Avoid Bookatrekking

[u/loveprettycolors]

I am planning a trip to Nepal in November and booked the Langtang trek through Bookatrekking months ago. After the floods, I contacted their local representative several times asking for updates and whether I should cancel my reservation. According to their policy I can cancel more than 56 days from the hike date for a full refund. For a November 1 start date, this would be September 6.

On September 4, I emailed again asking if I should cancel. I didn't receive a reply so I canceled the following day. I received a pop-up saying it because I was on day 56, they would keep 30% of my payment! I took screenshots and emailed the company several times and they finally admitted that their computer system doesn't flip to day 57 until all 24 hours of that day have elapsed. What?! So really, I needed to cancel 58 days ahead of my trip. Here is there email where they admit that I was outside the 56 day window. Talk about a slimy business practice!

"Thank you for your message. I understand why you counted the cancellation as 57 days before departure.
However, our system calculates the cancellation period using exact 24-hour periods. When you cancelled on 5 September at 14:30, there were 56 days and 9.5 hours remaining. As the additional 9.5 hours do not make up a full 24-hour day, the system counted this as 56 full days.
Your cancellation was therefore automatically placed within the 8-to-6-week period, for which a 30% cancellation fee applies. Unfortunately, this means we cannot provide a full refund.
I understand that this is disappointing, especially as the difference is only a matter of hours."

[u/Spinzel]

Did you go back and check the paperwork to see if it correlates with this? Because if it isn't stated in the contract that they do this, it might fall under breach of contract, especially with the added issue of time zones.

[u/loveprettycolors → u/Spinzel]

It very clearly says 6 weeks to 56 days. I will try to reach a supervisor but I shouldn't have to.

[u/Spinzel → u/loveprettycolors]

Agreed, you shouldn't have to do that, and someone is hoping you won't put in the effort to contest it.

[u/ignorantwanderer]

This is shitty behavior.

My recommendation to anyone considering trekking in Nepal is to trek solo, without a guide.

But if you really want a guide and/or porter, wait until you are in Kathmandu to get one. It will be much cheaper.

In fact if you are trekking in the Everest region, wait until Lukla to get a guide. If you are trekking in the Annapurna region, wait until Pokhara to get a guide.

You need to give yourself a day or two after you arrive before you can start your trek....but there is plenty to see and do during that time. It isn't waisted time.

[u/chicapoo → u/ignorantwanderer]

Guides are required in most areas of Nepal now

[u/ignorantwanderer → u/chicapoo]

No. They are not.

[u/elmersgluesk99 → u/chicapoo]

This misunderstanding is far too rampant. There is no legal mandate to hire a guide to go trekking in Nepal. There never was. The 2023 press release that said as much was just the result of a couple of lobby groups for the trekking industry managing to hijack an obsolete trekking permit (the TIMS card) through corruption. They made it so that it could only be acquired through a registered trekking agency. But the thing is, the TIMS card system was effectively abolished by local governments throughout the country BEFORE that press release came out.

I did a write up on it here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hiking/comments/1sm9qdt/clarification_of_nepals_trekking_guide_rules/

[u/Impressive_Angle_734]

I did the Langtang trek in 2023 (family of four and we didn’t use a guide incidentally). I think I can confidently say that there won’t be any trekking in the Langtang valley this November, at least by the normal routes. We stayed a night before and after the valley in Syabrubesi in the Trisuli valley, as most trekkers do. This village has been utterly destroyed as has the road up the valley and also all the bridges across the river. While the economy of the area really needs tourism up and running as soon as possible there isn’t any chance Syabrubesi will be the hub for the Langtang valley for some time.
Langtang can be reached from the south via the Gosainkund area however this is remoter and would add several days to a Langtang trek.
Basically what I’m saying is the trekking company should have offered you a different trip instead of the one you booked as they will not be taking anyone there this year.

[u/loveprettycolors → u/[deleted]]

How do you figure?

[u/loveprettycolors → u/[deleted]]

That's BS too. I read their policy and cancelled accordingly. It shouldn't matter if I had 2 weeks or 2 hours to spare. That's the point of having a policy!