GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS OF SALE

Conditions of sale

You can cancel and be refunded free of charge up to 15 days before the excursion for group excursions, 1 month in advance for private excursions.

The weather and geodynamic conditions of Etna will be updated 48/24 hours before the excursion. If the weather conditions are adverse, the excursion will be postponed to another available day or issued a voucher worth the excursion within a year.

If it is not possible to reach the summit, for meteorological or geodynamic reasons (eruptions, explosions, lava flows, volcanic alert, etc.), the maximum authorized safety altitude will be reached.

At the time of departure and/or during the excursion, for safety reasons, the guide may decide to change the route, the kilometers to be covered, the journey time and the maximum altitude to be reached.

At the time of departure and/or during the excursion, the guide will assess the level of sportsmanship and equipment of each participant.

People who do not have the required level of sport or the necessary equipment (as indicated on the dedicated page of the site INTOETNA.COM corresponding to the chosen excursion) will not be able to participate in the excursion (without the possibility of reimbursement).

The maximum waiting time of the guide at the meeting point (at the headquarters in Piazza Sant’Alfio n. 27 Trecastagni or in the place indicated according to the chosen excursion) is 15 minutes. If you arrive late, more than 15 minutes, you will lose the opportunity to participate in the excursion without being able to request a refund.

All our excursions are guaranteed with a minimum of 4 participants.

We ask you to inform us, during the booking process, any specific physical needs of the participants in order to evaluate the possibility or not to be able to make the excursion requested or choose one that is in accordance with their physical condition.

Pets are not allowed on excursions.

During the tour you must follow the instructions provided by the guide.

To go hiking you must be in perfect health, athletic and not have physical problems. Those suffering from asthma and/or respiratory, heart and joint problems and pregnant women are forbidden to climb the volcano.

Contact us for more information.

A Private tour can be arranged on request.

We will be happy to meet you. Our team is at your disposal and will accompany you with passion and competence to make your stay an unforgettable experience.

Regulatory Provisions: Contracts relating to the offer of the only tourist service and/ or excursion on Etna, not being able to be configured as a negotiating case of travel organization or package tour, do not enjoy the protection provided for travelers by the European Directive 2015/2302.

To such contracts are however applicable the provisions below regarding (1) reservations; (2) payments, (3) customer’s obligation, (4) customer withdrawal, (5) customer changes (6) excursions liability and disclaimer, (7) court of jurisdiction.

Departure and arrival times are subject to change without notice, for technical reasons, traffic or other causes beyond our control.

 

In case of changes in time and/or itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control, there is no refund. The organizers, therefore, reserve the right to cancel the excursion for reasons beyond their control.

 

MODIFICATION OR CANCELLATION OF THE EXCURSION

 

Before to the excursion, the organizer or retailer who, for reasons attributable to him or related to himself, has the need to modify in some significant way one or more elements of the contract, shall immediately inform the user in writing, expressing the change and the consequent change in price.

If the user does not accept the proposed modification of the above mentioned, he can exercise in alternative the right to repurchase the amount already paid or to benefit from a new excursion.

The right to compensation does not apply if the user has been informed in writing of the cancellation at least 5 days before the excursion.

REPLACEMENTS

 

The consumer may not be replaced by another person unless expressly agreed in writing between the parties and always said:

 

  1. The organizer is informed in writing 7 working days before the date set as departure, at the same time receiving the communication of the reasons for the replacement and the name of the transferee;
  2. The transferee fulfils all the conditions to use the service;
  3. Following replacement, the same services or other different services may be provided;
  4. The Substitute shall reimburse the organization for all additional costs to proceed with the replacement, to the extent communicated before the transfer.

And.     The substitute must be in the physical condition to face the excursion and sign the release on his physical condition referred to in No. 11 of this contract

The donor and the transferee shall be responsible for paying the price and amounts referred to in point D of this Article.

 

 

 

  1. Legislation

The code of practice applies in the field of service procurement, contractual liability, where applicable, but is not regulated by the Tourism Code transposing and implementing the EU Directive 2015/2302.

  1. Reservations

Reservations and payments will take place mainly in electronic form after having drawn up the appropriate form, filled in in all its parts and subscribed virtually by the customer, after having accepted conditions and uses. Reservations can be made not only electronically but also by telephone, but the same will be considered confirmed and accepted only upon payment of the fee for the service purchased and the completion of the appropriate form. The acceptance of the reservation is subject to the availability of seats and the contract is considered completed only at the time and place where the organizer will provide written confirmation. Reservations can be made at the headquarters of TRECASTAGNI, PIAZZA SANT’ALFIO N. 27. or via Tel. +393895771214 via the INTOETNA.COM website or via the following e-mail address info@intoetna.it.

  1. Content of the contract


At the time of conclusion of the contract for the sale of services, the customer can consult all the contractual conditions signed on the INTOETNA.COM website, which with acceptance you have to explicitly approved. Only if the contract of sale had been concluded at the same time physical presence of the parties, the customer will receive a paper copy of the contract.

  1. Information to the customer


At the time of conclusion of the contract, the organizer shall provide the customer with the following information:
1) the route
2) the total price of the excursion which is however indicated in the site at the time of the choice of the tour;
3) the methods of payment;

4) information on the possibility for the traveller to withdraw from the contract for payment of appropriate cancellation fees;

5) the minimum number of persons required for the excursion.

  1. Payments.

4.1 Terms of payment

To proceed with the online conclusion of a service contract, it must be paid by the customer:

The payment of the estimated price for the single excursion provided by the organizer on the site or the price agreed with the organizer according to the services requested, which must be paid by the deadline indicated by the organizer in the booking confirmation of the requested service or where no deadline was fixed, at least 15 days before the date of the excursion. Failure to pay is an express cancellation clause that determines by the organizer the termination of the right that will be communicated in writing to the customer by e-mail. Upon receipt of the customer’s booking request, INTO ETNA S.A.S. will inform the same the amount to be paid and reserves the right to indicate from time to time the payment methods that may be different from those indicated above.

4.2 Methods of payment:

Payment methods are indicated during the booking process and may vary. Generally the payment methods are: Cash, credit card, debit card, bank transfer, Paypal.

4.3 Additional costs per payment method:

1) the payment method PAYPAL and AMERICAN EXPRESS provide an additional handling fee equal to 3% of the total sum of the booked services, this handling fee is not refundable in any case, even if the reservation and/ or service is cancelled within the terms of free cancellation;

2) All other payment methods (except Paypal and American Express) do not incur additional handling fees.

  1. Price

The price of the hiking service is determined in the contract, with reference to what is indicated on the company’s website. The price may be subject to changes due to changes in transport costs (for example fuel cost). For such changes, reference will be made to the exchange rate and prices in force on the date of publication of the program or the date indicated on the company’s website. The price cannot be increased by the organizer within 20 days before the day of the excursion or the requested service; in any case the revision will not be higher than 8% of the original price. The price consists of:

the participation fee as indicated on the organizer’s website or determined by it on the basis of the services requested by the customer;

Local taxes and gratuities are excluded.

  1. Withdrawal of the customer

The customer can withdraw from the contract without paying any penalty in the following cases:

1) an increase in the price of the service in excess of 10%;

2) significant modification of one or more elements of the contract objectively configurable as fundamental for the use of the service considered as a whole and proposed by the organizer after the conclusion of the contract itself but before departure and not accepted by the traveller, unless necessary for meteorological or geodynamic reasons (eruptions, explosions, lava flows, volcanic alert, etc.).

3) the organizer cannot meet the specific requests made by the traveler and already accepted by the traveler.

In these cases the customer can decide whether to accept the change proposed by the organizer or ask for the refund of the amount already paid. If the customer withdraws from the contract before departure for any unforeseen or unexpected reason, he will still be charged the following costs:

  1. a) excursion’s cost;
  2. b) consideration for insurance cover required at the time of conclusion of the contract;
  3. c) the penalties with the percentages indicated below, except for any more restrictive conditions due for periods of high season. The different conditions will be communicated to the customer during the conclusion of the contract:
  4. a) up to 15 days before the date of the excursion, for all the services requested the customer can withdraw without paying any penalty;
  5. b) within 14 days prior to departure and up to 7 days before the date of the excursion, for all the services requested, the customer may withdraw by paying a penalty of 50% of the agreed price for the service requested;
  6. c) the full amount must be paid within 7 days prior to the excursion.
    The days must be considered working, therefore with the exception of public holidays, also must be excluded the day of departure and the day related to the communication of cancellation. No refund will be due to the customer in the case referred to in point C???? and if you do not show up at departure or if you give up during the performance of the service or if you show up without proper documents or equipment.
  7. Replacement of the customer

The customer may transfer the contract of sale of the service to a person who fulfils all the conditions for the use of the service, upon notice given to the organizer on a durable medium no later than 15 days before the start of the package/ service requested. The transferor and the transferee of the contract of sale of the requested service shall be jointly and severally liable for the payment of the balance of the price and any other fees, taxes and other additional costs, including any administrative and handling costs, resulting from such assignment. The organizer shall inform the transferor of the costs of the divestiture. Further terms and conditions of replacement may be indicated in the information brochure or on the organizer’s website.

  1. Obligations of the customer

The customer, in accordance with the obligations of correctness (art.1175 c.c.) and good faith (art.1375 c.c.), informs the organizer, promptly, any lack of conformity detected during the execution of the service provided by the contract of sale of the service requested. Obviously the type of service offered (excursion on Mount Etna) implies that the execution of the service may vary to unquestionable choice of guide and regardless of the customer’s individual liking.

If one of the services offered is not performed in accordance with the contract of sale (for subjective and non-objective reasons), the organizer shall remedy the lack of conformity, unless this is impossible or is excessively burdensome, taking into account the extent of the lack of conformity and the value of the services affected by the defect.  The customer, therefore, could be entitled to the reduction of the price as well as to compensation for the damage suffered as a result of the lack of conformity, unless the organizer proves that the lack of conformity is attributable to the traveler or to a third party unrelated to the provision of the services, or is unavoidable or unforeseeable, or due to extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances. The traveler is required according to the principle of diligence of the good father of the family to verify the correctness of his personal documents and any minors. Travelers must also comply with the rules of normal prudence and diligence and the specific rules in force in the Etna Park to all the information provided to them by the organizer, as well as the regulations, the administrative or legislative provisions relating to the service requested. Tourists will be held responsible for any damage that the guide and/or the organizer may suffer due to failure to comply with the above obligations. In addition, the organizer may require the traveler to pay a reasonable fee for the assistance provided to him, if the problem is caused intentionally by the traveler or through his own fault, within the limits of the costs incurred.

  1. Excursions and day tours

 

All excursions and daily tours offered by Into Etna s.a.s. are subject to availability; the same may be moved or cancelled in case of adverse weather and/or volcanological conditions, failure to reach the minimum number of four participants. If the day of the excursion the guide should wait for the client to the appointment more than 15 minutes from the agreed time, the reservation will be considered “no-show” (non-attendance) and will not be refunded (excluded, in any case, for cancellations made within 7 days prior to the excursion). Depending on the weather conditions and other factors that could in any way compromise the tour, the organizer can at its sole discretion until the start of the excursion change both the itinerary and the duration of the excursion, The customer can only refuse the different services offered but cannot obtain a refund of the price paid.

 

10.Liability and discharge.


Participants in excursions or other activities are required to respect the instructions given by the accompanying persons, not to leave the group, not to endanger their own safety and the safety of the rest of the group, to respect nature avoiding any type of damage to the surrounding environment. The organizers or escorts will inform the participants of how to carry out the excursions or other activities, the rules and safety measures to be observed, the level of difficulty and the recommended equipment. Into Etna s.a.s. will not be held responsible for any damage to persons and/ or things caused by the participant who did not comply with the instructions of the organizer or the accompanying person, or did not observe the rules of good behavior, or has carried out the excursion or activity in a negligent or reckless manner. The guide, at his sole discretion, may decide to interrupt the excursion or the activity if he deems it necessary for his or others’ safety in order to always guarantee the highest level of safety. Into Etna s.a.s. is not able to judge the health status of the participant and whether or not he is able to participate in the excursion/ activity; therefore, by booking and subsequently joining the excursion/activity, the participant declares under his responsibility that he has previously been informed about the characteristics and difficulties of the excursion, having assessed that it is in conformity with its technical abilities and physical aptitudes, having had knowledge of and accepted the proposed programme, having equipped itself with adequate and efficient equipment, to be in a psychophysical condition suitable for the excursion/activity, to have taken note of the information on the risks (foreseeable and unpredictable), on the safety and management of the excursion/activity,

including the level of difficulty and the recommended equipment, knowingly assuming the risks. In cases of participation in excursions/ activities of minors, those exercising parental authority will be required to declare, assuming responsibility, the fitness for sports and recreation and psychophysical integrity of the minor. Participants suffering from any type of allergy should be provided with antihistamines and any other necessary support. Participants who follow a drug therapy should be provided with their own medications. The participant must in any case inform the organizer or the accompanying person before the excursion/activity of any health problem. If before the start of the excursion the organizer and/or the guide realizes that the customer is not in a position to carry out the excursion (due to physical problems visible and unspoken at the time of the contract) may decide not to lead him to the excursion for his and the group’s physical protection (without the possibility of reimbursement). During the excursion the participant undertakes to behave in a disciplined manner, inspired by mutual respect and good manners, cooperate with the guides and other members of the group of participants in order to ensure the success of the excursion and to ensure maximum safety for all, use the utmost caution especially on the exposed and dangerous routes, so as not to endanger the safety of oneself and others. The participant is also aware that excursions/ activities in the natural environment are subject to risks that involve risks and with their participation in the excursion, personally assumes all risks, as well as liability for any damage that may be caused, directly or indirectly, to others and/or property. In consideration of the risks and dangers inherent in the activity/ excursion, the participant accepting the general conditions of sale raises the Into Etna s.a.s, the organizer, guides and/ or escorts, any liability for any accident of any kind that may occur in the course of the same. In excursions/ activities with E-bikes the participant must be an expert in driving the vehicle even on dirt and cannot smoke on board the vehicle and cannot bring on board dangerous goods, ammunition and weapons of war. Into Etna s.a.s is not liable for any damage to the person, third parties or things that may occur within accommodation not owned by it. In this case it will be the responsibility of the participant to verify the insurance conditions of the chosen structure. For any other information related to the excursion/activity on Etna, it is advisable to consult the website http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/home -> activity on risks -> volcanic risk -> volcanoes in Italy -> Etna.

  1. Court of jurisdiction

 

For any dispute concerning this contract, the competent court is exclusively that of the Court of Catania.

 

PRIVACY POLICY

 

Pursuant to art.13 of the European General Regulation on the Protection of Personal Data 679/2016 we inform you that the provision of your personal data is necessary to allow the conclusion and execution of the excursion contract. Personal data will be processed manually and/or electronically in compliance with current legislation. Any refusal will result in the impossibility of processing and subsequent execution of the contract. Below are some of your rights: 1) the right to request access to your personal data; 2) the rectification of personal data; 3) the deletion of personal data; 4) the limitation of the processing of personal data; 5) the opposition to the processing of personal data; 6) the portability of personal data; 7) the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

 

For more information on the processing of your data by the organizer please refer to the specific section of privacy policy provided on the website.

 

MANDATORY NOTICE PURSUANT TO ART. 17 OF LAW NO. 38/2006

 

Italian law punishes with imprisonment crimes concerning prostitution and child pornography, even if committed abroad.