Terms & Conditions
All trips offered are subject to Maria Zans standard terms and conditions. Please review the terms and conditions carefully prior to completing your reservation. Our terms and conditions are set out below to draw your attention to the fact that our obligations to you are limited.
Prices, Reservations and Payment
Our prices are in U.S. dollars. To reserve your trip, we require a deposit of US$ 1,000 per person or the full trip price for trips under US$ 1,500. The balance of your payment is due 60 days prior to departure. If reserving your trip within 60 days of departure, full payment is required.
Single Supplement Fee
Accommodations are based on double occupancy. If you are traveling alone and wish to share accommodations, we will try to assign you a roommate of the same gender. If there is no one with whom you can share, or you prefer a single occupancy, you will be required to pay a Single Supplement Fee, which will be listed in the trip itinerary.
Cancellation
The following cancellation policies and fees are in effect:
Cancellation 61 to 90 days before trip departure – Full trip payment less $1.000 is refunded.
Cancellation 60 to 31 days before trip departure – 50% of the trip payment is refunded.
Cancellation 30 days or less before trip departure – No refund is given.
Cancellation Insurance
We strongly recommend you purchase cancellation insurance to protect yourself from unexpected circumstances that may cause you to cancel your trip.
Cancellation by Maria Zans
Maria Zans reserves the right to cancel any trip at any time for any reason determined by our sole discretion, including if there are too few participants, or if the quality of the trip or the safety of travelers is judged by Maria Zans to be compromised. In such a case, refund of payments received by Maria Zans shall constitute full and final settlement. In the event of cancellation, Maria Zans is not responsible for any loss incurred on account of non-refundable or non-transferable air tickets or other unrecoverable travel costs or other related expenses.
Travel Documents and Passports
The visa and passport requirements of Peru vary according to the nationality of each traveler and may change at any time for reasons beyond our control. Although we endeavor to provide you with accurate information about these requirements it remains the responsibility of each traveler to verify that he or she has the appropriate travel documents for his or her nationality. Perol Chico is not liable for any expenses or costs arising from any traveler being prohibited from entering the country.
Refunds
No partial refunds will be given for unused hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing trips or other arrangements for any reason whatsoever. Prices are quoted as a package and credits are not given for services not used—unless written arrangements have been made with Maria Zans staff prior to departure.
Medical and Health
By sending a deposit toward your trip purchase, you certify that you do not have any physical condition or disability that would create a hazard for you or other travelers and that you have received all appropriate or necessary vaccinations indicated by your proposed trip. Please consult your doctor.
Maria Zans has the right to disqualify anyone at any time during the trip if the Maria Zans trip leader feels the trip member is physically or mentally incapable and/or if a trip member’s continued participation will jeopardize the individual involved or the group. Refunds are not given under such circumstances.
Hospital facilities are often unavailable, and evacuation can be prolonged, difficult, and expensive. Maria Zans assumes no liability regarding provision of medical care.
Insurance
Before traveling on a trip, we strongly recommend you review your personal insurance and health insurance to ensure you have coverage appropriate to meet your needs, and the needs of your family and dependants, in case of any loss of property or illness, injury or death.
Limitation of Liability, Release and Indemnity
Maria Zans, its owners, agents, members, director, shareholders, and employees do not own or operate any supplier of transportation or other goods or services such as hotel accommodations or sightseeing establishments utilized on your trip, and consequently assumes no responsibility for any injury, loss, damage, delay, or death to person or property arising from the negligent or willful act or failure to act of any person who is to or does provide goods or services for the trip or for the action or inaction of any other third party. Without limitation, Maria Zans is not responsible for acts of God, equipment failures, vehicle accidents, illness from food or otherwise, assaults, theft, or criminal activity, detention, annoyance, delays, quarantine, strikes, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations, and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort, safety and well being of the trip members and passengers. The right is reserved to substitute hotels, alter the itinerary, and reverse the order of the places to be visited. We will keep you informed of any necessary changes in a timely fashion.
On advancement of deposit to Maria Zans, the depositor therefore, agrees to be bound by the above recited terms and conditions.
Unexpected Costs
The cost of delays is not included, if any trip has to be delayed because of bad weather, trail conditions, road conditions, transportation delays, government intervention or sickness for which Maria Zans or its agent, can not make alternate provisions for.
Tours costs are subject to increase without prior notice, even if you have signed up on the trip and are paid in full. We publish our prices well in advance of departure, often more than half a year in advance. Between that time and the time of the trips actual departure, we are occasionally faced with significant cost increases that we cannot absorb, i.e., international currency fluctuations and increases in costs of services. We regret should such a situation occur, but sometimes it is unavoidable.
Responsibility of ride participants
Ride participants have a certain responsibility to Maria Zans and to the other members of the ride. Participants are responsible for understanding the requirements of the ride, and for selecting a ride appropriate to their ability. Participants with medical problems or special dietary needs are responsible for informing Maria Zans of these issues well in advance. For the protection of all participants, the ride leader reserves the right to prevent anyone from riding who displays insufficient ability, or whose behavior endangers the safety of other riders, themselves, or the horses. No refund will be made to a participant who is rejected for any such reason, or who is unwilling or unable to complete a tour.
Participants are responsible for arranging travel to and from the ride’s meeting point, for carrying valid travel documents, and for obtaining immunizations appropriate to the destination. Participants are responsible for understanding what is and is not included in the price as outlined in the detailed ride itineraries.
Anyone who does not want pictures of themselves to be used in promotional materials should notify Maria Zans accordingly.
Rating your horseback riding ability
This is a critically important first step in choosing a riding tour. For most of our multi-day riding trips you must have a good knowledge of the basics and some experience in riding cross-country.
The tour guide has full authority to exclude a rider from a trip for inability to ride or behavior that endangers the other riders or the horses. No refunds will be made under these circumstances.
If you wish to participate in a ride that requires experience beyond your current ability, please contact us to learn about lessons at the ranch. We can teach you the fundamentals of the classic Peruvian equitation. It may be possible to increase your comfort level and skill to a level that will allow you to participate in one of our rides.
Beginner:
A rider who has limited experience, is unable to apply basic aids and does not have a firm and balanced seat
Novice:
A rider who is capable of mounting and dismounting unassisted, capable of applying basic aids, comfortable and in control at the walk.
Intermediate:
A rider who has a firm and balanced seat, is confident and in control at all paces, but does not ride regularly.
Strong Intermediate:
An intermediate rider who is currently riding regularly and is comfortable in the saddle for at least 6 hours per day.
Advanced:
All of the above, plus an independent seat, soft hands, and capable of handling a spirited horse in open country.
