GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS (AGB)
Note: This English translation is provided for convenience only. The German version is legally binding.
The following terms and conditions inform you about our general terms and conditions. Please take your time and read through them carefully. Should any questions arise, we will be happy to answer them. Basic provisions
(1.1) The following terms and conditions apply between you and us, Global Pioneers, as the travel provider. Unless otherwise agreed, we object to the inclusion of any terms and conditions of your own.
(1.2) A consumer within the meaning of the following provisions is any natural person who enters into a legal transaction for purposes that can predominantly be attributed neither to their commercial nor to their self-employed professional activity. An entrepreneur is any natural or legal person or a partnership with legal capacity who, when entering into a legal transaction, acts in the exercise of their self-employed professional or commercial activity. Ordering process and conclusion of contract
(2.1) By submitting the document “Expedition Questionnaire” (“Expeditionsfragebogen”), you make a binding offer to Global Pioneers to conclude a travel contract on the basis of the current tour announcement for the corresponding trip and for the selected travel period. The submission may be made in writing or electronically. The submission is made by you in the name of and on behalf of all participants listed in the questionnaire. You are liable for all contractual obligations of the listed participants as for your own, provided you have assumed this liability by way of an express and separate declaration.
(2.2) The travel contract comes into effect upon acceptance of the questionnaire by Global Pioneers. We confirm the conclusion of the contract to you with the travel confirmation on a durable medium (e.g. by email or as an email attachment) directly after acceptance of the questionnaire.
(2.3) The minimum age for customers is 18 (completed) years. Services
(3.1) The scope of the contractually owed services results from the service description in the respective applicable tour announcement of Global Pioneers in conjunction with the individual travel confirmation sent to you, which confirms the conclusion of the contract.
(3.2) Services that you book directly with third-party companies as third-party services are not part of the tour operator's scope of services (e.g. sporting events, excursions, sightseeing tours, exhibitions, etc.).
(3.3) Described wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed, as they are natural experiences with free-roaming wild animals whose behaviour is not 100 % predictable. In the event of no sighting, no refund of the tour price is possible.
(3.4) If the customer does not make use of individual travel services duly offered to them by Global Pioneers, for reasons attributable solely to the customer (e.g. due to early return travel, illness or inability to travel), the customer is not entitled to a pro-rata refund of the tour price. Payment
(4.1) After receipt of the booking confirmation, a deposit of 20 percent of the tour price is due and payable within 14 days of the invoice date. The deposit is credited towards the total tour price. The remaining balance is due for payment no later than 30 days before the start of the trip (for short-notice bookings within this period: the total tour price), provided it is certain that the trip will take place and, in particular, that it can no longer be cancelled for the reason stated in clause 10.1.
(4.2) If payments due towards the tour price are not received despite a reminder and the setting of a reasonable deadline, Global Pioneers is entitled to withdraw from the contract and cancel the booking. In this case, Global Pioneers may charge you withdrawal costs based on clause 6.2 below, provided you did not yourself have a right to refuse payment.
(4.3) Rebooking fees (see clause 7.1) are due for payment immediately upon invoicing. Withdrawal compensation is governed by clause 6.5. Contract changes after conclusion of the contract
(5.1) Global Pioneers reserves the right to unilaterally change contract terms other than the tour price after conclusion of the contract, provided the changes are insignificant and are not brought about contrary to good faith (e.g. reasonable route changes for safety or weather reasons). We must inform you of the change clearly, comprehensibly and in a prominent manner on a durable medium (e.g. by email or SMS). The change is only effective if it meets these requirements and is declared before the start of the trip. (5.2) Guides and expedition leaders collectively have a wealth of experience to ensure that the trip proceeds safely. Their instructions must be followed at all times and in full. Grossly negligent or reckless behaviour during the trip may lead to exclusion. In such an extreme case, there is no entitlement to a refund or substitute services. Withdrawal by the customer before the start of the trip, cancellation compensation
(6.1) You may withdraw from the trip at any time before the start of the trip. The withdrawal must be declared to Global Pioneers. The decisive factor is the receipt of the declaration of withdrawal. We recommend that you declare the withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by email).
(6.2) If you withdraw from the travel contract, Global Pioneers may demand reasonable compensation. It is determined by the period between the receipt of the declaration of withdrawal and the start of the trip, the expected savings in expenses and the expected income from other use of the travel services. For this purpose we have set the following flat rates as a percentage of the tour price: more than 120 days before the start of the trip: 0 percent 120 to 61 days before the start of the trip: 20 percent 60 to 31 days before the start of the trip: 50 percent 30 to 15 days before the start of the trip: 80 percent from 14 days before the start of the trip and in the event of non-arrival: 95 percent
The date stated in the travel confirmation is considered the start of the trip. Non-arrival means that you do not arrive at the stated starting point in time.
You are free to prove that we have incurred no damage or substantially less damage than the respective flat rate. In this case you owe only the damage actually incurred.
(6.3) Your right to withdraw without payment of compensation pursuant to § 651h Abs. 3 BGB (German Civil Code) remains unaffected if unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances occur at the destination or in its immediate vicinity which significantly impair the performance of the trip or the carriage of persons to the destination. In that case we will refund payments made without undue delay, at the latest within 14 days. Services that you have acquired outside our offer (e.g. flights) will not be refunded.
(6.4) Instead of withdrawing, you may rebook once free of charge up to 60 days before the start of the trip to another date of the same expedition offered by us, provided a place is available on that date. If the new date is more expensive, you bear the difference.
(6.5) Withdrawal compensation pursuant to clause 6.2 is due for payment immediately upon invoicing. Rebookings, substitute participants
(7.1) Within a reasonable period before the start of the trip, you may declare on a durable medium (e.g. by email) that a third party shall take over your rights and obligations under the travel contract. The declaration is in any case deemed timely if it is received by Global Pioneers no later than seven days before the start of the trip. We may object to the entry of the third party if this third party does not meet the contractual travel requirements. If a third party enters into the contract, the third party and you are jointly and severally liable to Global Pioneers for the tour price and the additional costs arising from the entry of the third party. We may only demand reimbursement of additional costs if and to the extent that these are reasonable and have actually been incurred by us. We must provide you with proof of the amount of additional costs incurred as a result of the entry of the third party. Travel insurance
(8.1) Unless stated otherwise, no insurance is included in the tour price. We expressly recommend that you take out the following insurance policies:
– travel cancellation insurance, – baggage insurance, – trip interruption insurance, – travel accident insurance, – international travel health insurance, including the costs of repatriation due to accident, illness or death
(8.2) Every participant of a trip must have international health insurance with a repatriation guarantee in order to cover possible costs for medical care, rescue and repatriation. Should you decide against this, Global Pioneers must in any case be indemnified against claims for damages. We recommend that all participants of a trip prepare carefully and on their own responsibility for the challenges ahead. This includes researching the safety and entry regulations for the destination country, establishing rules of conduct for exceptional and dangerous situations, and ensuring your own physical fitness. Withdrawal and termination by Global Pioneers
(9.1) Global Pioneers may withdraw from the contract and cancel the trip up to 30 days before the start of the trip due to failure to reach the minimum number of participants, if we have stated this number in the respective pre-contractual information (e.g. tour announcement) together with the point in time by which the declaration of withdrawal must have been received by you at the latest before the contractually agreed start of the trip, and state the minimum number of participants and the latest withdrawal deadline in the travel confirmation.
(9.2) Global Pioneers may withdraw without notice if you persistently disrupt the trip despite a warning or if you behave in breach of the contract to such an extent that the immediate termination of the contract is justified. If we terminate the contract for this reason, we retain the claim to the tour price, but must allow the value of saved expenses as well as those advantages that we obtain from any other use of the services not made use of to be offset.
(9.3) Global Pioneers may furthermore withdraw from the contract before the start of the trip if we are prevented from fulfilling the contract due to unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances. In this case, we must declare the withdrawal without undue delay after becoming aware of the reason for the withdrawal.
(9.4) If Global Pioneers withdraws from the travel contract in accordance with 9.1 or 9.2, we lose the claim to the agreed tour price. Payments made towards the tour price will be refunded to you. We do not provide refunds for third-party services such as flights that you have purchased outside the range of services offered by Global Pioneers.
(9.5) You may request participation in another trip of at least equivalent value if Global Pioneers is able to offer such a trip from our range at no additional cost to the traveller. You must assert this right without undue delay after our declaration to you. Otherwise, the deposit paid towards the tour price will be refunded to you without undue delay. Duties of the customer to cooperate: checking your physical constitution
(10.1) Important: Before the trip, you are obliged to carefully check for yourself, if necessary with expert medical advice, whether participation in the trip, with its specific contents and its route through extreme climatic conditions, is actually compatible with your physical condition, constitution and current state of health. In doing so, you must take into account that the booked trip is an expedition into remote and difficult-to-access regions in which emergency evacuation is not always available. Only first aid provided by the expedition leaders is available.
(10.2) You are obliged to confirm that the data provided in the expedition questionnaire at the time of booking is complete and truthful. Otherwise, you cannot take part in the expedition and, in accordance with § 275 BGB (German Civil Code), there is no entitlement to performance of the services and no reimbursement of costs will be made. Any changes to the data must in all cases be communicated before the day of departure.
(10.3) If the performance of the services by Global Pioneers becomes impossible within the meaning of § 275 BGB because you are unfit to travel due to illness or infirmity or for any other reason, the entitlement to performance is excluded. Obligations of the customer, remedy, setting of a deadline before termination by the customer
(11.1) You must notify the local tour management of Global Pioneers, or use the address / telephone number stated below, of any defects that arise, without undue delay, and request remedy there within a reasonable period. The contact number can always be found in the booking confirmation. To the extent that Global Pioneers was unable to provide a remedy as a result of a culpable failure to give notice, you are not entitled to assert the rights set out in § 651m BGB or to claim damages under § 651n BGB. If you request remedy, Global Pioneers must remedy the travel defect. We may refuse the remedy if it is impossible or if, taking into account the extent of the travel defect and the value of the travel service concerned, it would involve disproportionate costs. Global Pioneers may provide a remedy by providing a substitute service of equal or higher value. If Global Pioneers is entitled to refuse to remedy the defect and the defect affects a significant part of the travel services, Global Pioneers must offer a remedy in the form of reasonable substitute services.
(11.2) If a trip is significantly impaired as a result of a defect and Global Pioneers does not provide a remedy within a reasonable period, you may terminate the travel contract within the framework of the statutory provisions; for evidentiary reasons, a written or electronic declaration is recommended. Liability For any liability of Global Pioneers for damages, the following exclusions and limitations of liability apply, without prejudice to the other statutory requirements for claims. The exclusions or limitations of the liability of Global Pioneers also apply to the personal liability of our employees, representatives and vicarious agents.
(12.1) The contractual liability of Global Pioneers for damages that are not bodily injuries and were caused neither intentionally nor through gross negligence is limited to three times the tour price.
(12.2) Global Pioneers is not liable for service disruptions, personal injury or property damage in connection with services that are merely arranged as third-party services (e.g. excursions, guided tours, special events, optional offers by local operators), if these services are so clearly marked as third-party services in the tour announcement and the booking confirmation that they are recognisably not part of the travel services of Global Pioneers for you. International agreements may give rise to additional claims that remain unaffected by this limitation of liability. However, Global Pioneers is liable for services that include intermediate transport during the trip and accommodation during the trip, as well as if and to the extent that a breach by Global Pioneers of its duties to advise, inform or organise has caused damage suffered by you.
(12.3) Global Pioneers is liable for the slightly negligent breach of essential obligations whose breach jeopardises the achievement of the purpose of the contract, or for the breach of obligations whose fulfilment makes the proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on whose observance you regularly rely. In this case, however, Global Pioneers is only liable for the foreseeable damage typical of the contract. Global Pioneers is not liable for the slightly negligent breach of obligations other than those mentioned in the preceding sentences.
(12.4) The limitations of liability do not apply, in the case of physical products, to injury to life, body or health, to defects after the assumption of a guarantee or to fraudulently concealed defects. Liability under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz) remains unaffected. With regard to trips, Global Pioneers points out that increased risks such as illnesses, accidents and injuries are possible. Although Global Pioneers offers a high standard of safety, we assume no liability for physical integrity. Minor injuries such as chafing, bruises, strains or sore muscles may occur. Passport and visa requirements, health formalities
(13.1) Global Pioneers informs you about the passport and visa requirements as well as the health formalities that are required for the trip and the stay, and states an approximate period of time needed for obtaining any documents. However, compliance with all regulations relevant to carrying out the trip is your responsibility. All disadvantages arising from non-compliance with these regulations are at your expense, unless they result from incorrect information or a failure to provide information on our part.
(13.2) If you do not comply with the entry regulations of individual countries and are thereby prevented from taking part in the trip, the tour operator may charge you the corresponding withdrawal fees. Global Pioneers assumes no liability for the timely issuance and receipt of necessary visas, travel permits and/or other documents by the respective diplomatic mission if you have commissioned Global Pioneers to obtain them, unless Global Pioneers has culpably breached its own obligations.
(13.3) You are yourself responsible for obtaining and carrying the necessary travel documents, for any vaccinations and health precautions that may be required, and for compliance with customs and foreign exchange regulations. Data protection, photo rights and rights to object
(14.1) Global Pioneers informs you about the processing of your personal data in the privacy policy on the website and in the data protection notices. When processing personal data, Global Pioneers complies with the provisions of the BDSG (German Federal Data Protection Act) and the GDPR. Personal data is all data relating to a person personally (e.g. name, address, email address). This data is processed to the extent necessary for the appropriate handling of your enquiry or booking request, for the implementation of pre-contractual measures or for the fulfilment of the travel contract. The data processing is permissible for the stated purposes pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. b GDPR. The data will not be passed on to unauthorised third parties without your express consent. You have the option at any time to access your stored personal data, to request information about it, to have it changed, corrected or deleted, to have its processing restricted, to object to its processing, to have it transferred, or to lodge a complaint about the processing with a supervisory authority (all rights under Art. 15 to 20 GDPR). The data will be deleted when it is no longer required for the fulfilment of the contract or if its storage is legally impermissible. Insofar as your personal data is processed on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR, insofar as there are grounds for this arising from your particular situation. You can exercise your right to object by sending an email to info@globalpioneers.de or by contacting Global Pioneers at the address stated below.
(14.2) Pursuant to Article 6(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), images of persons may not be processed, displayed or distributed without the consent of the persons concerned. The following information and this declaration of consent are based on your free decision. The images are stored on data carriers/servers of Global Pioneers. You have the right to revoke consent once given at any time, without stating reasons, with effect for the future. The images will not be passed on to third parties without prior consultation. Purpose of use: By confirming the General Terms and Conditions (AGB), you consent to this use of the photos. The images/film recordings (with sound) are used by Global Pioneers as part of its marketing and advertising activities to illustrate the following purposes: publicly displayed and internal print products (e.g. brochures, information letters, flyers, presentations, posters, programme booklets) the website and the social media channels (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) of Global Pioneers (e.g. www.globalpioneers.de) Please note that information on the internet is searchable, retrievable and modifiable worldwide. Even in the case of flyers, presentations and posters, for example, it cannot be ruled out that publication may take place via online editions on the internet. The “effect for the future” of a revocation means that all uses made on the basis of the consent up to that point remain lawful. This means that flyers or posters that have already been printed may continue to be used.
(14.3) By sending a message to info@globalpioneers.de, you may also object at any time, free of charge, to the use or processing of your data for purposes of advertising, market or opinion research, or for marketing purposes. If you have questions about data protection or suspect violations of data protection law, you can contact us: Tel. +49 1522 5930279, email: info@globalpioneers.de. Miscellaneous, information on online dispute resolution and consumer arbitration
(15.1) Should any of the above provisions be or become invalid, the remaining terms shall nevertheless remain valid and the validity of the travel contract remains unaffected. The entire contractual and legal relationship between you and Global Pioneers is governed exclusively by German law. If you are a merchant or a legal person under private or public law, or a person whose place of residence or habitual abode is abroad, or whose place of residence or habitual abode is unknown at the time the action is filed, the registered office of Global Pioneers is agreed as the place of jurisdiction.
(15.2) We are neither obliged nor willing to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
Tour operator:
Global Pioneers, Managing Director: Milan Binder, Bischofsweg 28, 01099 Dresden, Germany, Phone: +49 1522 5930279, Email: info@globalpioneers.de, Website: https://globalpioneers.de
Essential characteristics of the service: None of the trips offered by Global Pioneers are long-haul or study trips in the conventional sense; rather, they are trips with a greater or lesser degree of expedition character – into areas with poor or no tourist infrastructure. Despite careful advance planning, we depend on the local conditions with regard to accommodation, food, transport, etc. A comparison with Central European standards cannot be expected. Likewise, no comparison can be drawn with conventional round trips that rely on well-established tourist infrastructure! Global Pioneers tours each have an individual character, with all the limitations this entails. The trips require that you as a participant meet the respective information given in the tour character description, and a cooperative, flexible and positive basic attitude on the part of the participants is assumed.
Last updated: 25 August 2026