Trip Cancellation Policy

1. Principles of Cancellation

When you confirm a private tour, cruise cabin, or bespoke expedition with Ultra Egypt Travel, we immediately commit financial and operational resources on your behalf. These include securing hotel allocations at historic palace hotels, contracting certified academic Egyptologists, reserving private vehicle fleets, and purchasing scheduled domestic flight tickets through our direct IATA terminal.

Because third-party partners (hotels, cruise lines, airlines, and governmental inspectorates) enforce strict contractual cancellation policies upon us, our graduated cancellation schedule reflects the actual, unrecoverable costs incurred on your behalf.

Our objective is to maintain total transparency, fair risk allocation, and flexibility wherever feasible.

2. Notice Submission Requirements

Any request to cancel a confirmed booking must be submitted in writing by the Lead Passenger named on the original booking voucher.

Verbal cancellations made over the telephone or through third-party drivers or guides are not legally recognized.

3. Standard Private Tours Fee Matrix

For standard private itineraries, day excursions, and custom classic tours outside designated peak holiday seasons, the following graduated fee schedule applies:

*Note: For cancellations 45+ days prior, the 5% administrative deduction covers non-recoverable international credit card processing gateway fees and bank wire transfer commissions. Non-refundable issued domestic flight tickets are deducted separately as outlined in Section 6.

4. Nile Cruises & Dahabiya Charters

Due to the limited cabin inventory on boutique Nile cruisers and the exclusive nature of private sailing Dahabiyas, river operators enforce tighter cancellation deadlines:

• 60+ Days Prior to Embarkation: Full refund of deposit, minus unrecoverable administrative card fees (5%).
• 59 to 31 Days Prior: 50% of the total cruise price is retained.
• 30 to 0 Days Prior (or No-Show): 100% of the total cruise price is retained.
• Full Private Dahabiya Charters: Because chartering an entire 4-to-8 cabin sailboat withdraws the entire vessel from the global market, cancellations within 45 days of sailing incur a 100% cancellation charge unless a replacement charterer of equivalent value is secured.

5. Peak Season Holiday Rules

Due to severe accommodation shortages and non-negotiable hotel prepayments in Upper Egypt and Cairo, specific peak-season dates operate under stricter contractual cancellation schedules:

Peak Season Cancellation Scale:

• 60+ Days Prior to Arrival: Full refund minus 10% administrative and bank merchant fee.
• 59 to 45 Days Prior: 50% of the total tour price is retained.
• 44 to 0 Days Prior (or No-Show): 100% of the total tour price is retained.

6. Domestic Scheduled Airfare

All domestic scheduled flights within Egypt (operated by EgyptAir, Air Cairo, or regional carriers) booked as part of your bespoke itinerary are issued through our accredited IATA Agency terminal (#90229930).

Unlike flexible private road transportation, airline tickets are subject strictly to the governing IATA airline fare rules:

• Most discounted domestic group and promotional fares are 100% non-refundable once ticket numbers have been generated.
• In the event of cancellation, Ultra Egypt Travel will apply for statutory airport tax refunds from the airline where applicable and credit the recovered amount to the Client.
• Name changes on issued domestic flight tickets are classified by airlines as a full cancellation and re-booking at prevailing market fares.

7. Special Permits & Bespoke Access

Fees paid to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for Special Opening Permits (Fath Khas)—including private after-hours access to the Great Pyramid King's Chamber, entry between the paws of the Great Sphinx, or access to restricted tombs such as Nefertari (QV66) or Seti I (KV17)—are non-refundable once approved and registered by the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Governmental state preservation fees and official police security escort allocations are disbursed directly to state treasuries and cannot be recovered or transferred to alternative dates.

8. Travel Credit Voucher Option

To provide flexibility when unforeseen personal circumstances prevent you from traveling, Ultra Egypt Travel offers a Future Travel Credit Voucher as an alternative to cash cancellation forfeitures:

• If you cancel between 44 and 15 days prior to arrival, you may request to convert your remaining balance (after deducting unrecoverable domestic flights and committed hotel penalties) into an unrestricted Travel Credit Voucher.
• Validity: The voucher remains valid for twenty-four (24) months from the date of original issuance.
• Flexibility: It may be applied toward any private tour, Nile cruise, or custom itinerary in Egypt, and can be transferred to an immediate family member upon written instruction.

9. Cancellation by Ultra Egypt Travel

In the highly improbable event that Ultra Egypt Travel is forced to cancel your confirmed travel arrangements prior to departure for operational reasons within our direct control (excluding Client non-payment or Client breach of terms), the Client will be offered:

1. An alternative travel itinerary of equivalent or superior standard at no additional cost; or
2. A choice of alternative travel dates; or
3. An immediate, 100% full refund of all monies paid to Ultra Egypt Travel, processed within seven (7) to ten (10) business days.

Ultra Egypt Travel accepts no liability for indirect, incidental expenses incurred by the Client in anticipation of the tour, such as international long-haul airfare, visa application fees, or personal vaccination costs.

10. Force Majeure & Extraordinary Events

Neither Ultra Egypt Travel nor the Client shall be deemed in breach of contract if prevented from fulfilling travel obligations due to Force Majeure events beyond reasonable operational control.

Such extraordinary occurrences include, but are not limited to: natural disasters, acts of God, outbreak of war, civil disturbances, major border closures, international commercial airline groundings, pandemics, unexpected sovereign state protocol closures, or river lock emergencies.

In such circumstances:

• Ultra Egypt Travel will actively reschedule affected tour dates or issue an unrestricted 24-month Travel Credit Voucher.
• If the Client elects a financial refund, Ultra Egypt Travel will refund all monies recovered from third-party suppliers (hotels, cruises, transport partners), deducting solely verified unrecoverable disbursements.

11. Insurance Claims Documentation

Because unforeseen medical emergencies, family bereavements, and flight cancellations can occur, comprehensive travel cancellation insurance is mandatory for all guests.

Should you need to cancel your voyage for an insurable reason, Ultra Egypt Travel will provide a formal, stamped Insurance Claim Dossier within forty-eight (48) hours of written cancellation, including:

• Official Cancellation Invoice detailing all non-refundable retained fees;
• Original booking confirmation and payment receipts;
• Written statement of cancellation cause and supplier penalty breakdowns; and
• Direct liaison with your insurance claims adjuster upon request.

12. Formal Notice Coordinates

To ensure immediate processing and timestamp verification, all written cancellation notices must be addressed to our senior operations and legal directorates: