Booking
Booking Policy
These booking policies apply to every tour, excursion, transfer, safari, and package arranged by Destination Paradise LTD, whether you book by enquiry or instantly through our online store.
Booking Confirmation
- All bookings are subject to availability at the time we confirm them.
- For bookings arranged by enquiry, a booking is confirmed only once we have received the required deposit or payment and sent you written confirmation.
- Experiences booked through our online store are confirmed automatically once we verify the required deposit or agreed payment and issue your booking codes. Loading the payment form or returning from Pesapal is not confirmation. No separate written confirmation is needed.
- Delayed, mismatched or unverifiable store payments need manual review. Holds can expire automatically before a payment is verified; if money has left your account and you have no confirmed booking, contact us so we can check it.
- Prices are quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated. Enquiry bookings may also be settled in Tanzanian shillings at the prevailing exchange rate. Store orders and their required deposits are priced in US dollars; website prices in other currencies are indicative estimates. Pesapal or your bank may display or debit a converted amount for your chosen payment method, so review the final currency and amount before approving it.
Payment
- Day tours, excursions, and transfers in Zanzibar: full payment is required before the service begins. New instant store bookings and new store quotes accepted after staff confirm availability require a 20% deposit online; the remaining 80% is due on the day of each experience, before it begins. Submitting a request takes no payment.
- Tanzania safaris arranged by enquiry outside our online store: a 30% deposit confirms your booking, and the remaining 70% is due at least 30 days before the safari start date.
- Such safari bookings made within 30 days of the start date require full payment on confirmation.
- If a safari balance is not received by its due date we will contact you before taking any action. Where the balance remains unpaid, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you and the charges below will apply.
- Existing quotes and bookings retain their agreed payment plan, including full-payment plans. We do not automatically charge the on-day balance through this checkout.
- The checkout and confirmation show the full booking price, the deposit and the remaining balance. Where needed, the 20% deposit is rounded up to a whole US cent; the balance is the full price minus that deposit.
- For store experiences priced by group and pickup area, the total includes the displayed per-car pickup supplement. The deposit is calculated on that combined total. Give the correct guest count, pickup area and accommodation before booking; changes to those details may require a revised quote, which you must approve before any additional payment. Groups of seven or more and unpriced pickup arrangements require a quote before payment.
How We Calculate Deadlines
- Deadlines are counted back from the scheduled start of the service: the pickup time shown on your confirmation for tours and transfers, or the start date for safaris.
- All times are East Africa Time (UTC+3), the local time in Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania.
- Periods described in days mean calendar days, including weekends and public holidays.
- A cancellation takes effect when we receive it in writing, not when it was sent.
Cancellation By You
- Cancellations must be sent to us in writing by email or WhatsApp. The charge depends on when we receive your cancellation.
- A no-show without notice, or leaving a trip early once it has started, is charged at 100% and no refund is due.
- Cancellation charges are calculated on the full price of the cancelled booking, not just the deposit. The deposit you have paid is credited against the charge. The charge can exceed the 20% deposit, and any unpaid part remains payable. Where cancellation is free, a full refund means all money paid for the cancelled service.
| When we receive your cancellation | Charge |
|---|---|
| More than 48 hours before the start | None — full refund |
| 24 to 48 hours before the start | 50% of the booking value |
| Less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show | 100% of the booking value |
| When we receive your cancellation | Charge |
|---|---|
| More than 60 days before arrival | 10% administration fee |
| 31 to 60 days before arrival | 30% of the booking value |
| 15 to 30 days before arrival | 50% of the booking value |
| 14 days or less, no-show, or early departure | 100% of the booking value |
Cancellation Or Changes By Us
- We may need to cancel or change a trip if a minimum number of guests is not reached, a supplier withdraws, a vessel or vehicle becomes unavailable, or conditions make the trip unsafe.
- Where we cancel, you may choose a full refund of everything paid for the cancelled service, or an alternative date or comparable experience of equal value.
- Where we make a significant change to a confirmed booking before departure, you may accept the change, move to an alternative we offer, or cancel that service for a full refund.
- Weather, sea conditions, tides, park access, road conditions, and official instructions may require us to adjust timing, routing, the order of activities, or the supplier used. Where the experience is still delivered in substance, these adjustments are not treated as a cancellation.
Amendments
- Changes to travel dates, accommodation, or itinerary are subject to availability at the time you ask.
- Where a supplier charges an amendment fee, or the new arrangements cost more, the difference is payable by you.
- Amendments requested close to travel may not be possible. In that case the cancellation charges above apply if you choose not to travel.
Children
- Children are welcome on all tours and safaris.
- Child rates, and the age bands they apply to, are set by each hotel, park, and activity provider and are confirmed in your quote or at checkout. They are not standard across suppliers.
- Some activities carry minimum ages or health restrictions set by the operator for safety reasons. We will tell you where these apply.
- A parent or guardian must accompany and supervise children throughout the trip.
Park Fees And Government Taxes
- National park fees, government taxes, and conservation fees are included only where your quotation or booking confirmation says so.
- These fees are set by the Tanzanian authorities and can change at short notice. Where an increase is announced after your booking is confirmed, we will tell you the amount and the effective date before charging it.
- Where a government-imposed increase materially raises the total price of your confirmed booking, you may cancel the affected service without charge.
Travel Documents
- You are responsible for holding a valid passport, any visa required for Tanzania, and any vaccinations or health certificates required for entry.
- Check the current requirements for your nationality with the relevant embassy before you travel, as rules change.
- We cannot refund a booking missed because required travel documents were not in order.
Mandatory Inbound Travel Insurance
- Foreign visitors entering Tanzania must obtain the required government-designated inbound travel insurance, subject to applicable exemptions, even if they already hold private international travel or medical insurance. The mainland requirement took effect on 1 October 2026.
- Choose the insurer for your first point of entry. One valid NIC or ZIC policy covers travel between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar on the same insured journey, subject to its terms; visiting both does not require a second policy.
- NIC exempts qualifying residents of East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) partner states from the mainland requirement. This does not automatically exempt them in Zanzibar; ZIC currently lists a USD 22 regional visitor rate. Confirm your eligibility with the relevant insurer.
- Arrange cover before travelling and keep your certificate or QR code accessible. Check the official portal for current prices, child age bands, any infant exemptions, policy dates and other eligibility rules.
- We also strongly recommend comprehensive personal travel insurance covering medical treatment, emergency evacuation, cancellation and curtailment, and personal belongings. Emergency evacuation cover matters particularly on safari and marine excursions, where medical facilities may be far away.
- You are responsible for arranging and paying for your insurance separately. Destination Paradise does not provide it.
| If you arrive first in… | Required policy | Official portal | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland Tanzania — Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, land borders or seaports | National Insurance Corporation (NIC) | NIC Inbound Portal | USD 44 per person (TZS equivalent) |
| Zanzibar — including Abeid Amani Karume International Airport | Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) | ZIC Inbound Portal | USD 44 per adult; USD 22 per child |
Health And Safety
- Tell us about any medical condition, allergy, mobility limitation, pregnancy, or dietary requirement before travel so we can check what is suitable and inform suppliers.
- Follow the safety instructions given by your guide, driver, skipper, or park ranger at all times.
- Activities such as snorkelling, diving, boat trips, swimming, and walking safaris carry inherent risks that cannot be removed. Where you choose to take part you accept those risks — this does not limit our responsibility for our own negligence.
- A guide or operator may refuse or stop participation where they judge it unsafe. No refund is due where this follows from a condition that was not disclosed to us.
Force Majeure
- We are not liable for delays, cancellations, or changes caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including severe weather, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, strikes, civil unrest, government action, border closures, or airspace restrictions.
- Where such an event prevents a trip from going ahead, we will refund what we are able to recover from suppliers and will offer an alternative date where one is possible.
- We will tell you promptly what has happened and what your options are.
Our Responsibility To You
- We arrange trips as an agent for hotels, airlines, transport providers, boat operators, park authorities, and activity operators, who provide those services under their own terms.
- We are responsible for arranging your booking with reasonable care and skill, and for the acts and omissions of our own staff.
- We are not responsible for loss, damage, delay, or expense caused by a third-party supplier's own act or omission, or by anything outside our reasonable control.
- Nothing in these policies excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
- Where our liability is not excluded, it is limited to the total amount you paid us for the affected booking.
Refunds
- Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method wherever possible, normally within 14 days of us confirming the refund. Your bank or payment provider may take additional time to credit the refund to your account.
- For Zanzibar tours, excursions and transfers, we refund any amount paid above the applicable cancellation charge. The charges in the table above already include committed supplier costs, so there is no extra deduction for supplier costs. For safaris and other custom bookings outside those Zanzibar rules, any refund is subject to the applicable cancellation charge and non-refundable supplier costs specified in your agreed booking terms.
- Where a refund is due in full — because we cancelled, or because you cancelled free of charge within the permitted window — we do not deduct payment processing fees.
- Bank transfer charges may be deducted only where a refund has to be sent by international bank transfer at your request, rather than to the original payment method.
- Contact us to request a cancellation or refund of a store booking. Our team arranges approved refunds with the payment provider used at checkout, including Pesapal for new store payments, to the original payment method wherever possible. If that method cannot support the required refund, we agree an alternative with you.
Special Requests
- Requests such as dietary requirements, honeymoon arrangements, room preferences, adjoining rooms, or specific vehicle seating are passed to suppliers but cannot be guaranteed.
- A special request is confirmed only where your booking confirmation says it is confirmed.
Complaints
- If something is wrong during your trip, tell your guide, driver, or our office immediately so we can try to put it right while you are still with us. Most problems can be solved on the spot.
- If a problem cannot be resolved locally, write to us within 28 days of your return with your booking reference and what happened.
- We acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and aim to give a full response within 28 days.
Governing Law
- These policies and your booking are governed by the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Tanzanian courts have jurisdiction.
- If you are a consumer resident elsewhere, this does not remove the protection of any mandatory consumer laws of your country of residence.
Acceptance And Updates
- Paying a deposit or the full amount, or completing checkout in our online store, confirms that you have read, understood, and accepted these booking policies.
- We may update these policies where supplier terms, park regulations, or legal requirements change.
- The version that applies to your trip is the one published when your booking was confirmed. Later changes do not apply retrospectively to a confirmed booking.
Contact Us
For questions about this policy or your booking details, contact Destination Paradise at info@yournexttriptoparadise.com or message us on WhatsApp.