Cancellation & Refund Policy

Summary

• Cancel 30 or more days before arrival and you lose 10% of the tour cost.
• Closer to travel the charge rises, up to 100% inside 7 days.
• If a landslide, snow or a permit suspension closes part of your route, we reroute at no extra service charge, or refund unused ground services that suppliers release.
• Refunds reach your original payment method within 7 to 10 working days of approval.

Booking and payment

A booking is confirmed when we receive the deposit shown in your quote (usually 25% to 30% of the tour cost) and send written confirmation. The balance is due 15 days before arrival, or 30 days for peak dates (1–20 October, 20 December–5 January and 1 May–15 June). If the balance is not received on time, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you under the table below.

If you cancel

Cancellations must be sent in writing (email or WhatsApp) by the lead traveller. Charges are a percentage of the total tour cost and are counted from the date we receive your message:

Some items follow the supplier’s own rules and can be non-refundable from the moment they are booked: flights, train tickets, helicopter seats, peak-date and non-refundable hotel rates, special permits, trek fixed departures and festival-period stays. We tell you in your quote which items fall into this group.

Changing your dates or plan

You can move your travel dates once without a change fee if you tell us 21 or more days before arrival, subject to hotel and vehicle availability and any difference in price. Later changes are treated as a cancellation and a new booking. Adding nights or upgrading hotels is always possible if space allows; you pay the difference.

Road closures, weather and permits

Sikkim’s mountain roads close after landslides and snowfall, and the authorities suspend permits at short notice (North Sikkim, Nathula and the Silk Route especially). These events are outside our control. When they happen:

• We offer the best available alternative of similar value, for example Lachung instead of Lachen, or an extra day in Gangtok or Pelling.
• If no alternative is possible, we refund the unused ground services that hotels, transporters and permit offices release to us, minus costs already incurred.
• Extra costs caused by a closure, such as an additional night, a longer detour or a vehicle held back, are paid locally by the traveller.
• We cannot refund or compensate for sightseeing missed because an area was closed (for example Nathula on a Monday or Tuesday, or Zero Point after snowfall).

If we cancel

If we cancel your trip for a reason within our control, we refund everything you paid in full. If we cancel because travel is unsafe or prohibited (government orders, natural disasters, security restrictions), we refund all amounts that suppliers return to us, or hold them as credit for a future trip if you prefer.

Unused services and early departure

Services not used during the trip (a skipped meal, a sightseeing point you choose not to visit, leaving early) are not refundable. If a traveller must descend or leave for health reasons, including altitude sickness, we help arrange transport and medical support, but unused services are not refunded. We strongly recommend travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, medical evacuation and high-altitude travel.

How refunds are paid

Approved refunds are paid to the original payment method within 7 to 10 working days. Bank or payment-gateway charges (typically 2% to 3%) and any non-refundable supplier costs are deducted. Refunds are made only to the person who paid.

Complaints and grievances

Our Grievance Officer can be reached at [email protected]. We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and aim to resolve them within 30 days.

Contact: [email protected] · Gangtok, Sikkim, 737101