Cancellations and changes
Short version: once permits and lodges are booked the money is spent and cannot come back, so a journey is refundable only up to that point — and in full if we are the ones who cancel.
Why this is not flexible
Permits are committed long before you travel
Core-zone safari permits in India's tiger reserves are released on a fixed schedule, in limited numbers, and are paid for when booked. Full-day permits — the ones these trips are built on — are scarcer still. The same is true of the small number of good lodges near the gates.
That money leaves this company months before a guest arrives and is largely non-recoverable. Any cancellation policy that pretended otherwise would be either dishonest or unsustainable.
If you cancel
The refund schedule
| When you cancel | What is refunded |
|---|---|
| Before we have booked your permits and lodges | Everything you have paid, less any bank or card charges already incurred |
| After permits and lodges are booked — normally at the moment your journey is confirmed | Nothing. This money has already been paid to the forest department and the lodges and cannot be recovered |
| If we cancel your journey | Everything you have paid to us, in full. We are not liable for other costs such as flights, so please hold travel insurance |
All cancellations must reach us in writing, by email, and take effect on the day we receive them.
Moving a date
Date changes and unused services
We will always try to move your dates rather than lose your journey, and where the permits and lodge can be moved with them there is no penalty beyond any difference in price. But safari permits are tied to a date and a name and are often not transferable, so a change close to travel can cost the same as a cancellation. We will tell you the position before you decide.
Once a journey has begun, there is no refund for a drive, a night or any other service you choose not to use, or for leaving early.