frequently asked questions

general trip questions

We’ve had guests in their 20s, 60s, and everything in between come on multiple trips with us. There’s no specific age range, and our guides are great at including everyone and making sure everyone is comfortable!

If a trip requires extensive physical exertion, we will note it in the trip description. Most trips have some walking, hiking, and trekking on uneven ground, through desert or jungle landscapes. The ability to hike for at least 4 miles is required on most trips.

Depending on the restriction and the severity, most likely, yes. We are able to accommodate vegan and vegetarian guests. If you have a serious food allergy, please reach out to discuss with us and your doctor prior to booking.

We cannot guarantee that there is no cross contamination or allergens in the food you may be served.

There are times when airline delays, weather, car breakdowns, and other problems can come up on trips. For this reason, we stick to the itinerary and accommodation plans as much as safety and limitations beyond our control allow. There may be times when, for reasons beyond our control, we must make itinerary and accommodations modifications.

While we do our best to provide the advertised guides, sometimes, we need to make replacements. We will make sure you’re well looked after!

By default, our tours and hotels are run on a double occupancy basis. This helps reduce your costs and allows us access to boutique lodges we couldn’t otherwise experience. In some rare cases, we will let you know when you’re able to book for a single supplement.

Please do! this helps to ensure flight delays don’t keep you from enjoying the trip! Note that you will be responsible for organizing a hotel and airport transfer, and we are happy to help facilitate your booking at our starting or ending hotel.

Africa’s infrastructure, while growing, is still behind what you might expect in Europe or the US. Sometimes the WiFi may be slow, or won’t work at all. The areas we enjoy are remote, and staying connected can be challenging, but many phones and devices these days have satellite communication capabilities.

Inclusions and exclusions are noted on each trip’s individual sales page, but you can expect that most tours include airfare during the trip, but not international airfare from your home city to the start of the trip or back home thereafter.

Some of our trips sell out in a day or two, and others take a bit longer. We recommending signing up as soon as you’re sure you can commit to attending, as deposits are nonrefundable.

Absolutely! Just reply to your trip confirmation email letting us know.

payments and refunds

Yes! We typically have add-ons to additional destinations that you can place into your cart at purchase, or come back and purchase later. Note that these are led by local guides rather than BMTM Adventures guides.

Our deposits are all strictly nonrefundable. We use these deposits to make nonrefundable deposits at hotels and air ticket purchases that are not transferrable, so unfortunately, we are not able to refund deposits for any reason. We recommend purchasing Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance at the time of trip purchase so that you’re covered should you decide to cancel.

You can read our full trip Terms and Conditions here.

For each tour, we must meet a minimum threshold of guests in order to be able to run. We reserve the right to cancel or greatly modify a trip that does not meet this minimum threshold, which varies by trip.

If this occurs, you will be offered a refund.

Generally all of your accommodations, meals, guides, entry fees, permits, and transfers will be included in the tour price, so unless you may want to order alcoholic drinks or do souvenir shopping, most trips don’t require you to carry much cash. There may be some optional activities associated with your tour, in which case we’ll let you know what to expect and what those are on each individual tour page.

We also ask that you tip our guides. Some prefer USD, while others prefer other currencies. We will let you know prior to departure what to bring.

Yes! Available payment plans will be displayed at check out. If you need something different, please get in touch.

Travel insurance comes in many shapes and sizes, and we want to clarify what’s required on our tours:

We recommend a Cancel or Any Reason policy that allows you to opt out for any reason prior to the trip. We also recommend medical cover of at least $500k.
We strongly recommend medical evacuation insurance, which is a separate policy from most standard travel insurance.
Not accepted: credit card insurance, any plans with medical coverage under $500k.

Please bring a debit card that allows you to withdraw money at ATMs abroad (note that credit cards typically don’t work at ATMs). Inform your bank that you’ll be traveling.

We utilize ATMs as often as we reasonably can during our trips. Some hotels and restaurants will accept credit cards. We recommend some emergency USD as well, in case your cards don’t work properly.

We use trip deposits to make nonrefundable reservations at hotels and book air tickets that are not transferrable, so unfortunately, we are not able to refund deposits for any reason.

We recommend purchasing Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance at the time of trip purchase so that you’re covered should you cancel. We require a minimum medical coverage for the trip, so that you can be covered in the event that you cancel for a covered reason (as defined by your insurance.)

No refunds, date changes, or tour credits will be issued if you cancel your booking, fail to arrive on the scheduled start date, or join the tour late. Should you join a tour late, we will endeavor to help you reach us, at your expense.

Additionally, no refunds will be provided for any unused accommodations, meals, activities, or trek arrangements, regardless of the reason. Since tours are priced as a package, partial refunds or credits for unused services are not available.

You can read our full trip Terms and Conditions here.

visas and vaccines

Mandatory vaccinations to enter various locations can change from time to time, depending on various factors. We will let you know about any current requirements prior to booking any of our trips.

We absolutely recommend speaking with your doctor, or a travel doctor, about which vaccines are recommended, and which medications they recommend, well in advance of the trip. We are unable to make specific recommendations, and leave that to the professionals!

Some countries we visit have free VOA (visa on arrival), and others require buying at the border, or even applying ahead of time. Since we don’t know the citizenship requirements for everyone, and policies can change, it’s your responsibility to look into what’s required for your specific passport.

Your participation on our trips is ultimately up to you and your doctor, though we must be informed of any important medical needs prior to booking so that we may deem if we’re able to accommodate.

We are often far from medical facilities, and reaching them could mean many hours and distances, at great expense. Sometimes, there is no immediate emergency medical care available. You can read our full trip Terms and Conditions here.

testimonials

Since the 1st time I saw The Lion King as a kid, I’ve dreamed of seeing those animals in the wild.

“I’ve been saving for this trip for over a decade and researching travel in Africa almost as long. I never could find a tour that seemed perfect, that went everywhere I wanted to go, where I could see everything I wanted to see. I’ve followed Kristin’s blog for years and was really excited when I saw she was leading group tours in Africa. The itinerary looked amazing, it went everywhere I wanted to go and included activities I was really excited to experience.

I can’t even begin to describe how incredible the trip has been. Seeing these amazing animals in the wild has been a dream come true!

I’m used to organizing trips, including all the work and stress that comes along with it. I can’t begin to share how amazing it was to not have to worry about anything, knowing that Kristin and Pete had it covered. All I had to do was enjoy!

The women I met as part of this trip are truly incredible! I’m not gunna lie, I was super nervous before jointing as you never know what the group dynamics are going to be like. My worries were quickly put to rest! Everyone is so much fun and up for adventure, and I genuinely enjoyed getting to know them.

I can’t recommend this tour enough and I can’t wait to join another tour! “

Amy

Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe trip

They made it the trip of my life and it enticed me to trust them on any trip in the world.

“This is my second BMTM Adventures trip to Africa in a row after initially joining the women’s Patagonia trip. They made it the trip of my life and it enticed me to trust them on any trip in the world.

Kristin does such an awesome job that all that’s left for me to do is pack my bags. I’ve returned to the exact same Africa safari with them though there are key differences. They take past reviews into account and make improvements to the itinerary. Kristin attracts such interesting women. On this trip we have one rocket scientist, three doctors, a flight nurse, several teachers and accountants. We could run the world from this trip. It includes water, air, and truck safaris. I just don’t want it to ever end and I can’t wait for the next trip.”

I can’t recommend this tour enough and I can’t wait to join another tour! “

Susie q

Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe trip

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