telephone or WhatsApp number;
- your country of residence or preferred language;
- your proposed travel dates;
- the number of travellers;
- your preferred safari, trekking, beach or accommodation arrangements;
- your accommodation preferences;
- your budget or travel requirements, where you provide them;
- the content of your messages and correspondence with us;
- any other information you voluntarily provide in your enquiry.
3.2 Booking and Travel Administration
Where you proceed with a booking, we may collect additional information that is necessary to arrange and administer your trip, such as:
- full traveller names as shown on travel documents;
- nationality, passport information or identification details, where required for permits, domestic flights, accommodation registration or other travel arrangements;
- dates of birth, where required for permits, age-based pricing or service arrangements;
- arrival and departure information;
- flight information and transfer requirements;
- accommodation, dietary, mobility or accessibility requirements that you choose to disclose;
- emergency contact details, where appropriate;
- booking records, invoices and payment information;
- information needed to arrange national park permits, trekking permits, accommodation, transport or excursions.
Please do not provide sensitive information unless it is necessary for your travel arrangements. Where you provide health, dietary, mobility or accessibility information so that we can make appropriate travel arrangements, we will use it only for that purpose and disclose it only where reasonably necessary to provide the requested service.
3.3 Payments and Financial Records
When you make a payment or enter into a booking arrangement with us, we may process:
- invoice details;
- payment status;
- transaction references;
- billing information;
- information required for accounting, tax, fraud-prevention or regulatory purposes.
Payments may be handled by banks or payment-service providers under their own privacy and security arrangements.
3.4 Website and Technical Information
When you visit our website, certain technical information may be processed automatically, including:
- internet protocol (IP) address;
- browser type and device information;
- operating system;
- referring page and pages visited;
- date and time of access;
- server-log and security information;
- cookie-consent choices;
- information generated by technical security tools, such as spam-prevention services.
This information may be required for website security, operation, error diagnosis and protection against spam, fraud or misuse.
3.5 Communications Through Third-Party Platforms
Where you contact us through WhatsApp or another external communications platform, the provider of that platform may also process your personal data in accordance with its own privacy terms. Please consider this before sending passport information, payment information or other confidential details through third-party messaging services.
4. Why We Use Your Personal Data
We may process your personal data for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Examples of Use |
|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries | Replying to questions, discussing travel plans and preparing travel proposals |
| Preparing customised itineraries | Creating safari, trekking, beach or accommodation recommendations based on your preferences |
| Arranging and administering bookings | Reserving accommodation, organising transport, obtaining permits and coordinating requested travel services |
| Communicating with you | Sending itinerary updates, booking information, practical travel information or responding to requests |
| Processing payments and records | Issuing invoices, confirming payment status and maintaining financial records |
| Providing customer assistance | Supporting you before, during or after your journey |
| Meeting legal obligations | Complying with tax, accounting, regulatory, immigration, permit or lawful-authority requirements |
| Protecting our website and communications | Preventing spam, misuse, fraudulent enquiries and security incidents |
| Improving our services | Reviewing enquiries, feedback and website performance to improve our customer service and travel products |
| Marketing communications | Sending news or travel offers only where permitted and, where required, with your consent |
5. Legal Grounds for Processing
Where applicable law requires us to identify a legal ground for processing, we rely on one or more of the following:
5.1 Steps Requested Before Entering Into a Contract
When you request a travel proposal, itinerary, quotation or information about a possible trip, we process your information in order to take steps at your request before entering into a booking agreement.
5.2 Performance of a Contract
When you book travel services through us, we process personal data as necessary to arrange, manage and provide the contracted services.
5.3 Legal Obligations
We may process or retain information where necessary to comply with applicable Tanzanian laws, accounting requirements, tax obligations, lawful requests, permit requirements or other regulatory obligations.
5.4 Legitimate Interests
We may process personal data where necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include:
- responding efficiently to travel enquiries;
- maintaining business records;
- improving our services;
- operating and securing our website;
- preventing spam, misuse and fraud;
- managing customer relationships.
6. Who We Share Personal Data With
We do not sell your personal data.
We may share personal data only where it is reasonably necessary to provide requested services, manage our business or comply with legal obligations. Recipients may include:
6.1 Travel-Service Providers
Where necessary for your itinerary or booking, we may share relevant information with:
- hotels, lodges, camps and other accommodation providers;
- safari guides, drivers, transport operators and transfer providers;
- mountain trekking service providers and support teams;
- domestic airlines or other transport providers;
- excursion and activity providers;
- national park authorities, conservation-area authorities or permit-issuing bodies;
- other local service providers included in your requested itinerary.
We share only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant booking or service.
6.2 Professional and Administrative Service Providers
We may share information with carefully selected providers supporting our business, such as:
- website hosting and technical-support providers;
- email and communications providers;
- accounting, bookkeeping or legal advisers;
- banks and payment-service providers;
- website security or spam-prevention providers.
6.3 Authorities and Legal Disclosures
We may disclose personal data where required by applicable law, regulation, court order, lawful authority request or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
7. International Transfers of Personal Data
Tanzania Experts is based in Tanzania. If you are located outside Tanzania, including in the European Union or European Economic Area, information you send to us will be received and processed in Tanzania so that we can respond to your enquiry and arrange requested travel services.
Your travel arrangements may also require us to disclose relevant information to service providers in Tanzania, such as lodges, transport providers or permit authorities.
Where applicable data-protection law requires safeguards for international transfers, we will take appropriate steps to protect your personal data. These may include contractual safeguards, transfer arrangements required by law, or reliance on a permitted transfer basis where the transfer is necessary to prepare or perform your requested travel services.
8. Contact Forms and Google reCAPTCHA
Our website contact forms may use Google reCAPTCHA or a comparable security service to protect the forms against spam and automated misuse.
Where Google reCAPTCHA is activated, information about your browser, device and interaction with the website may be processed by Google for security and verification purposes. Depending on your location and the technical configuration of our website, the service may require your consent before it is activated.
Where you do not accept a third-party verification service required for an online contact form, the form may be unavailable. You may still contact us using the alternative contact methods stated on our website, such as email, telephone or WhatsApp.
For information on how Google processes personal data, please refer to Google’s privacy information linked through the relevant consent notice or contact-form area.
9. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies.
9.1 Essential Cookies
Essential cookies and similar technologies may be used where necessary to:
- operate the website securely;
- remember your privacy or cookie-consent choices;
- prevent malicious activity;
- provide functionality expressly requested by you.
These technologies are used only where required for website operation or requested functionality.
9.2 Optional Services and Cookies
Optional cookies or third-party services may be used only where enabled on our website and, where legally required, only after you have given consent. These may include:
- analytics tools;
- embedded maps;
- embedded videos;
- social-media content;
- marketing or advertising technologies;
10. Marketing Communications
We may send travel information, offers or newsletters to you only where permitted by applicable law and, where required, after obtaining your consent.
You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option provided in the communication or by contacting us at safari@tanzania-experts.com.
Service communications relating to an enquiry or booking, such as itinerary information, reservation confirmations, payment matters or travel updates, are not marketing communications and may still be sent where necessary.
11. How Long We Keep Personal Data
We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including providing requested services, maintaining appropriate business records and complying with legal or regulatory obligations.
Our intended retention approach is as follows:
| Category of Data | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Enquiries that do not result in a booking | 24 months after the last communication |
| Booking and travel-administration records | 48 months after the conclusion of your Safari |
| Invoice and payment records | 48 months after the conclusion of your Safari |
| Passport or permit-related details | 24 months after the conclusion of your Safari |
| Website-security and server-log information | 12 months after your last visit |
When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely, anonymise it or retain it only where required by law.
12. Security of Personal Data
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
These measures may include:
- secure encrypted transmission of website information using SSL/TLS;
- restricted access to customer and booking information;
- password and account-security controls;
- website security and spam-prevention measures;
- appropriate handling procedures for booking and customer information;
- selection of service providers appropriate to the services being performed.
13. Complaints
If you have a concern about how Tanzania Experts uses your personal data, please contact us first so that we can review and respond to your concern.
You may contact us at:
Tanzania Experts
Registered address: Boma Road, Arusha, Tanzania
Email: safari@tanzania-experts.com
You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data-protection authority.
Where GDPR applies, you may also lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in the EU or EEA country in which you are located.
14. Children’s Personal Data
Our travel services are generally requested and booked by adults. However, family travel bookings may include children.
Where information about a child is required for a family booking, permit, accommodation arrangement, flight or other travel service, it should be provided only by a parent, guardian or adult authorised to make the booking. We use such information only as necessary to arrange and administer the requested travel services.
15. Third-Party Websites
Our websites may contain links to external websites, including tourism organisations, government services, airlines, accommodation providers or other travel-related services.
Tanzania Experts is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of external websites. You should review the privacy information of any third-party website before providing personal data to it.
16. Changes to This Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our services, website technology, legal requirements or business operations.
The current version will be published on our website.
17. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Notice, the processing of your personal data or the exercise of your data-protection rights, please contact:
Tanzania Experts
Registered address: Boma Road, Arusha, Tanzania
Email: safari@tanzania-experts.com
