Booking protection
That is the hard part of booking a first safari. Not Africa. So the answers are published here, in full, rather than explained on a call when you ask.
Four moments. Nothing is asked for outside them, and nothing moves earlier than it says here.
Before anything
Dates, what is included, what is not, and the total. No money is requested to produce one and no card details are taken.
To hold the dates
A deposit secures the permits and the lodges, which are the two things that run out. The amount and the method are stated on the quote before it is accepted.
Before you fly
Due on a named date written on the quote, not on a rolling reminder.
In Uganda
Park fees, permits, the vehicle and the guide are already paid. What is not included is listed on the quote so nothing is collected from you on the road.
Every line here is checkable by you, today, without asking us.
| The company | Bashem Safaris Tours and Travel, a Canadian business. Head office at 1610 Crawforth Street, Unit 38, Whitby, Ontario. |
|---|---|
| The founder | Emmanuel Bashitsi, who grew up in Nyarusiza, a village in Kisoro District, Uganda, five kilometres from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. He plans the itineraries himself. |
| Air travel | Air travel booked in Ontario is arranged through EA Travel and Tours, which holds TICO 50016923 and IATA 96527200. Both numbers are checkable on the registers of those bodies. |
| On the ground | In Uganda, Bashem's own guides and vehicles. In Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania, licensed partners. |
Bashem will never ask for payment by gift card, by cryptocurrency, or to a personal account in an individual's name.
The real charge bands, published. Nothing here is described as free that is not free, and the gorilla permit is treated separately because it genuinely behaves differently from everything else on the trip.
| When you cancel | What is charged |
|---|---|
| More than 90 days before departure | |
| 60 to 90 days | |
| 30 to 60 days | |
| Fewer than 30 days | |
| The gorilla permit | A permit is issued for one named person on one named date and is not transferable to another date. Its own refund rules are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, not by Bashem, and they are stricter than the rest of the trip. |
The published policy in full sits on the cancellation page.
Emmanuel wrote these. His own words: "I am a safari operator. You should absolutely ask these questions of me too. Good operators welcome scrutiny. Operators who get defensive when you ask where the money goes, that is information."
Who actually owns this company?
How is your local guide hired and paid?
How does permit revenue reach the community?
Do you work with locally owned lodges?
What is your policy on wildlife interaction?
How do you handle the impact of trekking on gorilla health?
What happens if I am sick on trekking day?
How does your company employ people from local communities?
Are you transparent about what is included in your pricing?
What is your stance on haggling with local communities?
What should I avoid doing as a traveller?
Can you connect me with a past traveller I can speak to?
If an answer here is not clear enough, that is a fault worth telling us about. Write to Emmanuel and say what is missing.
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