FAQ’s about traveling with Wildlife Tours Sri Lanka

Payments and travel documents

How can I pay my trip and how much are the bank charges?

At the moment, the two options we have available are bank transfer and credit card payment. Kindly note that the Wildlife Tours Sri Lanka operates under Experiential Journeys (Pvt) Ltd.

Our Bank Details

Account Name : EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEYS (PVT) LTD
Bank : Bank of Ceylon
Account No : 0079467015
Swift Code : BCEYLKLX
Branch : City Branch - Borella
Branch Code : 668
Branch Address : 845, Super Market Complex, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka|
Currency : USD

Our Company Address    

Experiential Journeys (Pvt) Ltd
20 / 63, Fairfield Garden
Borella, Colombo 08
Sri Lanka

The applicable bank fees and intermediate charges are borne by you, and we wish you to assure that the total amount is remitted to our bank account. The terms and conditions vary from country and bank to another, and therefore, we are not in the position to give a fixed amount or percentage for bank charges.

The second option is the HSBC secured payment gateway that you can access by using the following link http://www.srilankaecotourism.com/online_booking.php Both Visa and MasterCard are accepted. With credit card, there is 4% bank charge that will need to be added to the total amount when using this method of payment.

 

Which currency is accepted?

We use US$ for all international transactions.

 

Do I need to pay the total amount at once?

Full payment is required if you confirm the tour less than 45 days before the date of arrival. If there are more than 45 days to your arrival, we can divide the payment into two instalments. With a refundable 10% deposit (minimum 100 US$) we can proceed your reservations. The balance is required 45 days prior to arrival date.

 

Why don’t Sri Lankan bank accounts have IBAN number?

The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is a bank account number originally developed to facilitate payments within the European Union and structured according to the ECBS (European Committee for Banking Standards) standards. By now, IBAN has been adopted by a few other Middle Eastern countries as well, but Sri Lanka like most other Asian countries, USA and Australia use the current Bank Identifier Code system (BIC or SWIFT code) in conjunction with the BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number).

 

What happens after I confirm the tour?

When it comes to the accommodation, all the reservations are subject to availability at the time of confirmation, and as soon as we have received the payment, our Tour Operations Team will take in charge of your tour and proceed with the reservations. In case a hotel mentioned in your itinerary has not availability, we will find you an alternative. No changes will be done without your approval!   

 

Will I need vouchers?

No vouchers are needed. Our Tour Operations Team will take care of all the reservations for you, and they send the vouchers to the respective hotels prior to your arrival.

 

Will I receive a schedule with exact timings for my tour?

We will make a rough day-by-day schedule for your tour, but won’t set you exact timings for each and every activity - unless there is a an activity which start at a specific time.  Since you will be traveling by private vehicle, with a knowledgeable driver-guide, we want you to have your part in decision making. With the help from him, you may tune the schedule to your rhythm.

 

Am I allowed to do any extra stops or visits?

Along the destinations included in your itinerary, you are free to take as many stops as you want to. When it comes to additional visits and destinations that are located out of the original route, the extra kilometers will be taken in consideration. For your journey, we will calculate a total mileage that is sufficient for the whole tour and mentioned in your itinerary. If this limit is exceeded, we will charge a supplement according the size of vehicle.

 

Driver-guide and contact details

Who is my guide during the tour?

We will allocate you an experienced chauffeur-guide who will take care of your transportation during the whole tour on a A/C vehicle that is adapted to the size of your group. We work only with guides whom we trust to be professional, highly-knowledgeable and safe driver as well as dedicated to excellence in customer service.

Depending on your wishes and activities included in your itinerary, we may bring in for example a Naturalist, Historian, cycling guide or local trekker who has special expertise about the specific region or area of interest, such as bird watching or photography.

 

How will we meet with our chauffeur-guide?

At the moment of confirming the tour, we will ask you to send the exact arrival details (flight numbers or address, and pick up time) that will be passed to your driver. He will wait you at the airport with a sign that has your name. In case there is a change in your flight schedule, please inform your driver as well as well your Travel Advisor. About one week prior to your arrival, we will send you also the numbers to call in case you miss locating the driver.  

 

Who can we contact in case of an emergency?

Your personal travel advisor will be at your disposal during your tour and, prior to your arrival, he will send you the phone numbers you can contact in a case of an emergency.

 

How much should I tip my driver?

Your chauffeur-guide will expect an amount between US$ 10 to 25 a day - depending on the number of travelers and your level of satisfaction with his service. If you travel with a bigger group of people, we recommend to give 5 USD per day per person and to share the total between the guide, the driver and his assistant.

 

Cancellations and refunds

What if I need to cancel my trip?

We will refund all recoverable money whenever it’s possible. If you need to cancel your trip

• more than 46 days prior to your trip, the full amount will be refunded.

• within 31-45 days of travel, 50% of full fee is charged.

• within 15-30 days of travel, 75% of full fee is charged.

• within 14 days of travel, 100% of full fee is charged.

Days will be counted from the 6.00am on the tour starting day, and and the bank charges will be borne by the client. Kindly note also that, for peak season bookings falling from 20th December to 5th January, the full fee (100%) is charged if cancelled within 45 days of travel.

 

Am I allowed to do any changes to my itinerary during the tour?

We’ll do our best to accommodate the programme in your needs and wishes, if something urgent occurs during your tour. In a situation that requires changing the accommodation, the cancellation policies of the hotels concerned are to be taken on account.