Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions Terms of Service

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RESERVATIONS

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To make a reservation, please call us at 1-855-4-BHUTAN (248826) or email us using the form provided on our Contact page. For private custom trips, we may charge an itinerary development fee that will be applied toward the cost of your confirmed trip. If you decide not to take the trip, the fee is non-refundable. Early reservations are recommended, since group size is limited and some trips require extra preparation time.

 

When we receive your deposit, we will confirm your space and send you a Pre-departure Packet. This contains a detailed trip itinerary; visa applications; medical, health information and suggested Travel Protection Plan information; clothing and equipment recommendations; a suggested reading list; general information on the countries you will be visiting; and our full terms and conditions. Your air tickets, trip roster, and final trip briefing (with contact numbers and group meeting locations) will be sent out approximately three weeks prior to departure if not earlier (does not apply to last minute bookings). 

 

Land Cost

Prices listed are in U.S. dollars and are based on double occupancy. We endeavor to keep land costs as published. However, since our trips are often planned more than a year in advance, we reserve the right to change land costs due to extraordinary circumstances beyond our control.

 

For group trips, the land cost is typically based on 10 to 18 full-paying trip members. Trip physicians, staff, or guests of Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions—hereafter referred to as Bhutan Himalaya—(e.g., travel writers/photographers and leaders-in-training) are not included in determining the tier price. On some trips the land cost is higher for smaller groups.

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The land cost typically includes: standard accommodations; most meals; baggage handling; ground transportation; sightseeing as outlined in the trip itinerary; entrance fees and permits; and the services of English-speaking guides.

The land cost typically does not include: international airfare; domestic airfare on certain trips; en-route expenses to/from your Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions trip; passport, visa, excess baggage, and airport departure fees; alcoholic beverages, end-of-tour gratuities (which are not compulsory), laundry, telephone calls, and other items of a personal nature; expenses resulting from delays beyond Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions' control.

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Itemization of costs will not be provided. There is a standard payment schedule as outlined in our Pre-departure Packet. If you are ready to book a trip and would like to know about the payment schedule and deposits required, please email us using our contact form provided on multiple pages and links throughout this website. Please also ask us about our Cancellations and Refunds Policy. 

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Transfers

Travelers may transfer their payments to another trip four months or more prior to departure with no penalty. Within 4 months, travelers are subject to the applicable cancellation charges.
 

Travel Protection Plan

Due to potential conflicts of interest we do not bundle/sell or accept commissions from Travel Insurance and/or Travel Protection partners and entities. Since our Cancellation Policies can be stringent, and our activities carry an inherent level of risk, as does travel in general, we highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance, trip insurance or travel protection from a provider of your choice. If you don’t have an insurance provider of your choice, please get in touch with us and we can suggest general information for well-known insurance companies some of our past guests have used to their satisfaction. Please note that we provide such information merely as a courtesy to our guests and that we do not have any direct relationship with any such entities and/or third parties we may mention in our documents, invoices and receipts that you receive from us. As such we will NOT BE HELD LIABLE for any business dealings or interactions you have with such entities, companies, organizations or businesses. Please use your own best discretion and judgment in your dealings with them. 

 

 

Single Travelers

We will make every effort (if you so desire) to match you with a same-sex roommate when we receive your application. If there is no one with whom you can share accommodations, you will be charged the single supplement fee. If a single room must be assigned to you due to a last-minute roommate cancellation or incompatibility, or for any other reason, the single supplement charge (or applicable pro-rated charges) will be assessed.

 

 

Health Precautions

Our Pre-departure materials include general health information. Additionally, some travelers on our more rigorous trips will be required to provide us with a medical questionnaire and physician verification. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions reserves the right to disqualify anyone at any time before or during the trip for medical or psychological reasons. Each trip member is ultimately responsible for his or her own medical expenses. We cannot refund costs of medical examinations or other expenses incurred while preparing for a trip. If you arrive at the start of your trip with a pre-existing condition or injury that was not disclosed in writing to Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions and you are subsequently forced to leave the trip because of this condition, you will be charged all extra evacuation expenses and will not receive a refund of any unused trip services. All health information is treated as confidential.

Important country-specific information for a trip, which Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions strongly urges participants to review, is prepared by the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and can be found at the U.S. Passports and International Travel and CDC websites.
 

 

Air Transportation

Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions will make all your flight reservations for international and domestic flights to and from Bhutan and within Bhutan from designated gateway cities to which the Bhutan’s national and private airlines connect. PLEASE NOTE THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ROUNDTRIP INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT/S FROM YOU HOME COUNTRY TO THE DESIGNATED GATEWAY CITY FOR YOUR TRIP. You are responsible for making your own arrangements for this portion of the journey UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. If you are unclear which city is your gateway city, or your itinerary does not specify it, please get in touch with us using the contact forms provided on this website or call us (toll free) at 1-855-4-BHUTAN (248826).   
Early reservations ensure the most desired routings, fares, and departure times. 

 

 

Custom Trips

If our group departures do not fit your schedule, or should you wish to have the privacy of your own group, we can prepare a specially designed custom trip for you. The creation of custom itineraries is time-consuming, and these trips are typically more expensive than our group departures, if the number of travelers in you group numbers fewer than 5 travelers. 

 

Participant Responsibility

Trip members assume the responsibility to select/design a trip appropriate to their physical abilities and interests. Members are responsible for being in sufficiently good health to undertake their trip and for consulting with a personal physician for medical advice. Members are also responsible for studying all pre-departure information, including all health-related information; for bringing all equipment and clothing noted on the trip packing list; for conforming to the standards of personal hygiene set by the trip leader at the start of the trip so as to minimize the risk of traveler’s disease; and for acting in a manner considerate of fellow group members and the countries visited. Smoking is not permitted in buses or cars and in public spaces where it may impact the enjoyment of other travelers and trip members. 

 

Release and Limitation of Liability

Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions, its employees, shareholders, officers, and directors (collectively, “Bhutan Himalaya/Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions”) does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip, including, for example, lodging facilities, transportation companies, guides or trip leaders, food service providers, equipment suppliers, ground and safari operators, etc., including, without limitation, various entities which may utilize the Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions name. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity, nor for any act or inaction of any other third party not under its control.

 

Without limitation Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damage, injury, death, loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity of any kind which may be occasioned by reason of any act or omission beyond its control, including, without limitation, any willful or negligent act, failure to act, or breach of contract of any third party, such as an airline, train, hotel, restaurant, or food supplier; bus, taxi, van, or safari operator; local outfitter or guide; whether or not it uses the Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions name, which is to, or does supply any goods or services for our trip/s. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions is not responsible for any loss, injury, death, or inconvenience due to delay or changes in schedule; overbooking or downgrading of accommodations; insolvency default of any third party; acts of government; bites or attacks by animals, insects or pests; sickness; the lack of appropriate medical care; evacuation to same, if necessary; weather; strikes; acts of God; acts of terrorism or the threat thereof; force majeure; war; quarantine; epidemics or the threat thereof; criminal activity; or any other cause beyond its control. In addition, by signing up for (and participating in) any of our journeys, you agree to hold Bhutan Himalaya/Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions harmless from its own negligence. 

 

Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions reserves the right to change or reprice any tour, trip, or expedition due to acts of insurrection, strikes, acts of God, or any other cause beyond its control. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions may, as it deems advisable, among other things, alter or omit any part of the itinerary; substitute hotels, leaders or trip features; or change any means of conveyance without notice and without allowance of refund, with the liability for increased costs, if any, to be borne by trip members. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions reserves the right to pass on fuel surcharges or other cost increases beyond its control as allowed by law. If Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions cancels any tours, treks, or expeditions, or portions thereof, due to acts of insurrection, strikes, acts of God, or any other cause beyond its control, refunds will be based upon the difference between the original trip price and the cost of services already provided. There are no refunds for unused goods or services.

 

Trip members grant Bhutan Himalaya/Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions express permission to take photographic records of its trips for promotional and commercial use without compensation to trip members. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a trip member at any time. All trip applications are subject to acceptance by Bhutan Himalaya/Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions.
 

 

Compulsory Arbitration

I agree that any dispute concerning, relating or referring to this Agreement, the brochure or any other literature concerning my trip, or the trip itself, shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§1-16, either according to the then existing Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) or pursuant to the Comprehensive Arbitration Rules & Procedures of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS). Such proceedings will be governed by substantive (but not procedural) California law without consideration of the California Arbitration Act and will take place in San Luis Obispo, CA. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this contract is void or voidable. Please understand that by agreeing to these terms and conditions, you (and we) are waiving our right to a trial by jury.

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