Terms & conditions

These terms govern every trek, expedition, and tour booked with Nepal Travel Mate ("we", "us", "the operator"). Please read them before paying a deposit; paying the deposit confirms that you accept them on behalf of yourself and every member of your party.

1. Acceptance

Your booking is accepted only once we have received your deposit and confirmed it in writing by email. The lead booker is responsible for ensuring every member of the party has read and accepted these terms and the Risk Acknowledgement below.

2. Booking and deposit

A non-refundable 25% deposit secures your trek dates and triggers permit applications (TIMS, ACAP / MCAP / Sagarmatha National Park entry as applicable to your route). The balance is payable in cash (US dollars or Nepali rupees) on arrival in Kathmandu, or by bank transfer at least 14 days before your start date. All prices are quoted in US dollars and are valid for 90 days from quotation. Any rate change after that window will be communicated in writing before we apply it.

3. Cancellation

If you cancel 30 or more days before the start date, we refund everything you have paid less the 25% non-refundable deposit and a US$75 administration fee. If you cancel 14 to 29 days before the start date, we retain 50% of the trek price. If you cancel less than 14 days before the start date, or do not arrive, the full trek price is forfeit. Force majeure (earthquake, regional closure, government travel ban, airline strike grounding your inbound flight, Lukla airport closure beyond 72 hours) is treated separately: in those cases we re-book you for any future date inside 24 months with no penalty.

4. Itinerary changes

Himalayan itineraries are weather- and altitude-dependent. The lead guide has full authority to adjust the day-to-day plan — including rest days, route variations, or early descent — when weather, permit conditions, or the fitness of any group member makes the original plan unsafe. Lukla flight cancellations are common in peak season (October to November); build a buffer day at each end of any Everest-region trek. Any change is made in your interest and does not constitute a breach of contract.

5. Health and fitness

You must disclose any pre-existing medical condition (cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetic, psychiatric, or musculoskeletal) on the booking form. Failure to disclose voids our duty of care for any consequence of that condition. Each of our treks lists an honest difficulty rating; you are responsible for arriving in the fitness level we describe. We reserve the right to refuse departure to anyone who, in the lead guide's judgement, is not fit enough to complete the trek safely.

6. Insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory. Your policy must explicitly cover trekking up to 6,000 m (or your trek's maximum altitude, whichever is higher), emergency helicopter rescue, repatriation, and cancellation. For Annapurna Circuit (Thorong La 5,416 m), Everest Base Camp (5,364 m), Manaslu Circuit (Larkya La 5,106 m), and Three Passes treks the cover must extend to evacuation from remote terrain. We will ask to see your policy document on arrival in Kathmandu and we will not start the trek without it. We do not recommend specific insurers; please read your own policy.

7. Risk acknowledgement

High-altitude trekking carries inherent risks that cannot be eliminated by any operator, however careful. These include but are not limited to acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral oedema (HAPE / HACE), frostbite, slips and falls on uneven ground, rockfall, avalanche, landslide, river crossing, animal encounters, food- and water-borne illness, and the limitations of evacuation in remote terrain. By booking with us you confirm that you have understood these risks and that you accept them in exchange for the trek.

8. Limitation of liability

Our total aggregate liability to you, however arising and on any legal theory, is limited to the price you paid for the trek. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, for loss caused by events outside our reasonable control, or for the acts of third parties such as airlines, lodge operators, or government agencies. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our proven negligence. [OWNER: have a Nepal-licensed lawyer confirm enforceability of this clause under Nepal law.]

9. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

10. Dispute resolution

We ask that you raise any complaint with the trek leader in the field, where almost everything can be sorted out, and in writing with our Kathmandu office within 30 days of your return. If a dispute cannot be resolved between us, we will submit it to mediation in Kathmandu first; if mediation fails, the dispute will be finally settled by arbitration in Kathmandu under the Arbitration Act, 2055 of Nepal. The seat of arbitration is Kathmandu and the language is English.

Operator licensing

Treks on the Manaslu Circuit, Upper Mustang, Tsum Valley, Nar Phu, and any other restricted area are operated only with a Nepal Tourism Board registered guide, in line with the rule effective April 2023 that requires foreign trekkers in these regions to be accompanied by a licensed guide.

Contact

Booking and contract questions: bookings@nepaltravelmate.com. Office: Nepal Travel Mate, Thamel, Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Nepal.