Our Terms and conditions
Booking
All bookings must be received in writing via email or fax. Bookings are finalized upon receipt of the payment (as communicated by the Ciao India Tours team) and the completed information form. All other details are mentioned below.
Passport and Visa
All foreign nationals entering India are required to possess a valid international travel document in the form of a national passport with a valid visa obtained from an Indian Mission or Embassy abroad. For further information, please visit the following link. All passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of departure from India. Any fines, penalties, payments, or expenses incurred as a result of improper or incomplete travel documents will be the sole responsibility of the client. The Ciao India Tours team shall not be responsible for the completion of the above-mentioned documents.
Insurance
Ciao India Tours strongly recommends purchasing personal travel insurance. The Ciao India Tours team does not provide travel insurance.
Payment
An invoice will be issued after receiving confirmation of the services from the traveler, together with a request to transfer the full payment to our bank account in India. For contracted services, a minimum deposit of 25% of the total tour cost must be paid to M/s Ciao India Tours. The deposit is required to maintain the booking on a confirmed basis.
Balance Payment
The balance payment must be made 30 days prior to the commencement of the services. Any booking made within 30 working days of the service start date will be considered a late booking, and full and final payment must be made at the time of booking itself.
Note
In addition to the above, in the case of luxury train journeys, hotel or resort bookings during peak season (Christmas, New Year, Pushkar Fair, Diwali, etc.), full payment must be made at the time of booking.
Full payment for Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka tours is required in advance.
Full payment for domestic or international flight tickets is also required in advance.
Mode of Payment
International clients may make payments using one of the following methods:
- Online payment gateway
- Bank transfer to our bank account
Note
All payments must be free from any withholding tax or deduction. Bank charges, if any, for remittances (whether by remitting bank or intermediary bank) shall be strictly borne by the payer.
Cancellation / No Show / Early Departure Policy
In case of cancellation of tour/travel services due to any avoidable or unavoidable reason, we must be informed in writing. Cancellation charges will be effective from the date we receive written communication, and the cancellation charges will be as follows:
Cancellation Policy
- Cancellations made more than 30 days before the departure date: 50% of the deposit will be refunded after deducting bank charges (€20), booking charges (€45), flight cancellation charges (€20 per person and 100% of actual flight costs), and the actual cost of train tickets.
- Cancellations made less than 30 days before departure: 100% cancellation charges apply. Ciao India Tourswill retain 100% of the tour cost.
Note
Irrespective of the above cancellation policy, in the case of cancellation after the booking has been made with us, a minimum service charge of 10% will apply.
In the event of cancellation after the commencement of the tour, refunds will be limited and dependent on the amount recoverable from hotels, airlines, and other suppliers. No refunds will be provided for unused hotel accommodation, transportation, meals, or any other unused services.
For special luxury train journeys (such as Palace on Wheels, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Golden Chariot, Maharajas’ Express, etc.), a separate cancellation policy applies and will be advised when required.
No refund will be made for cancellations during the following periods:
- Peak season bookings (20 December to 15 January)
- Festival period bookings (Diwali, Dussehra, Holi, Pushkar Fair, etc.)
- Long weekend bookings
Refund Policy
Refunds for unused or unutilized services (paid and canceled in advance) will be processed according to the cancellation policy mentioned above. The refund will be made to the person or agency that originally made the payment to us. Please note that the refund process may take 2–4 weeks due to banking procedures. If the refund is made to a credit card or bank account, bank charges will be deducted from the refund amount.
Arrival and Departure Policy
Check-in time: 12:00 hrs – 15:00 hrs. Early check-in is subject to availability. For guaranteed early check-in, the room must be booked from the previous night.
Check-out time: 10:00 hrs – 12:00 hrs. Late check-out is available on request and subject to availability and additional payment.
Extra Use of Vehicle
Please note that the cost for extra use of vehicles (cars/coaches with driver) is not included in the package. Additional use of the vehicle after transfers or sightseeing is not permitted unless specifically mentioned in the itinerary/services.
Travel time mentioned between cities is approximate and subject to traffic conditions.
Our Responsibilities and Limitations
After the finalization of the tour/service cost, if there are any increases in entrance fees for monuments/museums, fuel costs, taxes, or guide charges imposed by the Government of India, which are beyond our control, the same will be charged extra.
The rates quoted by Ciao India Tours are based on prevailing rates negotiated with hotels, airlines, and suppliers. Hotels and airlines reserve the right to change their rates without prior notice. In case of such changes, the rates quoted before the modification may also be revised accordingly.
Ciao India Tours and its associates act only as intermediaries for hotels, airlines, transporters, railways, and other service providers. All receipts, vouchers, contracts, and tickets issued by us are subject to the terms and conditions under which these services are provided by the respective suppliers. The ticket, voucher, or contract issued by the carrier/hotel/service provider constitutes the sole contract between the client and the service provider.
The itineraries provided by Ciao India Tours are sample itineraries intended to give a general idea of the likely travel program. Various factors such as weather conditions, road conditions, participant fitness, etc., may require changes to the itinerary before or during the tour. Ciao India Tours reserves the right to modify any aspect of the itinerary, including transportation and accommodation, without prior notice, in the interest of the tour, participant safety, comfort, and general well-being, without any refund or compensation. Any additional costs arising due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control shall be borne by the client.
Ciao India Tours shall not be responsible for any delays, changes in program, expenses incurred, loss, injury, or damage caused directly or indirectly by natural disasters, flight cancellations, accidents, machinery breakdowns, transport failures, weather conditions, sickness, landslides, political disturbances, acts of God, floods, fire, government actions, wars, civil unrest, riots, theft, epidemics, quarantines, customs regulations, or any other causes beyond our control. Any additional expenses incurred due to such circumstances shall be borne by the client.
Ciao India Tours reserves the right to cancel any service if circumstances make the tour or travel arrangements impractical for any reason. In such cases, a refund limited to the value of the service will be provided, and the client shall have no further claim against the company.
Ciao India Tours reserves the right to refuse services to any person deemed undesirable at its sole discretion, without the obligation to provide any reason.
All disputes arising from contracts between the parties shall be referred to an arbitrator appointed by Ciao India Tours.
All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of Indian courts, and the laws of India shall govern the validity, interpretation, execution, and enforcement of these terms and conditions.
Important Information
The Government of India has introduced a “No Smoking” policy for hotels, restaurants, and all public places. Hotels may provide designated smoking rooms. If you require a smoking room, please inform us in advance, and we will try to arrange the same subject to availability.
