ECOTOURISM MELANESIA: Booking Information

Several reasons. Firstly, village guest houses and homestays have very small cash flows and need your prepayment in order to purchase basic supplies in preparation for your visit. Even the larger tourist lodges in the remote areas only get supplies in when they are expecting visitors.
Secondly the lack of banking, currency exchange and credit card facilities outside the major towns makes paying your accommodation bills on the spot difficult unless you carry large amounts of local currency, which is risky.
Thirdly, most rural districts only have one place to stay, and usually there is only a small number of rooms. If you arrive unannounced and the guest house is full, this leaves you in a difficult position.
Fourthly, as Ecotourism Melanesia receives no external funding we rely on booking commissions to sustain our booking service for the smaller village ecotourism operators who are normally passed over by overseas travel wholesalers.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Payment of your invoice indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions specified here.
2. The cost of the tour specified includes the overhead costs that we incur in organising and monitoring your tour arrangements. An itemised breakdown of the tour costing will not be provided.
3. Full payment must be received no later than 6 weeks before arrival in-country.
4. Cancellation outside 4 weeks of arrival in-country incurs a 20% penalty on ground content.
5. Cancellation between 2-4 weeks of arrival in-country incurs a 50% penalty on ground content.
6. Cancellation within 2 weeks of arrival in-country incurs a 100% penalty on ground content.
7. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to protect you in case of cancellation, loss of baggage or personal items, medical emergency, forced changes to your itinerary or other unexpected circumstances which lie beyond your control or the control of Ecotourism Melanesia or local operators.
8. Ecotourism Melanesia undertakes to organise and monitor your itinerary and ensure that all accommodation, travel and tours are booked as stated in your itinerary. In the event that your itinerary is disrupted due to delayed flights, bad weather conditions or other local circumstances we will do our best to rearrange your itinerary to enable you to continue your tour with minimum inconvenience. However any additional costs incurred in rearranging a disrupted itinerary will be borne by you and/or your travel insurer. In case of disrupted itinerary or other problems during your tour please contact us on PNG phone numbers 3254860 or 325 7371. In Solomon Islands phone 27772 or 71439.
9. Ecotourism Melanesia as a tour coordinator takes no responsibility for the actual provision of accommodation, meals, travel or other activities. Individual hotels, airlines and local tour operators are responsible for providing these services. In the event that a local operator fails on its part to provide accommodation, travel or tours as booked, we at our sole discretion may provide a refund for the actual value of this component of the tour, or the difference between this and an alternative service provided if the value of the alternative service is lower. In the event that accommodation, travel or tours are not provided as booked due to circumstances beyond the control of Ecotourism Melanesia or the local operator (such as bad weather, civil commotion, strikes, utility failure) no refund will be given for this component of the tour but you may be able to claim from your travel insurer any loss or additional expenses you incur due to such misfortune.
10. We recommend you take prophylactic medication against malaria during your visit to PNG.