Welcome to Madeira Islands...

Madeira Wind Birds, Lda Terms of Service:

Booking Information

There is no small print in this page. The booking conditions and general information set out below are designed to outline our obligations to you and your commitments to us as clearly as possible. Please read them carefully before booking. We want you to have an enjoyable Madeira Wind Birds tour/trip and the avoidance of any misunderstanding is to our mutual advantage. You should be prepared to cope with unusual situations, local inadequacies and unpredictable events as and when they occur.

Definite Bookings

Reservations for tours require a deposit of 20% per person per tour, paid by credit card (VISA or Mastercard) on a secure link that we e-mail to you. After receiving the deposit we will give you our final confirmation and details of the tour. If no deposit has been paid, there is not a legal collateral, therefore Madeira Wind Birds cannot be accountable for possible bookings. A simple communication (e.g. email, phone, fax) without a paid deposit does not constitute any guarantee of service. The person signing the booking form warrants that he/she has the authority to make the booking on behalf of all other persons included on the booking form. (On-line booking forms are deemed to have been signed by the persons submitting them.)

In special cases there are tours that will demand different payment plan, these information will be passed to the customer prior to payment.

Price, Taxes and Fees

All transactions are in Euros, Portugal legal tender. All shown prices include all Portuguese taxes, Government fees, except where noted. Madeira Wind Birds operates and supplies in Madeira Islands, therefore it pays all taxes to Madeira Regional Government. No tours/trips are exempt of VAT, thought it is included in the prices shown.

Booking Cancellation

Any cancellation by you of a definite booking must be notified to us in writing (email is acceptable) or by phone and will take effect on the day that this is received by us. The following scale of cancellation charges will normally be applied, based on our estimated expenses and losses suffered as a result of your cancellation:
- Over 3 days before the land tour: no costs to you
- 2 to 1 day before the tour: 100% of your deposit
- On the day of the tour or later: 100% of final tour price

The above rules do not apply to Deep Sea Pelagics (e.g. Zino's Petrel Sea Expedition). In this case all bookings are definitive and no refunds are possible for booking cancelations, though name change of the booking holder is possible.

Bookings Date Change

All transactions are in Euros, Portugal legal tender. All shown prices include all Portuguese taxes, Government fees, except where noted. Madeira Wind Birds operates and supplies in Madeira Islands, therefore it pays all taxes to Madeira Regional Government. No tours/trips are exempt of VAT, thought it is included in the prices shown.

Bookings Date Change

If you wish to transfer your booking to another day this will normally be treated as a cancellation and rebooking, and the relevant cancellation charges will apply.

Trip or Tour Cancellation

f hazard weather conditions occur, we can try to reschedule your tour to the nearest date possible, though not changing other tours previously booked to other customers. If the tour does not happen we will refund you on 100%. We reserve the right to cancel any trip for which there are insufficient reservations before the departure date. In case of this type cancellation, all deposits and other payments for the tour or tour extension will be refunded.

We may have to cancel your tour in the event of unusual or unforeseen circumstances outside our control (i.e. casus fortuitus): for example, technical problems with the boat or van, government action, war or threat of war, civil strife, terrorist activity, riot, natural or man-made disaster, disease outbreak, or severe weather conditions. In the event that we have to cancel a tour/trip due to circumstances outside our control we shall refund to you.

Trip or Tour Status

Full and transparent communication is the best way to trust in business. All tour status is broadcast via the website status.madeirawindbirds.com and redundantly at twitter.com/windbirds. As an extra we will contact via one of the following means and in this order: short message (i.e. SMS) to mobile phone on file or hotel reception message (i.e. fax or phone call) or by booking email.

We advise you that prior to the tour you check our status website, in case of apparent bad weather we recommend that you call us to check to status.

Refund Procedure

All money can only be refunded via the same initial method of payment (e.g. paid by credit card returned to the same credit card). In circumstances that the service is paid by money, you are required to acknowledge the acceptance of the refund in writing. This rule is enforced due to risk of money laundering schemes and phishing online techniques.

Safety & Insurance

Any medical problems and/or related dietary restrictions must be informed to us on reservation. It is extremely important to our staff and guides to have this knowledge in case of any arising problems.
Our prices include a personal accident insurance, provided by legally registered insurer in "Instituto de Seguros de Portugal", with the following coverage:
- Death or permanent disability: 20 000 €
- Hospitality expenses and repatriation: 3 500 €
Birdwatchers often carry a lot of expensive optical and photographic equipment. Our trip insurance does not provide sufficient cover and so, if you are not already covered under your household policy, we recommend you take out specialist insurance cover for your equipment.

Species Observation

Birds, Mammals and Flora: The species mentioned in the trip itineraries are meant as a guidance to what you might see. You should not expect to see everything mentioned, although you should see a good proportion if you participate fully in the tour and have good eyesight. We can only guarantee you that we will assist you to the best of our knowledge and capabilities.

Restrictions on Participants

Restrictions on participants are a matter of common sense and we have no absolute ones. If you have a health problem or any physical limitation which may hamper or restrict your full involvement in any aspect of the tour, or about which we should be aware for your safety (e.g. walking difficulties, diabetes, asthma, angina, etc.), please advise us previously to the tour or trip. We may provide any information that you or your doctor may need to judge your capacity to participate fully in the tour. Please note that we do not allow the collecting of plants or animals during the course of any tour.

Swimming with wild animals (i.e. whales and dolphins) requires the capability to swim in the ocean without external assistance, good sea conditions and the animals can't be stressed. Staff may at last minute cancel swimming activity for security reasons.

Economic Espionage & Wildlife Risk

We take our economic activity and the protection of wildlife seriously, therefore if at any point we come across economic espionage (e.g. doing a tour to later operate against us), we will take the proper legal action and report to criminal police. In case of present or future wildlife risk (e.g. doing a tour to obtain location of eggs for later stealing them), again we will take the proper legal action and report to criminal police. Both acts under Portuguese law are serious criminal offenses and you may face imprisonment until present in Court. There will be no refunds on these circumstances.

Short Communications and Scientific Publications

In the event of important findings for the scientific community within our tours/trips, all short communications and scientific publications have to be approved by Madeira Wind Birds directors. All information will be deemed confidential till proper publication.

Valid from December 5, 2009
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