General Information, Terms & Conditions
These are the booking conditions that apply to your booking. By booking any tour with us, Users agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement. Please read this entire agreement carefully before accepting its terms.
1. Definition
A. “Agreement” means the terms and conditions as detailed herein or other policies mentioned on the website and will include the references to this agreement as amended, negated, supplements varies or replaces from time to time.
B. Birdsandbeasts.tours means the online platform and the services and product provided by it and its affiliates owned and operated by Birds and Beasts that provides and venue/platform to the Users to browse through the website and enrol themselves for various excursions and tours listedn on the website and thereafter travel with them team of the company and other travelers to various destinations, subject to certain terms and conditions.
C. The word “Company” or “we” or “us” or “Birds and Beasts” in this agreement collectively refers to Birds and Beasts.
D. “User/you/customer/clients/guests” means an individual who uses the website and avails the services or buys the tour provided therein.
2. Services
A. You can browse through our website for sample tour plans and can request for a customized trip for yourself and your group. Thereafter we shall help you in planning, booking, and organizing the trip which you can undertake after making the due payments. The payments can be made by online credit card or debit card, or online/offline internet banking payments (Swift transfers/NEFT/IMPS/RTGS/bank transfer/Cheque Deposit) for the same. The payment would be collected based on the tour booked and mutual terms finalized at the time of tour booking.
B. You send us the query and we share the tour proposal with you based on your requirements and preferences.
C. Since all our tours are customized based on customers’ requirements you do not see prices listed on our website.
D. Travel insurance is highly recommended covering the tour, direct or indirect supplier defaults and travel cancellation by the customer due to any unforeseen circumstances.
3. How to Book
After choosing your holiday and reading the Booking Conditions please complete the Booking Form and send it to us along with the applicable deposit. We will send you a “Booking Acceptance Notification” within 7 working days of receiving the booking. When you make a booking with Birds and Beasts, it is deemed that you accept our booking conditions.
4. Tour price
Costs are based on double occupancy or single occupancy as may be the case and in most cases on per person basis. At times for small families, we do offer “family prices” and whatever will be the case is always clearly mentioned at the end of the tour plan where pricing is mentioned. If you are traveling alone, a single supplement fee or a single occupancy tour price may be applicable.
The price usually includes Hotel accommodations, airport transfers, all land transportation, tour guides during sightseeing, escorts when indicated, meals where indicated, all National Park Entrances based on the tour selected, all interstate taxes & permits, parking, toll taxes and driver allowances, all meet and assist services, daily breakfasts and service charges. The prices at times also include (when applicable) other meals and would be clearly mentioned in the inclusion list.
The above is an “overview & general idea” and you should always refer to your TOUR ITINERARY INCLUSIONS which is specifically for your tour plan.
Price does not include International and domestic flights airport taxes, entrance fees to monuments and parks (if not mentioned otherwise in your tour itinerary), camera charges at monuments and national parks, any items of a personal nature, additional expenses resulting from the delay or extension of a trip due to weather, flight cancellations, political disputes, sickness or other causes beyond our reasonable control. Lunches and dinners are usually not included in the tours. Again, refer to the inclusion & exclusion list for clarity on what all is a part of the tour price offered.
Specific requests such as adjacent or connecting rooms, bedding request, specific type of mattress/pillows in the room , smoking or non-smoking rooms and special dietary needs should be advised at time of booking. Please note that every effort will be made to secure these special request; however, they cannot be guaranteed.
Local and International flight Airfare when shown separately is always separate and not part of the tour cost. In these cases the airfare is also subject to revision by the respective airlines.
5. Prices & Currency
Quoted tour prices include planning and handling fees, and other operational charges, and are based on current rate of exchange, tariffs and taxes. Tour quotations are usually in US Dollars (US$), Pound Sterling (£), Euro (Є) or depending on the request for other currencies from the person travelling. One can pay us by their local currency too. (if the arrangement is payment on arrival by cash) but at all times the exchange rate charged will be as per the US$ conversion since our contracts and prices are based on that currency. These are subject to change depending on international currency fluctuation, fuel surcharges, and/or inflation by the time one confirms the tour. However, the tour price is final once the tour is confirmed and it will not change (even if tour deposit is not made) whatever be the reason. For NON-RESIDENT INDIAN TOURISTS also we quote in foreign currencies as our special rates and tariffs are in foreign currency. We are under no obligation to give breakdown costs involved in any program.
6. Airfares
International and any local airfares are not included in the tour price. Please ask your tour consultant for airfares quotes if you so require. Local airfare when shown separately is separate and not part of the tour cost. All international and local airfares are subject to change and can attract penalties and surcharges until final payment has been received by Birds and Beasts. These programs may use the services of any IATA carrier.
7. Deposit
A. The deposit payable when placing your order is minimum 30% of your total holiday cost. However, it can be more based on the season/month of travel, travel during festive season or based on the contract and demand from the hotels and other service providers. Some hotels, including beach resorts, wildlife lodges and even city hotels during peak season require an advance or full payment immediately on booking. In such cases a higher deposit may be required. We will advise you of these higher deposits, if required, while accepting your booking or soon after that as many resorts advise us of their advance requirements only after a booking has been made with them. Please note the deposit amount is non-refundable, except in instances when we cancel the holiday or express our inability to operate it. In the latter case some charges may apply if booking within 4 weeks of departure.
B. The balance amount due must reach us no later than 6 weeks before the start date of the tour otherwise we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled and retain the deposit.
C. If the booking is made within 6 weeks of departure, then the full amount of the holiday is payable at the time of booking.
8. Payment
A. We accept all payments through bank transfer to our bank account in India. The details would be provided at the time of confirmation.
B. All bank charges, swift charges, wire transfer charges, intermediary bank charges, payment gateway charges, etc. have to be borne by the payee/guest/customer. We shall not be liable to bear any such charges at our end and shall only consider the net amount reaching our bank account after deduction of such charges as our receipt.
C. We do not accept bank drafts and cheques. Deposits can be done to our bank accounts.
D. In case of total receipts are less than the total tour invoice raised by us (whether due to short payment or due to deductions for charges mentioned in clauses mentioned above, it will be considered short payment. After each payment received by us we shall be generating and sharing an invoice with you to maintain full transparency on billings.
E. Users expressly agree and acknowledge that our website may employ or collaborate with third party payment options using secure connections in order to facilitate, distribute, transact and receive payments for the services offered.
F. Customers agree that they will not hold Birds and Beasts against any dispute or legal claim and not to sue or initiate legal proceedings against any claim related to the payment. We shall not be responsible for delays or erroneous transactions execution or due to payment issues. We shall consider a payment to be completed and mark the payment as a receipt only when we get the money in our bank account which is usually within 3-4 working days.
G. We take utmost care to work with the 3rd party payment providers but do not control their systems, processes, technology and work flows, hence cannot be held responsible for any fault at the end of the payment provider. For more information on their security and privacy policies you may refer to the privacy policy of these third party payment providers before proceeding with the payments.
9. Insurance & Visa
A. Travel Insurance is highly recommended and is never a part of the tour price.
B. Tourist/travel Visa also is to be applied directly by the guests. If any assistance is required then do share the same at the time of booking so we can guide you accordingly.
10. Fraudulent/declined transactions
A. Our company reserves the right to recover the damages, cost of goods, collection charges and lawyers’ fees from persons using the site fraudulently. We reserve the right to initiate legal proceedings against such persons use of the site and any other unlawful act or omissions in breach of these terms and conditions
B. We as service provider shall be under no liability whatsoever in respect of any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly out of the decline of authorization for any transaction, on account of the cardholder.
C. On our website and even offline, we never ask for the credit card details from any customer, and consequentially neither store the same. Online payments are handled by our online payment gateway partners which are reputed companies in payment space. We shall at no point in time be liable for any fraudulent credit card transaction that happens on the customers credit card before during or after their trip with us.
11. Alteration or Cancellation by you
A. If you wish to alter your tour plan after the booking has been accepted, for reasons other than non-availability of the portion sought to be altered, an amendment fee of US $ 100 (or equivalent currency) per set of alterations per person will be charged, in addition to the cost increase caused by the alterations.
B. Changing the date of departure will entail a higher amendment fee of US $ 150 per person (or equivalent currency). Please note that at times it is tough to make changes if the arrival date is near or post the date when the balance amount has become payable. It will be subject to the agreement with the hotels and other service providers involved in the tour arrangements. Especially during the peak & festive season when the availability is a major issue due to high demands the hotels too does not entertain any amendments. Higher charges may apply for these changes, especially if the change has a knock-on effect on the remaining arrangements or if we have already made all applicable payments to our suppliers.
C. Any requests for alteration, once the tour has begun, will be treated sympathetically but we cannot guarantee their implementation. Any costs incurred in making such alterations, by us or our partners will be passed on to you and the unutilized portion of the holiday will attract 100% cancellation charges.
D. Should you wish to cancel your tour, you must notify us in writing stating the reasons for cancellation as you may be covered by your insurance policy. Such cancellation will deem to take place only on the date of receipt of your written request and will attract the following cancellation charges:
| Date of receipt of cancellation notification | Cancellation charges |
| More than 60 days before departure | 30% of total tour price or the amount of advance deposit paid |
| 29 to 59 days before departure | 50% of total tour price |
| 0 to 28 days before departure | 100% of tour price |
12. Cancellation of a Tour by us before departure
A. No Tailor-made Holidays will be cancelled by us.
B. Fixed departure tours or group tours are subject to cancellation by us. If such cancellation takes place, we will offer you a comparable alternative or refund all monies paid by you.
C. If a holiday (tailor-made/fixed departures/groups) cancellation takes place within 4 weeks of the tour start date, it will be for one of the following reasons:
a) Due to non-payment or late payment of the balance amount due. In such cases an alternative holiday or refund will not be available and cancellation charges will apply.
b) Due to circumstances beyond our control such as cancellation of international or domestic scheduled service, technical problems with transportation, civil disorder or the threat of such, riots, strikes, natural disasters, accident or pollution, terrorist activity or the threat of such, war or the threat of war, etc. In deciding whether it is safe to visit a certain destination or not, we depend on the advice of the Local Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In such instances we may offer comparable alternative arrangements.
13. Refund policy
A. If the customer wishes to cancel their trip booking then they will have to notify us in writing.
B. The percentage of cancellation charges that shall be charges shall be mentioned in the proposal of the trip and the customer shall be bound by the enlisted” cancellation of the booking policy” of the company which is mutually agreed in writing at the time of proposal.
C. All the refunds shall be made within fourteen (14) working days from the written receipt of the confirmation of the cancellation when the deposit lies with us and has not been paid to the vendor. In case the deposit or part of it has been paid to a vendor, we request the vendor to make their refund as per the cancellation policy. In case there is delay from our vendor end to refund such booking amount to us, there will be corresponding delay in refunding back to the customer.
D. The refund for the booking cancellation shall be made through the same mode which the customer has made the payment for the booking and to the same person who made the payment, in addition to the cancellation charges agreed in the tour proposal, the customer will also need to bear our bank charges./transaction costs as per actuals.
E. In the following cases there will be no refunds made by the company
a) In case the customer’s flight is cancelled or rescheduled leading to changes in the agreed plan, there will be no cancellation refunds made by the company. The company shall still try to do alternate arrangements in the original cost, however any charges made for the reschedule shall be charges to the client/customer.
b) If we are unable to conduct a trip due to safety hazards arising out of man-made reasons like sabotage, accidents and riots, shortage of supplies, equipment’s and materials, strikes and lockouts, civil unrest, curfew etc. we shall not be liable for paying any cancellation costs to the customer.
c) In case of no show by the customer, we shall not be liable to pay any refunds in general. Though this will be governed by the cancellation policy mentioned in the proposal, incase that makes an exception.
d) In case the trip consists of booking permits or accommodation from any forest departments of India or any country, and the forest department cancels the permit or accommodation at the last minute or denies entry into the protected areas at its discretion and beyond our control, our liability will only be to refund the cost of that respective permit or accommodation and that too when we actually get the refund back from the subject authorities. The associate costs will not be refunded. We can also offer to make alternate arrangements at an incremental costs if any.
14. General Information
On receipt of the booking form and deposit, we will send you a Booking Acceptance Notification, normally within 7 days.
While in most instances we are able to confirm all the arrangements within a few weeks of tour booking, in some instances changes may be required or some confirmations may have to wait till much later. If we need to make a significant change to the itinerary booked, such as a change of hotel or mode of transport or omission of a place, it is done with your concurrence. It is thus important that you give us your contact telephone numbers, both for daytime and evenings, so that changes to your itinerary, if any, can be discussed.
For minor variations in the itinerary, we do not make supplementary charges nor do we offer reductions. If, however the cost variation exceeds 2% of the total holiday price, you may be required to pay the difference.
15. Travel Documents
Travel documents are normally sent to you approximately 2 weeks before departure. These include your hotel vouchers, final itinerary, local contacts at your destination, some useful tips and suggestions including on tipping, restaurant recommendations, any flight ticket (if booked by us) etc.
16. Price Guarantee
The price of your holiday is fully guaranteed and is not subject to any surcharges. This guarantee also holds good for private travel including tailor-made. This guarantee is applicable once we have accepted your booking through a Booking Acceptance Letter and is subject to all payments being received by the due dates. The price guarantee applies to complete holidays bought from us and does not cover the purchase of individual items such as airline tickets or hotel rooms. Thus if a flight is quoted separately, it is not protected against future cost increases prior to ticketing.
It may be noted that price variations due to changes in itinerary are not surcharges and are not governed by this guarantee. Surcharge, as defined, is only attributable to variation in costs of existing elements of the itinerary.
17. Warranties by the travelers accompanying us on our tour
A. The company uses its best efforts to provide for proper safety during tours but it shall not be liable for any deaths, injuries or accidents that happen with any of the travellers on our tour
B. The customer is fully responsible to take care of their belongings and the company shall in no case be responsible for any theft of the personal belongings of the travelers any tine during the trip.
C. The force majeure events are out of the control of any human being and in case any such Force Majeure event happens during the trip, the company shall not be held liable and accountable for any damages that shall incur because of the happening of such Force majeure events. Such events include act of god like earthquake, Volcano, tsunami, Cyclone, pandemics, natural disasters and events like accidents, riots, sabotage, shortage of supplies, and strikes/lockouts among others.
D. If due to certain circumstances the trip cannot be conducted then the maximum liability of the company shall be refund of the advance payment taken by it for the trip. However, refunds terms under specific conditions have been mentioned in section # 13 of this document if any of those condition arise, then refund will be governed by the condition set in Section # 13 of this document.
18. Service providers and our limitation of liability in case of dispute arising from their service
A. The safaris are booked with the local government (often the forest department). The entry to the park is governed by the respective e authorities and we have no control over that. The authorities reserves the right to refuse entry to the park at last moment without assigning us any reason and in such case our maximum liability shall be to refund the cost of the safari which e get from the authorities as a refund. The safari rides can be bumpy and dusty as the safaris happen in natural environment often in an open vehicle so we cannot be held responsible for any physical discomfort or illness arising out of the safaris.
B. The vehicle for road travel are often sources from local vendors whom we empanel after rigorous scrutiny of their credential so that we can provide a safe and comfortable transportation service to our clients. However, these vendors are independent legal entities and service providers and we have no direct control over their operations. Incase there are issues with cleanliness of the vehicles, misbehaviors, language skill of the driver, way of diving, any misbehaviors with guests etc. we will earnestly try to resolve the issue as representatives of our clients. However, we cannot be held legally accountable for any loss, damage arising out of the transport service booked by us as we are consultant/booking agents for our clients and not the service provider directly unless the vehicle is owned by us.
C. For hotels also, we do our due diligence and recommend the best hotels (based on our past client experience and our research) within the budget to our guests and book it for them. However, we do not own these hotels and have no direct control over the operations of the hotels. Incase there is any deficiency in services by the hotels like cleanliness, long time for process check in etc.. we will earnestly try to resolve the issue as representatives of our clients. However, we cannot be held legally accountable for any loss, damage arising out of the transport service booked by us as we are consultant/booking agents for our clients and not the service provider directly. In case the same category room is not provided by the hotel we will be liable to pay the cost difference to the customer if the lower category room is provided. Generally late check outs and early check-ins are not guaranteed and may incur extra cost depending on hotel policy.
D. We also handpick out guides ( for leisure & cultural tours) and safari guides (for wildlife and nature tours) and select the ones we find appropriate based on clients budget and language preferences. However such guides are usually freelances and not employed by the company. We will not be liable to refund any money incase the guests find the knowledge, language skill etc lacking in the guide and do not inform us on time to rectify and provide an alternate guide.
E. We also recommend the suitable air/rail/water transport options to our clients based on the decided itinerary and they can book it themselves or suggests us to do so. However we do not own these services providers and have no direct control over their operations. In case there are any issues we cannot be held legally accountable or liable to pay any damages completely beyond our control.
F. The hotels/vehicles may be equivalent to the specifications provided by us in the details of the trip and there may be chances these facilities may not be exact similar to what we have quoted. However company shall use all reasonable efforts to provide a comfortable stay and travel to the client.
G. Wildlife sightings are no guaranteed and the client shall not hold the company liable or accountable for the same, if there is no wildlife sightings as desired by them.
H. We may use pictures and videos of participants and activities taken during the tour and may display the same on our website to promote our services. You allow us to use your such pictures without any obligation to pay you any royalties for the same. However if you do not wish us to. Use your pictures or videos, you can let us know in writing by mailing to [email protected] and we will not use the same.
I. Any documents mentioned by us during our tours and reference materials and the same shall not be comprehended as comprehensive and authoritative work. The facts mentioned therein will be to the best of the knowledge, but we shall not be held liable for any consequences whatsoever arising out of the interpretation, use or propagation of the same information. Only the tour proposal sent by us during booking will be the valid legal contract with the clients and it will have the cost, inclusions and exclusions clearly listed out. All such proposal will be guided by the terms and conditions listed in this document.
19. Your responsibility
You are responsible for your passports, visas, vaccinations, travel insurance, foreign exchange for personal expenses, etc., and we do not accept any liability for non-communication of relevant details to you. If any service offered by us is not clear, you should get written confirmation from us about its inclusion in the price.
20. Our responsibility
We accept responsibility for ensuring that the holiday which you book with us is supplied as described at the time of confirming the tour with us, or any other literature printed by us, and the services offered reach a reasonable standard.
In respect of carriage by scheduled air, sea, other water bodies like rivers and lakes, and rail transports the provision of accommodation and services in these are the responsibility of the providers of these transports and we merely act as agents for these providers. Our liability in all such cases will be limited in the manner provided by the relevant international convention. Thus if a scheduled flight or train or ship has delays or changes in schedule or cancellation of service we are not obliged to offer alternative arrangements, it is the providers of these services who are responsible. We will, however, try our best to assist in the provision of alternative services, if required, on receipt of appropriate payment for these.
If you avail of a service during the course of your holiday that is not part of your contract with us, we are not liable for the provision of that service or its quality even if you purchase it through our agents or their representatives. Similarly if we recommend a restaurant or a shop or any reading material or any other establishment it is to assist you, and often at your request, and we do not accept any responsibility for the quality or content of the service received from these.
21. Complaints
If you have cause for complaint during the holiday please bring it to our notice or the notice of our Local Representative/Agent and/or the hotel who will try their best to solve the problem. Our Guest Relations team will be in touch with you throughout the tour to understand and seek your feedback. Hence, we request you to share your feedback/reviews with them. It is not advisable to do nothing about a problem when it occurs but to later write to us seeking recompense. If we feel you avoided action to redress a problem when it occurred, no compensation will be offered if it is brought to our attention later. If the problem remains unresolved in spite of your pointing it out locally to our agents when it occurred please write to us within 28 days of the completion of the holiday. We shall investigate the complaint and send you a reply as soon as possible.
22. Data Protection Statement
Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect the personal booking information held by us. This information will be passed on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements. The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. If we need to give your details to anyone other than those listed above we will do so only with your consent.
23. Jurisdiction
Your holiday contract with us is made on the terms of these Booking Conditions which are governed by Indian Law and both parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of Indian Courts at all times.
24. Footnote
Booking a tour with us suggests that all of us understand and accept the above. This document has been well researched and most of the inputs have come from our past guests. Still if the language is too harsh or the conditions at times seem biased and in favor of the company kindly accept our apologies for the same as it is unintended. At the same time the hotels, flights, trains, etc. have stringent cancellation rules that we need to follow to be in business with them and maintain a sound track record. We always try to be very fair and are known for our “service first” & “at your service” attitude.
25. For any further clarification of our terms and conditions, please write to us at [email protected]
Our corporate address is
Birds and Beasts
B1/H3 Mohan Co-operative Industrial Area
Mathura Road
New Delhi, 110044
India