Terms  & Conditions  

CTS powered by Ya Halaa

Last updated: 23 July 2026

1. About These Terms

1.1 — These Terms & Conditions (“Terms“) govern (a) all bookings of tours, transportation, accommodation, and travel packages made with CTS (the “Services“), whether made through our website, our booking platform, by email, or by messaging; and (b) your use of our website at www.yahalaa.africa (the “Website“).

1.2 — These Terms must be read together with our Payment & Refund Policy and Privacy Policy, which form part of the agreement between you and CTS. In the event of conflict regarding payment, cancellation, or refunds, the Payment & Refund Policy prevails.

1.3 — By making a booking, making payment, or using the Website, you confirm that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms.

1.4 — The version of these Terms in force at the time your booking is confirmed applies to that booking. Changes to these Terms apply to future bookings only and do not affect bookings already confirmed.

2. Bookings

2.1 — A booking request does not constitute a confirmed booking. A booking is confirmed only when (a) payment or the agreed deposit has been received in accordance with the Payment & Refund Policy, and (b) CTS has issued a written booking confirmation.

2.2 — The person making the booking (the “Lead Client“) confirms that they are at least 18 years of age, are authorised to book on behalf of all persons named in the booking, and accept these Terms on behalf of the entire group. The Lead Client is responsible for all payments and for communicating booking information, including these Terms, to the group.

2.3 — You must ensure that all information provided at booking — including names as they appear in passports, dates, contact details, ages of children, and any health or mobility requirements — is accurate and complete. CTS is not responsible for costs or losses arising from inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by you.

2.4 — Prices, availability, and itineraries shown on the Website or booking platform are indicative until confirmed in your booking confirmation. The confirmed price is the price stated on your invoice.

2.5 — Special requests (dietary, room preferences, accessibility, child seats, and similar) will be passed to the relevant supplier and accommodated where reasonably possible, but are not guaranteed unless expressly confirmed in writing by CTS.

Required information

2.6 — Every booking request must include the Lead Client’s full name, email address, and phone number. Requests without this information will not be processed.

2.7 — After payment, you must promptly provide all information reasonably required to deliver the Services, including flight details and, for every traveller, a legible copy of their passport. Passport copies are required by accommodation providers, park and government authorities, and other Suppliers, and for our compliance obligations, and are processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy (clause 14).

2.8 — If you do not provide the information required under clause 2.7 by the deadline stated by CTS, or in reasonable time before the relevant service: (a) CTS may be unable to confirm or deliver the affected Services and is not liable for any resulting failure, delay, denial of entry or check-in, or additional cost; and (b) CTS may suspend or cancel the affected Services, which will be treated as a cancellation by you under the Payment & Refund Policy, with refunds (if any) determined by its cancellation tiers. CTS will remind you in writing of outstanding information before exercising its rights under (b).

Custom package planning

2.9 — Requests for a tailor-made itinerary or custom package are subject to a custom package planning fee of AED 345, payable before planning work begins via the payment link we send you. The payment link is valid for 24 hours from the time it is sent; if payment is not completed within this period, the request is cancelled.

2.10 — The planning fee includes the preparation of a custom proposal and up to three (3) rounds of revisions requested within seven (7) days of the first proposal being sent. You must confirm the itinerary or request a revision within three (3) business days of each version being sent to you; if we receive no response within that period, the request is cancelled. Further revisions, or revisions requested after the seven-day period, may be subject to an additional fee quoted in advance.

2.11 — The planning fee is non-refundable in all circumstances, including where the request is cancelled under clause 2.9 or 2.10 or the package is not booked. It is credited in full against the price of the custom package only if the package is booked and paid for within one (1) month of the final proposal being sent. After that period the credit lapses. The fee and any credit are not transferable to another client and cannot be applied to any other booking.

2.12 — Once a custom package is booked and confirmed, attraction scheduling and activity reservations are provided free of charge, and you will be transferred to our dedicated CTS after-sales support team for itinerary coordination. If the request is cancelled under clause 2.9 or 2.10, after-sales itinerary coordination and activity scheduling are not available.

3. Travel Documents, Visas & Health

3.1 — You are solely responsible for ensuring that every member of your group holds a valid passport (with sufficient validity and blank pages as required by the destination), any required visas, and any required health documentation for all countries visited or transited.

3.2 — Minors (under 18) travelling to South Africa are subject to specific documentation rules set by the South African authorities. In general: foreign minors from visa-exempt countries travelling with both parents require only a valid passport; minors travelling with one parent, with an adult who is not their parent, or unaccompanied may be required to produce a birth certificate showing both parents’ details, parental consent affidavits, and copies of the absent parent’s or guardian’s identification; and where a visa is required, these documents are submitted with the visa application. These requirements may change without notice — you must verify current requirements for your nationality and travel arrangement with the South African authorities or your nearest embassy before travel.

3.3 — No refund is payable where a client is unable to travel or is denied entry, boarding, or carriage due to missing, invalid, or insufficient documentation, other than as provided in the Payment & Refund Policy.

3.4 — You are responsible for ensuring that all members of your group are medically fit to participate in the booked Services. Any medical condition, pregnancy, or mobility limitation relevant to participation must be disclosed at the time of booking.

4. Travel Insurance

4.1 — CTS strongly recommends that all clients hold comprehensive travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation, personal liability, and loss of belongings, effective from the date of booking.

4.2 — CTS is not liable for any loss that would have been covered by such insurance.

5. Our Services & Third-Party Suppliers

5.1 — CTS arranges and coordinates the Services, which are delivered in whole or in part by independent third-party suppliers, including transport operators, drivers, guides, accommodation providers, and activity operators (“Suppliers“).

5.2 — Each Supplier provides its services subject to its own terms, conditions, and policies — including check-in and arrival times, cancellation and no-show rules, age, height, health and safety requirements, and conduct rules. These bind you directly, even where CTS made the booking with the Supplier on your behalf.

5.3 — CTS’s role in relation to Supplier services is to arrange the booking and to advise and recommend — including what to do, where to be, and when to be there. Compliance is your responsibility. If you fail to comply with a Supplier’s policy — including arriving late for a check-in, pick-up, departure, or activity — any service or component lost as a result is treated as an unused Service under the Payment & Refund Policy, and no refund is payable by CTS. Any recovery from the Supplier in such cases is limited to what the Supplier’s own policy allows.

5.4 — To the extent permitted by applicable law, CTS is not liable for the acts, omissions, or service failures of Suppliers. If a problem arises with a Supplier, CTS will provide reasonable assistance in communicating with that Supplier to seek a resolution, but the resolution of the issue lies between you and the Supplier under the Supplier’s terms. CTS exercises reasonable skill and care in selecting Suppliers.

5.5 — Nothing in this clause 5 or these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or for our fraud or wilful misconduct.

6. Itineraries, Changes & Cancellation by CTS

6.1 — Tours and activities — in particular safaris, nature tours, and outdoor activities — are subject to weather, road conditions, park and venue regulations, and animal sightings. Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. Routes, timings, and order of activities may be adjusted where reasonably necessary.

6.2 — CTS may substitute vehicles, accommodation, guides, or components of a package with alternatives of equivalent or higher standard. Such substitution does not constitute a change to the booking and does not give rise to a refund.

6.3 — If CTS makes a significant change to a confirmed booking (a change to the start date, or the removal of a principal component of the package without equivalent substitution), you may choose between (a) accepting the change, (b) an alternative booking of equivalent value where available, or (c) a refund of the affected amount, processed under the Payment & Refund Policy but without the cancellation tiers applying.

6.4 — If CTS cancels a confirmed booking for reasons other than your breach of these Terms or force majeure, you will receive a full refund of amounts paid for the cancelled Services. CTS’s liability for its own cancellation is limited to this refund.

7. Transportation & Use of Own Vehicles

7.1 — Transportation services are provided with a professional driver only. CTS does not rent out vehicles. “Self-drive” in these Terms means a client who books Services with CTS but travels in a vehicle sourced by the client — whether their own or rented from a third party.

Chauffeured services

7.2 — Pick-up times are agreed with you in advance, typically the evening before or earlier. Once a pick-up time is agreed, your booked time slot (for example 8 or 10 hours, as stated on the Website listing and your booking confirmation) runs from that agreed pick-up time.

7.3 — Overtime. Time beyond your booked slot is charged per commenced hour at:

Overtime is payable on invoice and may be deducted from any amounts held where applicable.

7.4 — Waiting time. Airport pick-ups include up to 60 minutes of free waiting time from the aircraft’s actual landing time. All other pick-ups include up to 15 minutes of free waiting time from the agreed pick-up time. Beyond these periods, and after reasonable attempts to contact you, waiting time is charged at the overtime rates in clause 7.3, or the service may be treated as a no-show under the Payment & Refund Policy.

7.5 — All passengers must comply with applicable road safety laws, including the use of seatbelts. Child car seats are available on request under clause 2.5 and must be requested at booking.

7.6 — Luggage is limited to the reasonable capacity of the confirmed vehicle. It is your responsibility to book a vehicle appropriate to your group size and luggage. CTS is not liable for personal belongings left in vehicles.

Clients using their own vehicles (self-drive)

7.7 — Clients who participate in Services using a vehicle they have sourced themselves do so entirely at their own risk and expense. The client is solely responsible for the vehicle, its roadworthiness, insurance, fuel, tolls, parking, driver licensing, and compliance with road traffic law, and for any rental agreement with a third-party rental company. CTS has no responsibility for, and is not a party to, any such rental arrangement.

7.8 — Self-drive clients must keep to the itinerary timings communicated by CTS. CTS is not obliged to delay, repeat, or modify any Service for a self-drive client who arrives late, becomes lost, or suffers a breakdown, and any component missed as a result is treated as an unused Service under the Payment & Refund Policy, with no refund payable.

7.9 — Where Services involve travel in convoy or entry to parks, reserves, or venues, self-drive clients must follow the instructions of CTS guides and the rules of the relevant park or venue, including any restrictions on vehicle type or access. Entry or access fees for the client’s own vehicle are the client’s responsibility unless expressly included in the package.

8. Client Conduct

8.1 — Clients must behave in a manner that is lawful and does not endanger or seriously inconvenience drivers, guides, Suppliers, other clients, or third parties, and must comply with the reasonable instructions of drivers, guides, and Supplier staff, including safety instructions in wildlife areas.

8.2 — Smoking is not permitted in vehicles. Consumption of alcohol in vehicles is not permitted.

8.3 — CTS and its Suppliers may refuse or terminate the participation of any client whose conduct breaches this clause 8 or presents a risk to safety. In such cases no refund is payable for unused Services, and the client is responsible for any resulting costs, including damage to vehicles or property.

9. Children & Minors

9.1 — All persons under 18 must be accompanied throughout the Services by a parent or authorised adult guardian, who is responsible for their supervision and safety at all times.

9.2 — Ages of all children must be provided at booking. Certain activities may carry minimum age or height requirements set by Suppliers, which CTS cannot waive.

10. Photography & Marketing

10.1 — CTS and its guides may take photographs and video during tours and Services for use in CTS’s marketing, including on the Website and CTS’s social media channels. By booking, you consent to appearing in such material.

10.2 — You may decline or withdraw this consent at any time and without giving a reason, by telling your guide or driver, or by writing to info@yahalaa.africa. Where consent is withdrawn, CTS will not use identifiable images of you and will remove, within a reasonable time, identifiable images of you from marketing channels under its control.

10.3 — Identifiable images of children under 18 will be used only with the consent of a parent or guardian present at the time.

10.4 — Content you share with us. By sharing your photographs or videos with CTS — including by email, messaging, or by tagging or mentioning CTS on social media — you authorise us to use them for promotional and marketing purposes, including on our Website and social media channels, unless and until you inform us otherwise in writing at info@yahalaa.africa. You confirm that you have the right to share the content and that identifiable persons appearing in it do not object; content showing identifiable children under 18 will be used only with the consent of a parent or guardian.

10.5 — No payment or compensation is due for the use of images or content under this clause.

11. Liability

11.1 — To the extent permitted by applicable law, CTS’s total liability arising out of or in connection with a booking is limited to the total amount paid to CTS for the Services affected.

11.2 — To the extent permitted by applicable law, CTS is not liable for indirect or consequential losses, including loss of enjoyment, missed onward travel arrangements not booked through CTS, or losses arising from events of force majeure as described in the Payment & Refund Policy.

11.3 — Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability, right, or remedy that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including under UAE consumer protection legislation, and no provision of these Terms is intended to contravene such law. Any provision that would do so is to be read as qualified to the extent necessary to comply.

12. Complaints

12.1 — If a problem arises during your trip, you must notify CTS at info@yahalaa.africa (or the emergency contact provided in your booking confirmation) as soon as reasonably possible while the Services are ongoing, so that we have a genuine opportunity to resolve it.

12.2 — Any complaint not resolved during the trip must be submitted in writing to info@yahalaa.africa within 30 days of the end of the affected Services, with your booking reference and relevant details. Failure to notify us during the trip, where it deprived us of the opportunity to remedy the issue, may be taken into account in assessing the complaint.

13. Website Use

13.1 — Content on the Website — including text, images, logos, itineraries, and pricing — is owned by or licensed to Ya Halaa Limited and is protected by intellectual property law. You may view and print Website content for personal, non-commercial use only. Any other reproduction, scraping, framing, or commercial use requires our prior written consent.

13.2 — You must not use the Website for any unlawful purpose, attempt to gain unauthorised access to it, introduce malicious code, or interfere with its operation or with other users’ access.

13.3 — Website content is provided for general information. While we take care to keep it accurate, itineraries, images, and descriptions are indicative, and the binding description of your Services is your booking confirmation. The Website may contain links to third-party websites; CTS is not responsible for their content or practices.

13.4 — We do not warrant that the Website will be available without interruption or error. Access may be suspended for maintenance or for reasons beyond our control.

14. Personal Data

14.1 — CTS collects and processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable UAE data protection law. Booking data is shared with Suppliers to the extent necessary to deliver the Services, which includes transfer to service providers outside the UAE.

14.2 — Identification documents (including passport copies) and booking and payment records are retained for as long as required by UAE tax, accounting, and record-keeping laws, including for the purpose of responding to requests from UAE authorities, and are handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

15. General

15.1 — Communications. Notices and communications between you and CTS may be given by email and are deemed valid when sent to the email addresses provided at booking (for you) and info@yahalaa.africa (for CTS).

15.2 — Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, that provision is severed and the remainder of the Terms continues in full force.

15.3 — No waiver. A failure by CTS to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of that provision.

15.4 — Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Payment & Refund Policy, the Privacy Policy, and your booking confirmation, constitute the entire agreement between you and CTS in respect of your booking.

15.5 — Governing law and jurisdiction. These Terms and any booking are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates, and any dispute is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Abu Dhabi.

15.6 — Language. These Terms are available in English and Arabic. In the event of any inconsistency, the English version prevails.

About us. CTS is a brand operated by Ya Halaa Limited, a company registered in Masdar City Free Zone, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Licence No. MC14266), with its registered address at Incubator Building, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE (“CTS”, “we”, “us”, “our”). All bookings are contracted with Ya Halaa Limited.

For any questions, contact us at info@yahalaa.africa.