Cancellation, Refunds & Changes.

1. How This Policy Works

The expedition has two paid stages and the refund rules are different for each stage. The 45-day preparatory programme is a Nirog Bhumi service. The expedition stage is a bundled amount that includes Indiahikes trek services and other expedition-related services and commitments.

For the Indiahikes-linked part of the Stage 2 fee, the amount recoverable by a participant will follow the Indiahikes policy actually applicable to this group booking. For any Nirog Bhumi or other third-party portion of the Stage 2 fee, refundability depends on whether the corresponding cost has already been incurred or irrevocably committed, except where this guide expressly provides a full refund.

This distinction matters: the Indiahikes cancellation percentage does not automatically apply to the entire ₹19,500 Stage 2 fee. Nirog Bhumi will provide a reasonable calculation of the refund or credit due, showing the main components and deductions.

2. Stage 1 — 45-Day Preparatory Programme (₹30,000)

2.1 If you withdraw before the preparatory programme begins, Nirog Bhumi will refund the Stage 1 fee received, less only (a) payment-processing charges that are actually non-refundable to Nirog Bhumi, and (b) participant-specific third-party costs already paid and not recoverable.

2.2 Once the 45-day programme has started, the Stage 1 fee is non-refundable for a voluntary withdrawal, change of mind, non-attendance, scheduling difficulty or incomplete participation, because programme access, onboarding, professional time and participant support have already begun.

2.3 If Nirog Bhumi is unable to deliver a material part of the preparatory programme and cannot provide a reasonable alternative, a proportionate amount in respect of the services not delivered shall be refundable.

2.4 If you complete Stage 1 but are not medically cleared or are not finally admitted to the expedition, you do not pay Stage 2 fees. The Stage 1 fee remains the fee for the preparatory programme already delivered and is not refunded merely because final expedition clearance is not granted.

3. Stage 2 — If You Cancel After Paying the Expedition Fee (₹19,500)

Stage 2 is payable only after final medical clearance and separate expedition confirmation. Once the Stage 2 fee has been paid, a participant cancellation will be dealt with component by component.

Current Indiahikes standard trek-cancellation snapshot (subject to any revisions by Indiahikes):

3.1 Where Indiahikes makes a monetary refund for the Indiahikes-linked part of your booking, Nirog Bhumi will reimburse you the amount actually received by Nirog Bhumi for your booking, after the amount is received and reconciled.

3.2 Where Indiahikes deducts a cancellation charge, trek insurance, transaction fee or another amount under its applicable policy, that deduction will also reduce the amount passed back to the participant.

3.3 Any Nirog Bhumi or other third-party portion of the Stage 2 fee that has already been spent or irrevocably committed for your confirmed place may be non-refundable. Any amount that remains unspent and recoverable will be returned, subject to the terms disclosed for the Stage 2 fee.

3.4 If Indiahikes issues a voucher instead of cash, Nirog Bhumi is not required to convert that voucher into cash. Nirog Bhumi will communicate how the voucher or its benefit can be applied for the affected participant under the group-booking arrangement, subject to Indiahikes allowing that use.

4. If Your Health or Fitness Status Changes

4.1 If you are not medically cleared before Stage 2 becomes payable, you simply do not pay Stage 2 fees.

4.2 If your health, medication, symptoms or medical reports change after the Stage 2 fee has been paid, you must inform Nirog Bhumi immediately. Your clearance may be reviewed. If you then withdraw or are unable to join, the ordinary Stage 2 cancellation rules apply unless Indiahikes, the insurer or another applicable policy gives you a separate benefit.

4.3 Indiahikes may cancel a trekker's participation for inadequate fitness. Under Indiahikes' published policy, its standard cancellation policy applies in that situation, including where the trekker withdraws because they are insufficiently prepared.

4.4 Once the trek has begun, no refund or voucher should be expected if you have to descend or are sent down because of illness, injury, altitude sickness, abnormal blood-pressure or oximeter readings, insufficient fitness, safety concerns or another health-related reason. Any separate return vehicle, mule, guide, porter or accommodation cost may also have to be borne by you except to the extent an insurer accepts the cost.

5. If You Miss the Official Pickup or Do Not Report

• The group pickup operates at a fixed time. If you are late beyond the period the operator can reasonably wait, you may have to arrange a separate vehicle at your own cost.
• Indiahikes' current transport policy provides no refund where the participant misses the transport because of their own delay.
• A no-show on the trek start date is treated under the applicable cancellation policy and shall result in no refund or voucher for the trek-fee component.
• Flight, train, bus or road delays affecting your ability to reach the pickup point remain your responsibility unless a specific insurer or carrier covers the loss.

6. If Participation Is Terminated for Safety, Conduct or Rule-Breaking

Indiahikes' Dayara Bugyal terms allow the trek to be terminated for specified safety and conduct reasons, including prohibited smoking or drinking, illness or injury, inadequate fitness, unsafe health readings, sexual misconduct, aggression, serious rule-breaking, refusal to follow trek-leader instructions or mistreatment of equipment.

• No refund of the trek fee is due where participation is terminated for such reasons.
• The participant shall bear the cost of a mule, vehicle, guide, porter or other return logistics required to bring them back to base camp or onward to a safe location.
• Damage, loss or misuse of shared or rented equipment may result in repair or replacement charges.

7. If Indiahikes Suspends or Cancels the Trek Before It Begins

Indiahikes says a trek may rarely be suspended because of force majeure, natural calamities, extreme or unsafe weather, landslides, wildlife movement, political unrest, curfews, local riots, pandemics, lockdowns, government orders, permission changes or other circumstances affecting group safety.

8. About the Indiahikes Shield

The Indiahikes Shield is an optional protection product for eligible trek bookings. It is designed for the specific situation in which Indiahikes suspends the trek before it begins because of covered external circumstances. In that situation, the Shield can convert what would otherwise generally be a trek voucher into a monetary refund of the trek fee.

• The Shield is not a general travel insurance policy and does not cover your flights, trains, hotels, personal gear, medical costs or the full ₹49,500 Nirog Bhumi programme fee.
• The Shield does not create a refund merely because you personally decide to cancel.
• Indiahikes currently allows the Shield to be added up to 20 days before the trek, subject to availability and the booking terms.
• If a trekker personally cancels at least 20 days before the trek, Indiahikes states that the standard cancellation policy applies and 96% of the Shield amount is refunded. Indiahikes states that the Shield amount is not refunded when the trekker cancels after that point.
• Shield protection does not apply once the trek has begun, even if the trek later cannot be completed because of weather, wildlife movement, political unrest or another unforeseen event.

9. If the Trek Is Changed, Rerouted, Postponed or Suspended

Mountain itineraries can change for safety reasons. Indiahikes may offer an alternate trek, route, itinerary or date where the original plan cannot be operated safely or lawfully. Under its published policy, if an alternate trek costs less, the difference may be issued as a voucher rather than cash; if it costs more, the difference may have to be paid. If the alternate trek is not accepted, Indiahikes may issue a trek voucher, subject to the applicable policy and any Shield entitlement.

10. After the Trek Has Begun

• The Indiahikes Shield no longer provides refund protection after the trek begins.
• Indiahikes does not issue a refund or voucher to an individual who comes down from the trek because of health, fitness, injury, personal choice, disciplinary action, prohibited conduct or rule-breaking.
• If the group has to abandon or shorten the trek after it has crossed the first campsite because of weather, trail failure, government restrictions or another sudden external event, no trek voucher should be assumed.
• Indiahikes has a separate Trek Again policy for many regular Indian treks, but its published terms exclude special treks such as collaborative programmes and themed treks. Because this Himalayan Expedition is a special group initiative, participants must not assume that Trek Again applies unless Indiahikes expressly confirms that benefit in writing for this expedition.

11. Optional Indiahikes Add-Ons

Optional services have their own cancellation rules. Current Indiahikes policies include the following, subject to confirmation at booking:

12. Book Cancellable / Refundable Travel and Hotel Reservations

Participants are strongly advised to book cancellable, refundable or flexible flights, trains, buses and hotel reservations. A Himalayan trek may be suspended, postponed or changed at short notice even when all parties have acted responsibly. Choosing flexible bookings can reduce the separate financial loss from an expedition change.

Any cancellation fee, fare difference, hotel charge or other loss on travel or accommodation booked independently by a participant remains that participant's responsibility, except to the extent the relevant airline, railway, hotel, insurer or other provider refunds it.

13. If Nirog Bhumi Cancels a Confirmed Expedition Place for an Internal Reason

If Nirog Bhumi has accepted the Stage 2 fee from a participant and later cancels that participant's confirmed expedition place solely because of an internal capacity, allocation or operational decision unrelated to the participant's medical eligibility, readiness, conduct or safety, and the participant does not accept a reasonable alternative, Nirog Bhumi will refund the Stage 2 fee received for that participant. The Stage 1 fee remains separate where the preparatory programme has already been delivered.

14. How to Cancel

Because Nirog Bhumi is making the group booking with Indiahikes, participants should send cancellation requests to Nirog Bhumi rather than attempting to cancel the Indiahikes booking directly.

• Send the request through an email to priyanshu@nirogbhumi.com.
• Include your full name, the stage you are cancelling, payment date and transaction reference, and a short reason for cancellation.
• Nirog Bhumi will acknowledge the request, submit any required operator cancellation, and communicate the resulting refund, deduction, voucher or other treatment.
• Where the refund depends on money first being returned by Indiahikes or another supplier, Nirog Bhumi will reimburse the participant after the corresponding amount is received and identified.

15. Policy Priority and Changes

This guide reflects the Indiahikes policies reviewed on 9 August 2026 and the current Nirog Bhumi programme structure. Indiahikes may revise its policies, and a private group booking may be subject to trek-specific written terms. Nirog Bhumi should disclose any material group-specific variation before collecting the Stage 2 fee. If a mandatory law gives a participant greater rights than this guide, the mandatory law prevails.