Kaleidoscope travel

Booking:

If you have made a choice from our tours or if you agree on a complete program and price, we love to get to work for you.
We would like to receive the order confirmation of the final booking by e-mail.

With the final booking we must receive the following from you:
1. A copy or photo of your passport and of all fellow travellers which prove full official names, date of birth, passport numbers and nationality.
Your passport must currently be valid for at least six months on arrival from the Netherlands or Belgium.
We cannot always be completely informed about rules and regulation about validity requirement and you will always be fully responsible to be in the possession of valid travel documents.
2. The mobile phone number on which you can be reached during your trip.
3. Information:

whether you are or one of your fellow travellers is vegetarian or vegan;
whether there are themes related to your physical and/or mental health, or those of fellow travellers, which we must be aware of because they may be important for the proper execution of the journey.

If you fail in your obligation to provide information, this may result in you and any fellow traveller(s) being excluded from (further) participation in the trip or services. You will be charged the costs involved.

It is your obligation and responsibility to take out travel insurance in advanced in your country of residence that covers the risks of the tours and services you book with us, as well as repatriation. We strongly recommend that you also take out cancellation insurance.

All our rates are based on issuance of a tourist invoice, not an invoice with IVA.
To enable us to issue a tourist invoice, all travellers must provide us with a legible copy or photo of the passport page with their personal details and of the passport page with their Migration Service entry stamp once they have arrived in Bolivia. In some cases, this may also be a separate form with an entry stamp from the Migration Service.
If you do not provide us with the aforementioned copies, we will be forced to increase the total amount of the invoice by 13%.

Also read our general conditions and cancellation conditions.

After receiving the necessary information, we will make the reservations for you.
If it turns out that a hotel is full on the desired day, we will inform you about this and reserve another hotel for you. Such a change may involve a (small) rate change in a positive or negative sense.
When all reservations are confirmed, we will inform you and send you the invoice.

We require a down payment of 25% of the land arrangement* when booking more than 6 weeks before the commencement of the tour or travel, or full payment when booking within 6 weeks before the commencement of the tour or travel.
In case of a down payment the remaining amount must be in our possession 6 weeks before the commencement of the tour or travel.

* For Hotel Luna Salada and for Refugio Volcanes, different payment and cancellation conditions apply. See also under the heading Cancellation conditions.
For both, payment must be received by us immediately and in full after our confirmation of the reservation to you, in order to guarantee the price.
Reservations at Hotel Luna Salada must be paid within 48 hours of confirmation, otherwise the reservation will be cancelled by Hotel Luna Salada.

If your programme includes one or more flights and you want us to issue the air tickets you will also receive the invoice for the flight(s). The amount for the flight(s) has to be paid at once, because we also need to pay the air company straight away. If you book longer than 6 weeks before the commencement of the tour or travel you can pay for the flight(s) together with the down payment of 25% for the land arrangement. After receiving your payment for the air ticket(s) we will have them issued and we will send them to you immediately. You can print the e-ticket(s) and take them with you on your travel.

At some bus stations in Bolivia a tax is imposed for the use of the terminal. These taxes you will have to pay on the spot. The involved rates are small.

For booking from abroad, we charge a booking and reservation fee of US-$. 30 per booking for individual travellers.
For group travel, the booking and reservation fee is US-$. 100 per booking.

Changes to the programme you wish to make after all services have been confirmed and the invoice is sent, incur a fee of US-$. 25 per change request.

After receiving full payment for all booked tours or services, you will receive a detailed overview of this by email from us. We advise to check this overview well on correctness regarding date of travel, names, passport numbers etc. If you have any remarks or questions about the services listed, please let us know immediately so that we can make any necessary adjustments tight away.
You can save the overview of the booked services on your mobile phone or print it out and show it to the provider of the booked tour or service on the spot.

Booking of any tour or services is considered acknowledgement of and agreement to these complete terms and conditions.

General conditions:

It is understood that undertaking of and participating in travels, treks, tours, or any other form of tourism activities, such as expeditions, jungle tours or any other activity arranged by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L., involves certain risks and dangers. These include but are not limited to:

travelling in mountain terrain, on rivers and in forests and jungle;
travel by airplane, car, bus, jeep, boat, canoe, rafts, bicycle, or any other means of conveyance;
accidents or illness in remote regions with little or no medical facilities and without means of paid evacuation;
accidents caused by forces of nature;
changes in itinerary or cancellation of tours/treks or services due to reasons beyond our control.

In consideration of the above Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. declares that as performer or as intermediary between the participant and the entities or persons called to carry out the tour or service described in the itinerary: guides, drivers, tour operators, hotels, restaurants, transport or others, shall not be liable for their deficiencies or failure of these entities. This includes failures such as delays, loss or damages to baggage or goods, seat allocation in any kind of transport or hotel rooms, unexpected cancellation of reservations or any other failure of any kind.

Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. shall not be held responsible for any delay -and its consequences-, loss, injury or damage to any person or property resulting - directly or indirectly - dangers, fire, accident, breakdown in machinery or equipment, breakdown of transport, wars, civil disturbances, quarantine, strikes, riots, thefts, pilferages, epidemics, medical or custom department restrictions or regulations, or any other causes beyond Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L.'s control.

Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. does not assume liability or responsibility for securing the services of any doctor for any of their tours or services nor is liable for any medical emergency, evacuation costs, repatriation, expenses for accident, sickness or death, loss due to theft, or any other reasons incurred by any tour or service participant.

Travellers are obliged to take out such an insurance contract in their home country. The participation in tours or services organized by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. takes place on travellers' own responsibility and at their own risk. According to the above, the participant shall not formulate protests of any kind against Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L.

Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. reserves the right to implement a price increase of booked tours or services related to additional costs for transport, fuel prices, taxes or exchange rates.
The amount of such increase and the underlying reason will be notified by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. no later than 20 days before the start of the tour or services.

If the price increase is less than 8% of the total agreed amount for the land package excluding the reservation fee, booked tours or services cannot be cancelled free of charge. You must then pay the additional costs or pay the cancellation fee according to our cancellation conditions, see below, to cancel the tours or services.
Your decision to accept and pay the additional cost or to cancel the tours or services must be received by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. within 14 calendar days of the announcement of the increase.
For tours or services that start within 21 calendar days, your message must be received by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. at least 15 calendar days before they start.
If your message is not received by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. within the stipulated period, this will be considered as cancellation of the tours or services.

If the price increase is more than 8% of the total agreed amount for the land package excluding the reservation fee, you can cancel the booked tours or services free of charge. Excluded from free cancellation are reservation fees, purchased flight tickets and bus tickets for the route La Paz – Uyuni and vice versa, which are non-refundable, i.e. they cannot be returned and no refund will be made. Also excluded from free cancellation are costs for Hotel Luna Salada in Colchani, see also below under cancellation conditions. The above-mentioned tickets and costs will be charged in full at all times.

Transfer costs for the reimbursement and costs related to the conversion rate to another currency will be deducted from the amount to be received.

Payment and cancellation conditions:

Payment conditions:

1.) Money transfers from your account in a foreign country to our account in Bolivia:
For money transfers from your account in a foreign country to our account in Bolivia we don't charge transfer costs.
When you make the payment, please indicate your bank that costs for the money transfers are for sender (for you) so we receive the correct amount in our bank account. If a lower amount arrives in our account, we will still have to charge you for the amount that is short.
In addition, please indicate your bank that you transfer the amount in US-$., so don’t convert the amount into euros, British pounds, or any other currency!
We ask you to inform us after transferring the amount so we can check our account and send you a confirmation of the receipt.

Please do not make payments from an account with Revolut to our bank account, these are rejected by Bolivia's central bank and therefore do not arrive.

For all the tours or services contracted, a down payment of 25% of the total agreed amount should be made on the by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. indicated bank account when booking. The remainder of the payment has to be in the possession of Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. 6 weeks before the commencement of the tour or travel.
When booking takes place within 6 weeks before the commencement of the tour or travel the full amount has to be paid at once.

2.) If you are in Bolivia and you book a tour or service with us you can, in consultation with us, in time before the tour or service starts:
Pay in cash at our office in Samaipata in US-$. or bolivianos, or by debit card transaction in bolivianos. There won’t be a booking and reservation fee charged.

Cancellation conditions:

If the participant in a tour or travel booked with Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. wishes to cancel the reservation for any reason, our policy states that a full refund payment is not available. In addition to the booking and reservation costs due, the reductions are for cancellation* **:

until the 42nd calendar day before the commencement of the travel or tour: 25% of the agreed amount;
from the 42nd calendar day (inclusive) up to the 28th calendar day (exclusive) before the start of the tour or services: 35% of the agreed amount;
from the 28th calendar day (inclusive) up to the 21st calendar day (exclusive) before the start of the tour or services: 40% of the agreed amount;
from the 21st calendar day (inclusive) up to the 14th calendar day (exclusive) before the start of the tour or services: 50% of the agreed amount;
from the 14th calendar day (inclusive) to the 5th calendar day (exclusive) before the start of the tour or services: 75% of the agreed amount;
from the 5th calendar day (inclusive) until the day of commencement of the tour or services: 90% of the agreed amount;
on the day of commencement of the tour or services or later: the fully agreed amount.

* For Hotel Luna Salada, (partially) different cancellation conditions apply.
If an overnight stay (with dinner) at Hotel Luna Salada is included in the programme, the discount in case of cancellation is at least 50% of the agreed amount.
For the remaining 50% of the agreed amount, the reductions according to our cancellation conditions above apply, with the understanding that there will never be a refund. Any credit balance remains with the hotel and can be used for a new reservation made by you. However, should the reservation be scheduled for a date within 5 days from the cancellation, the reduction will be the full amount of the service.
Hotel Luna Salada considers changes to the reservation within 21 days before the start of the service as cancellation.
Hotel Luna Salada considers changes at any time in the number of rooms as cancellation.

** For Refugio Volcanes, (partially) different cancellation conditions apply.
If a tour to Refugio Volcanes is included in the programme, the reductions according to our cancellation conditions above apply. However, should the booking be scheduled for a date within 3 days from the cancellation, the reduction is the full amount of the service.

In the context of cancellation, the agreed amount means the price communicated by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. excluding booking and reservation fee.

Booking and reservation fee is non-refundable.

Working days are Monday to Friday from 8.30-18.30 hrs. and Saturday from 8.30-12.30 hrs. Bolivian time.
Cancellations sent on non-working days are deemed to have been received on the next working day. Cancellations outside office hours after closing time are deemed to have been received on the next working day.

Air tickets and bus tickets for the route La Paz – Uyuni and vice versa are non-refundable and once the tickets are purchased they cannot be returned and no refunds can be made.

Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. agrees to fully refund any money paid by the participant in the case of having to cancel a tour or service for any reason under Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L.'s control.
In case of restitution by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. by means of a bank transfer or in any other way, transfer costs for the reimbursement and costs relating to the conversion rate to another currency will at all times be deducted from the amount to be received.

If adverse climatic conditions exist or external events disturb or alter the normal course of the country, Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. reserves the right of cancellation of the tour or service, or part of it, or the modification of its content, always in the best interest and security of the traveller. In case of cancellation Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. will withhold 10% of the payment for administrative expenses.
If the tour has been initiated, the participant will additionally pay the expenses made so far. In case of modification, Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. will make a new estimation considering the changes.

Complaints (procedure) during the trip, tour or service:

The traveller must report any complaint about the execution of the trip, a tour or a service without delay and on the spot, so that a solution can be sought.
To do so, the traveller must report - in this order - to:

The service provider concerned;
In the case of a group tour, the guide / tour leader;
Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L.

If the shortcoming is not or cannot be remedied promptly by the service provider concerned and it detracts from the quality of the trip, tour or service, the traveller must in any case report it to Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. without delay, i.e. without any attributable delay, so that the complaint can be registered and a solution to it can be sought immediately.

If the traveller does not comply with the reporting obligation and/or does not register the complaint in the manner indicated by Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. and the service provider or Kaleidoscope Travel S.R.L. has therefore not been given the opportunity to remedy the shortcoming, any possible right of the traveller to compensation shall lapse.