SCENIC BHUTAN EX BENGALURU

• IRCTC holds no responsibility, in case of VISA rejection by the embassy; IRCTC only submits the documents to the embassy as submitted by the clients. In case of VISA rejection cancellation charges will be applicable.
• TCS amount will not be refunded, if the package is cancelled by the guest. TCS will vary as per the occupancy of the booking.  

a) The request for name change will be treated as a fresh booking where confirmation will be subject to availability. Please note all bookings confirmed are non-transferable and will invite a cancellation charge as applicable.

b) Changes and Cancellation by IRCTC prior to your departure

The journeys are planned well in advance. We reserve the right to make changes to the programme if necessary at any point of time. Should the minimum number of passengers not be met or due to certain operational reasons and conditions, we reserve the right to cancel the departure or amend the same. Most changes made by us would be minor, but on certain occasions there could be a possibility of making a significant change. A change is defined as significant if it involves a change of destination or date of departure. In such an eventuality, we would inform you as soon as possible and provide you with the following solutions: 1. accepting the changed arrangements or 2. Cancelling or accepting the cancellation where you will receive a refund of the payment remitted to us. However, there will be no refund for any service such as pre/post accommodation, airline tickets, excursions, and extensions etc. that have been booked by you and/or your Travel Agent. In case of a ‘force majeure’ situation due to which a departure has to be cancelled, we regret there would be no refund of the money paid to us or reimbursement of any additional expenses incurred by you as a result of our cancellation/ change.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

• Hotel Check in time varies between 02.00pm – 04.00pm
• Check out time 10.00am – 12.00 Noon.
• Special requests like early Check In, late Check Out, Smoking room, Non-smoking room etc will be subject to availability and hotel policy.
• Rooms confirmed are normally Standard Category unless specified. Hotel ratings differ from county to country and facilities may not be the same in all countries.
• Package is non-refundable after confirmation.
• Hotels may change as per availability.
• Kindly ensure that your passport is valid for minimum 6 months beyond the stay, ECNR/POE formalities completed, etc.
• Two passport size photographs and copy of passport & pan card in full duly signed by the customer need to be submitted to IRCTC within three days of the booking.

• You will have to pay all bank charges.
• IRCTC reserves the right to decline your booking/s for any Tour or to cancel your booking without assigning any reason.
• TCS amount will not be refunded, if the package is cancelled by the guest. TCS will vary as per the occupancy of the booking.  

SURCHARGES:

The prices shown are based on known costs and exchange rates at the time of tour launching and IRCTC does not expect to have to make any changes. In case of unforeseen increase in national or local taxation or adverse fluctuation in currency exchange rates, affecting the cost structures of your journey, IRCTC reserves the right to impose a surcharge or revise the tour cost.

FORCE MAJEURE:

In these booking conditions, ‘force majeure’ means any event which we / the supplier of the service(s) in question / the Third Party Supplier could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include disruptions/diversions of air services, floods, and earthquakes whether actual or threatened war, riot, civil strife, actual or threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, disease, fire and all similar events outside the control of the party concerned.

We cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations under our agreement with you is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of, ‘force majeure’.

OUR LIABILITY TO YOU:

IRCTC will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description whatsoever which results from:

1. the act(s) and / or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party; or
2.the act(s) and / or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your arrangements and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or
3.any service or facility not arranged by us as part of our contract with you; or ‘force majeure’ as defined above

We do not accept liability for:

1.Any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description which, based on the information you gave us at the time of booking, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you;

2. Any business losses;

3. Excursions or other tours or any other travel services taken and paid for by you which have not been provided by us whilst you are on our tour. In such instances, your contract will be with the operator / supplier of the excursion or tour or travel services and not with us.

CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL:

You will have to strictly follow the tour program. There would be no refund if you fail to join the group at the commencement of the tour, or join the group later or leave the group before culmination of the tour for any reasons whatsoever. You are responsible to register with the representative of the Company at the appointed date, place and time and you would be treated as a no-show if you fail to do so. Under no circumstances would any refund be given for any unutilized services. You shall not behave in a manner which may cause distress or annoyance to other co-travellers or which may create the risk of danger or damage to property of the Company, co-travellers or others. In this event, you may be asked to leave the tour immediately. The Company shall be under no liability to any such person.

Travel Documents and Clearances:

• It shall solely be the responsibility to hold valid travel documents and statutory clearances, to enable you to travel on the Tour such as passports and medical insurance certificates and other statutory certificates including immigration clearance. In any case, your Passport must be valid for at least six months subsequent to the scheduled departure date (Return) of the tour.
• As granting or rejecting visas and immigration clearance is the sole prerogative of the concerned sovereign governments, IRCTC shall neither be responsible in case of non-granting of such documents nor liable for any delay, denial or other related act/omission or for any loss, expense, damage or cost resulting there from. The position in respect of cancellation of Tour by Client due to non-availability of travel documents would not change only by virtue of the Client having applied for such documents through the Operator. Even if visas are rejected, the stipulated fees of the Operator shall be payable by the Client. There will be no refund to the Client, or any member of his party, is unable to travel due to the said reasons. In such cases, the non-refundable deposit paid by the clients shall be forfeited and no claim whatsoever shall be made for the same.

 

Extra Bed:

 

• Three person of one family on one booking will be accommodated in one double room with an extra mattress.
• Child will be accommodated in one room with the parents only.

 

Note:-.

• Kindly ensure that your passport is valid for minimum 6 months beyond the stay, ECNR/POE formalities completed, etc.
• Above rates are subject to availability.
• Cancellation charges as per company policy.
• Please reach the airport 3 hours before the departure of the flight. IRCTC will not responsible for missing of flights by the guest.
• In flight food and beverages are on chargeable basis.
• Kindly reconfirm the departure terminal and the flight schedule from the airline before leaving for the airport.
• Transfers and Sightseeing tours as per the itinerary in AC Coach on SIC (seat in coach)/ Shared basis by A/c vehicle.
• Arrival / departure transfers & sightseeing tours shall be provided as per schedule.
• However this may require you to wait at the airport for short duration until all the guests arriving at that time exit the airport.
• The request for an adjacent or an adjoining room will be on subject to availability.
• It is mandatory to carry the age proof of children (02 to 11 yrs) and infant (below 02yrs) as well along with other travel documents. Child above   than 11 yrs shall be considered for an adult cost.
• In airline no seat is provided to Infant.
• Above tour prices are subject to change in the event of increase in hotel room rates levy by the hotel especially during peak season / holiday surcharge and major events/ fairs and convention
• Room allocation (Twin bed / Double bed) is at the discretion of the hotel.
• For early check in and late check out the payment is to be settled directly by the guest.
• Hotel has the right to claim the damages incurred by any of the guest.
• The guests are requested to take care of their personal belongings carefully and avoid leaving them unattended.
• The airfares and taxes are calculated as on a mentioned date and any increase in the Taxes or airfares will be borne by the customer.
• For any change in Flight Timings/diversions, Flight cancellation from the airline IRCTC will not be responsible and if it further affects the
• Sightseeing/Itinerary client need to accommodate accordingly.
• Cost of additional services availed by the guest which are not part of our package inclusions are to be settled directly at the hotel.
• Buffet/Fixed meal will be provided at fixed venue decided by the hotel. You are kindly requested to check the perfect buffet timings at the

time of check in at the hotel. Once the buffet time is over the hotel might ask you to pay for your meals.

• Package cost is calculated on lowest class Air Fare. Any increase in air fare or airport taxes has to be borne by the client.
• Any Itinerary posted on the website is only a proposed holiday outline.
• In case there is any change in price the same will be communicated to yourself and only after your confirmation, we will proceed further.
• There will be no refund for un-utilized services.
• The package Price is subject to change without prior notice.
• Above tour prices are subject to change in the event of increase in hotel room rates levy by the hotel especially during peak season / holiday    surcharge and major events/ fairs and convention.
• Passenger should get full briefing about the tour from IRCTC before/after the booking to avoid any confusion.
• IRCTC is not liable for personnel expenses, boating, porter age, theft, accidents etc.
• Any other terms and conditions applied as may be decided by IRCTC at any point of time.

 

COVID-19 GUIDELINES

Generic preventive measures:

The generic measures include simple public health measures that are to be followed to reduce the risk of COVID-19. These measures need to be observed by all supporting staff and tourists during tour package services at all times.

 

·         Physical distancing of at least 6 feet to be followed as far as feasible.

·         Use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory.

·         Practice frequent hand washing with soap (for at least 40-60 seconds) even when hands are not visibly dirty.

Use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (for at least 20 seconds) can be made wherever feasible like train/transport/stay etc.

·         Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practice of covering one’s mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a

Tissue/handkerchief/flexed elbow and disposing off used tissues properly.

·         Self-Monitoring of health by all and reporting any illness at the earliest to Tour manager and IRCTC helpline.

·         Spitting shall be strictly prohibited.

 

DO’S AND DON’TS FOR BHUTAN

Immigration process: All Indian tourists will have to acquire a permit to enter Bhutan and the immigration formalities are quite strict in the country. The immigration office is at Phuentsholing, and the ideal time to acquire the permit will take 2/3 hours. However it will also depend on the rush available on that particular day and also the pending permits issued from the previous day, so it might take a maximum of 5 hours too. Without acquiring these permits, tourists will not be allowed to travel ahead of Phuentsholing as they are checked at about 3 check posts on the way.

Smoking & Drinking: Strictly prohibited in public places

Local Timings: The Bhutan Standard time is half an hour ahead of Indian Standard Time (e.g: if it is 5.30 pm in India then it is 6.00 pm at Bhutan) and all the timings at Bhutan whether office, restaurant, sightseeing spots opening and closing times are according to BST.

Indian Food: Although the cooks are learning, most of them in the hotels are not well accustomed with Indian food items so the taste of the same food items in India to that made in Bhutan may be different. Also, chapatis and rotis etc may not be upto the standard expected all the time.

Bhutanese Dish: People in Bhutan usually have sparse meals compared to Indian meals. The traditional dishes are usually made with cheese (yak or cow milk) and chillies. It would be advisable to observe caution if your palette does not agree to spicy food or if you are lactose intolerant. However, rest assured the traditional Bhutanese is much healthier than average Indian cuisine.

Sweet Dish: Bhutan traditionally has no system of having any dessert items after meals. So expect to find tinned fruits or tinned rasgullas etc only for dessert most of the time. Also, the items in dessert usually will be less in quantity since these tinned items are imported from India or other foreign nations and they are very high priced.

Language: The Bhutanese people ideally know these four languages: Dzongkha, Bhutani, English and Hindi. Thanks to the Television, people are learning Hindi well nowadays although they are not yet well versed, but most Bhutanese folks will be able to answer to you in English at least.

People: Bhutan is comparatively a laid back country and the people there are happy with what they have. The hospitality industry is picking up pace in the recent years but the level of efficiency may not be similar compared to the rest of the world. So while dealing with any hotel/restaurant staff or shopkeepers etc please try to maintain patience as they may be slow in their work but will ultimately get the work done.

Roads: The road conditions are comparatively good throughout Bhutan except for the roads to Punakha and Bumthang. However, Bhutan being a fully hilly country, expect the roads to have twists and turns all throughout; so the people who have travel sickness or vomiting tendencies during travel are requested to take caution.

Traffic: The traffic rules are very strict and the drivers always have to maintain a strict speed limit. As such, the tourists are requested to maintain timings as suggested by the tour leaders and guides during the tour so as to complete all the sightseeings and reach each destination within time. Also, you have to expect a few yards to reach the sightseeing spots, as the vehicles will be able to take you only to the allowable points or parking spaces.

Taktshang Monastery: This is one of the most popular sightseeing spots at Bhutan and is located atop a hill. However, to reach it, one has to hike for about 2-3 hours up and about 2 hours down (so people with arthritis, heart, breathing problems and senior citizens are advised to observe caution and if possible refrain to go on this hike).

En route Tea/Coffee: The traditional tea/ coffee at Bhutan is essentially buttered tea (suja) which would not always suit the Indian stomachs. There usually are not many proper traditional tea shops at Bhutan so do not expect to find many on the way either. Also too many unscheduled halts on the way would mean missing out on some sightseeing spots. It is suggested therefore to have the tea/ coffee offered every evening at the hotel where you shall be staying.

Shopping: During your tour, you will have the option of visiting the markets at Thimphu and Paro. You will find more traditional items at the market at Paro while you can also visit the handicraft market at Thimphu provided you were able to finish the rest of the sightseeing spots before. However, most of the goods are either imported or hand-made, so in comparison to many markets in India, the products will be high priced, in addition the shopkeepers do not bargain much.

En route washrooms: The population of Bhutan is very much less as compared to India so most of the road ways connecting the different districts (dzongkhags) will seems to be deserted but full of natural sceneries. As such, there are not many washrooms enroute or even if they do exist, they are not well maintained because there are not enough people there to act as caretakers. There are however washrooms at the enroute lunch sites and/ or sightseeing spots that you shall visit. You are therefore advised to consult the guide in advance so as to negate any discomfort during your travel.

Dress Code: Bhutan is a Buddhist country and most of the sightseeing spots have some or the other religious significance. Also since the overall outlook of Bhutan is conservative, there are some dress codes to be followed at certain sightseeing spots. Likewise In some Religious places like monasteries, Dzongs etc, you are not allowed to wear Cap/Sunglasses/Half sleeves shirt/t-shirt with round neck. If its half sleeve, then it should be having collared neck and if its round neck, then it should full sleeves. For more information guests are advised to consult the Guide/Driver at the start of the day’s sightseeing so as to avoid any confusion later.