1. Purpose of This Policy

Jaribu Tours & Safaris is committed to providing professional, safe and enjoyable travel experiences.

This Lost & Found Policy explains how we handle personal belongings that are lost, misplaced or found during or in connection with our tours, safaris, transfers, transportation services, activities and other travel experiences.

This policy applies to guests, customers, tour participants, guides, drivers, employees, contractors and authorised service providers involved in Jaribu Tours & Safaris services.

2. Guest Responsibility for Personal Belongings

Guests are responsible for taking reasonable care of their personal belongings throughout their journey.

We recommend that guests check their belongings carefully before leaving:

  • Tour and safari vehicles
  • Transfer vehicles
  • Accommodation
  • Restaurants and dining venues
  • Attractions and activity sites
  • Pickup and drop-off locations
  • Luggage storage areas
  • Charging points
  • Other locations visited during a tour

Particular care should be taken with passports, identification documents, money, bank cards, mobile phones, cameras, laptops, jewellery, medication and other valuable possessions.

Jaribu Tours & Safaris will take reasonable care of items that are found and come into our possession. However, we cannot guarantee the recovery of an item that has been lost, misplaced, stolen or left unattended.

Nothing in this policy is intended to exclude or limit any rights, remedies or obligations that apply under South African law.

3. Reporting a Lost Item

If you believe you have lost an item during a Jaribu Tours & Safaris experience, please contact us as soon as reasonably possible.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: +27 62 465 1308
WhatsApp: +27 62 465 1308

To help us investigate your report, please provide:

  • Your full name
  • Booking or reservation reference, if available
  • Tour, safari or service name
  • Date of travel
  • Approximate time the item was lost
  • Location where the item was last seen
  • Description of the item
  • Brand, model, colour or distinguishing features
  • Your contact details
  • Preferred method of return, if the item is recovered

The sooner an item is reported, the greater the opportunity may be to locate it.

Jaribu Tours & Safaris will make reasonable efforts to investigate reported lost-property claims, but recovery cannot be guaranteed.

4. Found Items Procedure

When an item is found by a Jaribu employee, guide, driver, representative or authorised service provider, reasonable steps will be taken to secure the item and report it to the appropriate person within the organisation.

Where appropriate, details of the item may be recorded in a Lost & Found Register.

The information recorded may include:

  • Date and approximate time the item was found
  • Location where it was found
  • Tour, safari or service associated with the item
  • General description of the item
  • Person or team that found the item
  • Relevant booking information, where necessary
  • Storage or handling arrangements
  • Date and method of contact with the guest, where applicable
  • Collection or return details

Access to Lost & Found information will be limited to authorised personnel who need the information to perform their duties.

5. Handling and Retention of Found Items

Jaribu Tours & Safaris will determine how long a recovered item should reasonably be retained based on factors including:

  • The nature and value of the item;
  • Whether the owner can reasonably be identified;
  • Whether the item presents a health or safety concern;
  • Whether the item is perishable;
  • Whether the item is subject to legal or regulatory requirements;
  • Whether arrangements have been made with the owner for collection or delivery; and
  • Any applicable legal obligations.

We do not guarantee that every item will be retained for a fixed period.

Where personal information has been collected in connection with a Lost & Found report, Jaribu will handle and retain that information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and our Privacy Policy.

Personal information will not be retained longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless retention is required or permitted by law or is otherwise justified under applicable law.

6. Valuables and Sensitive Items

Valuable or sensitive items may include:

  • Cash
  • Jewellery
  • Watches
  • Passports
  • Identity documents
  • Bank cards
  • Mobile phones
  • Cameras
  • Laptops and tablets
  • Medical devices
  • Confidential documents
  • Medication

Where such items are recovered, Jaribu Tours & Safaris may request reasonable proof of identity and ownership before releasing them.

For security purposes, we may ask a claimant to provide identifying information about an item before confirming specific details about the item in our possession.

7. Collection of Recovered Items

Where a lost item has been recovered, the verified owner may arrange collection with Jaribu Tours & Safaris.

Depending on the nature of the item, we may request:

  • Valid identification;
  • Booking or reservation details;
  • A description of the item;
  • Proof of ownership; or
  • Written authorisation where another person is collecting on the owner’s behalf.

An item will only be released where Jaribu reasonably believes that the recipient is authorised to receive it.

8. Returning Recovered Items

Where reasonably practical, Jaribu Tours & Safaris may assist with returning recovered belongings by:

  • Courier;
  • Postal service;
  • Delivery service;
  • Collection by the owner; or
  • Another mutually agreed method.

Unless otherwise agreed, the owner will generally be responsible for reasonable packaging, courier, delivery and insurance costs associated with returning the item.

Any applicable costs will be communicated to the owner before dispatch.

Where a third-party courier or postal service is used, the item will be subject to that provider’s applicable terms and conditions.

For valuable belongings, we recommend using a tracked and appropriately insured delivery service.

9. Items Found at Third-Party Locations

Jaribu tours may involve third-party locations such as:

  • Hotels and lodges
  • Restaurants
  • National parks and game reserves
  • Museums
  • Heritage sites
  • Airports
  • Tourist attractions
  • Entertainment venues
  • Other tourism establishments

If a guest reports losing an item at a third-party location, Jaribu may, where reasonably possible, assist by contacting the relevant establishment.

However, the third party’s own Lost & Found procedures may apply.

Jaribu cannot guarantee recovery of an item that was lost at a third-party location and was not found or placed in our possession.

10. Items Left in Tour or Safari Vehicles

Guests should check their seats, luggage areas and personal storage spaces before leaving a Jaribu vehicle.

If an item is reported missing following a tour, safari, transfer or transportation service, we may contact the relevant driver, guide or operations team and, where pactical, inspect the vehicle.

If the item is subsequently recovered, it will be handled in accordance with this policy.

Because vehicles may be used by multiple guests and for multiple services, Jaribu cannot guarantee the recovery of items left inside a vehicle.

11. Perishable, Unsafe or Unsuitable Items

For health, safety and hygiene reasons, certain items may be disposed of without prior notice.

These may include:

  • Perishable food;
  • Opened beverages;
  • Used personal hygiene products;
  • Opened cosmetics;
  • Contaminated items;
  • Items affected by mould or pests;
  • Unidentified substances; and
  • Items that pose a health or safety risk.

Medication and medical-related items will be handled carefully and, where appropriate, efforts may be made to return them to the verified owner or refer them to an appropriate authority.

12. Prohibited, Dangerous or Illegal Items

If an item appears to be illegal, dangerous, hazardous, suspicious or otherwise presents a risk to guests, employees, vehicles, property or the public, Jaribu Tours & Safaris may notify the appropriate authorities.

This may include:

  • Illegal substances;
  • Weapons;
  • Explosives;
  • Hazardous materials;
  • Suspicious packages;
  • Biohazardous materials; or
  • Items reasonably suspected to be connected to unlawful activity.

Jaribu may decline to store, transport or return an item where doing so could create a safety, security or legal risk.

13. Unclaimed Items

If a recovered item remains unclaimed after Jaribu has made reasonable efforts to identify or contact the owner, we may take an appropriate action based on the nature of the item and applicable law.

This may include:

  • Responsible disposal;
  • Donation;
  • Recycling;
  • Returning the item to an issuing authority;
  • Handing the item to law enforcement or another appropriate authority; or
  • Taking another lawful and reasonable course of action.

Official identification documents, bank cards, regulated items and other sensitive property will be handled with appropriate care and, where applicable, in accordance with relevant legal or regulatory requirements.

14. Personal Information and POPIA

When you report a lost item or claim a recovered item, Jaribu Tours & Safaris may need to collect personal information such as your:

  • Name;
  • Contact details;
  • Booking reference;
  • Travel dates;
  • Tour or safari details;
  • Description of the lost property; and
  • Information reasonably necessary to verify ownership.

Jaribu will process this information only for legitimate purposes associated with managing the Lost & Found process, including identifying the owner, communicating with the guest, verifying claims, arranging return of property, maintaining appropriate business records and complying with legal obligations.

We will take reasonable measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and Jaribu’s Privacy Policy. POPIA requires personal information to be collected for a specific, explicitly defined and lawful purpose and generally not retained longer than necessary for that purpose, subject to statutory exceptions.

Please do not send passport copies, identity documents, banking information or other sensitive personal information unless we specifically request it and provide an appropriate secure method for submitting it.

15. Limitation of Responsibility

Jaribu Tours & Safaris will take reasonable care when handling property that has been found and placed in our possession.

However, we cannot guarantee that:

  • A lost item will be located;
  • An item reported as lost was actually left at a Jaribu-operated location or vehicle;
  • An item will be recovered from a third-party location;
  • A recovered item will remain available if it is perishable, unsafe or subject to legal requirements; or
  • A third-party courier or service provider will deliver an item without loss or delay.

Nothing in this policy is intended to exclude, restrict or waive any right, remedy, responsibility or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or waived under applicable South African law.

Jaribu’s terms and conditions of booking and applicable consumer-protection laws continue to apply to our services. South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act requires consumer terms to be fair, reasonable and just and restricts provisions that improperly waive consumer rights or liability.

16. Fraudulent or False Claims

Jaribu Tours & Safaris may decline a Lost & Found claim where information provided appears to be materially false, fraudulent, misleading or insufficient to reasonably establish ownership.

Where appropriate, suspected fraudulent activity may be referred to the relevant authorities.

17. Jaribu Property and Equipment

Guests must not intentionally remove, retain or misuse property belonging to Jaribu Tours & Safaris or its authorised service providers.

This may include:

  • Tour equipment;
  • Safety equipment;
  • Communication equipment;
  • Vehicle equipment;
  • Keys or access devices;
  • Company-owned electronic equipment;
  • Branded equipment; and
  • Other operational property.

Where company property is lost or damaged through a guest’s intentional conduct or negligence, Jaribu may seek reasonable recovery of applicable costs, subject to the booking terms and applicable law.

18. Guest Acknowledgement

By booking or participating in a Jaribu Tours & Safaris tour, safari, transfer, transportation service or other travel experience, guests acknowledge that:

  • They are responsible for taking reasonable care of their personal belongings;
  • They should check vehicles, accommodation and other locations before departure;
  • Lost items should be reported as soon as reasonably possible;
  • Jaribu will make reasonable efforts to locate recovered belongings;
  • Recovery of lost property cannot be guaranteed;
  • Reasonable return or courier costs may be payable by the owner;
  • Third-party Lost & Found procedures may apply where an item is lost outside Jaribu’s control; and
  • Personal information provided during the Lost & Found process will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws and Jaribu’s Privacy Policy.

19. Contact Jaribu Tours & Safaris

If you have lost or found an item during a Jaribu Tours & Safaris experience, please contact us as soon as possible.

Jaribu Tours & Safaris
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +27 62 465 1308
WhatsApp: +27 62 465 1308

When contacting us, please provide your name, booking reference, tour or safari name, date of travel, item description and last known location.

We’ll do our best to help reunite you with your belongings.