Terms and Conditions
Iceland is part of Schegen agreement. Please check with the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs regarding general visa, passport requirements and health information.
It is the passengers responsibility to make sure that they are traveling with a valid passport. Iceland Explore Tours will not be held responsible if a passenger is refused into the country due to invalid passport or other documents. If this leads to fines or any other financial charges due to invalid documents, it is the passenger´s responsibility to pay such fines.
Iceland Explore Tours must be notified at least 30 days before departure if travelers are suffering from any well-known disease which can affect their travel in Iceland, or women more than 28 weeks pregnant. In these cases, they must also produce a medical certificate confirming fitness to travel. Iceland Explore Tours reserve the right to refuse or to cancel bookings if relevant certificates are not produced. If such a case occurs, Iceland Explore Tours will not be liable for any failure, negligence, or deceit on behalf of the traveller. Iceland Explore Tours will not be liable for any operator’s refusal to carry any person who has not notified Iceland Explore Tours of their condition.
Bookings and Payment
Booking a tour should be made written by sending us an e-mail. A tour is not confirmed until payment is made. A 10% down payment of the total sum is required for tours which are booked 3 months in advance. Full payment should be made no later than 8 weeks (56 days) before departure if it is a big group (+16 pax) and 4 weeks (30 days) if it is a small group.. In case of delay of payment, it is treated as a cancellation of the tour.
Cancellation of a tour
All cancellations should be made via email. If a tour is canceled after paying a deposit, a charge of 500 euro will be applied for office work such as designing the itinerary, booking accommodation, activities etc.
Hotel Cancellation
All cancellations should be made by e-mail and should reach Iceland Explore Tours not later than 8 weeks before departure. If a cancellation is sent with less than 8 weeks notice concerning pre-booked accommodation, a cancellation fee will apply as follows:
*8-10 weeks (56-70 days) prior to arrival: 50% of total amount is charged.
*6-8 weeks (43-56 days) prior to arrival: 60% of the total amount will be charged.
*4-6 weeks (29-42 days) prior to arrival: 70% of the total amount will be charged.
*2-4 weeks (15-28 days) prior to arrival: 100% of the total amount will be charged.
Same rules apply to no shows, late arrival and early departure.
If the hotels / accommodation are booked with non-refundable policy, then Iceland Explore Tours will not provide any refund if cancellation is made.
Working hours
An outcall is always counted 4 hours. A half day excursions includes up to 5 working hours per day. A full day excursions includes maximum 10 working hours per day, usually from 9 am up to 7 pm. After that it is regarded as overtime and will be paid separately on top of the basic rate. Each day´s excursion includes maximum 300 km of driving. If it exceeds this limit, an extra amount will be charged.
Working hours of coach drivers
There are strict laws in Iceland regarding the working hours of coach drivers. According to these laws, the drivers have to have 11 hours continuous rest per day (or during every 24 hours). During the tour, drivers are entitled to a 45 min. break every 4,5 hours, as well as 2 hours to clean the coach every day, which usually takes place in the afternoon after each day’s tour schedule is over. These rights were negotiated by labour unions and are in no way changeable or negotiable.
Accommodation / food for the driver and tour guide
According to the union laws here in Iceland, if the driver / tour guide is called out to stay overnight in the countryside, his / her accommodation and 3 meals a day should be at the tourists´ expense. If it is a day tour departing from the capital, his / her lunch should be paid by the tourists. When a driver / tour guide is called out to stay in the countryside but the tourists do not require his/her service due to activities of their own, a basic daily outcall rate is applied since he / she cannot work somewhere else.
Force Majeure
Iceland Explore Tours is not held responsible in case of any financial damaged caused by delays in flights, or by events that are beyond it´s reasonable control, including acts of civil or military authority, acts of terrorism, insurrections, peace and army action, civil commotion, demonstrations, natural disasters etc.
General liability
Iceland Explore Tours will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following:
*The act and/or omission of the traveller affected or any member of their party or
*the act and/or omission of a third party not connected with the provision of the services and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable.
Complaints
If any traveller is having a problem during the tour concerningn the thrid suppliers, please inform the relevant service provider (e.g. hotel, restaurant, tour companies etc) immediately so that they can solve the problem as soon as possible. If your complaint cannot be resolved locally, your complaint must reach Iceland Explore Tours within 14 days from departure from Iceland. Otherwise, any possible compensation is not valid.
Iceland Explore Tours are not held responsible if things go wrong with our suppliers. If issues come up from our suppliers, they are held responsible entirely. For instance, if a bus company which we hire for our tour has it´s coach broken down, it is the bus company´s responsibility to provide another vehicle for our group. If a hotel is not up to the expectation of our customers, they should complain directly to the hotel.
Insurance
Iceland Explore Tours considers adequate travel insurance to be essential. Iceland Explore Tours is not responsible for any cost caused by failing to take out insurance cover. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance covers all your activities during your holiday, for example: water sports, riding tours, snow scooter tours and winter sports. Please read your policy carefully and take it with you on your holiday.
Tipping Policy
Tips are a token of thanks for the good service provided by the driver and the guide, and are usually given minimum 5 euro per person per day in the case of driver and guide separate service. In case of driver-guide, he/she will be paid minimum 10 euro a day per person. Tips are never paid less than 50 euro a day per group, if the group is less than 5 people. Of course tourists are encouraged to pay more than the minimum if a good service is well appreciated.