Terms & Conditions

 

Terms and Conditions

Trip Confirmation

These trips are offered by INCA/Inca Floats, Inc., hereafter known as INCA.

Upon receipt of your deposit(s) and completed Release of Liability, Assumption of All Risk, and Binding Arbitration Agreement, you will be confirmed on your trip, and INCA will send you a detailed Traveler’s Guide, statements and sample itinerary.

NOTE: Your trip reservation is considered confirmed only when we receive your completed, signed, and unaltered Release of Liability, Assumption of All Risk, and Binding Arbitration Agreement.

Passports, Visas

Do not delay the completion of trip forms while waiting for your passport renewal, as missing passport numbers can be supplied at a later date.

Participants are solely responsible for obtaining their own passports, ensuring the ongoing validity of the same, and obtaining any necessary visas or other necessary travel documents.

Covered Expenses

Land cost includes hotels (double occupancy), land and yacht transportation, yacht or ship accommodation (double occupancy), transfers as specified in the itinerary, tips for hotel services, baggage handling and storage at trip hotels, all guides, tours as indicated, fees to museums and archeological sites, and sightseeing arrangements as specified. All yacht and ship meals are included, as are meals indicated on the trip itinerary. Reservations are accepted for charters and for individual travelers on INCA’s inclusive itineraries. No price reduction will be granted for any requested itinerary deviations, changes, or omissions.

Expenses Not Included

Not included are any airfare, transfers to any hotel not specified in the itinerary, any extra services or any deviations from the trip itinerary, tips for the yacht or ship crew, guides or naturalists (at your discretion), laundry, alcoholic beverages, excess baggage charges, transit tax, Galápagos National Park Fee or items of a personal nature. Price also excludes any insurance coverage for trip cancellation/interruption, travel accident, travel delay, baggage delay, or baggage theft (we recommend you obtain coverage for these items), medical, or hospitalization expenses. INCA reserves the right to raise a trip or charter price at any time before departure if there are cost increases (such as fuel surcharges, park fees, government permits and/or taxes) that are beyond our control.

Air Tickets

Currencies fluctuate in many countries of the world: In cases where INCA issues air tickets from or to the United States in conjunction with your trip, INCA reserves the right to raise a trip or charter price at any time before final payment if there are cost increases (such as fuel surcharges) that are beyond our control, and, in the case of increased governmental taxes, at any time prior to departure. In cases where INCA does not issue air tickets from or to the United States, it reserves the right to increase the price for such reasons at any time up to the departure of the trip.

Deposit, Payment and Cancellation Schedules*

*Deposit, Payment and Cancellation Schedules may vary from trip to trip. Please consult the payment and cancellation schedule for the specific trip being booked. Specific payment and cancellation schedules override the general terms and conditions herein.

INDIVIDUAL BOOKINGS OF ONE TO FOUR TRAVELERS

    Deposit

  • A deposit is due at time of booking. Amounts vary by trip. Please reference the trip page for specific amounts.
  • Any additional arrangements may incur further deposits, due at time of booking those services

    Payment

  • The balance is due 90 days before departure
  • Domestic or regional airfares are due at time of ticketing

    Cancellation

  • Up to 151 days before departure – deposit may be refunded, or transferred to a new departure within one year of original trip date
  • 150-91 days before departure – deposit is non-refundable, but may be transferred to a new departure within one year of original trip date*
  • 90-61 days before departure – all monies received are non-refundable, but may be transferred to a new departure within one year of original trip date*
  • 60-0 days before departure – 100% of full trip price is forfeited

*Less any payments to hotels, airlines, or local service providers for your trip that we are unable to transfer or recover. Cancellation due to force majeure (circumstances outside your control, including medical illness) must be covered by travel insurance. INCA/Inca Floats, Inc. will not be responsible.

SMALL GROUPS OF FIVE OR MORE TRAVELERS

    Deposit

  • An initial deposit is due at time of booking. Amounts vary by trip. Please reference the trip page for specific amounts.
  • A second deposit is due 150 days before departure
  • Any additional arrangements may incur further deposits, due at time of booking those services

    Payment

  • The balance is due 90 days before departure
  • Domestic or regional airfares are due at time of ticketing

    Cancellation

  • Up to 151 days before departure – the initial deposit may be refunded or transferred to a new departure within one year of original trip date
  • 150-91 days before departure – initial deposit and second deposit are non-refundable, but may be transferred to a new departure within one year of original trip date*
  • 90-61 days before departure – 50% of full trip price is forfeited. The remaining balance is non-refundable, but may be transferred towards a new departure within one year of original trip date*
  • 60-0 days before departure – 100% of full trip price is forfeited

*Less any payments to hotels, airlines, or local service providers for your trip that we are unable to transfer or recover. Cancellation due to force majeure (circumstances outside your control, including medical illness) must be covered by travel insurance. INCA/Inca Floats, Inc. will not be responsible.

PRIVATE CHARTERS

  • Private charters are governed by specific charter contracts. Deposit, payment, and cancellation terms are defined in the charter contract

All holiday departures may require two times the trip deposit(s).

Requested single accommodations for an entire trip or for a yacht, ship, or gulet suite upgrade may require an additional deposit to be paid at the time of booking.

Trips may be paid by check, credit card, money order, or bank transfer.

All Antarctica, Arctic, and Alaska trips have a different deposit, payment, and cancellation schedule, which will be provided for those trips prior to booking.

If trip payments are not paid when due, INCA reserves the right to treat the reservation(s) as canceled and to accept new reservation(s) for the space(s). Cancellation fee schedules will apply.

Once a trip has started, there will be no refunds for any unused portion of the trip. This includes any pre-trip or post-trip arrangements, transfers, meals, tours, hotels, and any “no-shows” due to delay or failure of transportation to arrive or depart on time. Insurance coverage for such risks may be purchased.

We reserve the right to raise the trip fee at any time before departure if there are cost increases beyond our control.

Trust Account

California Law requires certain sellers of travel to have a trust account or bond. INCA has such a trust account.

California Seller of Travel Program

California has established a Travel Consumer Restitution Fund under the California Seller of Travel Law. This fund is designed to protect consumers from unscrupulous practices by airfare ticket sellers or air charter operators. This law does not cover non-California residents and, even in the case of California residents, it does not cover any foreign travel where the foreign “providers of transportation or travel services” are not in compliance with the Seller of Travel Law (compliance being defined as registered as a Seller of Travel in California and a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund). Thus, none of INCA’s trips qualify. The law requires all tour operators to advise each of their clients that they would not be eligible to make any claim from the Fund in the unlikely event of any default by INCA or any of our foreign suppliers. I understand that this means I am not eligible to make any claim against that Fund. CST #1013564-60.

In Case of Non-Operation

If a trip cannot operate because of a government COVID-19 travel restriction, we will contact you and provide more information specific to your trip.

COVID-19-related reasons include:

  • The U.S. Department of State issues a new Level 4: Do Not Travel Global Health Advisory, or the government in the guest’s country of residence restricts all but essential travel

  • The U.S. Department of State issues a new Level 4: Do Not Travel due to COVID-19 for the destination the guest is travelling to, or the government in the guest’s country of residence issues a comparable advisory

  • The guest’s home country has new travel restrictions in place that prohibit the guest from travelling to the destination(s), such as closed borders

  • The destination to which the guest is travelling has put new entry restrictions in place that prohibit the guest from entering, such as closed borders or extended quarantine requirements

  • International flights are cancelled with no alternative routing available for guest to reach the destination(s) in the itinerary

Guests may choose between the following two options:

  1. Transfer to a future departure; 100% credit to use towards a future trip departing within one year of original departure, less any payments to hotels, airlines, or local service providers for your trip that we are unable to transfer or recover.

  2. A full refund of trip costs, less any payments to hotels, airlines, or local service providers that we are unable to transfer or recover.

We will use good faith efforts to recover and refund as much money as possible in light of these circumstances. Unfortunately, we cannot be responsible for other expenses incurred like visa fees, inoculations, travel equipment, etc. The determination of the operation of a trip will depend on government restrictions and rules in the destination country and may be made at any time before departure.

Please note fear of travel does not constitute one of the COVID-19-related reasons for cancellation.

Cancelled, Postponed, Rescheduled Trips

Although INCA almost never cancels, postpones, or reschedules trips, we reserve the right to cancel, postpone or reschedule any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including logistical problems such as strikes, wars, pandemics, acts of God, force majeure, or any other circumstances which may make the operation of the trip inadvisable. All trip payments and nonrefundable deposits received may be transferred to a future departure or refunded, less any non-recoverable payments made to suppliers and operators. This refund/credit will be the limit of INCA’s liability. INCA is not responsible for any expenses or damages incurred by trip members as a consequence of any cancellation, such as costs expended in preparing for the trip (including nonrefundable or penalty-carrying airline tickets), special clothing, visa or passport fees, lost income, or any other trip-related losses or expenses.

Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation Insurance

INCA requires medical emergency and medical evacuation insurance coverage of at least $100,000 for all adventures. INCA offers stand-alone $200,000 coverage for a nominal fee. Proof of coverage is required if insurance is obtained elsewhere.

Trip Insurance

To cover your investment in your trip, INCA strongly recommends you purchase trip cancellation insurance coverage that would reimburse you for pre-departure trip cancellation fees or post-departure trip interruption (limited to the amount of coverage you purchased) losses, lost baggage or travel documents, delayed luggage, for reasonable accommodation and travel expenses if your trip is delayed, accidental death or dismemberment, and coverage for emergency medical expenses including emergency medical evacuation.

Coverage that includes a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver, trip cancelation, or trip interruption due to financial default of an airline, cruise line, or tour operator may be included, provided you purchase travel insurance within 15-21 days of the date on which INCA received your trip deposit, depending on the insurance provider.

INCA has selected what it believes to be high-quality travel insurance carriers for our guests. For details and enrollment, contact INCA or see the travel insurance information supplied by the INCA office. Note: Medicare does not provide coverage outside of the United States.

Special Diets

If we receive at least 45 days’ notice, we can usually accommodate special dietary requests. For vegetarians, there are usually plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, rice, potatoes, pasta, and juices. You may wish to bring your favorite snacks if you are on a restrictive diet.

Smoking

No smoking is allowed in yachts, ships, boats, buses, vans, automobiles, or during any group dining. Smoking is permitted only outside on the deck on our chartered yachts. If you are a smoker and we cannot pair you with a suitable other smoker, we must charge you an additional fee for a single hotel room as non-smokers prefer not to share hotel accommodations with smokers.

Accommodations & Traveling Alone

Accommodations are based on double occupancy, two persons to a room or cabin. Most single travelers are easily paired with a trip member of the same sex. However, if there is no appropriate member with whom you may share, you may have to pay a single supplement for the trip or for single hotel accommodations to cover our additional costs.

Physical Fitness

These trips may be taken by anyone in good physical condition. Even an easy trip is more enjoyable if you are fit. As you will have to go up and down stairways, walk over irregular terrain, and may need to get on and off the yacht or ship from a small skiff, you are encouraged to get in shape by exercising regularly. Some itineraries require walking or hiking over mountainous terrain on challenging trails, sometimes at high altitude. Running, hiking, swimming, bicycling, and aerobics are all good conditioners. Please call us if you have any questions about your ability to do a particular trip. Once a trip has started and it is necessary for you to leave the trip because it is beyond your physical abilities, please note that there will be no refunds for any unused portion of the trip.

Medical

You must be in generally good health. It is vital that persons with medical problems and related dietary restrictions make them known to us well before departure. Our staff will discuss with you the advisability of the particular trip you have selected. The trip leader has the right to disqualify any member from the group at any time if considered medically necessary to avoid endangering the welfare of the group. Refunds are not given under such circumstances.

INCA is not a medical facility and has no expertise or responsibility regarding which medications or inoculations you and your private physician should decide necessary for your safe participation on the trip. A list of commonly taken inoculations and immunizations by travelers to the destination of your trip will be in the Traveler's Guide that will be sent upon receipt of your reservation deposit and Trip Application.

INCA urges you to review the CDC website (www.cdc.gov) before booking and before starting your trip. INCA assumes no liability regarding provision of medical care. Trip members are urged to be sure to obtain adequate coverage.

Travel Alerts and Warnings

Both the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control publish and update important country-specific information for travelers. We strongly recommend that you review them. They can presently be found at:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alerts/warnings.html
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
If not a United States citizen, please consult your country's Foreign Office for similar information.

© 04/2023 INCA/Inca Floats, Inc.

 

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