Terms and conditions
The terms on which we sell a journey. They are written to match how this business actually commits money to permits and lodges, because that is the clause that matters when something changes.
Who you are contracting with
The company
Journeys and prints are sold by Lala Wildlife, trading as Atlas Wild Experiences, registered at 1/122H Raliah Dam Road, Bettati, Yeddapalli P/O, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu 643104, India, GST 33AAKFL7707M1ZX. In these terms "we" and "us" mean that company, and "you" means the person who makes the booking, on behalf of everyone named on it.
A contract is made when we send you a written confirmation of your journey and you pay the amount it asks for by the date on it. Anything discussed before that — a proposal, an outline, a held date — is not yet a booking.
Paying for a journey
Payment
Safari permits and the good lodges near the gates are paid for in advance and in full, months before you travel, so a journey is confirmed by payment in full at the time of booking unless we agree a deposit and balance schedule with you in writing.
Prices are quoted in Indian rupees, or in US dollars by agreement for international guests. Bank transfer and card charges are yours to bear, and a price quoted in one currency is not fixed against movement in another until it is paid.
Card payments are handled by our payment provider and the card details never reach our own systems.
What your price covers
Included and excluded
- Included
- Safari permits and park fees, guiding, the lodge on the basis stated in your itinerary, and ground transfers as listed
- Excluded
- Flights, visa, travel insurance, personal expenses, tips, and anything not itemised in your written itinerary
- The rule
- If it is not written into your itinerary, assume it is not included and ask
The honest part
Sightings are never guaranteed
These are wild animals in a forest, and nobody can guarantee a tiger, a leopard or any other sighting on any given drive. What we sell is the best chance of one — full-day permits where they exist, experienced guides, and the right park at the right time of year — not the animal itself. A journey is not refundable because the wildlife did not appear.
Your side of it
What we need from you
- Documents
- A passport valid for your travel, and any visa you need. Core-zone permits require passport details in advance and cannot be booked without them
- Fitness
- Safaris mean pre-dawn starts, long hours in an open vehicle and, in season, real heat. Tell us in advance about anything that affects this
- Insurance
- Travel insurance covering medical costs and cancellation is required for every guest
- Conduct
- Forest-department rules inside a national park are not negotiable, and a guide may end a drive if they are broken
When plans move
Changes, and things outside anyone's control
Occasionally we have to change something — substitute a lodge of an equivalent standard, work around a zone the forest department has closed, or change a guide. Where a change is significant and within our control, we will tell you as soon as we know and set right any difference in what you paid for.
Some things are outside everyone's control: monsoon and park closures ordered by the authorities, government or forest-department decisions, epidemics, extreme weather and natural events. Where one of these stops a journey we will do everything we can to move your dates, but we are not liable for costs it causes you elsewhere, such as flights — which is why travel insurance is required.
The limits
Liability, images and the law
We arrange and lead your journey with reasonable care and skill. We are not liable for failures of independent lodges, transport operators or the forest department beyond our reasonable control, and nothing in these terms excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence.
You keep the copyright in the photographs you take. We may photograph and film the group during a journey and use those images to show what the trips are like, unless you ask us in writing not to.
These terms are governed by the laws of India, and the courts at Coonoor, Tamil Nadu have jurisdiction over any dispute.