Cancellation & Refund Policy

1. Booking Deposit & Advance Logistics Commitments

1.1 Expedition Deposit Requirement: To initiate official government permit filings (Tibet Travel Permits, Xinjiang Border Control Clearances, Sichuan Mountaineering Association alpine permits) and secure dedicated support off-road vehicle logistics, a 10% non-refundable deposit of the total expedition value is required upon booking confirmation.

1.2 Pre-Committed Costs: Deposit funds are immediately committed to non-refundable administrative fees, including official permit filing charges, advanced hotel/lodge block bookings, and provincial mountaineering association liaison allocations.

1.3 Final Balance SLA: Full payment of the remaining 90% balance must be settled no later than 30 calendar days prior to the scheduled expedition departure date. Failure to remit balance payment by the specified deadline constitutes client-initiated cancellation under Section 2.

2. Client-Initiated Cancellation Schedule

If a client chooses to cancel an expedition for personal reasons, medical conditions, or flight schedule alterations, written notification must be submitted via email to CAE Compliance ([email protected]). The effective cancellation date is determined by the date written notification is acknowledged by CAE.

The following restructured refund schedule applies to all standard and bespoke CAE itineraries:

3. Permit Denial & Administrative Force Majeure

3.1 Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) / Military Border Clearance Denial: In the event that official Chinese civil or military authorities deny a client's permit application through no fault or misrepresentation of the client (and where all requested biometrics/documents were provided on schedule), CAE will refund all recoverable payments made, minus the 10% non-refundable deposit to cover accrued filing costs, bank processing, and non-recoverable supplier advance deposits.

3.2 Sudden Frontier Zone Closure: If government authorities issue an emergency closure of a designated expedition zone (e.g., unexpected military border restrictions in Pamir/TAR) prior to departure:

• CAE will first offer a full credit transfer to an equivalent alternative route (e.g., rerouting a TAR expedition to Kham/Amdo Western Sichuan).
• If the client declines rerouting, CAE will issue a refund of all unexpended logistics funds after deducting non-refundable third-party pre-payments.

3.3 Visas & Personal Passport Requirements: Obtaining a valid PRC visa (or qualifying under 240-Hour Transit Visa-Free Policy regulations) is the sole responsibility of the traveler. Cancellations resulting from visa denial, passport expiration, or airline boarding refusals are governed by the standard cancellation schedule in Section 2.

4. High-Altitude Medical Interruption & Field Evacuation

4.1 Pre-Trip Disqualification: If CAE's Medical Advisory Team determines during pre-expedition screening that a participant poses a severe health risk for extreme high altitude (>4,000m), CAE reserves the right to disqualify the participant. If disqualification occurs >30 days prior to departure, a full refund minus administrative deposit fees will be issued.

4.2 In-Field Medical Interruption: Once an expedition has commenced, no refunds will be issued for unused days, transport, or accommodation if a participant must descend early due to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), HAPE, HACE, injury, or physical exhaustion.

4.3 Evacuation Costs: All costs associated with emergency medical evacuation, dedicated support off-road vehicles, oxygen replenishment, and hospital transport are the absolute financial responsibility of the participant and must be covered by mandatory international medical & SAR travel insurance.

5. Refund Processing SLA & Payment Arbitration

5.1 Processing SLA: Approved refunds will be processed back to the original funding source (Zoho invoice bank wire, credit card, or international wire transfer) within 14 business days of written cancellation approval.

5.2 Currency & Bank Fees: Refunds are calculated in the invoice currency (USD / EUR / CNH). CAE is not responsible for international bank intermediary wire fees, currency conversion fluctuations, or receiving bank administrative charges.

5.3 Contact for Cancellation Filings: All formal cancellation notices and payment inquiries must be addressed directly to:

• CAE Compliance Office: [email protected]
• Official Inquiries: [email protected]