Terms of service.

1. General Agreement

These Terms of Service (the “Agreement”) set out the contractual relationship between Destination St Helena (“we”, “us”, or “our”) and any client or traveler (“you” or “the Guest”) purchasing or utilizing our destination management, tour, transfer, or accommodation arrangement services. By issuing a booking request or making any payment, you confirm that you accept these terms in full.


2. Group Bookings & Lead Contacts

If you are booking services on behalf of family members, travel companions, or a group:

  • You act as the designated Lead Contact for the entire party.

  • You warrant that you have the authority to accept these terms on behalf of everyone in your group.

  • You are responsible for distributing all documentation to your party, collecting and remitting all payments, and acting as the primary point of communication.


3. Medical Preparedness & Physical Suitability

  • Personal Responsibility: St Helena features rugged terrain and remote natural environments. You are responsible for ensuring that your health and physical conditioning are adequate for any activities you choose to undertake.

  • Special Needs & Medical Conditions: You must disclose any physical limitations, mobility restrictions, medical conditions, or dietary needs prior to confirming your booking. While we strive to accommodate all guests, certain activities or island infrastructure may not be suitable for all requirements.

  • Right of Refusal: For safety reasons, we reserve the right to exclude any participant from an activity if, in our reasonable judgment, continuing would pose a risk to themselves or others.

4. Traveling with Minors

  • Guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or designated adult supervisor at all times.

  • A ratio of at least one adult per two minors is required.

  • Accompanying adults are solely responsible for the conduct and supervision of minors in their care.

5. Mandatory Travel Insurance Policy

Crucial Notice:

All guests traveling with Destination St Helena are required to hold comprehensive travel insurance with a minimum emergency medical and evacuation coverage of £250,000 GBP.

St Helena Immigration authorities verify medical insurance coverage upon arrival. In addition, we strongly urge all travelers to obtain coverage for trip interruption, luggage loss, and travel delays.

6. Rates, Invoices & Surcharge Adjustments

  • Pricing Base: All rates are quoted and charged in British Pounds (GBP £).

  • Price Guarantee & Adjustments: Once your booking is confirmed, prices are fixed. However, in the event of substantial, unexpected increases in third-party costs (such as local transport fees, fuel prices, or statutory taxes) exceeding 2% of your total package cost, we reserve the right to pass this cost on as a surcharge.

  • Significant Price Changes: Should a required surcharge exceed 7% of your total booking value, you have the right to cancel your reservation within 14 days of notice for a full refund of payments made to us.

7. Booking Deposits & Payment Schedules

  • Deposit Requirement: A 30% deposit is required at the time of reservation to secure your itinerary and third-party bookings.

  • Balance Payment: Full remaining balance payments must be received 60 days prior to your scheduled arrival date in St Helena.

  • Short-Notice Reservations: Bookings made within 60 days of arrival must be paid in full at the time of confirmation.

  • Late Payments: Failure to pay the balance by the due date may result in the cancellation of your reservation and the forfeiture of your deposit.

8. Flexible Deposit Protection

If you need to cancel a confirmed trip, your 30% deposit is protected under our Flexible Deposit policy:

  • It does not expire and can be applied toward any future trip or service booked through Destination St Helena.

  • It is fully transferable to another traveler upon written request.

  • Note: Flexible Deposits have no cash monetary value and can only be redeemed against future bookings of equivalent or greater total value.


9. Cancellation Policy (By the Guest)

All cancellation requests must be sent in writing. Refunds are calculated based on when we receive your written cancellation notice:

Timeline of Cancellation Notice

Refund / Fee Terms

60+ days before arrival

Balance refunded excluding deposit.  - Deposit kept for work put into initial request.

59 to 30 days before arrival

50% refund of the total booking cost.

29 to 15 days before arrival

25% refund of the total booking cost.

14 days or fewer before arrival

No refund available (100% cancellation charge).

Any unrecoverable costs already paid to independent local contractors or accommodations on your behalf will be deducted before issuing refunds.

10. Booking Changes & Transfers

  • Requested Changes: If you wish to amend your dates or services after confirmation, we will attempt to make the necessary adjustments subject to vendor availability.

  • Service Fee: An administrative fee of £25 GBP per change request may apply, alongside any vendor price differences.

  • Name Transfers: You may transfer your complete booking to another person up to 30 days before arrival, provided the substitute traveler meets all entry, health, and insurance requirements.


11. Schedule Alterations & Unforeseen Events

  • Operational Flexibility: Travel on St Helena depends heavily on oceanic and atmospheric weather conditions. We reserve the right to alter routes, timing, accommodation, or specific activities when required for safety or local operational logistics.

  • Cancellations by Destination St Helena: If we are forced to cancel your booking prior to commencement (unrelated to non-payment or Force Majeure), you may choose between a full monetary refund or an alternative itinerary of matching value.

  • Force Majeure Events: We are not liable for changes, delays, or cancellations caused by events beyond our control, including extreme weather, ocean conditions, flight delays or cancellations, airport disruptions, natural disasters, or government restrictions. In such cases, refunds are strictly limited to amounts we can recover from local suppliers.

12. Unused Services & In-Trip Changes

Once your journey with Destination St Helena has started, no refunds or credits will be issued for unused hotel nights, missed transport, or skipped activities due to late arrivals, early departures, or personal choice.

13. Documentation, Visas & Entry Regulations

  • Passport Standards: You must hold a valid passport with at least 6 months validity beyond your intended departure date from St Helena.

  • Travel Authorizations: You are responsible for obtaining all required visas, transit documents (such as South African transit permits where applicable), and St Helena Entry Permits.

  • Entry Denial: We accept no responsibility or financial liability if you are turned away by immigration authorities or transit carriers.

  • If turned away by authorities, we reserve the right to seek the reason and refund what is depending on reasons refused by authorities. 


14. Assumption of Risk & Safety Guidelines

  • Inherent Risks: Exploring St Helena involves active pursuits in natural, maritime, and off-road environments. By participating, you acknowledge that these activities carry inherent risks of injury, delay, or loss.

  • Limitation of Risk: You agree that Destination St Helena, its representatives & third party suppliers are not responsible for injuries, illness, damage, or loss of personal property unless directly caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct on our part.

  • Compliance: You must follow all instructions and safety protocols provided by our guides, drivers, vessel captains, and local partners at all times.

15. Role as a Service Provider

Destination St Helena functions both as a direct tour provider and as an agent arranging services provided by independent third parties (such as hotels, charters, and activity operators). While we select our partners with care, we are not responsible for the acts, omissions, or defaults of independent contractors. Our cumulative financial liability for any claim is capped at the total amount you paid to us for your booking.


16. Resolving Concerns

  • Immediate Local Support: If you experience any issues during your stay, you must inform your Destination St Helena Rep, guide or host immediately so we can work to correct the situation on the spot.

  • Formal Complaints: If a problem cannot be resolved locally during your stay, formal written details must be submitted to us within 28 days of your departure. Failing to notify us locally during the trip may limit your ability to seek subsequent compensation.


17. Governing Jurisdiction

This Agreement and all services provided by Destination St Helena are governed exclusively by the laws of St Helena Island. Any legal claims or proceedings must be brought in the courts of St Helena.


Destination St Helena

Email: destinationsthelena@gmail.com

Phone: +29066050

Web: www.destinationsthelena.co.sh


3. Special Requests & Health and Safety

Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking. Whilst every effort will be made by us to try and arrange your reasonable special requests with suppliers, we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled. 
The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation, invoice or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the supplier is not confirmation that the request will be met and will not be a breach of agreement if it is not.  
We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met and you must not make any verbal or written assurances that any special request shall be complied with.
The health and safety of travellers is of utmost importance to Destination St Helena and its suppliers. Where safety recommendations is provided and the traveller declines adhere too, we reserve the right to refuse or alter participation of the traveller.
Where warning of any potential risks or dangers is provided in advance by Destination St Helena or suppliers and the traveller agrees to participate, no liability whatsoever shall attach to Destination St Helena or its Suppliers.

Dietary Requirements & Allergies

To ensure your safety and enjoyment, it is crucial that you inform Destination St Helena of any allergies or specific dietary requirements (including vegetarian, vegan, or other intolerances) at the time of booking. For any food or drink-related arrangements, we require this information during the itinerary planning process. While we endeavor to accommodate all reasonable requests, we cannot be held responsible for any allergic reactions or health-related incidents if we were not informed of the allergy or dietary need ahead of time.

Alcohol Consumption Policy

As a British Overseas Territory, the legal age for alcohol consumption on St Helena Island is 18 years or older.
  • Proof of Age: All travellers must be a minimum of 18 years of age to be served alcohol and may be required to present proof of age upon entry to any drinking establishment.
  • Establishment Entry: Destination St Helena accepts no responsibility for a traveller’s non-admittance to a licensed venue due to their age or lack of valid identification.
  • Supervisory Role: Destination St Helena does not assume any supervisory role during or after itinerary stops where alcohol is consumed.
  • Underage Consumption: We accept no responsibility for any underage traveller who attempts to purchase, purchases, or consumes alcohol at any point while on one of our itineraries.

4. Payment Instructions and Methods

  • Payment Compliance: You must submit all payments for your arrangements strictly in accordance with the specific payment instructions provided by Destination St Helena (via contract, offer, or email).
  • Accepted Methods: All payments must be made by Credit/debit Card or Bank Transfer.
  • Bank Charges: When paying by Bank Transfer, you are responsible for covering any and all related bank charges or fees.
  • Credit Card Fee: Payments made via Credit Card transaction will incur a handling charge of approximately 3% of the transaction value.

6. Our Role and Limitations

Destination St Helena acts solely as an agency and booking intermediary between you and the local suppliers of your services on St Helena Island (e.g., hotels, tour operators, and transport providers).
As we do not directly control the operations of these independent suppliers, we cannot prevent them from amending or cancelling a service. Therefore, we must reserve the right to amend or cancel part or all of your arrangements at any time if required by a supplier.

Our Commitment to You

In the event that an amendment or cancellation occurs, we will take the following steps:
  • Alternative Arrangements: We will use reasonable efforts, at our discretion, to provide you with a suitable alternative service or a replacement arrangement of equivalent standard.
  • Assistance: We will do what is reasonably necessary to assist you with the necessary changes to your itinerary.

Liability

You acknowledge that Destination St Helena owes you no further liability whatsoever resulting from a supplier's amendment or cancellation. We will provide our assistance without incurring additional cost to ourselves.

7. Complaints Procedure

We are committed to ensuring you have an exceptional experience on St Helena. Should any issues arise with your arrangements, please follow these steps:

Contact Destination St Helena Representative

We will do our utmost within reason to address any complaints and issues that you feel warrant so.  Being on a remote island such as St Helena, visitors must still understand limitations and expect so at this destination.

Formal Written Complaint (Post-Tour)

If the issue remains unresolved after your efforts with the local supplier and with our assistance, you must submit full written details of your complaint to us within 14 days of the end of your tour. We will then use all reasonable endeavors to investigate and resolve any complaint concerning services provided by or through us.
Important Note: We will not accept any liability for claims or complaints if you have not followed this procedure, particularly the requirement to report the issue to the local supplier immediately and make reasonable efforts to resolve it on the spot.