At the time of the execution of any service agreement with Ruta Verde Tours B.V. (based in The Netherlands, Dutch Chamber of Commerce nr 74495925), the clients hereby represent their full knowledge and acceptance of these terms and conditions, which will be applied at such moment upon the written confirmation (by e-mail) of the services to be rendered either directly by Ruta Verde Tours or any third party and the clients may not at any time ignore them or claim the lack of knowledge thereof.
1. Risks and Dangers Disclaimer:
It is understood that undertaking treks, tours, or any other form of tourism activities, such as expeditions, jungle tours or any other trip arranged by Ruta Verde Tours, involves certain risks and dangers (Bolivia is a developing country). These risks include but are not limited to:
Traveling in mountain terrain, on rivers and in forests and jungle.
Travel by car, bus, jeep, boat, canoe, rafts, bicycle, or any other means of conveyance.
Traveling at high altitude.
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 tour/trek due to reasons beyond our control.
Due to for example adverse climate conditions, road blocks, civil unrest i.e., routes and hotel reservations can sometimes be changed without notice, this is the reason why itineraries are only for reference, and are not to be taken as exact itineraries of what the tour implies.
If changes have to be made it is –unfortunately- not always possible to notify our clients with anticipation. A strong overnight rain / snow fall or road blocks for example can cause some parts of a route to become temporarily impassable and may oblige us to make changes in the itinerary. But note that if changes are made it is for the client’s own safety. If we must modify the itinerary and the modification implies extra costs, these additional costs will have to be paid by the client.
2. Liability and Responsibility:
In consideration of the above Ruta Verde Tours declares that as intermediary between the client and the entities or persons called to carry out the services, such as hotels, restaurants, airlines, transport, other tour agencies / operators or others, shall not be liable for their bankruptcy, deficiencies, negligence or 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. Ruta Verde Tours shall not be held responsible for any delay or cancellation -and its consequences-, loss, injury or damage to any person or property resulting – directly or indirectly – from any act of God, dangers, fire, accident, breakdown in machinery or equipment, breakdown of transport, wars, civil disturbances, quarantine, strikes, road blocks, riots, thefts, pilferages, epidemics, medical or custom department restrictions or regulations, or any other causes beyond our control. Ruta Verde Tours does not assume liability or responsibility for securing the services of any doctor for any of their trips nor is it liable for any medical emergency, evacuation costs, expenses for accident, sickness or death, loss due to theft, or any other reasons incurred by any trip participant.
3. Insurance and Personal Responsibility:
Clients must have insurance in their home country which at least covers the risk of hospital costs, physician costs, funeral costs, and repatriation costs during the trip. The participation in tours organized by Ruta Verde Tours takes place on behalf of the clients own responsibility and at their own risk.
4. Travel Documentation:
Prior to departure and throughout the journey, it is imperative that the traveler possesses the necessary valid documents, such as a passport, requisite visas, proof of vaccinations, etc. The specific travel documents required are contingent upon the traveler’s nationality. Verification of these requirements should be undertaken by consulting authoritative sources. In the event that the traveler is unable to adhere to these stipulations, leading to an inability to (fully) partake in the trip, they will be responsible for covering the associated costs and any resulting consequences. Additionally, the traveler must be equipped with insurance that, at a minimum, covers the risks of hospital costs, medical expenses, funeral expenses, and repatriation costs during the course of the journey.
5. Payment:
For all contracted services, payment should be made before the commencement of the services.
Following the agreement’s finalization, a 50% deposit of the total agreed-upon travel fee is required. If Ruta Verde Tours includes airline tickets in the travel package, the full payment for these tickets is due immediately upon the agreement’s conclusion. Special cases may have different deposit or payment arrangements, and group travel may have varying deposit rules.
The remaining travel fee must be settled no later than five weeks before the departure date. Failure to make timely payments will put the client in default, potentially leading to cancellation and incurring cancellation costs for the client.
In instances where the agreement is made within five weeks of the departure date, the entire trip fee must be paid promptly.
Payments must be made to the account of Ruta Verde Tours.
The rates for quoted services are subject to modification at any time, including after payment has been made, if there are changes in Bolivian Government subsidies for gasoline and/or diesel, or if there are significant fluctuations in the dollar-boliviano exchange rate.
6. Cancellation policy:
If you have booked a trip with us and wish to cancel we reserve the right to apply the following penalties:
More than 30 days 30% of the total costs of the tour. This does not include penalties charged by hotel Luna Salada or any other hotel or service provider (if applies).
21 to 30 days 40% of the total costs of the tour
11 to 20 days 65% of the total costs of the tour
10 to 3 days 85% of the total costs of the tour
within 2 days of departure 100% of the total costs of the tour
The penalties exclude domestic flight tickets as airlines have their own cancellation policy.
The above described penalties do not apply to group (shared) tours during special events/festivals such as the International Baroque Music Festival. Bookings for this festival are non-refundable.
Ruta Verde Tours agrees to fully refund any money paid by the client in the case of having to cancel a tour for any reason under Ruta Verde’s control. If adverse climatic conditions exist or external events disturb or alter the normal course of the country/continent/world, Ruta Verde Tours reserves the right of cancellation of the tour or part of it, or the modification of its content, always in the best interest and security of the client. In case of such cancellation the company reserves the right to withhold a percentage of the payment for administrative expenses plus the expenses made so far if any. If the tour has been initiated, the client will additionally pay the expenses made so far. If we have to modify the itinerary and the modification implies extra costs, these additional costs will have to be paid by the client.
7. Guarantee Scheme VZR Garant:
In order to meet its statutory obligation to provide a guarantee, Ruta Verde Tours makes use of the guarantee scheme provided by VZR Garant (www.vzr-garant.nl/en). You can check that this is the case by visiting VZR Garant’s website and verifying that the organisation is listed as a participant. VZR Garant’s guarantee applies within the limits of its Guarantee Scheme (which can be found on VZR Garant’s website). The Guarantee Scheme specifies the exact (travel) offering to which VZR Garant’s guarantee applies and what the guarantee entails. If services are not provided due to the financial insolvency of Ruta Verde Tours, you can contact VZR Garant, which has its offices at Torenallee 20, 5617 BC Eindhoven, Netherlands, by sending an email to info@vzr-garant.nl or calling +31 (0)85 13 07 630.
8. Procedure for Handing complaints:
Any deficiencies in the execution of the agreement should be promptly reported to the relevant service provider to facilitate the identification of a suitable solution. If the issue persists and adversely affects the trip’s quality, it should be reported immediately to Ruta Verde Tours. If a complaint remains unresolved in a satisfactory manner, it must be formally submitted in writing to Ruta Verde Tours within one month after the trip’s conclusion, accompanied by supporting details. Any disagreement between the traveler and Ruta Verde Tours is subject to the laws of the Netherlands.
Payment of the tour is taken as acknowledgment and agreement of the terms mentioned above.
