Terms and conditions

Last updated: August 2026

These are the terms that apply when you use the Marula Hill website (marulahill.com), enquire with us, or book a trip through us. They are written in plain English. Where something matters legally, we have said so.

Who we are

Marula Hill is a luxury safari travel company based in South Africa. We plan and arrange safaris across Africa for international clients. South African residents are served by our domestic site at marulahill.co.za.

By using this site or sending us an enquiry, you accept these terms.

What this site is

The marulahill.com website is an editorial and enquiry platform. It is not a booking engine. Nothing on this site is a binding offer of a trip, a price, or a date.

When you enquire, we respond with a written proposal built around what you have told us. A trip is only confirmed once three things have happened:

1. You have received and accepted a written proposal from us.
2. You have paid the deposit specified in that proposal.
3. You have received our written confirmation that the booking is in place.

Until all three have happened, no contract exists between us.

Pricing

Prices on this site are illustrative planning figures, not quotations. Real safari pricing varies by season, lodge availability, exchange rate, and the specifics of your trip. Every price you receive from us is in writing in your proposal, valid for the period stated in it, and based on the assumptions listed in it.

We quote in your preferred currency where that is practical. Currency movements between proposal and final payment are passed on as they occur. We do not absorb them, and we tell you about them as soon as we know.

Bookings, deposits, and cancellations

The specific terms of any trip are set out in the proposal you accept. That proposal states the deposit amount and its due date, the balance amount and its due date, what you forfeit if you cancel at different points before travel, and what happens if a lodge, airline, or operator cancels on us.

Cancellation terms vary considerably by lodge and operator. Some smaller lodges require full non-refundable payment ninety days before arrival. Larger groups often allow more flexibility. We set out the specifics for your trip in writing before you pay anything.

We strongly recommend full travel insurance for every trip we plan, taken out at the point of booking rather than closer to departure. We can suggest providers, but we do not sell insurance and we are not authorised to advise on it. See our note on safari travel insurance for the questions worth asking.

Our role

We are an intermediary. We plan trips and book on your behalf with lodges, operators, charter airlines, ground handlers, and guides. Each of those suppliers has its own terms, and those terms become part of your trip when you book.

We take responsibility for the quality of the planning, for honest advice about lodges, seasons, and how they pair together, for keeping you informed throughout, and for resolving what we can while you are travelling.

We are not directly responsible for the acts or omissions of third-party suppliers beyond our duty to choose them carefully, for events outside anyone's control such as weather, civil unrest, disease outbreaks, government action, or road closures, for personal injury or loss not caused by our negligence, or for costs you incur by missing a flight, overlooking a visa requirement, or travelling without adequate insurance.

Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, our liability to you in respect of any single trip is limited to the total amount you have paid us for that trip.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited under the laws of South Africa, the United Kingdom, or the European Union, depending on where you live.

Content on this site

The articles, photographs, and sample itineraries on this site are our own work, unless credited otherwise. You are welcome to quote short excerpts with credit and a link back. Republishing at length requires our written permission.

Anything you send us for publication, such as a review or a testimonial, remains yours. By sending it, you give us permission to use it on this site and in our marketing. Tell us if you would rather we did not, and we will remove it.

Links to other sites

We link to lodges, operators, conservation organisations, and our sister site at marulahill.co.za. We are not responsible for the content of external sites, and a link is not an endorsement of everything on the site it points to.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of South Africa. Any dispute arising from your use of this site, or from a trip booked through us, will be settled in the South African courts. If you live in the UK or the EU and consumer protection law in your jurisdiction gives you the right to bring a claim locally, that right is unaffected.

Changes to these terms

If we update these terms, the date at the top of this page changes. Where a change is material, we will flag it on the site for at least thirty days.

Contact

Questions about these terms go to vikki@marulahill.com.