Terms & Conditions.

Effective date: August 8, 2026 · Last updated: August 8, 2026

1. About these Terms

These Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”) govern your use of sawa.tours and any related Sawa Tours booking pages, traveler portals, messages and services (together, the “Platform”), and any reservation or booking you make through them.

The Platform is operated by Online Era, registration number 148500, trading as Sawa Tours (“Sawa”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

Tours are delivered on the ground by licensed Egyptian tour operators approved by Sawa, each identified on the departure page or in your booking confirmation (section 2).

You can contact us at:

• Email: hello@sawa.tours
• Telephone and WhatsApp: +20 109 284 7613
• Postal address: Flat 6, Floor 1, Block 1, Panorama Pyramids Building, El-Ahramat Street, Giza, Egypt
• Assistance for travelers on an active tour: WhatsApp, answered 24/7, while your tour is running

By using the Platform or submitting a reservation, you confirm that you have read and accept these Terms. If you book for other travelers, you confirm that you have their authority to do so, that you will provide these Terms to them, and that the information you submit about them is accurate and lawfully shared.

2. Sawa’s role and the operating partner

Sawa provides a platform that brings travelers together on shared departures and coordinates reservations, confirmation, communication and payment. Tours are delivered on the ground by licensed Egyptian tour operators approved by Sawa (each an “Operating Partner”).

The Operating Partner responsible for a departure is identified on the departure page or in the booking confirmation. The Operating Partner is responsible for delivering the itinerary and included travel services. Sawa remains responsible for the services it expressly undertakes to provide, including administering the Sawa booking process and the GoAhead system.

Where a booking contains services supplied by hotels, cruise companies, transport providers, guides, attractions, airlines or other third parties, their reasonable conditions may also apply to those services. We will make material supplier conditions available before booking, or on request, where they affect cancellation, changes, liability or participation.

Nothing in these Terms removes a responsibility that Sawa or an Operating Partner cannot lawfully exclude. Any ambiguity about who is responsible for a service should be raised with us before payment.

3. Key definitions

• Departure: a particular itinerary scheduled for a specific date and time.
• Forming Departure: a Departure that has at least one reservation but has not reached its Confirmation Minimum.
• Confirmation Minimum: the minimum number of confirmed travelers required for a Departure to run. The standard minimum is four travelers unless the booking page expressly shows another number.
• GoAhead: the moment a Departure reaches its Confirmation Minimum and becomes confirmed.
• Confirmation Deadline: the date by which a Forming Departure must reach its Confirmation Minimum.
• Booking: a traveler’s confirmed place after GoAhead and any required payment has been made.
• Lead Traveler: the person submitting a reservation for themselves and, where applicable, for other travelers.
• Tour Price: the price of the included services shown at checkout, excluding items expressly listed as excluded.

4. Eligibility and authority to book

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a contract to make a reservation. A traveler under 18 may travel only where the itinerary permits and must be included in a booking made by their parent, legal guardian or another adult with proper authority, who remains responsible for their day-to-day care throughout the tour.

The Lead Traveler is responsible for:

• providing accurate and complete details for every traveler;
• ensuring every traveler reads and accepts these Terms and the applicable itinerary conditions;
• making payments due for the booking;
• passing our messages and documents to all travelers promptly; and
• obtaining lawful authority to give us another person’s personal or health information.

Unless the tour page states otherwise, the minimum age to travel is 14. Age limits, child pricing, accessibility and minimum fitness requirements vary by itinerary; the requirements that apply to your trip appear on the tour page or booking confirmation.

5. Information shown on the Platform

We take reasonable care to ensure that itinerary descriptions, availability, seat counts, prices, images, inclusions and other information are accurate. Images may be illustrative, and travel conditions can change. The final booking summary and confirmation identify the services included in your Booking.

Live seat counts may take a short time to update, and a displayed place is not guaranteed until your reservation is accepted. If we identify an obvious pricing, availability or description error before GoAhead or payment, we will tell you and allow you to accept the corrected details or cancel without charge. We will not knowingly rely on an obvious error.

6. Forming Departures and free reservations

You may reserve a place on a Forming Departure without paying the Tour Price. A reservation at this stage is an expression of commitment to join if the Departure reaches GoAhead; it is not yet confirmation that the tour will run.

Before GoAhead:

• no Tour Price is captured, and no payment card details are requested or held;
• you may cancel your reservation at any time without a Sawa cancellation charge;
• the Departure remains open for other travelers to join; and
• you should not make non-refundable connected arrangements in reliance on the Departure running.

7. Starting a new date

Where the Platform permits, you may request a new date for an existing itinerary. The date does not become an open Departure until Sawa and an Operating Partner have reviewed availability, pricing, operating conditions and the Confirmation Deadline. Submitting a request does not oblige us or an Operating Partner to offer that date.

Once approved and published, the new date is open for other travelers to join under the same rules as any other Forming Departure.

8. GoAhead and formation of the Booking

A Departure reaches GoAhead when the number of valid traveler commitments reaches the Confirmation Minimum shown for that Departure. We then send the Lead Traveler a GoAhead confirmation stating:

• the Departure and Operating Partner;
• the travelers included;
• the Tour Price and currency;
• the deposit or full amount due;
• the payment deadline and balance-due date;
• the applicable cancellation conditions; and
• important itinerary-specific requirements.

Your Booking becomes binding when we have sent the GoAhead confirmation and you have paid the amount it requires by the deadline it states. The contract for the tour forms when that payment is received. We do not charge a card automatically at GoAhead.

If payment fails or is not received by the stated deadline, we may release the seats after giving the Lead Traveler a reasonable opportunity to correct the payment, unless departure is imminent.

Once a Departure reaches GoAhead it will not be canceled merely because another traveler later cancels and the group falls below the Confirmation Minimum.

Reaching GoAhead confirms the Departure. Confirming a Departure and running it are different things: section 15.2 sets out the limited circumstances in which a confirmed Departure can still be canceled, none of which are about the number of travelers.

9. Confirmation Deadlines

Unless a different deadline is clearly shown before you reserve:

• a multi-day Departure must reach GoAhead at least 30 days before departure; and
• a day tour must reach GoAhead at least 7 days before departure.

If a Forming Departure does not reach the Confirmation Minimum by its Confirmation Deadline, it closes automatically. You owe nothing and no Tour Price is captured. We notify you by email as soon as this happens, and we may suggest another Departure, but you are not required to accept it.

10. Prices, currency and taxes

Prices are stated in euros (EUR), shown as “€”, unless another currency is expressly shown. The Tour Price includes only the services listed under “Included”. Items listed under “Not included” — which may include visas, international flights, insurance, gratuities, meals, drinks, optional activities or entrance tickets — are your responsibility.

Any mandatory charge payable to Sawa is disclosed before you complete payment. Your bank or payment provider may apply currency conversion, foreign-transaction or other charges; these are separate from the Tour Price and are neither controlled nor refunded by Sawa.

We will not increase the confirmed Tour Price after your Booking becomes binding except where:

• you request a change;
• the change is required by law, tax, a government fee, or a service you select; or
• a price-adjustment rule that was clearly disclosed to you before booking, and is permitted by applicable law, applies.

If a permitted increase is material, we will explain the reason and any cancellation rights required by law.

11. Deposits and final payment

The required payment schedule is shown before Booking. Unless the booking page states otherwise:

• day tours require a 10% deposit at GoAhead, with the balance due 48 hours before departure;
• multi-day tours require a 25% deposit at GoAhead, with the balance due 14 days before departure.

If GoAhead occurs on or after the balance-due date, the full Tour Price is due at confirmation. A deposit forms part of the Tour Price; it is not an additional fee.

If a balance is not received on time we may treat the Booking as canceled by you and apply the cancellation terms below, but we will normally contact the Lead Traveler first.

12. Payment processing and security

Payment instructions are issued with your GoAhead confirmation. The Platform does not collect or store payment-card numbers or security codes, and no card is charged automatically. Where a payment is taken through a payment provider, that provider processes your information under its own terms and privacy notice, and your confirmation identifies the entity receiving the payment and issuing any invoice or receipt.

We will only process a payment that you have expressly approved, and we will not use a payment authority for unrelated charges.

13. Cancellation by you

13.1 Before GoAhead

You may cancel at any time without a Sawa cancellation charge. No Tour Price is captured.

You may cancel a Forming reservation yourself from your booking page — the link is in your booking confirmation — or by email to hello@sawa.tours. A cancellation made from your booking page takes effect immediately and releases your seat to other travelers; we confirm it on screen and the booking remains visible under its code.

13.2 After GoAhead

The cancellation schedule displayed before you reserve, and repeated in the booking confirmation, applies. An Operating Partner’s special cancellation schedule applies only if it was clearly disclosed before reservation. If no special schedule is disclosed, the following default schedule applies:

The most you can lose is your deposit. Any balance you have already paid is refunded in full, on both product types.

Day tours

Multi-day packages

Some components — such as domestic flights, named hotels, cruise cabins, permits or special tickets — may become non-refundable earlier. We will disclose any such condition before payment wherever it is known. If a supplier charge arises only after a traveler-requested change, we will provide details before making the change where reasonably possible.

After GoAhead, cancellation must be sent by email to hello@sawa.tours and takes effect when we receive it. We will acknowledge it in writing. The self-service cancellation described in section 13.1 is available only before GoAhead, because from GoAhead a charge may fall due and the date on which we receive your notice decides which band of the schedule applies.

What is refunded depends on whether payment was taken:

• A Departure that never reaches its minimum. No payment is taken before a Departure confirms, so nothing is charged and there is nothing to refund.
• A Departure canceled after you have paid. We refund in full to the method you paid with, within 14 business days of our confirming the refundable amount, subject to your bank’s processing time.
• A Departure that falls below its minimum after you have paid — because another traveler’s payment did not complete in time. Your place is held while we look for a replacement. If the Departure does not refill by its confirmation deadline it is canceled and you are refunded in full, on the same terms as above.

No refund is due for unused services if you arrive late, do not attend, voluntarily leave after a tour starts, or cannot participate because you have not met passport, visa, health, insurance or conduct requirements, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

14. Changes requested by you

Ask us in writing if you wish to change a traveler name, transfer a Booking, change the Departure or modify another service. Changes are subject to availability, supplier approval and legal or security requirements.

The following administration charges apply in addition to actual supplier costs: €50 per person to transfer a Booking to another traveler or another Departure, and €25 per booking for any other change. We will tell you the expected cost before confirming a change. If the requested change cannot be made, the original Booking remains in place unless you cancel it under section 13.

A substitute traveler must accept these Terms and satisfy all itinerary requirements. Name changes may not be possible for issued tickets or permits. No change is guaranteed within 7 days of departure.

15. Cancellation by us or the Operating Partner

A Departure can be canceled for three reasons. They are not the same, and which one applies decides what happens next.

15.1 Before confirmation — not enough travelers

A Forming Departure that has not reached its Confirmation Minimum by its Confirmation Deadline closes automatically (section 9). You owe nothing, nothing is charged, and no Tour Price is captured. This is the only cause that is about numbers, and it can only happen before GoAhead.

15.2 After confirmation — something outside our control

Once a Departure is confirmed we do not cancel it because the group falls below the Confirmation Minimum (section 8). That remains true if a traveler cancels afterwards.

A confirmed Departure is canceled only where it cannot responsibly be run: force majeure or an unavoidable event, as defined in section 16; failure by the Operating Partner, or by a supplier essential to the itinerary, to provide the confirmed services; a safety concern affecting the Departure; government action, restriction or direction; or another reason that makes it impossible or unsafe to run the Departure as confirmed.

If we cancel a confirmed Departure for a reason that is not attributable to you, we will offer, as appropriate: an equivalent or comparable alternative, with any price difference clearly explained; credit, but only if you freely choose it; or a refund of amounts paid for services that will not be provided.

15.3 Cancellation by you

Section 13.

15.4 Material change

Where a material change is made before departure, we will explain it and give you a reasonable period to accept an alternative or exercise any right to cancel. A material change is one that significantly alters the main characteristics of the confirmed tour, such as its principal destination, duration, standard of accommodation or a substantial part of its itinerary. Minor timing, route, guide, vehicle or ordering changes that do not materially reduce the experience are not normally material changes.

Refunds may be reduced only by amounts that are lawfully non-refundable and that we cannot recover despite reasonable efforts, and we will explain any such reduction. We are not responsible for separate costs — such as international flights, visas or independent accommodation — that you booked outside the Sawa Booking, except where the law makes us responsible. Travel insurance should cover these risks.

16. Force majeure and unavoidable events

Force majeure means an event beyond the reasonable control of Sawa, the Operating Partner or relevant suppliers whose consequences could not reasonably have been avoided. It may include severe weather, natural disaster, epidemic, pandemic, war, terrorism, civil unrest, government restriction, border closure, significant transport disruption, industrial action by third parties, utility failure, or closure of a site essential to the itinerary.

We will act reasonably to protect travelers and find practical alternatives. Refunds and additional costs depend on recoverable supplier payments, applicable law and the services actually provided. Nothing in this section limits rights that cannot lawfully be limited.

17. Itinerary flexibility and on-tour changes

Travel in Egypt may require changes because of weather, navigation conditions, site access, security directions, traffic, local events or supplier operations. The Operating Partner may change the order or timing of visits, transport, accommodation or another component where reasonably necessary, while seeking to preserve the overall character and value of the itinerary.

During a tour, the guide or Operating Partner may take reasonable decisions for the group’s safety and smooth operation. If a significant part of the confirmed services cannot be provided after departure, reasonable alternative arrangements will be offered where possible. Any refund for a reduction in value will be assessed under applicable law and the circumstances.

18. Passports, visas and travel documents

You are responsible for checking and meeting the passport, visa, entry, exit, vaccination and other travel requirements that apply to your nationality, residence, itinerary and transit points. Information provided by Sawa is general guidance and may change.

Your passport must remain valid for at least six months after the end of your tour, and for any longer period required by Egyptian or transit authorities. You must carry the required original documents during travel. Sawa is not responsible for refusal of entry or participation caused by incomplete, invalid or missing documents, unless we expressly agreed in writing to obtain a document and failed to do so.

19. Health, mobility, accessibility and special requests

Tell us before Booking about mobility needs, disabilities, allergies, dietary requirements, pregnancy or medical conditions that may affect safe participation or require adjustments. Health information is handled as described in our Privacy Policy and shared only where reasonably needed to arrange or safely deliver the tour.

We will consider reasonable requests and tell you whether the itinerary and available services can meet them. A request is not guaranteed unless confirmed in writing. You remain responsible for obtaining medical advice and bringing required medicine or equipment. Neither Sawa nor an Operating Partner provides medical advice.

We may decline or end participation only where, after reasonable assessment, a traveler cannot safely complete the itinerary, a necessary adjustment cannot reasonably be provided, or participation creates a serious risk to that traveler or others. Such decisions will not be made unlawfully or on a discriminatory basis.

20. Travel insurance

Travel insurance is mandatory for all Sawa travelers and should be arranged when you book. Your cover must include medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation, and we strongly recommend cover for cancellation, curtailment, personal liability, baggage and any activities you plan to join. We may request evidence of insurance before departure.

Insurance is a separate contract between you and the insurer. Check the exclusions for existing medical conditions, activities, destinations, government travel advice and cancellation for force majeure.

21. Conduct, safety and removal from a tour

You must follow lawful instructions from the guide or Operating Partner, respect local laws and customs, arrive at stated meeting points on time, and behave in a way that does not threaten, harass, abuse or unreasonably disrupt other travelers, staff, local communities or property.

The Operating Partner may refuse or end a person’s participation where reasonably necessary for safety, serious misconduct, intoxication, illegal behaviour, harassment or material disruption. Where appropriate, the traveler will first be warned and given a reasonable opportunity to correct the behaviour. A removed traveler is responsible for any resulting accommodation, transport or repatriation costs, and a refund is not normally due for unused services. This does not affect rights arising where a removal was unlawful or unreasonable.

22. Luggage and personal belongings

You are responsible for your passport, money, valuables and luggage, unless loss or damage is caused by a person for whom Sawa or the Operating Partner is legally responsible. Vehicle, domestic-flight, cruise or porterage limits may apply and will be communicated where material. Report loss or damage immediately to the guide, supplier, police or carrier as appropriate, and keep the supporting documents for an insurance claim.

23. Optional activities and independent arrangements

An activity or service expressly included in your booking confirmation forms part of the Booking. An optional activity purchased separately from an independent provider does not form part of the Sawa Booking, unless Sawa or the Operating Partner sells it to you as its own service or applicable law provides otherwise.

Before purchasing an optional activity, check the provider, price, insurance, safety requirements and cancellation terms. Your guide may provide information, but a recommendation alone does not make Sawa the supplier.

24. Our responsibility and limitation of liability

Sawa is responsible for performing the booking and coordination services it promises with reasonable care. The Operating Partner is responsible for delivering the travel services identified in your confirmation. Responsibility for the acts or omissions of a hotel, carrier, guide or other supplier is determined by the capacity in which Sawa and the Operating Partner act, and by applicable law.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence where such liability cannot be excluded, or any other liability or consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Subject to the paragraph above, neither party is liable for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the Booking was made, or for business losses suffered by a traveler acting as a consumer.

International transport conventions and a carrier’s conditions may limit liability for delay, injury, baggage or other loss. We may rely on those limits where permitted by law.

25. Complaints and resolving problems

If a problem occurs during the tour, tell the guide, the Operating Partner or Sawa immediately so that there is a fair opportunity to resolve it. For urgent assistance while you are traveling, reach us on WhatsApp at +20 109 284 7613.

If the issue is not resolved, send a written complaint to hello@sawa.tours within 30 days after the tour, including your booking number, a clear description and any relevant evidence. Missing this period does not remove a legal right, but delay may make investigation more difficult. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 3 business days and to provide a substantive response within 15 business days.

26. Reviews, photographs and traveler content

You retain ownership of reviews, photographs and other content you submit. If you voluntarily post or send content for publication, you give Sawa a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, reproduce, adapt for formatting and display it for operating and promoting Sawa, subject to any privacy choice you have stated. You may withdraw permission for future promotional use by contacting us, although we may retain copies required for legal records or already incorporated into printed material.

We do not treat a traveler’s presence on a tour as blanket consent to promotional photography. Where a person is identifiable we ask permission, and we provide a reasonable way to opt out.

27. Platform accounts and acceptable use

If you create an account, keep your login details confidential and tell us promptly about any suspected unauthorized use. You must not:

• misuse, disrupt, scrape, reverse engineer or attempt unauthorized access to the Platform;
• submit false reservations, payment information, reviews, licenses or traveler details;
• use the Platform for unlawful, fraudulent, abusive or infringing purposes; or
• reproduce Sawa content or data commercially without permission.

We may suspend access or remove content where reasonably necessary to protect travelers, operators, Sawa or the Platform, to investigate misconduct, or to comply with law.

28. Intellectual property

The Platform, the Sawa name and marks, software, layout, text and original content are owned by or licensed to Sawa and protected by applicable intellectual-property laws. You may view and download booking documents for personal use. No other right is transferred.

Operating Partner names, marks and itinerary content may belong to their respective owners.

29. Privacy, cookies and communications

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal data. Our Cookie Policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used by the Platform.

We may send service messages necessary to administer a reservation or Booking, including seat-count, GoAhead, payment, itinerary, safety and support updates. Marketing messages are sent only where permitted by law, and you can unsubscribe at any time without affecting service messages.

30. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and all Bookings are governed by the laws of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The courts of Cairo have jurisdiction, except that a consumer retains any mandatory right to bring a claim in another court or to rely on the mandatory consumer protections of their country of residence.

Before starting formal proceedings, both parties should first try in good faith to resolve the issue through the complaint process in section 25.

31. General provisions

If a provision is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be adjusted or removed only to the extent required, and the remaining provisions continue in force. A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver. You may not transfer your rights except under section 14; Sawa may transfer this agreement as part of a genuine business reorganization or sale, provided your rights are not reduced.

These Terms, together with the booking summary, confirmation, itinerary and any special conditions disclosed before Booking, form the agreement between us. If they conflict, the order of priority is: (1) the booking confirmation and any expressly agreed special conditions; (2) itinerary-specific conditions; and (3) these Terms — except that no document may remove mandatory legal rights.

We may update these Terms for future use. The Terms governing a confirmed Booking are those accepted when that Booking became binding, unless a change is required by law or you agree to it.

Contact

For any questions about these Terms and Conditions, email hello@sawa.tours or visit our contact page.