|
We
will send you an email confirming that we have received your
trek deposit.
Payment for the balance can be paid at our offices in Cusco
(minimum of 4 days before trek departure, before 7pm).
Payment can be made in cash US$, local currency (Peruvian
Nuevo Soles) major credit cards or American Express Travel
Checks (+ 3% commission charged).
Cash
can be withdrawn at any ATM in Cusco.
In
the Event of Trek Cancellation by the Client
Please
note that the trek deposit of US$200.00 per person is
non-refundable. The deposit is used to reserve space within
the group. Once we have made a trek reservation with the
government authorities we cannot then change any details of
the reservation (your name, passport number or departure
date). If you have to cancel your trek booking, government
authorities will not let us fill your cancelled spaces with
other clients, we just have to depart with a smaller
less-economical group. Once purchased, the trek permits are
non-refundable and non-transferable.
I. Trek cancellation prior to 7pm two days prior to trek
departure (after having paid the trek deposit) means the
loss of the trek deposit. All other payments will be
refunded in full. Note that if the trek balance is not
received prior to 7pm two days before trek departure then
the trek will be deemed to have been cancelled and the
deposit cannot be returned. Once we have bought the trek
permits it should be noted that we cannot then substitute
other trekkers in your place if you have to cancel. The Inca
Trail trek permit, bus ticket and train ticket will not be
returned.
II. Trek cancellation between 7pm two days before trek departure
and prior to actual trek departure (i.e. once you have paid
for the trek in full): The unused Inca Trail trek permit
will be returned as well as the train ticket for Aguas
Calientes to Ollantaytambo and the bus ticket from Machu
Picchu down to Aguas Calientes. If you have hired the
services of third of a porter we cannot refund your payment
and the porter will continue on the Inca Trail as originally
contracted to do so. If you have hired a sleeping bag we
will refund this amount in full.
III. Once you have started the Inca Trail (i.e. once you
board the bus in the morning) we can only return your train
ticket from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and your bus
ticket from Machu Picchu down to Aguas Calientes. We cannot
make any cash refunds. Failure to be able to continue with
the trek will be treated as a cancellation. Any costs
associated with returning to Cusco or returning to
Ollantaytambo and then continuing to Aguas Calientes and
then onto Machu Picchu must be met by yourselves. These
costs include all transport costs (you, the guide and any
friends accompanying you), hotel accommodation and any
medical expenses (thankfully this is a very rare event).
In the
event of any trek cancellation, Earthbound Adventures will
be happy to cooperate in providing any necessary
documentation to enable a legitimate insurance claim.
IMPORTANT: Possible changes to Inca Trail trek price 2010:
The
above Inca Trail prices are based on the following third
party costs which are outside of our control:
1. Inca Trail entrance fee is 248 Peruvian Soles, about
US$80 (US$30 discount for students with ISIC cards. Children
under 16yrs pay 41 Soles, about US$14 for all of our
porters). The price paid for the entrance fee is clearly
marked on the trek permit. This price includes entrance to Machu Picchu. The government reserves the right to increase
the entrance fee at any time and may only give us one or two
weeks notice.
2. Included in the price of the trek is the returning journey
on the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo on
the Backpacker Cerojo train which currently costs US$31 per
person. (Details of service and price can be checked on the
Peru Rail website
www.perurail.com).
The Peru Rail website states that they reserve the right to
change the price at anytime. There is also the possibility
that Peru Rail will no longer sell a one-way ticket and will
only sell return tickets i.e. Ollantaytambo - Aguas
Calientes - Ollantaytambo. If this is the case it is
possible that the price of the ticket could double!! However
this is unlikely. We will try to do everything in our
control to keep the price of the ticket as low as possible,
but clients must be prepared for such increases in the price
of the train ticket. Peru Rail currently runs a monopoly
service so we don't have any alternative (Peru Rail is 50%
owned by Orient Express, a British company which is
registered in Bermuda and listed in the NY stock exchange).
The price paid for the train ticket is clearly marked on the
ticket.
3. Included in the price of the trek is the bus ticket from
Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes which currently costs
US$7 per person. It is not anticipated that these costs will
increase during 2010, and if they do, they are unlikely to
increase by more than US$2 per person. The price paid for
the bus ticket is clearly marked on the ticket.
4. Local sales taxes known as IGV are included in the
price of the Inca Trail trek. The current rate of IGV is
19%. It is not anticipated that this rate will increase
during 2010.
If
any of the third party costs listed above change to increase
the cost of the trek we will immediately update the trek
price listed on our website (apart from the exchange rate
which can continue to go up and down throughout the year so
the website will not be updated to reflect these cost
changes). Clients will be liable for paying any increased
cost of the Inca Trail trek upon arrival in Cusco.
Due to
the new Inca Trail regulations that limit the number of
trekkers on the Inca Trail, it should be noted that demand
for spaces far outnumber available trek permits. Unlike many
trekking companies Earthbound Adventures has not taken
advantage of this situation and have not increased the price
of our treks during the last 2 years. We feel that the
service provided by Earthbound Adventures is second to none,
and the price that we offer is very competitive and a great
value for money.
|
