PRATICAL INFORMATION
Classic travel revisited, original or exclusive?
We know you come to Secret Planet to immerse yourself in a unique spirit of adventure, nature and expedition travel. To help you search for the program of your dreams or understand at a glance the type of program you have spotted, we have classified our trips into three categories:
“Essential” travel: it is a program which offers, in addition to our specific content, the essential things a place can offer to the traveler, whether these are major tourist sites in an adventure trip or for countries of treks, unmissable treks. It is mainly aimed at travelers who want to start discovering a country or region or who are not sure whether they will return, allowing them to have a complete overview.
“Exclusive” travel: it is a program that we are the only French-speaking agency to offer and to offer, when we set it up. Other actors may subsequently propose it and it then passes into the so-called “Original” category. These trips are aimed at travelers looking for programs that are decidedly off the beaten track and rare.
“Original” travel: it is a program which, by construction, is neither essential nor exclusive. It accounts for the majority of our treks and adventure trips. It totally resembles us in its level of requirement and immersion, in the originality and rarity of the places we visit. These trips are aimed at travelers who wish to concentrate on a region or a theme from their first discovery of a region or are looking for a second experience to delve deeper into a place which has particularly touched or moved them.
The technical sheet: immerse yourself in your trip
For each trip, trek or expedition that we offer, there is systematically a “technical sheet” in which the program is presented in very detail: the main activity, the support, the description of the itinerary day by day, transfer and activity durations, notably walking, the level of physical and technical difficulty, the maximum altitudes reached during the day and night altitude (end of day altitude), meals, accommodation, logistics, support, carbon footprint, price and supplements, what is included in the price, the list of collective and individual equipment, consular and health formalities, etc. Accompanied by your online reservation or your registration form, general and special conditions of sale, the technical sheet is your “contract” with us.
Personalize or privatize your trip, your trek or your expedition
Our sector managers are particularly experienced. We have a long-established network of experts around the world. We put our creativity, our regional culture, our local knowledge at your service, to personalize your trip or create a unique tailor-made program for you. We privatize any departure on any of our programs, from one participant.
Extensions to complete your experience of a region
Our experience over many years has shown us that our travelers often focus on our offer of original and exclusive trips, sometimes missing out on unmissable tourist sites. Also, for most of the countries where we offer stays, we have designed extensions of one to several days, confirmed for one or two people, allowing you to discover essential places in a region. These extensions are particularly aimed at people who do not plan to return to the country in question. They are described in the technical sheet and in the “Extension” tab of the trip. You can select it when registering for your trip.
ACCOMODATION & FOOD
Accommodations
For each program we offer, we determine an average level of comfort to allow you to quickly assess whether it meets your expectations. It should be noted that the program’s departure and arrival accommodations are most often “Standard” or “Superior” in large cities. Thus, we have defined six levels of accommodation, ranging from bivouac to luxury establishment:
- Bivouac: in a tent (provided) or under the stars, the traveler’s choice;
- Basic: mostly solid, covered accommodation, often without heating, without a bathroom or even often without electricity. These are accommodations with simple locals, in lodges in the Nepalese sense, in refuges, lodges, in certain monasteries… according to the itinerary and the proposals of the region where we immerse ourselves, in simple and rich conditions. the warmth and kindness of our hosts;
- Standard: solid, covered accommodation, possibly with heating and electricity, a bathroom often shared. These include homestays, hotels and hostels up to 2*, local standards;
- Superior: permanent accommodation, covered, with heating and electricity, a bathroom, most often individual. These include homestays, hotels and hostels from 3* local standards;
- Charm: characterful accommodation linked to the history, culture of a place or its inhabitants, most often on a human scale and offering a personalized service. In this category you will find English-style bed & breakfasts, Cuban casa particulars or even caravanserais in Iran, etc.
- Luxury: these accommodations represent excellence and rarity, emotion, dreams. The establishments we choose fit perfectly into the spirit of the trip we offer, whether they are African lodges, Asian palaces or South American estancias.
Most of our programs are planned in a “Twin” room/tent, that is to say for two people of the same sex. You have the option when registering to choose a “Single” room, that is to say not shared, with an additional charge. On certain treks, this option is also possible for a private tent. There are also situations where this option is not possible, either because the accommodation does not offer it, or because the logistics of the trek do not allow it. All this information (availability, supplements) is indicated in the technical sheet.
Meal
Meals are taken, depending on the program, in hotels, restaurants, lodges or at the wilderness camp during treks or expeditions. In the latter case, a kitchen team prepares meals, with a varied and balanced diet, consisting of vegetables, cereals, meat and fruit, dishes made from local products, chicken, rice, corn, potatoes. land, cassava, tsampa…
We have developed know-how in terms of shipping dietetics, whether it concerns the needs for quantity and quality of daily calories, proteins, lipids, vitamins, nutritional and taste qualities of freeze-dried dishes…
We ask you when you register if you have any allergies or deficiencies.
THINGS TO KNOW TO REGISTER
Participant group size
Depending on the destination, the number of participants is deliberately limited in order to allow better immersion and to develop spaces of freedom allowing better operating flexibility. Departures are guaranteed from 4 people and groups very rarely exceed 8 people. Our flexibility and our long relationship with our local partners often allow us to confirm trips for 2 people or more with negligible additional costs and sometimes at no extra cost. Everything is specified in the detailed technical sheet.
Price of the trip
The price of a trip for a given date is indicated on our website. They are built on the basis of a realistic air transport price and on the basis of a minimum number of participants. Last minute registrations or during peak periods may generate supplements which we indicate to you when you request information. The technical sheet specifies a price “from”, the services included in the price and those which are not. Personalized or tailor-made trips are subject to a specific quote.
Register as early as possible
Generally speaking, it is best to let us know your plans as early as possible. You will thus gain in availability of places on the program and above all, in pricing conditions on air transport. Indeed, a rule is verified very often, namely that the later the reservation of a flight is made compared to the departure date, the higher the price. Likewise, certain periods of the year are so-called “peak” periods (school holidays, end-of-year celebrations, etc.) and they generate a supplement for air transport, all the more significant than the reservation is late…
Optional additional insurance
Given the nature of our trips and expeditions, often far away and sometimes in conditions of significant isolation, we insist that participants in our trips have taken out health and repatriation insurance (via their bank card, other personal insurance, etc.). Also, if the traveler has not taken out insurance with us, we ask them upon registration for an insurance certificate specifying the name of their insurer, the policy number and the assistance telephone number, as well as as the contact details of a close person to be notified, in order to be able to be quickly operational in the event of an emergency.
Registration and confirmation
Firstly, we discuss for as long as necessary about the trip you wish to take part in, you read the technical sheet in detail and we answer all your questions. You then make your reservation request online or using a registration form that you fill out manually. Your registration request is complete from the moment we have received your reservation request (online or registration form), a copy of your passport and the deposit for your trip.
You will then receive your registration confirmation as soon as possible by email or by post, if you expressly request it from us.
Payments and balance
You can pay your deposit, which generally amounts to 40% of the price of the trip.
The balance of 60% must be paid at the latest one month before your departure without reminder from us and by any means at your convenience, among those indicated above.
Certain expeditions or long-distance trips require different deposit amounts, balance amounts and deadlines. This is specified in the technical sheet. Finally, at your request, this time, we can agree on a specific payment schedule different from that specified in the technical sheet. Never hesitate to tell us about it.
Finally, we can also set up a wedding or gift list: your family, friends or colleagues contribute to financing your trip and we will keep you informed of the development of your fund!
Travel documents
Generally one month before your departure, and only once you have paid for your trip, you receive by email all the essential information for the smooth running of your trip as well as original documents, according to the formalities in force: invitation, form technical, plane tickets, insurance certificate, etc. We can send them to you by post, if you specifically ask us to do so.