2. Bookings and Payment:

2.1 All bookings are to be made via the online booking platform on Falcon River Reserve™’s website at www.falconriver.co.za.

2.2 Falcon River Reserve™ cannot guarantee that accommodation/campsites seen online, will be available by the time a booking and/or reservation is attempted. All bookings are subject to availability and take place on a ‘first-come-first serve’ basis.

2.3 Bookings are confirmed upon receipt of a 50% deposit or full payment and when customer receives confirmation email from Falcon River Reserve™.
2.3.1 A 50% deposit is required to secure a booking more than 14 calendar days in advance. Full payment will be required for bookings less than 14 calendar days from the arrival date.
2.3.2 Full payment may also be requested for peak season or long weekends.
2.3.3 Late or non-payments may result in cancellation of the booking, with potential loss of deposit or full payment.
2.3.4 Final payments are due 7 calendar days before arrival.

2.4 All payments are to be made via Falcon River Reserve™’s online payment platform and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of Paystack Payments Limited (“Paystack”), the payment platform’s service provider.
2.4.1 Paystack employs advanced encryption technology, including Secure Socket Layer (SSL), to protect all transactions. No card details are stored on Falcon River Reserve™’s website. For further details on Paystack’s security measures and policies, users may visit: https://paystack.com/za/compliance.
2.4.2 Customer details will be securely stored by Falcon River Reserve™ separate from card details, which are entered directly by the client on Paystack’s secure platform. Falcon River Reserve™ does not process or store sensitive payment information, ensuring all payments are handled in compliance with Paystack’s security and privacy standards.
2.4.3 The merchant outlet country at the time of presenting payment options to the cardholder is South Africa. The transaction currency is South African Rand (ZAR). For additional details regarding Paystack’s terms of service, please visit https://paystack.com/terms.

2.5 Refundable Deposits: On-site refundable deposits might be requested for gate access tags, ablution keys and Kayak/SUP rentals.

3. Cancellations, Refunds and Rescheduling

3.1 All cancellation requests for confirmed bookings are subject to the following provisions and section 17(3) and (4) of the CPA:
3.1.1 Confirmed bookings cancelled 30 calendar days or more in advance of the arrival date shall be refunded all payments to date in full, minus administration/payment fees;
3.1.2 Confirmed bookings cancelled between 8-29 calendar days prior to the arrival date shall receive a 50% refund of their deposit payment; alternatively, a cancellation penalty of 50% of the deposit shall be levied;
3.1.3 Confirmed bookings cancelled less than 8 days prior to the arrival date shall not be refunded; alternatively, a cancellation penalty of 100% of the booking price shall be levied;
3.1.4 All confirmed bookings must be cancelled in writing.
3.1.5 In the event of any cancellation or when funds need to be reversed back to a credit card, Falcon River Reserve™ reserves the right to not refund the card transaction fees. This policy applies to all purchases and bookings made through our service.
3.1.6 Should Falcon River Reserve™ cancel a confirmed booking due to an event outside of our control or Force Majeure i.e. imminent floods or flood damage, the customer shall be given the option to reschedule the booking, free of charge.
3.1.7 Should the customer cancel due to unpleasant weather conditions, the above cancellation policy will still apply as this is out of our control.
3.1.8 Should the customer depart early or arrive late for their booking, no refunds will be given for the unused part of their original booking.

3.2 Rescheduling of bookings must be done 8 days prior to arrival date. In the event that a Falcon River Reserve Customer fails to make use of their booking (no-show), the Customer will forfeit their full payment.

3.3 Rescheduling of bookings may be subject to administration fees and price increases and/or decreases dependent on the date of reschedule. Any subsequent changes that result in a price increase must be settled in full before confirmation of such booking is guaranteed.

4. Disclaimer of Liability

4.1 Falcon River Reserve™ shall not accept liability for any losses and/or damages, whether direct or indirect, special or consequential, in the following circumstances:
4.1.1 Any death, injury or illness sustained or suffered by any person. For theft, loss or damage to any property, whether allegedly due to the negligence of Falcon River Reserve™, its officers, employees, agents, affiliates, and partners or arising from the use of any facilities supplied or made available by any of them.
4.1.2 Further to the above-mentioned, the entry/access to and use of the campsite, ablution and recreational facilities, its amenities and/or participation in and to any of the activities available on the premises, shall be at the own risk of the Falcon River Reserve Customer. Falcon River Reserve™ and/or its employees and/or agents and/or its successors in title shall not be liable for any damages, loss, theft, injury, accident or death suffered by any person, howsoever caused.

5. Fire Liability

5.1 Fire is a major environmental, human and livelihood threat. Anyone caught lighting, using or maintaining a fire or attempting to light, use or maintain a fire in areas other than those demarcated by Falcon River Reserve™ will be in contravention of the National veld and Forest Fire Act 101 of 1998 and will be liable for fines as well as all costs incurred to extinguish the fire, including any legal costs.

6. Damage, Theft, and Compliance

6.1 Guest Responsibility: By booking a campsite and a private ablution, guests agree to take full responsibility for maintaining the condition of the campsite and the assigned private ablution and its contents during their stay.

6.2 Damage and Breakages: Guests will be held liable for any damage, breakages, or loss of property that occurs during their stay, whether caused intentionally or as a result of negligence. Guests must immediately report any damage or breakages to Falcon River Reserve™.

6.3 Theft: Any items belonging to Falcon River Reserve™ that are removed from the campsite, ablutions, general recreational areas or its premises without authorisation will be considered stolen. Falcon River Reserve™ reserves the right to report such instances to law enforcement and to seek reimbursement for any missing items.

6.4 Violation of Booking Rules: Guests must adhere to all rules provided by Falcon River Reserve™ at the time of booking and during their stay. Failure to follow these rules may result in penalties, including but not limited to early termination of the stay without refund.

6.5 Liability and Debit Authorisation: Falcon River Reserve™ reserves the right to charge the payment card used for the booking to cover the costs of any damage, breakages, theft, or violations of booking rules. By accepting these terms and conditions, guests authorise Falcon River Reserve™ to debit their payment card for such costs as deemed necessary.

7. General Rules and Conduct

7.1 RIGHT OF ADMISSION to Falcon River Reserve is reserved.

7.2 SPEED LIMIT for all roads on the reserve and campsite is 20km/h. Please be respectful to resident families and look out for children, pets and wildlife, especially tortoises while driving.

7.3 NO PETS. Due to abundant roaming wildlife on the reserve and resident pets, no other pets are allowed on the campsite.

7.4 MAXIMUM 2 VEHICLES are allowed per stand and maximum 1 x Camper/Caravan/Trailer. Any additional Vehicles/Campers/Caravans/Trailers are subject to additional fees or booking of an additional stand.

7.5 MAXIMUM STAY is for 28 consecutive nights. No long stays allowed.

7.6 MAXIMUM number of guests (Age 6+) per stand is 5. Kids/Infants age 5 and under camp for free. Maximum 4 Adults (18+) per stand.

7.7 LOUD MUSIC/NOISE. Please be respectful to your fellow campers and turn down any music/noise upon request. No music/noise after 22h00. Noise/music travels easily up and down the river to our neighbours who have working farms, so please be considerate.

7.8 NO UNAUTHORISED ACCESS to the reserve may be given to any other person that is not registered to your booking with your access tag/key/code. NO DAY VISITORS allowed. This is to protect the safety of both our guests and residents. Your tag/key/code are monitored by our security system.

7.9 AT OWN RISK. The use of the river, whether swimming, fishing or boating is at own risk. No lifeguard is on duty.

7.10 NO MOTOR-POWERED WATERCRAFT are allowed on the river. Due to the unforgiving rocks on the riverbed, it is unsafe for any motor-powered watercraft. Special permission is given to experienced skippers and companies for training, boat-testing and safety/support.

7.11 PLEASE ADHERE TO ALL SIGNAGE on the reserve. Pay special attention to Swimming and NO Swimming areas.

7.12 FISHING is only allowed in dedicated areas on the river bank. DO NOT fish in dedicated swimming areas.

7.13 CHECK-IN TIME for Camping is from 14h00 until 18h00. Checkout time is at 11h00.

7.14 NATURE RESERVE: The natural plant and wildlife on the estate should be treated the same as any nature reserve. Please don’t pick flowers and remove plants from the area, especially from our Natural Environment Zone that’s located on the footpath towards the viewpoint.

7.15 DESIGNATED FIRE AREA: Only make fires in designated areas and use the bins provided for trash and recycling.

7.16 CHILDREN SUPERVISION: Children should be supervised at all times.

7.17 SNAKES & WILDLIFE: When going for a walk on the reserve to the viewpoint, please be careful of snakes and wildlife and mind the steep cliffs – stay on pathways at all times and refrain from using the private roads to resident houses and private property.

7.18 NO MOTORBIKES or ATVs are allowed to be used by guests on the reserve.

7.19 NO DRINKING WATER. All tap water on the reserve is supplied directly from the river and not suitable for consumption, please bring your own bottled drinking water. Alternatively, 5L bottles will be for sale at our reception.

7.20 OWN WATERCRAFT: Guests are allowed to bring their own canoes/kayaks/SUPs or floats, but takes full responsibility for them and uses the river at own risk. Please refrain from going too close to the weir.

7.21 WEIR. The weir is the property of the Department of Water and Sanitation. Strictly no access is allowed on the weir. This will be seen as trespassing on government property.

7.22 NO SMOKING. No smoking in ablutions/recreational areas and no smoking on the Viewpoint Trail. Please be considerate to your neighbours. Dispose of all cigarette butts responsibly and in bins.

7.23 The Management of Falcon River Reserve™ reserves the right to amend Rates and the Rules and Regulations of the Reserve from time to time as it deems fit without notification.