These terms apply to all bookings made with Pathway Partners SA (Pty) Ltd ("Pathway Partners", "we", "us", "our"). By making a booking, you ("you", "the guest") agree to be bound by them. Please read them carefully before paying a deposit.

1. Booking and Payment

1.1 A booking is confirmed only once we have received your deposit and issued written confirmation. Until then, no place is reserved.

1.2 You may secure your place with a deposit, or pay in full at the time of booking.

1.3 The deposit is $1,000 per guest.

1.4 The balance is due 3 months before the retreat start date. If it is not received by that date, we may treat the booking as cancelled and apply clause 3.

1.5 Bookings made within 3 months of the start date must be paid in full at the time of booking.

1.6 Prices are quoted in ZAR/USD. Where you pay in another currency, you are responsible for exchange rate differences and any bank or conversion charges.

1.7 Payments are processed by our third-party payment provider. We do not store your card details.

1.8 Room rates vary by occupancy. Single occupancy may carry a supplement, shown at the time of booking.

2. What Is Included

2.1 Inclusions are set out on the relevant retreat page and form part of these terms.

2.2 Unless expressly stated, the following are not included: international and domestic flights, travel insurance, visas, personal purchases, gratuities, and any activity not listed as included.

2.3 Once your booking is confirmed and deposit received, your price is guaranteed.

3. Cancellation by You

3.1 All cancellations must be made in writing to info@pathwaypartners.co.za.

3.2 More than three (3) months before the retreat start date: full refund of all monies paid to Pathway Partners.

3.3 Within three (3) months of the retreat start date: 50% refund of all monies paid to Pathway Partners.

3.4 Refunds are processed within 7 business days to the original payment method. Payment processing fees and bank charges may be deducted.

3.5 No refund is payable for unused portions of a retreat, including late arrival, early departure, or choosing not to participate in an activity.

3.6 You may transfer your booking to another person up to 3 months before departure, subject to our written approval.

3.7 Where you are personally unable to travel — including due to illness, injury, visa refusal, or personal circumstances — this clause applies, not clause 12.

4. Cancellation or Changes by Us

4.1 If we cancel a retreat, you may choose either a full refund of all monies paid to us, or a transfer to an alternative retreat.

4.2 Our liability in the event of cancellation is limited to the amount you have paid to us. We are not liable for flights, travel insurance, visa costs, or any other expense you have booked independently. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance.

4.3 Retreats require a minimum number of guests. If minimum numbers are not reached, we will notify you at least 3 months before departure and clause 4.1 applies.

4.4 We may substitute the featured artist in the event of their illness, injury, or circumstances beyond their control. We will notify you as soon as reasonably possible. Where a substitution is made, you may cancel and receive a full refund within 7 days of being notified.

4.5 Itineraries are indicative. Activities, timings, routes and accommodation may change due to weather, wildlife activity, operational requirements, or safety.

5. Travel Insurance

5.1 Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended for all guests.

5.2 Your policy should cover cancellation and curtailment, medical expenses, emergency evacuation, and personal belongings.

5.3 You may be asked to provide your policy details before departure.

6. Passports, Visas and Health Requirements

6.1 You are responsible for holding a valid passport, all necessary visas, and meeting all entry requirements for South Africa.

6.2 You are responsible for obtaining current medical and vaccination advice, including on malaria prophylaxis where applicable.

6.3 We are not liable for any loss arising from your failure to meet these requirements, and no refund is payable in those circumstances.

7. Health, Fitness and Special Requirements

7.1 You must tell us at the time of booking about any medical condition, disability, allergy, dietary requirement, or mobility limitation that may affect your participation.

7.2 You must complete and return our Guest Registration and Indemnity Form before departure.

7.3 Retreats take place in a remote wilderness setting. Medical facilities are not immediately available and emergency evacuation may be delayed.

7.4 We may decline a booking, or require a guest to leave a retreat, where we reasonably believe their participation poses a risk to themselves or others. Where a guest is required to leave, no refund is payable and any costs of departure are the guest's responsibility.

8. Wildlife, Safety and Assumption of Risk

Please read this clause carefully. It asks you to accept certain risks and limits our liability. You will be asked to acknowledge it separately when booking.

8.1 Retreats take place on a private game reserve inhabited by free-roaming dangerous game, including elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.

8.2 You acknowledge that wildlife is unpredictable, that encounters carry an inherent risk of serious injury or death, and that this risk cannot be eliminated.

8.3 You acknowledge that medical facilities are not immediately available at the retreat location and that emergency evacuation may be delayed by distance, weather, or terrain.

8.4 You must at all times follow the instructions of rangers, guides, lodge staff, and Pathway Partners representatives.

8.5 You voluntarily assume the risks inherent in participating in game drives, wildlife encounters including the elephant experience, walking activities, swimming, and travel on unsurfaced roads.

8.6 Liability Waiver and Indemnity:

(a) To the maximum extent permitted by law, you hereby indemnify and hold harmless Pathway Partners SA (Pty) Ltd, its directors, employees, and contractors against any and all claims, losses, demands, damages, or costs arising from injury, illness, death, or property damage sustained during or in connection with the retreat, where such loss or injury arises from ordinary negligence, inherent operational risks, or the unpredictable behaviour of wild animals.

(b) This indemnity applies strictly to claims rooted in ordinary negligence and the inherent hazards of a wilderness environment. In strict compliance with Section 51(1)(c) of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, nothing in this clause or these terms purports to limit or exclude the liability of Pathway Partners SA (Pty) Ltd for death, personal injury, or financial loss directly attributable to our gross negligence, reckless conduct, or wilful misconduct.

8.7 Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

8.8 You may be required to sign a separate indemnity in favour of the lodge, the reserve, or an activity provider. Those indemnities are between you and that party.

9. Third-Party Suppliers

9.1 Accommodation, game drives, the elephant experience, transfers and cultural activities are provided by independent third-party suppliers.

9.2 We select our suppliers with care but are not liable for their acts or omissions, save as required by law.

10. Conduct

10.1 We may remove any guest whose behaviour, in our reasonable opinion, endangers others, causes distress, or materially damages the experience of the group. No refund is payable and departure costs are the guest's responsibility.

10.2 You are responsible for any damage you cause to property belonging to us, the lodge, or any third party.

11. Images, Artwork and Content

11.1 Photographs and video may be taken during retreats and used for marketing. Please tell us in writing before departure if you prefer not to appear, and we will accommodate this.

11.2 Artwork you create during a retreat remains your property. We may photograph and share it for marketing purposes with credit to you, unless you tell us otherwise in writing.

11.3 All content on this website — including text, images and branding — remains the property of Pathway Partners SA (Pty) Ltd.

12. Force Majeure

12.1 Neither party is liable for failure to perform where prevented by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including natural disaster, epidemic or pandemic, war, civil unrest, terrorism, government action, border or airspace closure, strike, or extreme weather ("Force Majeure").

12.2 Where a retreat cannot proceed due to Force Majeure, you may choose either:

(a) a credit for the full value of monies paid, valid for 24 months and transferable to any Pathway Partners retreat; or

(b) a refund of all monies paid, less any costs already committed to third-party suppliers which are non-recoverable. We will provide reasonable evidence of any such costs.

12.3 Where a retreat is postponed rather than cancelled, monies paid transfer to the new dates. If you cannot attend the rescheduled retreat, clause 12.2 applies.

12.4 We are not liable for flights, insurance, visas, or any other cost you incur independently. You are strongly advised to hold travel insurance covering cancellation for these reasons.

13. Complaints

13.1 If a problem arises during your retreat, please raise it immediately with your host so we can try to resolve it at the time.

13.2 Any unresolved complaint should be submitted in writing to info@pathwaypartners.co.za.

14. Privacy

14.1 We process personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

15. General

15.1 These terms, together with your booking confirmation and the relevant retreat page, form the entire agreement between us.

15.2 If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

15.3 Our failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to enforce it later.

16. Governing Law

16.1 These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and both parties submit to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

17. Contact

Pathway Partners SA (Pty) Ltd
Registration number: 2025/710598/07
21 Ndongeni Drive, Amanzimtoti, 4126, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
info@pathwaypartners.co.za
+27 76 123 3493