Postpone Don't Cancel - PLEASE

I think the word unprecedented has been used time and time again to describe the current Corona Virus pandemic that has effected us all. And it is truly unparalleled with anything most of us have experienced in our lifetime. Our deepest sympathies go out to those people who have been touched directly by this terrible plague. 

The hospitality industry has been exceptionally hard hit as both domestic and international travel has ground to a complete standstill. That great natural attraction in our area, The Kruger National Park, is closed as are all other National Parks, hotels, lodges and guest houses in South Africa. The industry employs over 700 000 people in South Africa and a collapse of the industry will cause untold suffering for many people. The majority of our bookings for the next three months have been cancelled and some travellers are already cancelling trips planned for much later this year!

Travel is an important part of our lives and when this scourge has finally be beaten and we want to travel again we will want to experience the wide open spaces of Kruger and it's natural bounty of diversified species.  Visiting Kruger accompanied with Needles Lodge's famous hospitality will help ease the soul. Planning trips for the future will give us hope and give us something to look forward to. Helping each other as we are doing now will keep our faith in humanity. 

We plead with all our valued guests that have bookings with us not to cancel them, simply postpone. And those who were thinking of booking, do not hesitate. We will still be here and will be open on the day that Kruger Park opens its gates.

We have modified our cancellation terms to make this much easier and more flexible for you so please bare the survival of our industry and the many 100's of thousands of people we employ that depend on their jobs in the industry. See our new conditions below:

CORONA CANCELLATION POLICY - EFFECTIVE 18 APRIL 2020 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Existing bookings:

1.       Confirmed bookings for which we have received a deposit or full payment, will be secured should you decide it unsafe to travel.

2.       Bookings can be amended up to 15 (fifteen) months from the original arrival date. Please note only one amendment to travel dates may be made and should the season change to a higher rate season, the new rate may apply to the cost of certain activities if included in special packages. We will do our utmost to retain accommodation rates at the same level as the date of the original booking.

3.       In the event that you do not travel within 15 (fifteen) months of the original arrival date, the deposit/payment will be fully refunded less the original 5% administration fee and any banking charges incurred by the refund.

4.       Any travel changes to bookings within 14 (fourteen) days of the new travel period will incur 100% cancellation fees.

5.       The above will only apply if we have received the required deposit or the full payment to confirm your reservation.

New bookings:

1.       Any bookings made from 16 March 2020 will be subject to the following Special Conditions.

2.       No deposit will be required at the time of booking.

3.       4 (four) weeks prior to arrival a 50% deposit will be required to confirm the reservation.

4.       The balance of 50% will be required on arrival.

5.       If a booking is cancelled within 4 (four) weeks of arrival a 50% cancellation fee will apply.

Exceptions:

We will have the following exceptions where bookings are cancelled within 14 days of travel, whereby clients will be offered the same deferral policy as above:

1.       If the country of the clients’ residence prevents the client from leaving (for example, Italy and China’s current lockdown situation),

2.       If South Africa issues an inbound travel ban, banning clients from entering, or forcing arriving clients into quarantine.

Refunds:

1.       In order for us to ride out this global epidemic storm as a privately owned travel & tourism business, we are unable to offer any refunds at this time.

2.       We trust that our partners and guests understand our situation; we are doing all we can to work with our guests and partners to find mutually agreeable solutions.

3.       This step is necessary to ensure that our business can continue to operate through these difficult times so that we will be here for you when the storm blows over. 

4.       We reserve the right to make changes to these new terms and conditions at any time and will send out notifications. 

5.       As soon as the Corona Virus epidemic has been contained we will revert back to our original terms and conditions for bookings.