Terms and Conditions
Balkan Tales EOOD
ID 205078040
Address: 6 Sofia str fl 3 office 4 Varna, Bulgaria 9000
CEO: Yuri Slavchev
Tel: +359878113001
Please read these terms and conditions carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations.
Once you begin your tour, by default you accept these terms and conditions.
CANCELLATION
Cancel one-day tours 14 days before for full refund, or 7 days before for 50% refund. For multi-day tours, cancel 2 months before for full refund, or 1 month before for 50% refund. Cancellations need our email confirmation.
Balkan Tales LTD plans tours. We’ll:
- Make a reliable itinerary.
- Hire guides/drivers.
- Arrange vehicles.
- Manage hotel, event, and entrance bookings.
- Help you throughout the tour.
We only organize travel. We represent various providers like guides, transportation, and hotels. We don’t own or control these services and aren’t liable for their actions. Any issues must be taken up with the specific provider, not us.
RESPONSIBILITY
We always do our best to make sure your travel arrangements are satisfactory. However, Balkan Tales LTd and its employees, shareholders, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns do not own or operate any entity that provides goods and services for your travel, including without limitation lodging facilities, airline, vessel, motor coach, or other transportation companies, guides or guide services, local ground operators, providers, or organizers of optional excursions, food service providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors and are in no way affiliated to Balkan Tales LTD or any of Balkan Tales’s affiliated entities.
BOOKINGS AND RESERVATIONS
Our offer stands for a month from the day you receive it.
After paying a deposit, we’ll assign a guide and send a confirmation email, which serves as your booking proof. Please keep it for reference.
If you don’t receive this email, let us know so we can resend it. We’re not responsible for incorrect email addresses or delivery failures.
Bookings made online will be confirmed via email.
Tours aren’t confirmed until fully paid or a deposit is given. Balkan Tales can decline to offer services for unpaid tours.
Please verify your travel dates when you receive your documents.
Starting your tour means you agree to these terms and conditions.
PAYMENT / DEPOSIT / REFUNDS
To secure your tour, a deposit of 20% of the total cost is required. This can be paid via our online portal with a credit/debit card. Other payment methods can be discussed with us. The remaining amount can be paid in cash, online, or by bank transfer when your tour begins.
If your deposit exceeds 20%, we’ll refund the surplus, unless we’ve already paid for hotels/transport. In such cases, we’ll notify you of the refund amount, if applicable.
Your deposit is flexible – if cancellation is necessary, you can reschedule the tour, transfer it, or inform us about a date change at least 2 months prior. You can then receive an 80% refund or convert your deposit into a 24-month valid voucher.
Agreed refunds will be processed within 30 days.
CHANGES BY US
Balkan Tales has the right to modify itineraries as needed. If changes occur, we aim to provide alternatives of equal value.
Alterations may result from uncontrollable events such as disease outbreaks, strikes, political instability, or social unrest.
In pursuit of improving our tours, we may include new attractions we believe enhance your experience.
We may lower our tour prices at any time.
In peak season, if our fleet can’t accommodate all passengers, we may use quality private motor coaches, ensuring equal standards and providing a guide.
We may issue updated brochures at any time.
Tour prices, based on current exchange rates, tariffs, and taxes, can increase due to cost changes or foreign exchange fluctuations. Balkan Tales has the right to amend a tour, change the itinerary, or increase prices due to circumstances beyond our control. We strive to operate tours as planned, but alterations may happen after the final itinerary is issued.
HEALTH
Joining our tour means you’re physically fit and healthy. It’s your duty to ensure you’re medically ready for the tour.
Travelers over 60 must be fit to travel and may be asked to leave if they’re slowing the tour down.
It’s your responsibility to know and meet any health requirements or restrictions for your travel destinations, including carrying vaccination documentation. Balkan Tales won’t provide this information. Airlines and authorities at your destinations may require testing or temperature checks due to COVID-19. You could be denied entry or need to quarantine. Complying with local regulations and bearing costs for testing, quarantine, transport, and accommodation if entry is denied, is your responsibility.
AUTHORITY ON TOUR
Balkan Tales LTD isn’t liable for any injuries, illnesses, deaths, losses (including possessions and enjoyment), damages, expenses, costs, or claims. We don’t cover deportation costs or other expenses in the event of death.
INSURANCE
We strongly advise purchasing travel insurance, which should cover trip cancellations, travel and major medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, and accidental death/flight accident.
You must comply with all laws, customs, and foreign exchange rules of the countries visited. Disruptive or dangerous behavior won’t be tolerated, and Balkan Tales has the right to remove such participants from the tour. No refunds or compensation will be provided in these cases.
Balkan Tales isn’t liable for damages due to natural disasters, war, civil unrest, accidents, fires, changes due to transportation or accommodation services, orders by governments or immigration, infectious diseases, accidents during free activities, and delays or changes in transportation.
In case of a car accident, the insurance company covers expenses. Balkan Tales LTD isn’t responsible for any damage, loss, or death.
We can’t be held accountable for weather conditions, and tickets can’t be cancelled or changed based on weather.
We’re not responsible for weather impacts on the itinerary.
INDEMNIFICATION AND EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY
- Balkan Tales LTD is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any travel service provider or of any third party. In addition and without limitation, Balkan Tales LTD is not responsible for any injury, loss, death, inconvenience, delay, or damage to person or property in connection with the provision of any goods or services, whether resulting from, but not limited to, acts of God or force majeure, illness, disease, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection or revolt, animals, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of any kind, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, mechanical or other failure of airplanes or other means of transportation, or any failure of any transportation mechanism to arrive or depart on time.
- If due to weather, flight schedules, or other uncontrollable factors you are required to spend additional night(s), you will be responsible for your own hotel, transfers, and meal costs.
- Baggage is entirely at the owner’s risk. Drivers, guides or other service providers are not responsible for your luggage.
You acknowledge that adventures travel and the products and services offered by the Tour Operator may involve a significant amount of risk to your health and safety. By travelling with by Balkan Tales, you acknowledge that you have considered any potential risks to health and safety. You hereby assume responsibility for all such risk and release the Balkan Tales from all claims and causes of action arising from any losses, damages or injuries or death resulting from risks inherent in travel, including adventure travel specifically, visiting foreign destinations, and participating in adventurous activities such as those included in tour itineraries or otherwise offered by Balkan Tales.
You acknowledge that the degree and nature of personal risk involved depends on the products or services booked and the location(s) in which a product or service operates, and that there may be a significant degree of personal risk involved in participating, particularly participating in physical activities, travel to remote locations, carriage by watercraft, participation in “extreme sports” or other high-risk activities, or travel to countries with a developing infrastructure. Standards of hygiene, accommodation and transport in certain countries where tours take place are often lower than the standards you may reasonably expect in your home country or region. You agree that Balkan Tales is not responsible for providing information or guidance with respect to local customs, weather conditions, specific safety concerns, physical challenges or laws in effect in any locations where a tour, product or service is operated. You acknowledge you have considered the potential risks, dangers and challenges and your own personal capabilities and needs, and you expressly assume the risks associated with travel under such conditions.
You must at all times strictly comply with all applicable laws and regulations of all countries and regions. Should you fail to comply with the above or commit any illegal act when on tour or, if in the opinion of Balkan Tales (acting reasonably), your behavior is causing or is likely to cause danger, distress or material annoyance to others, Balkan Tales may terminate your travel arrangements on any product or service immediately at your expense and without any liability on Balkan Tales’ part. You will not be entitled to any refund for unused or missed services or costs incurred as a result of termination of your travel arrangements, including, without limitation, return travel, accommodations, meals, and incidentals.
You are responsible for any costs (including repair, replacement and cleaning fees) incurred by Balkan Tales or Balkan Tales’ suppliers for property damage, destruction or theft caused by you while on a tour. You agree to immediately report any pre-existing damage to a representative of the Balkan Tales and staff of the accommodation, transportation service, or facility as soon as possible upon discovery.
You agree to take all prudent measures in relation to your own safety while on tour including, but not limited to, the proper use of safety devices (including seat-belts, harnesses, flotation devices and helmets) and obeying all posted signs and oral or written warnings regarding health and safety. Neither Balkan Tales nor its Third Party Suppliers (as defined herein) are liable for loss or damages caused by your failure to comply with safety instructions or warnings.
You agree to bring any complaints to Balkan Tales as soon as possible in order to provide Balkan Tales with the opportunity to properly address such complaint. You agree to inform your tour leader, another representative of Balkan Tales or Balkan Tales’ customer service department directly.
Balkan Tales assumes no liability for complaints that are not properly brought to the attention of Balkan Tales, and cannot resolve or attempt to resolve complaints until proper notice is provided. Any complaint made after the completion of a tour must be received in writing by Balkan Tales within 30 days of the last day of travel of the booking in question.
BEHAVIOR
It is the Clients’ responsibility to ensure that he and the members of his Party do not behave in a way which causes offense or danger to others or which risks damage to property belonging to others. In such circumstances all suppliers (e.g. hotel managers, airline pilots) and the Company have the right to terminate arrangements made on the Clients’ behalf, in which case the Company’s responsibility to the Client ceases immediately. Therefore, the Company will not be liable for any refunds, payment of compensation or reimbursement of any cost or expenses incurred as a result. Further, the Client will be liable to reimburse the Company for any expenses whatsoever that it incurs as a result of such behavior.
Before the tour, you can contact the tour guide/guides allocated to your tour.
Balkan Tales reserves the right to change the guide/guides assigned to your tour before its beginning.
The guides are entitled to terminate the tour in case of: abuse, sexual harassment, attacks, and misbehavior on your part.
The guide decides for her/himself what are the limits of acceptable behavior described above.
Balkan Tales’ guides can decide where and for how long to make breaks, because the driving could be stressful and they need to rest for a while.
The guide is not obliged to have lunch and dinner with the group. This happens only at his/her request. Lunch break is also break for your tour leader. Please let them take a break for a while. This break is necessary, regardless of your diet. Balkan Tales’ guides need a good lunch.
The working hours of your tour guide are determined by the itinerary. The tour guide’s working time is limited to the end of the schedule and she/he can refuse to accompany you outside the agreed-in-advance hours.
Your guide will accompany you during the itinerary confirmed by you before the tour. He/she can agree or refuse to accompany you outside the agreed itinerary.
MARKETING
Balkan Tales reserves the right to use any photographs and video taken during the tour for use in marketing or any other advertising materials, and the Client hereby consents to such use. The Client further agrees that the Company shall retain copyright over any such photographs and videos taken during the tour and/or used in its brochures and, to the extent necessary, the Client hereby assigns copyright of such photographs and/or videos to Balkan Tales.
FORCE MAJEURE
Unforeseen circumstances including but not limited to war, mechanical breakdowns, weather, riots and other unforeseen reasons beyond the control of Balkan Tales may cause delays or alterations to the tour. The Company shall not be held liable in any way for any of these possible occurrences or any consequences, which may arise as a result of these.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
Upon booking, the Client shall be issued with our tour dossier and pre-departure information documents. It is the responsibility of the Client to read and understand these documents before traveling.
Clients need to be informed about travel requirements for entering every country included in the confirmed itinerary. В случай че има промяна на условията за влизане в дадена страна или клиента не е разбрал и не може да влезе The program will be changed accordingly and the expenses should be covered by the client.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid travel documentation, including but not limited to passports and visas, which meet the requirements of immigration and other government authorities at every destination. Any fines, penalties, payments, or expenditures incurred as a result of such documents not meeting the requirements of those authorities will be your sole responsibility.
PASSPORTS, VISAS AND OTHER TRAVEL PAPERS
Valid passports are required for travel to most destinations. Check with the appropriate consulate or embassy for the latest visa requirements.
It is the Client’s sole responsibility to ensure that passports, visas, health certificates, proof of vaccinations and any other required documentation are all in order for the countries to be visited during the tour.
The Company shall not be held liable for any consequences, damages or claims, if the Client does not correctly attend to their documentation and related matters as mentioned herein.
INSURANCE
Comprehensive travel and cancellation insurance is mandatory on the tour. It is the Client’s responsibility to ensure that he or she has such insurance in place (together with the required paperwork to prove such insurance) before embarking on the tour.
Should the Client be unable to present proof of such insurance to Balkan Tales (on request therefore by Balkan Tales), Balkan Tales may, in its sole discretion, exclude the Client from the tour, and the Client shall be liable for the cancellation penalty payments set out in these terms and conditions.
The Client acknowledges that the travel insurance must include comprehensive medical insurance including provision for air evacuation, and that Balkan Tales shall not be liable for any consequences, damages or loss as a result of the Client failing to have the necessary cover.
REFUSAL OF SERVICE
Service providers reserve the right to refuse service to travelers at their sole discretion, including, without limitation, if the traveler: Lacks proper documentation for the country of destination; Has a contagious disease; Is under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and/or Manifests disruptive and/or unruly behavior. Balkan Tales LTD assumes no liability for the acts of the service provider in refusing service.