General Terms and Conditions

The service from Explorechinatours.com subject to the following gerneral terms and conditions. This conditions regularise the legal relationship between you and our company. The receipt of your deposit and/or final payment will indicate that you have read and accepted our general terms and conditions. Thus it is extremely important that our clients understand and accept them as guidelines on our site.

1. Declaration

It is possible to book our offers online, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Once we get a booking request from you, we will edit your request and send you a feedback with more details in 24 hours. Once you accept our offer and send an affirmation email back, the contract between you and our company will come into effect automatically. Afterwards, we will send you an official booking affirmation back to you.

2. Confirmation

Once we get your inquiry, we will send you an email with quotation and the details of your personal tour program in 24 hours. But this is not already the transaction of the contract. If you don't like our offer or if you want to change something, please tell us your personal interests and detailed wishes. We will do our best to give you the best tourprogram to fit on your request inside of 7 days. This offer should be confirmed inside of 2-3 days, because customize trips have current prices which is fluctuated and can be changed in a few days.

After our offer including tour program, tour price and deposit are accepted, we will send you a demand for paying the deposit. Your order will be accepted once your payment has been authorised. We will book your trip at our contractual partners and send you an official booking confirmation by email or fax.

3. Payment

A deposit of 30-50% of the whole price of your journey must be paid before the final confirmation of your booking. You will get a formal email with the details of exactly sum of the trip. The balance must be paid 15 days before starting your journey, or the tour contact will be recalled.

Exclusion: If you want to start travelling inside of 2 weeks after requestiondate, you must pay the whole price and additionally $50 for urgency fee as fast as you can or pay the whole price at your travel destination.

We accept payment methods as below:

1. direct bank transfer;
2. creditcard (Visa-card, Master-card, American Express, Diners Club);
   Attention: if you pay with credit card, the bank of China will charge you 3% of the whole tour price.
3. Money transfer via Western Union

Important Note
Before payment, please click to see current exchange rate for reference
At "Bank of China" or at "Universal Currency Converter".

The quote of exchange rate between the RMB/CNY and the USD, or between the RMB/CNY and other currencies is subject to slight change due to the timely fluctuation of international exchange rate market.

You are aware of that each payment rerequires differently due days prior to the arrival date of your China tour.

Bank transfer

Please transfer your deposit and the balance to the account of
CHINA CYTS TOURS CO., LTD. GUANGXI

Please fill in the account informations that we have send to you in a booking confirmation e-mail.
Please don't forget to fill in your tour code and the name of your travelagent as a reason for payment.
Please send us a copy of your bank transfer, via fax or by e-mail. Fax: 00867735829609
Bank transfers from foreign countries will take one week please keep it in mind.
As soon as the payment arrives we will send you a e-mail.

Credit Cards
We accept payment via credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express Card, Diners and JCB card, But Not Debit Card. Credit card payment with authorization letter by fax is firstly recommended considering the online security of credit card payment in China.
1. Click the link to download a form ( Word file / PDF file / html file ).
2. Print out and fill in with your VALID credit card information including card type, number, card holder's name, billing address and card holder's SIGNATURE, etc. in the credit card authorization form.
3. Please kindly fax the authorization letter and a photo copy of your credit card (Back and front) and passport to:
++ 86 773 5829609 / 5808695
4. As your fax is received, we will acknowledge the receipt via a confirming email, and then we will send it to Bank of China where your payment is accepted from your credit card issuing bank.

Note:
(a) Bank of China will charge an extra 3% service fee over the cost. We are not allowed to charge in foreign currencies because of Chinese government's control. Credit card payments charged in CNY are based upon the prevailing rates in China; your card issuing bank will debit you in local currency; thus the amount charged from your credit card might be slightly different from the amount on the credit card authorization form. This slight difference in conversion rate is out of China Fact Tours's control.
(b) Via this way, your payment security is guaranteed. We will charge a deposit from your card when you deliver a formal booking.

4. Cancellation

We would deeply regret your decision to cancel your trip to China, however we realize that there are many valid reasons that this can happen. In the event of cancellation we will refund any payment made to Explore ChinaTours (less any cancellation fee that is applicable) within 15 days of our receipt of your written cancellation request. we don’t accept cancellations by telephone call. Please write us a letter, a fax or a mail with your signature. We'll charge a cancellation fee to cover our expenses. you will get your paid money back deduct the cancellation fee.

This is the calculation of the cancellation fee:

30 days before starting of your trip:                 15% of the whole price, but may be applied for your next trip within 18 months.
Between 21 and 30 days before starting of your trip:   20% of the whole price
Between 20 and 7 days before starting of your trip:     30% of the whole price
Between 6 and 3 days before starting of your trip:       50% of the whole price
From 2 days to departure day or no show:                    no refund      

If you have booked a Yangtze River Cruise and you have to cancel it less than 30 days before starting your trip, the full cost of Yangtze River Cruise can not be refunded.

After the trip has commenced, we are unable to refund any amount for unused services due to your early departure, late arrival, or missed days on tours.

Alteration of Itinerary - Alterations to your itinerary before the booking are happily processed free of charge. Alterations after payment of the deposit will attract a fee of $25.00 per request. All expenses incurred by Explore China Tours in alteration of the booking are the responsibility of the customer. This includes all fees and charges levied by third parties such as cruise operators, airlines and hotels.

5. Rebooking

Rebookingfee:

If you want to change your trip ( traveldate, travelregion, accomodations, transfers) after booking affirmation till 30 days before your journey starts, it costs $ 25 per person.

The travel program might be changed if unpredictable reasons appear (for example: natural disasters). For these cases you will get directly information from us by email. The flight delay, flight adjournment and the changes of the train route are out of our responsibility, because in individual cases these problems cannot be excluded.

6. Prices

All prices are denoted in US$.

Following accomplishments are usually in the tour-price included, it varies for different tours:

1. national economy-class airfare or soft sleeper or seat train ticket fare
2. the hotel accommodation on twin-share basis
3. meals that are listed up in the tour program
4. transfers for your journey
5. entrance costs of the sightseeing places that are listed up in the tour program
6. travel guide
7. the Tibet Travel Permit if applicable
8. For tours including cruises, the cruise excursion and activities are subject to the cruise company's arrangements

Following accomplishments are not in the tour-price included:

• international flights / train tickets for arrival in and departure from china
• passport and Visa fee
• travel insurance
• additional meals
• fees for overweight luggage by national flights
• other services in the hotel and on the cruise ship
• other personal costs

7. Transaction Failure

If payment is denied by our Payment Service Provider for any reason, you will be made aware of this and payment can be resubmitted.

8. Entry Requirements or Issues

Travel Documents - When entering into China, all clients are required to have a valid passport and necessary visas or permits at the commencement of travel. We accept no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the failure of clients to obtain appropriate documentation. Travel advisor may assist you in applying for the necessary travel documentation upon request. You can read more about China embassies & visas for reference.

If you go for a Tibet tour, you are necessary to get a tour invitation letter from travel agents. Moreover, ALIEN'S TRAVEL PERMIT is must, if you want to go some places where is not open to foreigners for security reason.

If you want to stay in China longer than the validation of your visa, you have to go to a local PSB for visa extension application.

Health Requirements - Clients should take into account all international travel risks and familiarize themselves with health requirements applicable to the areas they intend to visit. The client is solely responsible for checking the safety and security conditions, vaccination, and other health requirements of governments in countries visited or transited.

Travelers to Tibet are required to provide a doctor's certificate stating that the he/she is fit to travel and his/her blood pressure and heart condition are normal. This is a necessary requirement because of the possible effects that the very high altitude may have on certain people.

We only assist clients to deal with health case of such kind, but not to take the responsibility for what happened.

Luggage Allowance – How many pieces of luggage you can bring on you tour? In accordance with regulations of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, the free baggage allowance within China is 20kg for the economy class, 30kg for the business class, and 40kg for the first class, plus limited carry-on luggage. Excess baggage charges are the sole responsibility of the client. Regulations within China specify that all suitcases must have a locking device attached. Failure to follow this regulation may result in refusal by airport staff to load suitcases onto the aircraft.
What articles you can bring on tour? Please read more custom regulations of China.

Travel Insurance - Our tour packages include China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance up to a maximum of $29,000 provided free of charge as part of our package. We still highly recommend that you purchase full coverage travel insurance from you country of origin. Insurance provided by Explore China Tours is not applicable where only hotel or China flight booking are purchased through Explore China Tours.

9. Complaints and Claims

Shall you feel unsatisfied with any service Explore China Tours has provided, please notify your local tour guide or your travel advisor to avoid the potential for similar problems happening again during your trip.

In the event of a complaint or claim for compensation, you must inform us by email, regular mail, or facsimile in writing within 15 days from the end of your tour. Relevant receipts and substantiating evidence must be attached to the letter of claim. Explore China Tours will not be liable for any claims made later than 15 days after the completion of your tour.

10. Liability and Responsibility

Explore China Tours shall not be liable for any loss, injury, or damage to person or property, alteration of itineraries or cancellation in part or in full, caused by climatic conditions, sea fire, breakdown of machinery or equipment, acts of government or other authorities, wars whether or not declared, civil disturbances, strikes, riots, thefts, epidemics, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, terrorist activities, or any other actions, omissions or conditions beyond Explore China Tours's control. Neither Explore China Tours nor any of its affiliates or subsidiaries shall be or become liable or responsible for any additional expenses of liability sustained or incurred by the tour member as a result of any of the aforementioned causes.

Explore China Tours shall not be responsible for any wrongful or negligent or fraudulent, omissions, changes of itinerary, cancellation or the failure of any equipment operated by any suppliers such as transportation carriers, cruise, and hotels, or any other party not directly owned or controlled by Explore China Tours.

Explore China Tours is not responsible for a client's failure to comply with customs regulations.

Explore China Tours is not responsible for the theft or lost of any customer's valuables or items of personal property due to the negligence of the customer.

Explore China Tours reserves the right to substitute hotels, flights, or cruise ships, to alter itineraries, or to cancel the tour prior to departure. If Explore China Tours has cancelled any tour prior to the commencement of the tour, Explore China Tours is liable for a full refund of the money received by Explore China Tours.

Many of Explore China Tours tour packages include activities which require care attention. Such activities include boarding and going ashore from boats, climbing hills and entering and exiting tombs and caves etc. You will receive help and advice from our representatives but all activities are undertaken at your own risk. Explore China Tours, its employees and agents cannot be responsible for any action or event that occurs after its said employees and agents have exercised their duty and taken the necessary care.

Explore China Tours reserves the right to modify or rescind the terms and conditions in whole, or in part at any time with or without notice.