General Information - Infinito sur Expeditions

General Information
1-. How to book: before booking a holiday we advise you to read the detailed dossier description of the trip and, if you require any further information, you should contact our office. It is important for your enjoyment of the holiday that you choose a trip well suited to your experience and capabilities. Once you have made your choice, post or fax to us a complete booking form with a deposit USD . You should consider paying the appropriate insurance fee at this time, as this will safeguard your deposit should you subsequently have to cancel. INFINITO SUR highly encourages the purchasing of trip cancellation and travel insurance. This comprehensive travel insurance provides coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, travel delays, medical expenses and emergency assistance. We recommend Roundtrip Travel Benefits of Specialty Risk International for protecting your investment, however there are many companies to chose from and you may wish to do some individual research regarding which policy is right for you. Due to the nature and heavy costs of government and operator permits, INFINITO SUR must adhere to a stringent refund policy well specified in the booking contract.
Deposits can be made by check, money order or wire transfer (contact us) to:
INFINITO SUR Expeditions
http://www.infinito-sur.com
info@infinito-sur.com
On receipt of your booking form, we will send you confirmation of your place, along with a "Visitor To" leaflet, which includes detailed information about your holiday - such as; how to obtain visas, health and medical considerations, how much money to take, equipment requirements and also general information about the country, people, climate, etc.

2-. Equipment and clothing: INFINITO SUR will provide all of the group gear for your climb or expedition. Included are tents, stoves and cooking equipment, ropes, and anchor equipment. You will need to provide all of your own personal gear and clothing. Trip members will be expected to carry a share of the group gear and food. You will receive a detailed equipment list following your registration in the expedition or climb. Our staff is happy to discuss your equipment needs with you and can recommend a wide variety of equipment that has worked well for them for many years. Please contact us with any questions
3-.Baggage allowance: You should make every effort to restrict your personal equipment to a maximum of 15 Kg. Many of our trips involve internal flights within the country of destination and 15 Kg is the maximum check-in baggage allowance of these flights. For our mountain bike groups, we make every effort to ensure that your cycle can be carried within the baggage allowance. INFINITO SUR is not responsible for excess baggage charges.
4-. Camping facilities: For the majority of our trips we supply generous two-man tents with sewn-in groundsheets and these are generally Mountain V25 North Face. A mess tent, cook's tent, stools, plates, cutlery etc. are all provide. On some climbing trips and expeditions, which require the setting up of high camps, we may use lightweight mountain tents.
5-. Health and vaccinations: Your health and safety are of paramount importance to us. Our guides take extreme care to assure that you are properly acclimatized when we travel to altitude and they are well prepare to deal with potential medical challenges. It is extremely important that persons with medical problems make them known to us well before departure. While it is your own responsibility make sure that you are fit enough to join our adventure holiday, once you have joined us we strive to make your trip as enjoyable and safe as possible. You should have a thorough medical and dental check up before the holiday. You also need specific immunizations when visiting some countries and this is explained in the "Visitors To" leaflet, which we send to you when you book. On all of our trips, a comprehensive medical kit is carried.
6-. Pre-trip conditioning: We suggest you begin your training program at least two months prior to departure. Walking up steep hills and stair climbing are both excellent ways to condition your lower body. Begin slowly, without the weight of a pack, eventually adding weight as you increase your training pace. Take a long hike (4-6 hours) several times with a weighted pack. The best training for mountaineering is to carry a loaded pack up and down hills or small mountains. Supplement with this upper-body strength conditioning, running, cycling, and/or other aerobic activities for optimum conditioning.

7-. Food: INFINITO SUR pride themselves in preparing amazing gourmet mountain cuisine. All of the meals from the trailhead and back will be provided. Meals will consist of pastas, rice, soups, dehydrated and fresh foods. Be sure to bring along your favorite munchies, energy food, and after dinner treats.
8-. Visas: You will need to obtain a visa for most of the holidays we run. We will supply full details, and the relevant application forms, on request or when booking. Generally visas need to be applied for around 2 to 3 months in advance of the trip departure date.
9-. Value for money, small groups and surcharges: We aim to provide value for money on all of our holidays. In an attempt to offer holidays at the lowest possible price, all of our trips are costed on a minimum group size of 4 (unless otherwise stated). Should the final number of bookings be less than 4, to avoid canceling a trip with a low sign-up, a surcharge of the land only price, to cover the extra costs involved in handling a small group, will be added to the final expedition trip.
10-. What the price includes: You should refer to individual trip dossiers for exact information about what is included in a particular trip, generally the price include the following:
"All internal flights, road transport and transfers as per the itinerary. "Twin occupancy hotel accommodation. "All camping facilities sharing two person tent. "Full trek service including local guides, cooks, porters, muleteer, mules and including cost of equipment and insurance for local staff. "All meals throughout while in the climbing itinerary. "Western leader. "Comprehensive medical kit. "Park fees and permits. "Airport- Hotel transportation in the internal flights.
11-. What the price does not include:
"Visas cost. "Inoculations. "Porter's, guide's and other tips. "Bar bills, hotel refreshments, laundry, telephone calls, souvenirs, etc. "Entrance fees to historical sites, museums, spectacles, etc. "Travel insurance. "Personal clothing and equipment. "Foreign airport taxes. "Excess baggage charges.
12-.Minimum age requirement: We would prefer to talk with you about the trip you are interested in and whether it is a practical choice for someone under the age of 18.
13-.Booking international airline tickets: INFINITO SUR has found that many people prefer to make their own reservations, often finding less expensive fares on their own. We suggest you contact your travel agent or airlines.
14-.Meeting Point: because the international time difference, most groups flying South arrive at their destination on the day after their departure, and this is the day on which we would advise to meet up with your group. Naturally, the hotel accommodation that is used by the group is included within the price of the trip. If your flight arrangements mean that you will arrive well before the group or depart after the group has returned home) we can book additional hotel nights for you, at very competitive rates.
15-.Personal spending money: The majority of our holidays include all food and accommodation ,and for these we suggest that USD 250 taken in cash or travelers checks should adequately cover your needs. On this, on average, USD 25 should be set aside for airport taxes and USD 50 to 100 for tips, leaving the rest for incidentals such as soft drinks, restaurant meals, and souvenir hunting. Credit cards can normally be used for buying goods in the larger shops, or for paying for food etc. in hotels, but not drawing cash.
16-.Climbing grades defined: "Beginner- no previous mountaineering skills required. "Advanced beginner- basic mountaineering skills recommended including self-arrest, cramponing, ice-axe use, rope and glacier travel experience. "Intermediate- - basic mountaineering skills recommended in addition to experience on technical terrain consisting of 40-50 degree snow/ ice slopes.
"Advanced intermediate- Intermediate mountaineering skills recommended and proven experience on technical rock & ice terrain.
"Advanced- Advanced intermediate mountaineering skills recommended in addition to experience on technical terrain, including rock and ice climbing. Brief climbing resume needed. This low cost insurance can be purchased from Specialty Risk International and coverage includes the following: 1)All deposits and payments if you cancel your trip prior to departure because of personal or family illness. 2) In country emergency evacuation. 3)Payment in the event of termination of the trip after arrival in country due to political or natural emergency. The cost of premiums will vary depending on the length of the trip and type of coverage you obtain but you can expect to pay around 6% of the total trip cost. Any Travel Insurance questions can be answered directly by Specialty Risk International at 800-335-0611.

17-.Recommended reading:
""The freedom of the Hills", 6th Ed., Mountaineers. This is the basic text and reference for all aspect of mountaineering. It is an indispensable tool for beginning as well as experienced mountaineers.
""Glacier Travel and crevasse rescue". Andy Selters. This comprehensive book covers all aspects of glacier travel and crevasse rescue.
""La cordillera Blanca de los Andes". JJ. Tome. Perú High Mountains complete guide.
""Climbing in Bolivia". Yossi Brain. Complete guide book about climbing and Peaks in Bolivia.
""Patagonia- Tierra del Fuego". Agustin Goenaga. Trekking guide in Patagonia.
""Patagonia" Clem Lindenmayer. Ed. Lonely Planet. Trekking guide and general information about Patagonia.
""Patagonia" Gino Buscaini. Patagonian climbing routes guide.

 

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