MPINJI POLICIES

Booking Terms & Conditions

Welcome to MPINJI EXPEDITIONS PTY LTD. Because we design highly curated, low-volume African & Indian Ocean Island journeys, we partner with intimate lodges, high-touch accommodation partners, private aviation companies, tastemakers, specialists and expert regional guides. These boutique suppliers require firm, upfront commitments to hold space.

By confirming your itinerary and making your initial payment, you agree to the following operational and financial terms:

1. Payment Methods & Processing

We accept secure digital payments processed through Stripe, our global financial partner. You may settle your trip invoices via:

• ACH / Bank Wire Transfers: Recommended for international transactions and large balances.

• Major Credit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

• Localised Digital Wallets: Supported securely through our Stripe checkout portal.

2. Booking Milestones & Deadlines

• The Commitment Deposit: To lock in your dates and begin your itinerary arrangements, a non-refundable 30% commitment deposit is required at the time of booking. This deposit covers our specialized trip design time and immediately secures space with our boutique partners.

• The Final Balance: Your remaining 70% balance is due no later than 90 days prior to your scheduled arrival date.

• Short-Notice Bookings: If you confirm a journey with 90 days or less remaining before arrival, 100% of the total trip cost is due immediately to clear inventory.

3. If You Need to Cancel (Our Forfeiture Schedule)

If you must cancel your journey, notice must be given to us in writing. Because our regional partners require strict, upfront cash allocations, we are entirely bound by their localized rules.

Our cancellation scale dictates the amount of the total trip cost that is non-refundable and forfeited, based on when we receive your written notice:

• 91+ days before arrival: You forfeit only your 30% commitment deposit. If you chose to prepay any portion of your remaining 70% balance early, those advance funds will be refunded to you in full.

• 90 days or less before arrival: You forfeit 100% of the total trip cost (Zero refunds apply). This applies to standard final balances as well as any short-notice bookings confirmed within this window.

Note: While our contract reflects a strict policy to match our vendor mandates, we treat our clients like family. If a supplier generously waives a fee for us behind the scenes, we will always evaluate exceptions on a case-by-case basis at our sole discretion—though this cannot be guaranteed.

4. The Postponement Privilege

Because we maintain deeply rooted, personal relationships with elite African hospitality providers, our main goal during an unexpected disruption is always to protect your travel investment. Rather than walking away and facing rigid cancellation penalties, we highly encourage working directly with us to move your dates instead of cancelling.

Thanks to our close industry ties, we have an exceptional track record of successfully moving confirmed trips to future dates with minimal or zero supplier penalties. If you choose to reschedule, please keep the following standard industry parameters in mind:

• Standard Industry Rate Inflation: While we fight to waive administrative penalties, African luxury properties and concessions implement standard annual price increases (historically ranging between 13% to 20% per year).

• Seasonal Adjustments: Your rescheduled trip will be re-quoted using the exact seasonal and annual rates dictated by your new dates. The traveler is responsible for covering these standard year-on-year rate differences.

• Timeframes: Any credit secured from our suppliers is non-transferable and must be utilized within 12 months of your original departure date.

5. Essential Protections & Guest Responsibilities

5.1 Our Role as Your Travel Designer

We act strictly as a boutique destination design agency and booking intermediary. We connect you with an elite network of independent third-party partners (such as safari lodges, charter flights, and local specialist guides).

Once your payments are made, the funds are immediately passed forward to these operators to lock in your exclusive itinerary. Because we do not own or run these third-party properties, any refunds or flexible adjustments we can offer are strictly capped by what we can successfully recover from the suppliers. We cannot issue out-of-pocket cash refunds if our regional suppliers enforce non-refundable terms or face operational insolvency.

5.2 Mandatory Travel Insurance (Your Financial Shield)

Because boutique African properties and remote logistics enforce absolute, rigid payment timelines, it is a mandatory condition of booking that all travelers obtain comprehensive third-party Travel Cancellation and Interruption Insurance within 14 days of paying your initial deposit.

If you must cancel or abort your trip for any reason — including personal emergencies, medical crises, flight disruptions, or unexpected global events — your primary financial recourse lies entirely with your insurance provider, and not through a cash refund from our agency. We will gladly provide all necessary booking confirmations and supplier paperwork to help you file a successful insurance claim.

5.3 Force Majeure & Unforeseen Events

We cannot be held liable or responsible for trip disruptions, nor are we bound to issue cash refunds, for events entirely outside our reasonable control. This includes war, civil unrest, government-mandated travel restrictions, pandemics, or severe weather conditions. In these rare events, we will lean heavily on our supplier relationships to help you secure a Travel Credit Voucher so you can postpone your journey for up to 12 months.