The details you need to know about making reservations
We accept reservations on a first come, first served basis. We encourage you to reserve your space as we cannot overfill our trips.
Step One
The first step is to reserve your spot on one of our trips. You can do that using our online booking request form. Once we receive your booking request, we will contact you to confirm your trip dates and we’ll request that you read and sign our waiver and release form prior to making a deposit. We require a signed waiver and a deposit to reserve your spot. Then we’ll send you a detailed pre-trip package that will help you prepare for your adventure.
To ensure your waiver is completed correctly:
- Read the waiver in colour, and if possible, print in colour.
- Ensure that you have put your initial in the indicated box on the top right corner of the first page.
- You will need a witness, and ensure that they sign under the witness signature section on the second page.
Scroll down to read more on our Payment & Cancelation policy, Insurance and more.
Step Two
Our Expedition Planning team will send you an information package which includes details on your expedition as well as all additional forms that we require from our participants. We ask that all forms are returned by March 15th to ensure we can provide the highest quality of experience on your expedition.
Payment & Cancelation Policy
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic we have made changes to our cancelation policy to ensure booking your expedition is easy and worry free!
A 30% deposit is required to hold your spot and is fully refundable up to 90 days prior to your expedition start date. On this date, your final payment becomes due and all payments become non-refundable, except for the two following circumstances:
- Should government travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic be imposed in the jurisdiction in which your expedition is set to take place or your home jurisdiction, which impacts your ability to join the trip, you will receive a full refund or may choose to transfer your booking to a future departure of your choosing.
- If you test positive for COVID-19 prior to departure and are unable to join the trip, you will receive a full credit for future travel.
- If you choose to cancel your reservation after making a deposit, no cancellation fee will be charged.
This new policy applies to all bookings made after September 1, 2020.
For reservations for our 2023 season, a 30% deposit is required to hold your space.
For expeditions in 2023 and beyond a $500 deposit is required for each participant. This deposit is fully refundable and we will be in touch in September 2024 with an update on our cancellation policy for the 2024 season prior to asking for a 30% deposit to confirm your reservation.
We are here to help with each step of your journey and look forward to sharing a wilderness river with you! If you have any questions please reach out to us directly and we’ll be happy to speak with you.
Our prices are quoted in Canadian funds and a 5% general sales tax will apply. On our website, for your convenience, we’ve listed US prices that fluctuate according to the daily exchange rate. If you choose to pay with a credit card please understand that we have to process the payment in Canadian funds, but your credit card company will automatically convert it to your currency. We accept cheques in Canadian and US funds (US cheques will be converted using the daily exchange rate when we receive the cheque – not the day you write the check). Bank transfers are also possible – please contact us for further information.
Charter Trips / Permit Buy-out
(Applies if you’re booking a trip exclusively for your private group.)
When fully booking a trip for your own group or booking the total number of spaces available, the spaces are non-refundable after Jan 1st. The payment balance for group trips is due March 1st.
You Should Know
- Should we be forced to change itineraries or locations due to circumstances beyond our control (e.g. forest fires or river levels), the new plan will be left to our discretion.
- Though it’s never happened before, we reserve the right to cancel a trip up to 14 days prior to the starting date. If we must cancel, a full refund will be made. If this occurs, we’ll endeavour to meet your needs with another trip at the earliest possible date.
- We require a minimum of 6 participants for most of our trips. Please check with us prior to booking your flights to ensure we have adequate numbers. We will not refund flight costs.
- No matter where you travel in the world, it’s possible that conditions beyond anyone’s control may alter your itinerary. If we incur expenses for unexpected logistical arrangements not covered in the printed itinerary, the cost will be evenly divided among the participants. We rarely encounter such a situation, but the policy is an industry norm of which we wish to inform you.
- We will not take an unnecessary risk by travelling any river if the water volume is identified as too high according to our judgment. In such situations, we sit tight until the volume drops or we can arrange an egress flight. The cost of such arrangements would be shared evenly amongst the participants.
- If you require an evacuation for any reason, the expense incurred through the evacuation will be borne by you. For this reason we recommend that you purchase medical evacuation insurance.
- We reserve the right to levy a surcharge for spikes in supplier cost. We set our prices 18 months out and lock in what resources we can. While we do our best to project cost increases, our business is heavily dependent on aviation and ground transportation, and as such, may be vulnerable to unforeseen spikes in cost. As a small business we have limited ability to absorb these rare events. If a surcharge becomes necessary, you will be notified at the earliest possible time.
Insurance
We strongly recommend trip cancellation and medical evacuation insurance. We recommend a package that includes coverage for evacuation, and for Canadians, has additional medical coverage. These packages cost around 7% percent of the package cost and usually include cancellation insurance.
Call our office for more information concerning purchasing this insurance.
If you have pre-existing insurance policies please check to ensure your medical insurance will cover you away from home and includes evacuation coverage outside of your home region.
Preparations for our expeditions begin with a great deal of planning, months (in some cases, years) in advance. For this reason we must maintain the policy that no refunds are available within the 90 day period before each trip and we highly recommend trip cancellation insurance. The policy covers such things as injury, illness or death as well as trip interruption due to weather, highway closures and aircraft malfunction. The policy is refundable until 90 days prior to trip departure.
If purchasing your insurance before any portion of your trip becomes non-refundable, you will be eligible for the “Cancel for any Reason” clause. This clause allows you to cancel up to 14 days prior to the start date of your trip “for any reason”, and will refund you 50% back of the total cost of your total travel package.
For custom or private experiences payments are due and non-refundable after January 1st of the calendar year in which you are travelling.
Medical evacuation insurance is encouraged because if you require an evacuation the expenses incurred will be billed to you. Due to the remote wilderness locations of our expeditions, an evacuation could easily cost over $50,000!
Both trip cancellation and medical evacuation insurance may be purchased separately. The price will vary according to your age, where you reside, and details of your trip.
If you have any questions about the insurance, or if you would simply like a price quote, we recommend contacting the travel agents at Uniglobe Specialty Travel.
Karin, Uniglobe Specialty Travel
Toll-free within Canada: 1-866-932-2565
Direct for US/International: 1-867-668-3300
E-mail: karin@uniglobespecialtytravel.com
