1About these terms
These terms and conditions (“terms”) govern your use of this website and any trek, camping trip, hike, transport arrangement or custom package (“trip”) you book with Explore Up And Away Trek’s & Adventures (“we”, “us”), based in Uttarakhand, India.
By submitting an inquiry, confirming a booking, or joining one of our trips, you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. Your confirmed booking forms a contract between you and us — these terms are that contract’s rulebook.
The short version, in mountain language: an advance payment locks your dates; the mountains can change plans and we’ll always choose safety over summits; refunds follow the schedule below; insurance is your friend; and our guides’ word is final on the trail. The details follow — please read them before booking.
2Our services
We organise guided Himalayan treks and experiences in Uttarakhand, including (among others) the Nagtibba, Devalsari, Chopta Tungnath Chandrashila, Dayara Bugyal, Gorson Bugyal and Khaliya Top treks, plus camping experiences, day hikes, custom packages and transport & logistics support.
What your specific trip includes — meals, tents, guides, porters, permits, transport — is defined in the itinerary and confirmation shared with you at the time of booking. Information on this website, including trek descriptions, durations and difficulty ratings, is indicative and provided in good faith; the confirmed itinerary for your dates is the one that applies to you.
We run small groups with local guides. That’s a feature, not a limitation — but it means group departures have limited seats, and custom trips are planned one at a time.
3Booking & confirmation
Booking with us is a conversation, not a checkout page:
- You reach out — through a form on this website, WhatsApp, a call or email.
- We plan together — we reply personally with a suggested itinerary and an honest quote.
- You confirm — your booking is confirmed only once we receive the advance payment (Section 4) and your acknowledgement of these terms. Until then, your dates are not held or guaranteed.
Advance payments are handled directly with our team — this website does not process payments of any kind. Payment methods accepted (bank transfer / UPI / cash) will be shared with you personally at the time of booking.
Any dates, prices or availability discussed before confirmation are provisional and may change if another group confirms first.
4Payments
All prices are quoted in Indian Rupees (INR). Our standard payment structure is:
- Advance on confirmation: an advance of 30% of the trip cost (or a fixed amount communicated at booking) is required to confirm your dates.
- Balance payment: the remaining amount is payable before the trip begins or on arrival, as agreed at booking.
Advance payments may be non-refundable once we’ve processed permits, camp bookings or transport for your dates — see Section 5. Please keep your payment confirmations; we’ll do the same.
Heads-up: we don’t ask for card details, OTPs or banking passwords — ever. If anyone claiming to be from our team does, it isn’t us. Verify on +91 82728 89015 before paying anything.
5Cancellations & refunds
Trekking is weather- and season-dependent, so our cancellation policy tries to be fair to both sides. If you cancel a confirmed booking, refunds are calculated from the date we receive your cancellation notice (by WhatsApp, call or email):
| Cancellation notice received | Refund of amount paid |
|---|---|
| 15 days or more before trip start | 85% refunded |
| 8 – 14 days before trip start | 50% refunded |
| 3 – 7 days before trip start | 25% refunded |
| Less than 72 hours, or no-show | No refund |
- Permit & booking costs: amounts already paid to third parties (forest permits, camps, transport bookings) are non-refundable and will be deducted from any refund, regardless of notice period.
- Prefer to reschedule? Tell us early — for cancellations made 15 or more days in advance, we’ll happily transfer your advance to another available date within the same or next season at no charge, subject to availability. Rescheduling is often better than refunds for everyone.
- If WE cancel your trip for safety reasons before it begins (Section 6), you’ll receive a full refund or a free reschedule — your choice.
- Refunds are processed through the original payment method and may take 7–14 working days to reflect.
6When the mountain changes plans
The Himalayas do not run on schedules. Weather, snowfall, rain, landslides, trail conditions, forest-department restrictions and temple closures can all force changes to a trek — sometimes on short notice. When that happens, safety wins, always.
- We may modify the route, camps, summit plan or schedule mid-trip for safety. No refunds are offered for missed views, sunrises, summits or specific waypoints when the decision to turn back or reroute was a safety call.
- Delays: mountain roads (and mountain traffic — goats included) can delay vehicles. We’ll adjust the itinerary to protect the core of your trip, but we can’t refund time lost to road conditions.
- If a trip is cut short mid-trek for safety or medical reasons, refunds for unused services (if any) will be assessed fairly and at our discretion, based on actual costs already incurred.
This isn’t a loophole — it’s how mountain travel genuinely works, and we’d rather bring you home safe than check a box on an itinerary.
7Fitness, health & altitude
Our treks range from gentle forest walks to 4,000-metre summits. Choosing a trek that matches your fitness matters more than choosing one that photographs well — tell us honestly about your experience and fitness, and we’ll guide you to the right trail.
- Disclose medical conditions: asthma, heart conditions, blood-pressure issues, recent surgery, pregnancy or any condition your doctor would flag for high-altitude travel must be shared with us at booking. We treat this information confidentially (see our Privacy Policy) and use it only for your safety.
- Altitude sickness (AMS) can affect anyone regardless of fitness. Our guides are trained to spot it, and their instructions — including descending — must be followed immediately.
- Doctor’s certificate: we may require a fitness/medical certificate for certain treks, or for trekkers with relevant conditions.
- Right to refuse: we may decline or stop a participant’s trek on clear medical or safety grounds. If that happens, refunds for unused services are assessed as in Section 6 — but we will never trade your safety for an itinerary.
8Safety & conduct on the trail
On the mountain, the guide’s decision is final. These rules keep everyone safe:
- Follow the trek lead’s instructions on route, pace, turnaround times and camp rules at all times.
- Never stray from the group or the marked trail — not “just for a photo”, not “just for a minute”.
- No alcohol or recreational drugs during treks. They multiply altitude risks, plain and simple.
- Leave no trace: carry out what you carry in. Respect forests, wildlife, and the villages and communities who host us.
- We may remove any participant whose conduct endangers themselves, others, or the trip — or who refuses reasonable guide instructions — without refund for the unused portion of the trek.
9Risk, responsibility & liability
Trekking and mountain travel are adventure activities with real, inherent risks: altitude, weather, difficult terrain, remoteness, and limited access to medical facilities. Participating in our trips means you understand and voluntarily accept these risks.
- Indemnity: before the trek begins, each participant (or their guardian) signs our trek acknowledgement & indemnity form. It’s standard practice for adventure travel — and we’ll happily explain any part of it before you sign.
- Evacuation costs (porter, pony, vehicle, helicopter or medical expenses) in an emergency are borne by the participant. This is exactly why Section 10 recommends insurance.
- Our liability for any claim connected to a trip is limited to the amount you paid us for that trip. We are not liable for indirect losses (missed connections, lost holiday time, and the like).
- Nothing in these terms limits liability for anything that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability arising from our own gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
- Transport on our trips is provided by third-party vehicle operators; their driving, vehicles and schedules are their responsibility, and their terms apply to that leg of your journey.
10Insurance & documents
- Travel & medical insurance covering trekking / adventure activities, high altitude and emergency evacuation is strongly recommended for every trekker, and we may require it for certain routes. We do not provide insurance, and standard travel policies often exclude high-altitude trekking — read the fine print before buying.
- ID proof: a valid government photo ID (Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence) is required for permits, forest entries and guest-house/camp registrations. Carry originals (plus a copy) on the trip. Inability to produce ID that blocks permits may affect your trip, with costs falling on the participant.
- For foreign nationals: passport, visa and, where applicable, Protected Area Permit requirements will be discussed at booking. Certain border-area routes have restrictions for foreign nationals.
Why we push insurance: a rescue from a remote meadow can cost more than the trek itself. Insurance converts a bad day into an inconvenient one. We’ve never had to say “we told you so” and would like to keep it that way.
11Belongings & gear
- Personal belongings — phones, cameras, wallets, gear — are your responsibility throughout the trip. Our team will move heaven, earth and loose scree to help find anything lost, but we can’t compensate for lost or damaged personal items.
- Equipment we provide (tents, sleeping bags, mattresses) is included in your trip cost. Damage caused by misuse may be charged at repair or replacement cost.
- We’ll share a “things to carry” list for your trek at booking — trekking in broken-in shoes is the single best decision you’ll make.
12Photography
We photograph our trips — trails, camps, tea, and sometimes people — and share moments on our Instagram (@explore_up_and_away). How we handle photos of identifiable people, your choices, and photo removal requests is covered in Section 5 of our Privacy Policy and forms part of these terms: we only share photos of you with your okay, and we’ll take one down if you ask.
Bring your own camera by all means — but drones require permits in many of these areas; check with us before flying one.
13Pricing
- Trip prices depend on group size, dates, season, route and transport choices — which is why we quote personally instead of listing flat rates for everything.
- A quote we send you is valid for 7 days from the date it’s sent, unless we say otherwise.
- Once your booking is confirmed with the advance paid, your price is locked for that trip — no surprise surcharges later.
- Peak-season, long-weekend and snow-window departures may be priced differently from regular dates.
No hidden costs, ever. If something isn’t in your quoted inclusions, we’ll tell you before you book — not on the trail.
14Children & minors
Participants under 18 must be booked by, and travel under the supervision of, a parent or legal guardian, who accepts these terms and signs the indemnity form on their behalf. We may advise a minimum age or minimum fitness for specific routes — and for demanding treks, we may recommend a gentler trail instead. Our final call on minors joining a route is always a safety call, made openly with the guardian.
15Force majeure
For things no one controls — natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, epidemics or pandemics, government restrictions, strikes, road closures or similar events beyond our or your reasonable control — neither of us is held responsible. If such an event disrupts a trip, we’ll work with you in good faith to reschedule it or refund it, minus any costs already paid to third parties and impossible to recover. It’s a mountain rule: when the mountain says no, we plan around it together.
16Grievances, law & changes to these terms
- Grievances: if something about your trip or booking isn’t right, tell us — during or after. Start with Pooja (+91 82728 89015, poojapooja504@gmail.com) and we’ll address it in good faith and as fast as a mountain signal permits. We’d much rather fix a problem than file one.
- Governing law: these terms are governed by the laws of India, and any disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Uttarakhand, India.
- Changes: we may update these terms from time to time. The version published on this page at the time of booking is the one that applies to your trip; the current version is always the one here.
- If any part of these terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the rest remains in force.
17Questions? Talk to us.
Terms are for the edge cases — planning a trek is a conversation. If anything here needs clarifying (or negotiating — we’re reasonable people), reach out.
Explore Up And Away Trek’s & Adventures
- Phone / WhatsApp: +91 82728 89015 (Pradeep & Pooja)
- Email / Grievance contact: poojapooja504@gmail.com
- Based in: Uttarakhand, India