BOOKING PROCEDURE
Published tours or customised tour arrangements for free independent travellers (FIT) provided by Ecotourism Melanesia may be booked and purchased through a travel agent or direct with us for the same advertised price.

To make enquiries or place bookings direct with us, simply contact us by e-mail, fax or phone. We don't have booking forms to fill in and we don't have an online booking page.

If we don't respond immediately to your e-mail or fax, please allow for the time difference between Papua New Guinea and your country (PNG is in the same time zone as Eastern Australia and Guam). Our office hours are 8am to 5pm local time, Monday to Saturday. We also accept after-hours phone calls up till 10pm local time, and on Sundays. Ssometimes we receive a high volume of e-mail enquiries and may not be able to respond immediately - please follow up with another e-mail if you do not hear from us within 48 hours.

Tours may be booked up to 18 months in advance but we require payment of a 10% deposit in order to confirm bookings.

Our contact details:
Ecotourism Melanesia Ltd
Section 55 Lot 25, Lokua Avenue, Boroko, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
(Please note there is no street delivery of mail in PNG. All mail must be addressed to: PO Box 531 Gordons, PNG).
Phone and fax (+675) 323 3301
Mobile and 24 hours emergency number: (+675) 686 8917
E-mail ecomel (at) online . net . pg
[please substitute @ symbol for (at) above - we are trying to avoid having our e-mail address harvested by spammers]

All correspondence should be addressed to The Managing Director.

Proud yam harvest, Trobriand islands

RATES AND DISCOUNTS
The prices of tours published on our website are the same whether you book through a travel agent or direct with us. If you plan to purchase your international air ticket through a travel agent in your home country, you may find it convenient to pay for your PNG inbound tour arrangements and domestic airfares through the same travel agent. Your travel agent may be able to offer you better airfares if your ticket is sold in conjunction with our inbound tour package.

Group discounts
Group discounts are not applicable to our escorted group tours as these are already costed at group rates. For Kokoda treks only (tour EM10), 10% discount off the normal package price (OR group leader FOC) is allowed for groups of 10+ people booking together.

Currency quotes
Due to fluctuation of the USD and AUD in recent times, our tours are now priced in local currency (PNG kina) and can be quoted in major currencies using the conversion rates published at the bottom of our home page. Quotes in other currencies can be provided on request.

INVOICING AND DEPOSITS
At the time of booking your arrangements we will issue you (or your travel agent) with an invoice for 10% deposit. The deposit must be paid at time of booking in order for us to confirm your arrangements. If you are booking through a travel agent you should pay your deposit to the agent who will forward it to us. If you are booking direct with us you should remit your deposit directly to our bank account in Papua New Guinea, as instructed on your invoice.
After receiving your deposit we will confirm all your arrangements and hold all bookings until 2 months before your scheduled arrival. The 90% balance owing on your arrangements is due 2 calendar months before your trip is due to commence.
For weekend getaways, full payment is due at time of booking, at least 2 weeks in advance of travel.

Malaita girl, Solomon Islands

METHOD OF PAYMENT
All payments direct to Ecotourism Melanesia, including deposits, must be deposited in our nominated bank account in Papua New Guinea by bank-to-bank transfer - also known as electronic transfer, wire transfer, telex transfer (TT) or SWIFT transfer.
Sorry we do not accept payments by credit card or checks.
Some banks now allow you to do international transfers yourself using internet banking, otherwise you will have to go in to your branch to arrange the transaction. Our account details are stated on your invoice. If you are sending funds by internet banking from Australia, please ensure to use the "Send Money Overseas" or "International Money Transfer" option on your internet banking website, do not use the regular e-banking system which is only for transferring funds to other accounts within Australia. Banks in Papua New Guinea are completely separate from banks in Australia, even though some of them like ANZ and Westpac have familiar names.

Baining Fire Dance mask, Rabaul

Aussie visitors at village guest house

Kalam tribal head-dress, Simbai
Mt Tavurvur, Rabaul

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BOOKING
Payment or part-payment of our invoice indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions specified here and on your invoice, on your own behalf and/or on behalf of clients or other persons you represent who will be taking the tour or arrangements specified on the invoice. Apart from these terms and conditions see also our general information about touring in rural areas of PNG.

Itemization of costs
The cost of the tour, service or arrangements specified on your invoice includes the overhead costs that we incur in planning, organizing and monitoring your tour arrangements. Itemized breakdowns of tour costings will not be provided.

Payment deadlines
10% deposit is due for payment at the time of booking in order to confirm your package arrangements or your place on your preferred group tour or trek.
Payment of the 90% balance must be received by Ecotourism Melanesia or your travel agent no later than 2 calendar months prior to arrival in Papua New Guinea.
If the balance owing is not received by the due date, Ecotourism Melanesia reserves the right to auto-cancel your arrangements and retain your deposit.
For Weekend Getaways (these are mainly targetted at local residents), the payment deadline is 2 weeks before travel.

Cancellation policy
Due to limited hotel rooms in Papua New Guinea we often have to pay hotels in full at the time of booking in order to secure rooms for your tour or package. Some hotels charges cancellation fees for cancelled rooms. Local airlines in PNG also require payment for tickets at the time of booking and charge quite severe administration fees for ticket refunds. Such factors dictate that we implement a strict cancellation policy for both FIT packages and escorted tours.
Further, places on our escorted tours and Kokoda treks are limited and some clients book a year or more in advance. Once we receive the maximum number of deposits for a tour or trek we start turning people away and they book other tours and then if you subsequently cancel closer to the date we will have difficulty on-selling your place to another client at such a late stage. This is why deposits for escorted treks and tours are non-refundable at any time after booking, and late cancellations carry heavy penalties.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR F.I.T. (FREE INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER) PACKAGES
If you cancel your arrangements prior to the 2-months payment deadline we will refund the amount we have received for your deposit less PGK200 administration fee.
If you cancel your tour or arrangements less than 2 months from commencement, but more than 1 month, and having paid in full, your 10% deposit will be forfeited and the balance refunded.
If you cancel your tour or arrangements within 1 month of commencement and after having paid in full, a cancellation penalty of 20% of the total cost of your package applies.
If you cancel your tour or arrangemements less than 2 weeks before scheduled commencement of your package, a cancellation penalty of 50% of the total cost of your package applies.
If you cancel or abandon your tour or arrangements (or any part thereof) less than 3 days before scheduled commencement of your tour, or after commencement of your tour or arrangements (for whatever reason), no refund is available. (Your travel insurance policy may reimburse you for such cancellation penalties under certain circumstances.)

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR ESCORTED GROUP TOURS AND KOKODA TREKS
The deposit paid to hold a place for you on one of our escorted tours or treks is non-refundable if you cancel at any time after paying the deposit.
If you cancel your place on the tour or trek within 2 months of scheduled arrival and after having paid in full, a 50% cancellation fee applies. If you cancel your tour or arrangements within 1 month of scheduled arrival and after having paid in full, a 100% cancellation penalty applies.
If you cancel or abandon your tour or arrangements (or any part thereof) after commencement of the tour or trek (for whatever reason), no refund is available. (Your travel insurance policy may reimburse you for such cancellation penalties under certain circumstances.)

Further, any component of your pre-paid tour or arrangements that you cancel or otherwise fail to avail yourself of by whim during the course of the tour is deemed non-refundable.

Processing of refunds
Tour refunds, if applicable, are calculated based on the nett funds we receive from you, cleared in our bank account after all bank charges. We then subtract the applicable cancellation penalty and remit your refund by bank to bank transfer to your nominated account, or by international bank draft forwarded to your nominated mailing address.

Your payment of our invoice for deposit signifies your acceptance of our terms and conditions and cancellation policy.

Ladies of the Kalam tribe, Simbai

Traditional face tattoos and garb, Tufi

Biami novices at initiation, Nomad

Kofure guest house, Tufi

European visitor at Woitape

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OUR TOURS AND SERVICES

Group quotations
Where a tour quotation is based on a stated number of people in the tour party, the quotation is only valid for that number of travellers. If one or more travellers withdraw from the tour party, the price per person will be revised upwards in order to meet static overhead costs and remaining members of the tour party will be required to pay a surcharge. (This provision does not apply to Kokoda treks, for which special conditions apply).

Dispute resolution
In the event of dispute, matters pertaining to your purchase of tour arrangements from Ecotourism Melanesia will be arbitrated in accordance with the laws of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

Kokoda treks
For Kokoda treks (tour EM10), the terms and conditions here must be read in conjunction with the special booking conditions and the terms and conditions in our Kokoda trekking contract. Please ask for copies of these documents if you cannot access them on our website.

Travel insurance
It is a condition of booking a tour or trek with Ecotourism Melanesia that you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will cover you for:
- any cancellation penalties or other costs you may incur if you are forced to cancel your tour for health reasons or other allowable causes,
- lost baggage or personal items while travelling,
- emergency medical treatment including medical evacuation
- disrupted itinerary costs if there are forced changes to your itinerary due to cancelled or delayed flights or other transport due to bad weather, unserviceable aircraft/vehicles etc or other unexpected circumstances which lie beyond your control or the control of Ecotourism Melanesia or your travel agent.
Travel insurance can be purchased from any airline or travel office and must be purchased in the country where you commence your travel.

Third level airlines
Some "third level" airlines and air charter operators in PNG are not members of IATA (the International Air Transport Association) and are not obliged by IATA conventions to provide overnight accommodation for passengers when flights are cancelled or delayed, even after you have checked in. Therefore if your tour involves travel on a third level airlines in PNG you must be prepared to meet such extra costs yourself and claim reimbursement from your travel insurer later.

Tour monitoring
Ecotourism Melanesia undertakes to plan, organise and monitor your itinerary in a professional manner and ensure that all accommodation, travel and tours are booked as stated in your itinerary. In the event that your itinerary is disrupted due to delayed flights, bad weather conditions or other local circumstances we will do our best to rearrange your itinerary to enable you to continue your tour with minimum inconvenience. However any additional costs incurred in rearranging a disrupted itinerary will be borne by you and/or your travel insurer. In case of disrupted itinerary or other problems during your tour please contact us 24 hours a day on PNG phone numbers 323 3301, 323 4518, 686 8917 or 685 4171.

Issue of air tickets
Ecotourism Melanesia is an inbound tour operator. We are not general travel agents and we do not issue air tickets ourselves. All air tickets included in your tour arrangements are purchased from the airlines by Ecotourism Melanesia on your behalf. By engaging us to arrange your tour, you authorise us to purchase airline tickets issued in your name. However any air tickets we purchase in your name cannot be refunded directly to you by the airline, and any refund or reissue of sectors must be authorised by our office.

No responsibility
Ecotourism Melanesia as an inbound tour operator takes no responsibility for the provision of accommodation, meals, air travel, ground transport or other services supplied by individual local suppliers (hotels, guest houses, airlines, local transport operators and tour guides). In the event that a local supplier fails on its part to provide accommodation, travel, tours or other services as booked, we at our sole discretion may provide a refund for the actual value of this component of the tour, or the difference between this and an alternative service provided if the value of the alternative service is not higher than the value of the component of which the operator has defaulted. In the event that accommodation, travel, tours or other services are not provided as booked due to circumstances beyond the control of Ecotourism Melanesia or the local operator (such as bad weather, civil commotion, strikes, utility failure, unserviceable aircraft) no refund will be given for this component of the tour but you may be able to claim from your travel insurer any loss or additional expenses you incur due to such misfortune. Ecotourism Melanesia will be happy to provide written confirmation of emergent events to assist you with claiming compensation from your insurer.

No liability
Clients travel at their own risk and Ecotourism Melanesia accepts no responsibility for accident, injury or other misfortune occurring during a tour booked through or operated by our company. Clients are informed that medical and evacuation services may not be available in some areas visited on your tour, and safety equipment and accessories may not be supplied or fitted in boats and vehicles supplied by local operators supplying transport for your tour arrangements.