Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel Terms & Conditions of Use
Please read the blog and travel agency terms and conditions of use before you start interacting.
These terms and conditions contain legal obligations and we encourage you to read through them carefully. Unless otherwise started, any purchases made through riodejaneirobycariocas.com, our distributors, and our affiliates are subject to these terms and conditions.
1. Our contract
All bookings are made with Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel (us/we). By making a booking, the traveller (you) is deemed to have agreed to these terms and conditions on behalf of all individuals included in the booking. The services to be provided are those in your booking confirmation invoice. No alterations or variations to these terms and conditions are in effect unless made in writing by and under the authority of Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel.
2. Pricing and payments
2.1 Pricing
a) Prices and exchange rates — Prices are correct at the time of quoting, converted at the prevailing foreign exchange rate as set by Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel. The rate will float on a daily basis in line with international currency movements.
b) Price changes — The prices appearing on the website are the current rates and can change without notice. Once a traveller has booked an Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Service or Experience, the traveller will not be required to pay any difference in the event of a price increase. Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel will not refund the balance of any price reduction.
c) Per person — All prices listed are on a per traveller basis unless otherwise stated.
d) Inclusions — Prices include all inclusions as indicated on the tour description on riodejaneirobycariocas.com.
e) Exclusions — Prices do not include:
Tips and gratuities — If you are happy with the services provided by your local guides and drivers, a tip — though not compulsory — is appropriate. While it may not be customary to you, it is of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across many destinations. Please consider this when budgeting for your extra expenses on your tour.
Items of a personal nature — These may include snacks, meals, and drinks not outlined as an inclusion in the inclusions section of the tour description.
Baggage and personal insurance — It is highly recommended that each traveller obtain adequate insurance for their travels, including for the experiences they have booked.
Local taxes and fees — Unless otherwise stated, the price does not include any local taxes or fees, including foreign departure, security, port charges, park fees, customs, immigration, agricultural, passenger-facility charges, or international transportation tax.
f) Discounts — Discount campaigns may be promoted from time to time and terms will be set out for each campaign.
2.2 Payment
a) PayPal — Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas accepts PayPal for payment. Please check PayPal Terms of Use for more details.
b) Payment due — You don’t need to make a full payment at the time of booking. Payment for private tours is due upon confirmation of tour itinerary.
c) Payments via Paypal may have an increase of 7.5% on the total value of the products obtained.
3. Cancellations/no-shows and amendments to bookings
3.1 Cancellations by the traveller
Any cancellation request must be sent by email to sales@riodejaneirobycariocas.com. We will acknowledge your cancellation by email and determine the refund due as follows:
- If you cancel 7 (seven) days or more before the tour starts: no cancellation fee.
- If you cancel 6 (six) to 3 (three) days before the tour starts: 20% cancellation fee. If you have paid for your experience in full, we will issue a refund of 80% less any non-refundable upfront costs incurred by the Tour Guide on your behalf. These initial costs represent out-of-pocket expenses by the Tour Guide for tickets, transportation deposits and other non-recoverable tour expenses. Message the tour guide to find out what these costs are, if any.
- If you cancel less than 48 hours (2 days) before the tour starts: 100% of the cancellation fee.
- If your tour is carried out by one of our suppliers, it may comply with the cancellation rules of that company.
3.2 Cancellations by Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas
We may cancel a tour at any time prior to departure if, due to terrorism, natural disasters, political instability, or other external events it is not viable for us to operate the planned itinerary. If we cancel your tour, you can transfer amounts paid to an alternate departure date or, alternatively, receive a full refund. In circumstances where the cancellation is due to external events outside our reasonable control, refunds will be less any unrecoverable costs. We are not responsible for any incidental expenses you may have incurred as a result of your booking, including but not limited to visas, vaccinations, travel insurance, or non-refundable flights.
We do not cancel tours due to bad weather, so the tour will take place even in rain and/or cloudy weather, except in cases of force majeure.
3.3 Amendments to bookings by the traveller
a) If a traveller wishes to amend an existing booking, the original booking must be cancelled and a new booking made. Prices applying to the new booking will be the price at the time the new booking is made. Cancellation charges may apply (refer to 3.1 Cancellations by the traveller).
3.4 Amendments to itineraries by Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas
While we endeavour to operate all tours as described, we reserve the right to change the tour itinerary. The itinerary provided for each tour and/or experience is representative of the activities planned; however, the route, amenities, stops, and modes of transport may be subject to change without prior notice due to local circumstances or events. If we make a major change before departure, we will inform you as soon as reasonably possible. We reserve the right to change an itinerary after departure due to local circumstances or events outside of our control.
4. Confirmation and vouchers
a) Confirmation — Upon receipt of full payment, Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel will issue a voucher via email for the booked tour.
b) Voucher — The lead traveller must present the original voucher issued by Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel at the start of the tour. Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel reserves the right to refuse service to any travellers not able to provide their voucher to their guide at the beginning of the tour.
5. Your Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Experience
5.1 Traveller confirmation
We recommend the lead traveller contact the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner 24 hours prior to the start of their tour to confirm the tour departure. The local partner’s contact information is available on the voucher provided.
5.2 Timeliness
Travellers must adhere to the start time set out in the product information on their voucher. We start on time, so please allow enough time to be at the start point before your official start time on your voucher. If you know you are going to be late, please contact us on the phone number on your voucher and we’ll do our best to help you catch up. If a traveller hasn’t arrived on time and without any contact, Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel and the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner will consider the traveller to be a “no show” and the tour will start without them and no refund will be provided. The following start point(s) are outlined in the tour information and on the confirmation voucher:
Pick-up — If a pick-up is included in the tour, the times the service will be provided are listed in the product information and on the voucher (for example, 8:30 to 9:00 am). The traveller should wait in the lobby of their pick-up point during the designated pick-up times.
Meeting point — If a meeting point is set for the tour, one time will be set as the start time (for example, 8:30 am). The traveller should be waiting at the designated start point at the designated start time. It is recommended that you arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the tour.
5.3 Your responsibility
The traveller making the booking is responsible for their own and their party’s actions. If Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel or the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner deems you or your party’s actions to cause danger to other travellers or our staff, to intervene with other clients’ enjoyment of the trip, or to be offensive to the local communities and cultures, Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel and the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner reserve the right to remove you from the tour effectively immediately. No refund will be supplied.
You must at all times comply with the laws, customs, foreign exchange, and drug regulations of all cities visited, and you also agree to travel in accordance with our responsible travel guidelines.
Since September 15, 2021, establishments and tourist attractions in the city of Rio de Janeiro have required a vaccination certificate for their visitors and regulars (decree 49.335/2021). Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas asks all its customers to, therefore, have their vaccination certificates (via the ConnectSUS application or official printed document) and is not responsible for any blocking of its customers at the entrance of the visited points. It also informs that, in this case, there is no possibility of refund or cancellation of the tour, the presentation of the document being the responsibility of the visitor.
5.4 Acceptance of risk
You acknowledge that the nature of the trip is may be adventurous and participation involves a degree of personal risk. You will may be visiting places where the political, cultural and geographical attributes present dangers and physical challenges greater than those present in our daily lives.
You acknowledge that you are choosing to travel at a time where you may be exposed to the COVID-19 virus. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure your safety and may require you to follow additional safety protocols on your trip.
We use information from government foreign departments and reports from our own contacts in assessing whether the itinerary should operate. However, it is also your own responsibility to acquaint yourself with all relevant travel information, including applicable health risks and the nature of your itinerary. You acknowledge that your decision to travel is made in light of consideration of this information and you accept that you are aware of the personal risks attendant upon such travel. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability in relation to these additional risks.
6. Information accuracy
The lead traveller is responsible for providing accurate information during the booking process. Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas reserves the right to cancel any bookings if inaccurate information is provided, including (but not exclusive to):
Traveller name(s)
Hotel (pick-up) details
Email address
7. Age and health requirements
a) Age requirements — All travellers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian, or in lieu of a legal guardian, by an escort over the age of 18, appointed by their legal guardian. The legal guardian or their designee will be responsible for the traveller under the age of 18. While many of our tours permit all ages, the minimum age requirements may vary with tours. Please see the tour description on riodejaneirobycariocas.com to check whether a tour is child-friendly. For tours featuring alcohol, travellers may be required to show proof of age of majority.
b) Health requirements — Some of our trips can be physically demanding and travellers must ensure that they are suitably fit to allow participation. We are able to provide details on mandatory health requirements; however, we are not medical experts. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are physically fit to participate. All our tours specify a physical rating, which is to be used as a guideline for gauging whether a tour is appropriate for your fitness level.
8. Travel insurance
It is a requirement that all travellers doing an Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel have valid and comprehensive travel insurance. Neither Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel nor the Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner can be held responsible for any liability, expenses, or losses you incur as a result of being inadequately insured. We strongly recommend that at the time of booking a comprehensive travel insurance policy is purchased.
9. Passports and visas
Unless travelling domestically, travellers must carry a valid passport and have obtained the appropriate visas when travelling with Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel and the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partners. Please ensure your passport is valid for 6 months beyond the duration of the trip. It is the traveller’s responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of the correct visas for your holiday. Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel and the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partners cannot accept responsibility if you are refused entry to a country because you lack the correct visa documentation.
In case of doubts, see our post on visa requirements for entry into Brazil.
10. Complaints
Should you have a complaint about your tour or experience, we urge you to discuss this at the time with the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner. In the event you wish to complain further, please contact Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel in writing within 30 days or travel. Complaints received outside this timeframe will not be considered.
11. Photos and marketing
You consent to us using images of you taken during the tour for advertising and promotional purposes in any medium we choose. You grant us a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable licence to use such images for publicity and promotional purposes.
11.1 Blog advertising
There are three types of editorial advertising in Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Blog: (a) sponsored posts, duly identified as such; (b) posts where the authors received an invitation to visit a certain place, or try a product, without any reward in exchange for the posts; (c) affiliate programs where the user can make a reservation or purchase on partner sites, generating a commission for the blog.
11.2 User Behavior on the Blog:
Users give their opinions on opinions and opinions through comments, or disseminated content when permitted. Users acknowledge that Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas or their representatives does not have any responsibility for the content of the messages felt by the users, and is not responsible under any circumstances for the content of the messages or their consequences. In this sense, users are solely responsible for the content of their comments, which obeys the moral, ethics, good customs and rights of third parties, as well as the national legislation in force.
11.3 Rules of behavior that must be observed by users when interacting on the blog:
RESPECT: Comments containing offenses either to the brands mentioned or users and other bloggoers, profanity or name-calling will be deleted, and the user may be excluded from the blog and have his IP blocked for access to the blog.
ANONYMOUS PROHIBITION: According to the law, anonymous comments will not be accepted. Neither comments issued through various pseudonyms or false ones issued from the same IP will be accepted – incurring such conducts the user will be excluded from the blog and have his IP blocked for access to the blog.
PROHIBITION OF ADVERTISING: Comments containing ads of any kind or requests for votes in deleted contests and the user can be deleted, and his IP may be blocked for access to the blog.
Rio de Janeiro, by Cariocas and its representatives, reserves the right to exclude any content from users that it deems inappropriate or that conflicts with what has been proven here.
12. Terms of use
a) By using riodejaneirobycariocas.com, Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas distributors, and/or affiliates, the traveller agrees to be bound by the conditions outlined in these terms and conditions.
b) By engaging with Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel, the traveller agrees to do so for lawful purposes only.
c) When engaging with Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel, the traveller agrees to do so for personal purposes and not for their own personal commercial gain and will not enter into or provide fraudulent requests or information to Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel or the local Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partner.
13. Privacy policy
Any personal information that we collect about you may be used for any purpose associated with the operation of your tour/experience or to send you marketing material in relation to our events and special offers. The information may be disclosed to our agents, service providers, or other suppliers to enable us to operate your tour. We will otherwise treat your details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
14. Disclaimers
a) Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel, Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partners, affiliates, and distributors shall not be liable for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity, liability, or expense to person or property.
b) Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel, Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Partners, affiliates, and distributors accept no responsibility for any sickness, acts of crime, labour disputes, government actions, acts of war and/or terrorism, weather conditions, defect in any vehicle of transportation, or for any misadventure or casualty or any other causes beyond their control.
c) Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel maintains information that is accurate to the best of our knowledge; however, does not warrant that content and information provided on riodejaneirobycariocas.com or via any of our affiliate sites or via distributors will be without error and that functionality of the websites uninterrupted or without error.
d) Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas will not accept responsibility or liability for any traveller who contravenes any law or regulation of any country visited.
e) This agreement is governed by the laws of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
15. Liability and service guarantee
Our services which include our experiences (“Services”) may come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under Brazilian Consumer Law (CDC nº 8.078/1990).
15.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law (including the CDC) we exclude all liability whatsoever to you or any other person (whether in contract tort or otherwise) for any loss (whether direct, indirect, consequential) including death or personal injury or damage of any kind that may be suffered as a result of any act or omission whether negligent or otherwise by or on behalf of us in connection with the Services or any other matter or thing relating to these Booking Conditions except to the extent that such loss or damage is incurred as a direct result of our fraud or wilful misconduct. This clause does not limit or exclude your rights under the CDC.
15.2 Limitation of Liability
Where the law implies a warranty into these Booking Conditions which may not lawfully be excluded (in particular warranties under the CDC) our liability for breach of such a warranty will be limited to either supplying the Services again or payment of the cost of having the services supplied again.
15.3 Indemnity
You indemnify us (and all of our subsidiaries, officers, employees, contractors and agents) against all losses, claims actions, proceedings, damages, costs and expenses (including legal fees) arising from any claim by a third party arising directly or indirectly out of or in connection with:
a) your access or use of the Services, this includes your delegate’s access or use of the Services; and
b) any breach by you (or your delegate) of:
(i) these Booking Conditions; or
(ii) any additional terms applicable to providing the Services,
except to the extent that such loss or damage as a direct result of our fraud or wilful misconduct.
15.4 Third parties
We contract with a network of companies, activity providers, accommodation providers, airlines, coach and transfer companies, tour and local guides, government agencies, independent contractors and individuals to assist in the running of our trips as agent for these third parties (Third Party Supplier). Third Party Suppliers may also engage the services of local operators and sub-contractors. Although we take all reasonable steps to select reputable Third Party Suppliers, we cannot be responsible for their acts or omissions. Any services provided by Third Party Suppliers may be subject to the terms and conditions imposed by these Third Party Suppliers and you may be required to sign additional terms. These may limit or exclude the liability of the Third Party Supplier. You acknowledge that Third Party Suppliers operate in compliance with the applicable laws of the countries in which they operate and we do not warrant that any Third Party Supplier is in compliance with the laws of your country of residence or any other jurisdiction. We are not responsible for the acts and omissions, whether negligent or otherwise, of these Third Parties Suppliers. Any disputes between you and any third party, are to be resolved solely between you and that party.
15.5 Vicarious liability
We shall not be held vicariously liable for the intentional or negligent acts of any persons not employed by us nor for any intentional or negligent acts of our employees committed while off duty or outside the course and scope of their employment.
16. Registered address
Rua Barão de Mesquita, 715 – Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro – Brazil.
17. Updating of terms and conditions
Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas Travel reserves the right to update and/or alter these terms and conditions at any time. The latest terms and conditions can always be found on the Rio de Janeiro by Cariocas website and will supersede any previous versions.