How cancellations, operator changes, unavoidable events, unused services and recoverable refunds are handled.
This policy forms part of the booking framework. Your booking confirmation may add trip-specific dates, prices, inclusions or requirements.
A cancellation must be sent in writing by the lead booker or the affected participant to info@greatadv.com or through the contact details in your booking confirmation. It takes effect when we receive clear written notice. A message asking about options is not a cancellation unless it clearly asks to cancel.
If one person leaves a group, the price for the others may change where costs were shared or depended on group size. We will explain any revised price before applying it.
The cancellation schedule stated in your booking confirmation applies. It reflects the time before departure and the costs we have committed for permits, royalties, staff, accommodation, flights, transport, equipment, food and administration.
The booking deposit is non-refundable. Where the confirmation does not state a percentage schedule, we keep the deposit and the non-recoverable or already performed costs that relate to your booking. Any remaining cleared amount is refundable. What we keep is never less than the third-party, government, bank and administrative costs we cannot reasonably recover.
A no-show, arriving without the required documents, arriving too late to take part, or withdrawing after services have started is normally treated as a cancellation of 100% of the affected services, subject to any amount we actually recover and are legally required to return.
Government fees, royalties, visa support, permit processing, supplier deposits, bank charges, flights, personalised items, booked staff and services already performed may be non-refundable or only partly recoverable, depending on when you cancel and on the rules of the authority or supplier.
We take reasonable steps to cancel unused arrangements and ask for any refunds available, but we cannot promise that a government body or supplier will return money. Any genuine amount recovered for you, after deductions, is included in your final refund calculation.
You may ask for a date transfer, a credit or an eligible replacement, but no option is guaranteed. Approval depends on permits, supplier rules, timing, availability, medical and technical suitability, group pricing and payment of all extra costs.
A credit or transfer is valid only when we confirm it in writing and is subject to its stated expiry date and conditions. It has no cash value unless we expressly agree otherwise.
We may cancel before departure if the journey cannot run safely or lawfully, a required minimum number of participants is not reached, key permits or services are unavailable, booking requirements have not been met, or circumstances beyond our control make it impracticable.
Where the cancellation is within our reasonable control and not caused by the participant, we will offer an available alternative, a credit, or a refund of amounts paid for services we will not provide, less any lawful and clearly identified non-recoverable cost. We do not pay for separate flights, visas, equipment, insurance or other arrangements unless the law requires it.
Severe weather, natural hazards, epidemics, conflict, civil disturbance, government action, border or airspace restrictions, permit suspension, transport shutdown, road closure, rescue unavailability and similar events can prevent or change a journey. Landslides, flash floods and flight cancellations are common in the Karakoram.
In these cases we first try to reschedule the affected days within your trip window, at no extra cost. If that is not possible we may offer a credit toward a future journey or a revised departure. A refund is limited to money returned to us or not committed for services that will not be provided, after the reasonable costs already incurred.
Extra accommodation, transport, meals, staffing, permit changes, evacuation or delay costs caused by such events are the participant’s responsibility unless included in the revised service or payable under the law. Suitable travel insurance is meant to cover many of these exposures.
No refund is normally due when a summit or objective is not reached, an itinerary is changed for safety or conditions, you choose not to use an included service, or you leave early. Staff, food, camps, transport, permits and logistics may already have been supplied or committed.
If we materially fail to provide a service for reasons within our reasonable control and do not supply a suitable alternative, we will work out a proportionate remedy for the affected service, in line with the contract and the law.
Refunds are calculated once supplier, authority, bank and operational amounts are known. We aim to pay any undisputed refund within 30 days after the final recoverable amount is confirmed. Complex third-party recoveries can take longer, and we will give you a status update on request.
A refund normally goes back to the original payer by the original method, or another verified method agreed in writing. Currency conversion and bank fees may change the amount you receive and are not refundable unless they were caused by our error.
Please contact us before starting a payment dispute so we can review the booking record, the cancellation date and the recoverable costs. This does not remove any right you cannot waive through a bank, a card issuer or the law.