Every Sacred Earth journey is bespoke, so there is no single cancellation table we could print here without it being wrong for somebody. The schedule that binds us both is in your written proposal. This page explains the principles behind it.
Your proposal is the schedule
A journey is built from commitments made on your behalf — permits, park fees, lodge deposits — and they do not behave the same way when plans change. Some can be released for months; some are gone the day they are booked. Your proposal itemises each one and marks which lines become non-recoverable once committed. You see this before you pay anything.
If a line in your proposal is unclear — what is at risk, and from when — ask before you confirm. Nothing to pay to ask.
Permits
Gorilla and chimpanzee permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Once booked, they sit under the authority’s own terms, not ours, and your proposal says so on the permit line itself.
If we cancel
If Sacred Earth cancels your journey, everything recoverable comes back to you, with an itemised accounting of anything that could not be recovered and why.
What is promised, and what is not
The ground keeps its own schedule. The length of a gorilla trek is decided by the gorillas, not the itinerary, and an animal that does not show is the forest being a forest, not a refund event. Your proposal states exactly what is promised — the permits, the guide, the nights — and the passages are built to give the ground room: three nights at Bwindi on The Hour, because one is a gamble.
Insurance
Travel insurance is required on every journey, and your proposal states what it must cover. Cancellation is a large part of why.
To cancel, or to ask
Write to [email protected] and we will confirm in writing what your proposal’s schedule means for your dates. If you are still at the planning stage, start with Plan your journey — a written proposal within 24 hours. The rest of how we work is on the Terms page.
Last updated 2 August 2026 · Sacred Earth, Kampala, Uganda