Terms and Conditions

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.

BOOKINGS AND RESERVATIONS

Once you receive an offer from us, it is valid 1 month from the moment you receive it.

Once you send a deposit you will be allocated a guide/guides on the particular tour and will receive a confirmation email. This is your confirmation of booking. This should be saved for your own reference.

We accept no responsibility for incorrect emails or the inability to deliver email. If your confirmation does not arrive on time or at all, then you must ask us to resend the email confirmation of the tours you have paid for.

All Internet bookings will be confirmed by email.

Tours without a full payment or a deposit are not considered confirmed and Balkan Tales has the right to refuse to provide the tourist service.

It is the responsibility of the passenger to check the accuracy of dates booked upon receipt of their travel documents.

Once you begin you tour, you accept and abide by these terms and conditions.

PAYMENT

To reserve your tour, you’ll need to put down 20% of the total tour cost in the form of a deposit.

You can pay the deposit with a Credit / Debit card via our online payment gateway. Other payment options to be discussed diretly with us. You can pay the remainder of the price in cash, online or by bank transfer when your tour starts.

CHANGES BY US

Balkan Tales reserves the right to change our typical itineraries at any time and at our discretion. As professionals we endeavour to avoid this and if this is necessary, we will make substitutions with alternative arrangements of comparable monetary value.

We reserve the right to alter our itinerary in the event of happenings outside the control of Balkan Tales. This includes outbreaks of ‘foot and mouth’ or other contagious diseases, revolution, national or local strikes and/or protests, social disorder, political unrest.

Balkan Tales is constantly striving to make its tours even more brilliant and engaging than they already are. Therefore, should attractions that we feel will enhance your experience become available to us, we reserve the right to include these in your best interest.

Balkan Tales reserves the right to decrease the price of our tours at any time.

Potential passengers are asked to appreciate that we cannot guarantee the vehicle you travel in will be decorated with Balkan Tales livery.

At certain times of the season, our fleet may not be large enough to accommodate all passengers. In such an event, we reserve the right to contract quality private motor coaches to assist us in transporting passengers. In this case, a Day Tour Company guide will be provided and the standard of the vehicle will be equal. We will endeavour to avoid this situation.

Balkan Tales reserves the right to launch amended brochures in the public domain at any time.

Prices are based on current rates of exchange, tariffs and taxes. Balkan Tales reserves the right to increase tour prices to cover increased costs, tariffs and taxes, and to reflect fluctuations in foreign exchange markets. Balkan Tales also reserves the right to withdraw a tour or any part of it to make such alterations in the itinerary or with the tour inclusions as it deems necessary or desirable, and to pass onto tour members any expenditures or losses caused by delays or events beyond its control. Itineraries and arranged sightseeing are subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond Balkan Tales’ control. Every effort will be made to operate tours as planned, but alterations may occur after the final itinerary has been issued.

REFUNDS

Any refund which has been agreed with the management of Balkan Tales will be processed within 30 days.

HEALTH

The Client accepts that to participate in the tour requires a measure of physical fitness and health and it is the Client’s obligation to ensure that he or she is medically fit to embark on the tour.

Passengers over the age of 60 take responsibility that they are fit enough to travel and may be asked to leave the tour if they are hindering the progress of the tour.

AUTHORITY ON TOUR

The Client must at all times comply with the laws, customs and foreign exchange regulations of all countries visited during the tour.

In addition, the Client acknowledges that any disruptive, dangerous or potentially dangerous behaviour during the tour shall not be tolerated and that Balkan Tales, its employees, representatives, agents and/or contractors being so authorized, reserve the right to exclude the Client from the tour at any point therein in such circumstances.

Balkan Tales shall not be liable for any costs and/or expenses for the Client resulting from exclusion as aforesaid, and the Client shall not be entitled to a refund or rebate of the tour price or any additional compensation in such instances.

Balkan Tales shall not be liable for damages incurred by Clients as stipulated in Clause 1 hereinabove if any of the following reasons apply:

Natural disaster, war, civil unrest, and alteration or cancellation of tour itinerary due to such causes.

Accidents during transportation or accommodations, damage by fire.

Cessation of services related to transportation or accommodation facilities, and tour itinerary alteration or cancellation owing to such causes.

Orders by either Bulgarian or foreign governments, immigration regulations, isolation resulting from infectious diseases, and tour itinerary alteration or cancellation owing to such causes.

Accidents occurring during the Client’s free activities

Delays, stoppages, changes of schedule and route in relation to transportation facilities, and tour itinerary alterations and/or shortened stays at destinations owing to such causes.

In case of unlikely event of car accident, all the expenses are covered by the insurance company. Balkan Tales / Olyushka LTD is not responsible for any damage, loss or dead.

Under no circumstances can we be held responsible for weather conditions. No ticket can be cancelled or amended by you at any time on the basis of weather conditions. We accept no responsibility for weather conditions that may affect the delivery and implementation of our itinerary.

INDEMNIFICATION AND EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY

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 behaviour 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 seatbelts, 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.

BEHAVIOUR

It is the Clients’ responsibility to ensure that he and the members of his Party do not behave in a way which causes offence 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 behaviour.

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 misbehaviour on your part.

The guide decides for her/himself what are the limits of acceptable behaviour 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 travelling.

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.