Terms and conditions

General conditions

Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS (Norwegian Coastal culture academy) highly appreciate that you have chosen our services, and we will do our very best to make your experience as fun, relaxing and safe as possible.
These Terms & Conditions apply for any booking, that be a course, tour or rental.

Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS (NKKA) observes strict health & safety procedures, however when dealing with nature there always exists an element of risk. Please be aware that both kayaking and hiking do carry a small degree of risk.

Safety instructions will be given before every tour; all our guests must agree to follow these instructions.
NKKAand our guides cannot be held responsible for personal injury, equipment loss or damage when this is caused as a consequence of not following instructions given.

We reserve the right to make changes and adjustments to these terms and conditions without prior notification to any client. We will do our utmost to fulfill the terms that you agreed upon when booking. Cancellation policy is not changeable.

We recommend all guests to have their own personal travel / medical insurance.

Rentals

For all kayak rentals the following statement must be agreed to:

"I hereby state that I take the full responsibility for my own safety during the rental period. I am aware that seakayaking has certain risks, and I will consider these risks when I am on the water.

I will return the equipment in the same state as when I was given it. If the equipment is not returned within the rental period, or damaged in any way, NKKAis entitled to put down extra costs according to the delay or damage."

We will not refund payments or cancel kayak rentals if the weather conditions are unsatisfactory to customers (rain, wind, sleet, snow etc). If there is room in our schedule we may be able to rebook the rental.
Anyone interested in renting from us or signing up for a tour, should know that we exercise safety precautions in all that we do.

  • First time renters may be asked to:- take a safety course in sea kayaking
  • Perform a self-rescue
  • Attend an instructional class on wet exit drills (practice release of spray skirts) and rescues, or -rent and/or wear a wetsuit or other appropriate protective garment

We reserve the right to refuse services or rentals to anyone who is underage and unaccompanied, intoxicated or otherwise impaired, show signs of obviously bad judgment. Please be aware that we will not refund pre payments to persons that have been refused rentals on any of the above grounds.

Booking and payment

Your credit/debit card will be charged upon booking. Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS are not responsible for any additional charges incurred by the credit card’s issuing bank.

Credit Card payments are collected by Trekksoft AG acting as an authorised agent of Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS (Norwegian Coastal Culture Academy). Subsequently, Trekksoft AG will appear as Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS on your credit card statement. The domain where you enter and process your payment is owned and operated by TrekkSoft AG.

The booking is binding when payment is done. Please bring the receipt and show it to the guide on your activity.

All invoices are liable for a 5% interest charge when overdue, minimum fee is NOK 100, if invoice is not paid within due date we reserve the right to cancel the booking. All our rates are VAT inclusive (25%), only guided tours are VAT free.

Child price is between 6 and 13 years. If client purchases a child price tours to obviously older children the guide is required to ask for proof of age for this child.

Bookings done via e-mail (rentals, overnight tours, larger groups via agents)

Bookings valued under NOK 6500:

  • Clients are required to pay 100 % in advance. This is done by card or bank transfer.
  • For all users of our secure link payment solution. For international bank transfers there will be a NOK 120 banking fee for transfers under NOK 6500. Receipt and voucher will be sent to you by e-mail after payment.
  • Bookings are only placed in our calendar after deposit or full payment is received.

Bookings valued over NOK 6500:

  • Customer is required to pay a 25 % non refundable deposit in advance. Bookings are only placed in our calendar after deposit or full payment is received
  • Payment can be done via E-pay or bank transfer. Invoice for bank transfer will be issued if requested.
  • For all users of our secure link payment solution E-pay there will be a 2, 15% charge to cover card company fees. For international bank transfers we will cover the cost in Norway. Receipt and voucher will be sent to you on e-mail after payment. Bookings are only placed in our calendar after deposit or full payment is received.
  • Full payment will be due within 10 days after invoicing and at the latest 30 days (4 weeks) before the tour/event.
    • By paying for a tour we will assume that any client have read and agreed to our terms and conditions.

Cancellation policy

  • Guests who book activities with Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS through our Partner or Agent network, are bound to the Terms of Service of those service providers.
  • Cancellations received up to 14 days prior to the date of the planned activity will result in 100% refund.
  • Cancellations with less than 14 days prior to the date of the planned activity are not refundable.
  • The 25% non-refundable deposit will not be refunded.
  • From any refunds we will deduct NOK 120 for international bank transfer fees
  • Contact Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS as soon as possible if you need to cancel or rebook an activity.

Cancellation of events due to Force Majeure

If a Force Majeure situation occur, and activities are being cancelled, refunds will not be issued. We will do our best to reschedule your tour.

Cancellation of activities by Partners of Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS

In such cases, the Terms of Service of the Partners of Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS will be enforced.

No Show

No refunds will be given to guests who do not show up for booked activities. Every effort should be made to contact Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS as soon as you become aware of a delay which could impact the activity, as we will try to work with you to resolve the issue.

  • Once the tour has started there is no possibility for rescheduling. We reckon a tour as started at the given meeting time, 10 to 15 minutes before departure. This is valid even if there is only one person booked on.
  • Please make sure to be in place 10 to 15 minutes before tour starts, if you are late the group may leave without you. If this occurs we will not refund or rebook your tour.
  • If a client knows that he/she will be late, be advised to call in well in advance and we will do our best to book you onto another tour. Be aware that any rebooking is subject to availability and not guaranteed.
  • To make cancellations, please send the booking confirmation by e-mail to post@nkka.no. Please state your own and your banks name and full address, bank account number with IBAN and SWIFT / BIC codes for repayment.
    • In the unlikely event of a planned activity being cancelled by Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS (with or without notice), we will make every attempt to reschedule the event to a suitable later date. In such cases where rebooking is not possible, a full refund will be issued. We do not cover international bank fees. Rescheduling can be agreed for up to 2 years after the agreed upon tour or rental, it can also be handed over to friends or family
    • Please note that refunds issued through our Payment Gateway can take up to 2 weeks to process, so your patience is appreciated in these cases.
    • While Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS make every effort to honor guest bookings, we are not responsible for any costs incurred for the preparation of the activity (transportation, accommodations, meals, clothing, etc.) or inconvenience related to the cancelled booking.
    • Please be aware that tours and rentals that are booked for a specific time period are not subject to a ”cooling off period” according to Norwegian consumer law.

Important

Always make sure that the details in your travel documents are in accordance with your booking, and remember to bring the documents with you on your trip.
It is strongly recommended that you have a valid travel insurance that covers your loss for unforeseen circumstances or accidents; such as illness, family emergencies or other situations that may affect your travel plans.

Legal

When required by the activity, Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS will provide an activity orientation and safety briefing prior to the start of activity. In some cases, and for some specific activities, the customer will be required to sign a self-declaration form relinquishing Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS from responsibility for accidents or damage incurred in the course of the activity.

Liability / Damages

The activities lead and managed by Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS are considered "Adventure Sports" and the guest is expected to dress accordingly. Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS will not accept responsibility for damage to any personal items brought along on a Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS activity, including but not limited to: mobile phones, smart phones, cameras, jewellery and clothing. Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS accepts no responsibility for any damages caused as a result of the failure of any equipment provided during the activity.

Personal Information

Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS may retain personal information collected during the booking process or on Self-Declaration forms. This information may be used for internal promotions, offers, or surveys. No personal information will be revealed or distributed to parties outside of Norsk Kystkulturakademi AS

Health and fitness

Though our regular scheduled tours are not strenuous, we highly recommend that you arrange personal travel/ medical insurance. Please advise your guide if you have any physical conditions that may affect your enjoyment of our kayak tour or hike.

We are normally able to tailor the pace of the tour to our customers preferences, which enables you to paddle at your own pace. If you are after strenuous exercise, please be aware that many of our regular tours are not meant to be this, and you might be asked to adjust your speed to the other clients and the guides pace.

Weather and safety

Our tours and hikes are in wilderness environments and will be affected by the weather. The weather on the western coast of Norway can be very changeable both to temperatures and type of weather. On our tours you might experience both sunshine, rain, wind, calm and a variety of temperatures on the same day. We recommend bringing warm and waterproof clothing. For multiday tours please pay close attention to the list of recommended items to bring.
We reserve the right to make changes to the schedule or to cancel any tour or arrangement due to health, safety and weather conditions.

We always give a safety and skills instruction before the trip starts.

Guide training

All NKKA guides are either qualified trough the Norwegian Canoe Association (NPF), British Canoe Union (BCU) or American Canoe Union (ACA). All guides have at least 8 hour First Aid qualification.

Group size

For the daily tours we have a minimum number of 2 clients and maximum 9 per guide. With a minimum 4 day advance booking we may be able to increase the maximum number of clients to 24, the number of guides will increase by 1 to 5. Children aged 5 to 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Equipment

On all tours we recommend to choose our stable and spacious double kayaks. All clients will be equipped with paddle, paddle jacket, buoyancy aid, spray skirt, paddle float and pump.

Location

We are located in the harbor of Hardbakke, Solund, Norway. Any lawsuit against NKKA or any of our guides must be carried out in a Norwegian court, following the laws of Norway.