Booking conditions

1. Who you are contracting with

HighPass Holidays Pvt. Ltd., registered in Nepal and licensed by the Government of Nepal Department of Tourism as a trekking agency, with its office at Basuki Marg, New Baneshowr, Kathmandu. References to "we" and "us" mean that company; "you" means every person named on a booking.

A contract exists once we have issued a written confirmation and received your deposit. Nothing said in a phone call, email or WhatsApp message forms a contract until that confirmation is issued.

2. Deposits and balance

A deposit of 20 per cent of the total is payable to confirm a booking, or the full cost of any non-refundable component we must commit immediately — restricted-area permits, internal flights and some peak-season lodges — whichever is higher. We tell you which applies before you pay.

The balance is due 30 days before departure, or immediately if you book inside 30 days. We reserve the right to treat an unpaid balance as a cancellation by you, subject to the schedule below.

3. If you cancel

Cancellations must be sent in writing. The schedule applies from the date we receive them.

Amounts already committed on your behalf and shown as non-refundable at the time of booking are not recoverable at any point, because we do not recover them either. Where a component is refunded to us later, we pass it on.

• More than 45 days before departure — deposit refunded in full, less any non-refundable committed costs
• 45 to 30 days — 20 per cent of the trip cost retained
• 29 to 15 days — 50 per cent retained
• 14 to 8 days — 75 per cent retained
• 7 days or fewer, or no-show — 100 per cent retained

4. If we change or cancel

We will not cancel a confirmed departure for commercial reasons — including under-filling a group — without your written agreement. If we cancel for any reason within our control, you receive a full refund or an alternative of equivalent standard, at your choice.

We may change an itinerary where safety, weather, road or trail conditions, permit decisions or airline schedules require it. Where a change is significant and you do not accept it, you may cancel and receive a full refund of amounts not already irrecoverably committed.

5. Weather, altitude and flights

Mountain travel carries irreducible uncertainty. Flights to and from Lukla and Jomsom are cancelled regularly in poor visibility, passes close under snow, and roads wash out in monsoon. Our itineraries carry buffer days for this, and we will always seek a workable alternative at cost.

Costs arising from weather disruption — additional lodge nights, a helicopter transfer, a missed onward flight — are not included in the trip price and are not our liability. This is precisely what your travel insurance exists for.

Our guides have unqualified authority to shorten, reroute or abandon a trek on safety or medical grounds, including descending with an individual client. That decision is final and does not create a right to a refund of the unused portion.

6. Insurance is a condition of travel

Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory on every trip we operate. For any trek, the policy must expressly cover emergency helicopter evacuation and medical treatment to at least the maximum altitude stated in your itinerary. Standard policies frequently exclude this.

We may ask to see the policy before departure and may refuse to start a trek without evidence of adequate cover. No refund is due where a trip cannot proceed for that reason.

7. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for holding a valid passport and the correct visas and permits for every country on your itinerary, and for meeting any vaccination or health-certificate requirement. We advise on all of these and prepare documentation where we can, but the requirement is yours to satisfy.

You must tell us at the time of booking about any medical condition, medication, dietary requirement or mobility limitation relevant to the itinerary. We treat this in confidence, and we would far rather adjust a plan than discover a condition at altitude.

8. Prices and currency

Prices are quoted per person on twin sharing in US dollars unless stated otherwise. Amounts shown in other currencies anywhere on this site are indicative conversions for convenience; the contractual amount is the US dollar figure on your confirmation.

Once your deposit is received we do not increase the price, except where a government imposes a new or increased tax, permit fee or levy after the date of booking. Any such increase is passed on at cost with evidence.

9. Complaints

Raise anything that goes wrong with your guide or your planner while you are still travelling. Almost everything can be fixed on the spot and almost nothing can be fixed afterwards.

If a matter is unresolved on your return, write to care@highpassholidays.com within 28 days of returning. We respond within ten working days.

10. Governing law

These conditions are governed by the laws of Nepal, and the courts of Kathmandu have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them.