With international travel restrictions largely removed, we are relishing the freedom to explore once more. We appreciate some travellers may still have some concerns about planning long-awaited trips. Be assured that your well-being is our primary concern at every step of your African journey, from your initial enquiry to your safe arrival home. We've made several changes to our booking terms so you can confirm your dream trip with total confidence; safe in the knowledge that our flexible terms afford the freedom to change plans if necessitated by future Covid-related restrictions.
As African specialists, with excellent trade relationships spanning over 20 years, we are abreast of the very latest developments and will always negotiate terms with our hotel and safari lodge partners to provide the confidence you need to book your Mahlatini trip. We've supported clients who travelled throughout the pandemic and our team is highly experienced in navigating any remaining legislation around testing and Covid policies. Our dedicated team of experts is abreast of all current government guidance to ensure your trip runs smoothly, the destination you visit is safe and that the journey is as stress-free as possible.
We've listened to your concerns and have adapted our standard policies to offer you greater flexibility and peace-of-mind enabling you to plan ahead and book with confidence.
Our flexible policy applies to all new bookings made before 30 May 2022 and will remain in place whilst the FCDO/TSA travel bans relating to Covid-19 are in force. These will replace our standard cancellation terms:
* For postponed itineraries additional costs due to seasonality, annual increases in property rates and airline fares will be levied to you, but we do not charge any rearrangement service fees.
** Mahlatini reserves the right to ask for any reasonable evidence, written statements and or documents to support the reasons for cancellation that are given.
While we always secure the best available rates direct from our supplier network, we have negotiated special terms with our partners during this reopening period to offer you even better value. As part of our tailormade service, your Travel Expert will advise you on the best rates for your ideal holiday and secure any relevant discounts or added value available.
More than ever, we understand you need reassurance that your hard-earned money is fully protected. We go one step further than most tour operators to provide complete peace-of-mind. As members of the Travel Trust Association (membership number U7098) and Trust My Travel, Mahlatini hold all our clients' funds in trust and will only release them to onward suppliers when appropriate insurances are put in place to fully protect your funds. This means that should our business or any of our suppliers cease trading, you will still be able to travel or be entitled to financial compensation.
We take our clients to some of the most beautiful, remote and unpopulated places on earth. Our returning guests confirm that the African wilderness and safari tourism is naturally set up to isolate you from crowds and enable you to reconnect with your loved ones in nature. Of course, additional measures for guest safety are well-established; but thankfully your safari experience, centred on wildlife sightings, breathtaking scenery, expert guiding and warm African hospitality will remain largely unchanged.
Over the past two decades we have overcome many crises that have impacted the global travel industry. We firmly believe that the key to our endurance and ongoing success is our customer-centric approach. The Covid-19 pandemic has presented our biggest challenge yet, but our focus has remained in securing the best possible outcome for our clients. The unprompted feedback we've received is testament to the experience and dedication of our specialist team:
March 2022 Honeymoon to Tanzania
The trip was a DREAM! Mahlatini made it possible for us to travel to Tanzania and navigate a country far from home on short notice. We would never have been able to organize a trip like this on our own. Everything went SEAMLESS - we didn't encounter a single issue as we hopped from place to place. This was an unbelievable honeymoon and we would 100% book with Mahlatini again on our next trip to Africa.
March 2022 Holiday to Mozambique & South Africa
Having had our original trip cancelled due to covid in March 2020, it was great to finally enjoy our holiday which we tweaked with input from Claire which was greatly appreciated. We had multiple flights and accommodation, and having used Claire and Mahlatini 4 times previously we knew we would be well looked after, and we certainly were.
Kenya & Tanzania Honeymoon, August 2021
Mahlatini planned our dream honeymoon for us! With wedding planning and Covid going on, it was so nice to have a qualified and knowledgeable team planning every step of the trip. Once we got to Africa, everything was seamless! They did such an amazing job ensuring that every detail was planned out and as easy and enjoyable for us as possible. We could not have done it without their help and will definitely be using them for future travels! Thank you, Mahlatini for making our dream trip so special!
Kenya & Seychelles Honeymoon, July 2021
The trip has exceeded our expectations of how beautiful Africa and Seychelles were and how smooth the trip was because the agency has booked us everything from A-Z from flights to transportation to Covid PCR tests! Mahlatini made our trip amazing and smooth to travel especially during Covid! Steve was great, extremely kind and helpful, he made sure we had every document needed so we don't face any issues and gave us a call before our trip to go through every detail of the trip!
As we personally hand-pick the properties within our portfolio and regularly visit them, we know that the most stringent safety and sanitation protocols are guaranteed as standard. Additional measures in line with World Health Organisation recommendations have been adopted to prevent exposure to Covid-19, relating to respiratory hygiene, social distancing and safe food practices, such as:
Emergency medical services are available to guests staying at even the most remote safari camps. Designated staff are medically trained to conduct initial assessments and if required, an air medical evacuation service is available to transfer guests to the closest world-class, private hospital. Air ambulance and hospital charges will be passed to guests travel insurance provider. Your dedicated Travel Expert can confirm the specific emergency medical care operations at the properties at which you will be staying.
Your Travel Expert will advise of any specific requirements for your unique travel itinerary prior to departure based on the current guidance. Many destinations now require proof of vaccination or a recent (between 48 and 72 hours) negative PCR test on arrival before allowing travellers to enter the country.
