Aether Bhutan Tours and Travel
Thimphu, Bhutan | +975 77391059 | sonamnamdrel000@gmail.com
Aether Bhutan Tours and Travel
Booking, payment, cancellation, changes and the practical details of travelling with us. Written to be read, not to be got past.
A journey through Bhutan should feel effortless, meaningful and personal. From the moment you begin planning to the day you return home, our job is to take care of the details so you have the freedom to experience the country at your own pace.
These Terms explain how we handle bookings, payments, cancellations, changes and the other practical parts of travelling with us. We have written them plainly, so that you know what to expect before you travel rather than afterwards.
Our standard cancellation scale, and a fuller explanation of insurance and unexpected circumstances, are on the Travel & Booking Information page.
Once you have chosen your journey we provide a detailed quotation and itinerary. Your booking becomes confirmed when all four of the following have happened:
Until that confirmation is issued, availability and prices may change. Once it is issued we begin committing arrangements with our local partners.
Every journey is planned individually, and your quotation states exactly what is included. Depending on the journey this normally covers accommodation, private transport, professional guide services, the meals named in your itinerary, the sightseeing and experiences in your programme, and the permits we arrange on your behalf.
The Sustainable Development Fee and visa processing are included in all of our published journeys, and are itemised in your quotation so you can see what the government takes and what we charge.
What is not included is stated just as clearly. This normally means international flights to and from Paro, travel insurance, personal expenses, alcoholic drinks, laundry, gratuities, and any additional activity not named in your programme.
Government fees and charges are subject to the rates and regulations applicable at the time of travel.
We provide a clear quotation before you confirm anything. Prices are based on the services set out in that quotation, and may be affected by changes you request afterwards.
Before a booking is confirmed, government fees, airline fares, hotel rates, exchange rates and supplier charges can all move. Once it is confirmed we make every reasonable effort to hold the agreed arrangements.
If an unavoidable increase arises from a government charge or a third-party supplier, we will explain it to you before applying it wherever that is reasonably possible.
Your quotation specifies the deposit required and the payment schedule. Some services need earlier or full payment — particularly accommodation, flights, festival seating and other arrangements that must be secured well in advance.
Your booking is confirmed only once the required payment has been received.
Bank, currency-conversion and payment-processing charges associated with your payment may be payable by you where they apply.
Visa procedures can feel complicated in an unfamiliar country, so we handle them. Where permitted, we apply on your behalf and guide you through the documents required.
Approval itself remains with the Bhutanese authorities, not with us.
Requirements and fees depend on nationality, passport type, age and travel dates, and may change with government policy. We will tell you what applies to you and keep you informed of any change we become aware of.
To arrange your journey we normally need your full name exactly as it appears on your passport, date and place of birth, nationality, passport details and validity, contact information, travel dates, emergency contact, and anything required for your visa or permit.
Please check everything carefully before sending it. If incorrect or incomplete information causes a delay, an additional cost or a difficulty with your arrangements, the resulting expense may be yours.
Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates.
Where you ask us to, we can arrange domestic and regional flights relevant to your journey. These remain subject to the airline’s own terms.
Schedules, fares, routes, baggage allowances and operating times can change. Paro is a visual-approach airport, so weather affects it more than most.
If an airline changes or cancels a flight we will help you understand the options and reorganise the affected part of your journey. Additional costs imposed by the airline may be payable by you.
Your accommodation is selected according to the category and properties agreed in your itinerary. We weigh comfort, location, character and the experience as a whole, and we stay in the places we book.
Occasionally a property becomes unavailable for reasons outside our control. Where that happens we arrange an alternative of comparable standard and explain why.
Special requests — a particular view, bed configuration or connecting rooms — are passed to the property but cannot be guaranteed.
Bhutan is mountainous, and the driving is part of the experience rather than an interruption to it.
Road conditions, weather, construction, traffic and landslides all affect how long a journey takes. The driving times in our itineraries are careful estimates, not guarantees.
Your driver and guide will always put your safety ahead of the schedule.
We design each itinerary carefully, and we also leave it room to breathe.
Weather, road conditions, a festival date moving in the lunar calendar, a site closure or a government instruction may require us to adjust the programme.
If a significant change becomes necessary we explain the situation and work out the best practical alternative with you. The priority is always to preserve the quality and purpose of the journey rather than simply to fill the day.
We are glad to consider reasonable changes — longer at a monastery, an added experience, different accommodation, or simply a slower pace.
A great deal can be adjusted on the day at no cost, and your guide has the discretion to do it. Anything involving a new hotel, permit, vehicle day or flight carries a real cost, which may include supplier cancellation charges.
We will always tell you what a change costs before confirming it.
Travel plans change. Our cancellation policy is written to be fair to you while respecting the commitments we make to hotels, transport providers, guides and local partners — most of which become non-refundable to us well before you arrive.
Our standard cancellation scale is published in full on our Travel & Booking Information page. Where a specific journey carries different terms — some lodges and festival departures do — this is stated in your quotation before you pay.
What is refundable may depend on how far in advance you cancel, services already secured or paid for, the cancellation terms of hotels and airlines, non-refundable government fees, and any arrangement made specifically for you.
Where a supplier or government authority has already taken a non-refundable amount, we may be unable to recover it. This is the clearest argument for holding travel insurance with cancellation cover.
Where a refund is due we arrange it once the eligible amount has been determined and any non-refundable costs deducted.
Refunds are returned by the same route the payment arrived. Processing time depends on banks, payment providers and third-party suppliers, and we will keep you informed if it needs longer than expected.
Our intention is always to deliver the journey you booked.
In exceptional circumstances a journey, or part of one, may need to be changed or cancelled because it cannot safely or reasonably proceed. If that happens we will contact you as soon as we can and work out the best available solution — alternative arrangements, rescheduling, or a refund where appropriate.
We strongly recommend that every guest holds comprehensive travel insurance, and proof of cover is required for your visa application. Arrange it as soon as your booking is confirmed — a policy bought the week before departure will not cover a cancellation that happened before that.
Your policy should cover:
Read the exclusions carefully. Many standard policies stop covering you above 3,000 or 4,000 metres, and several of our routes go higher. Pre-existing conditions normally have to be declared.
We do not provide insurance, and guests are responsible for ensuring their policy suits their circumstances and itinerary.
Some experiences involve walking, stairs, uneven ground, mountain roads or higher elevations.
Please tell us in advance about any mobility, dietary or accessibility requirement that could affect your journey. The earlier we know, the more we can do — particularly outside the western valleys, where choice is narrower.
If you have any concern about your fitness for a particular activity, speak to your doctor before travelling. Where it helps, we will suggest an alternative.
Bhutan offers exceptional hiking and trekking, and these activities carry the natural risks of terrain, altitude, weather and remote locations.
Please follow the guidance of your guide and activity providers, and make sure your insurance covers the activities you intend to undertake.
We will tell you about any preparation or equipment we know a route requires, well before you travel.
Bhutan is a living cultural and spiritual heritage rather than a museum of one. Almost every site you enter is an active place of worship.
We ask guests to travel with respect for:
Your guide will explain the etiquette as you go — when to remove your shoes, which way to walk around a chorten, when photography is not appropriate. None of it is difficult, and respectful travel makes for a better journey on both sides.
Photography and filming are restricted at many religious, cultural and government sites. Please follow your guide and any local signage.
Drone use is regulated in Bhutan and normally requires prior permission. Obtaining that permission is the guest’s responsibility — tell us well in advance if you intend to fly one, and we will advise.
Please tell us about dietary requirements, allergies or preferences when you book. We pass them to every hotel and restaurant on your route.
Because meals are prepared by independent kitchens we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. Guests with serious allergies should also speak directly to food-service staff.
Bhutan is a genuinely safe country with very little theft, and most losses here are simply things left behind.
We take reasonable care in coordinating your transport, accommodation and services, but guests remain responsible for passports, money, electronics, luggage and personal belongings, and should hold appropriate insurance.
Severe weather, landslides, natural events, road closures, flight disruption, government restrictions, civil unrest and health emergencies can all affect travel arrangements.
When something unexpected happens our first priority is your safety. We will tell you what has occurred, explain the options, and do everything reasonably possible to find a practical alternative.
Additional costs arising from circumstances outside our reasonable control may need to be met by the guest where they are not covered by a supplier or by travel insurance. We do not charge a fee of our own for rearranging a journey in these situations.
We work with a small number of carefully selected local partners — hotels, drivers, restaurants and activity providers — and we revisit them rather than booking on reputation alone.
These partners operate under their own terms and conditions. We coordinate their services as carefully as we can, but certain aspects remain subject to their own operating conditions.
We genuinely want to know if something is not going as expected.
Please speak to your guide or to our office as soon as a problem arises. That gives us the chance to put it right while you are still in Bhutan, which is almost always possible and almost never possible afterwards.
If something cannot be resolved during your journey, contact us afterwards with the details and we will look into it properly.
To arrange your journey we collect personal information — passport details, contact information, travel dates, dietary requirements and emergency contacts.
We use it to:
We take reasonable steps to protect your information and use it only for purposes connected with your journey and our services, subject to applicable law. We do not sell it.
Every guest is different and we are happy to consider special requests — a celebration, a spiritual or meditation experience, wellness, photography interests, dietary preferences, accessibility requirements or room preferences.
We will always try to accommodate a reasonable request, subject to availability, and we will tell you honestly if something is not possible.
Parents and legal guardians are responsible for children travelling with them.
Please make sure children have the necessary travel documents, and that safety instructions and cultural guidance are followed throughout. Some activities carry age or safety restrictions, and we will tell you where they apply.
We aim to give you accurate and useful information when planning your journey.
Government requirements, visa rules, SDF rates, airline schedules, accommodation policies and opening hours can all change. Where an official requirement applies, the current requirement of the relevant Bhutanese authority takes precedence over anything written here.
We encourage guests to verify important travel requirements before departure, particularly where nationality, passport type or itinerary is unusual.
We take reasonable care in planning and coordinating the services in your confirmed journey.
Certain aspects of travel are outside our control, including the independent actions of airlines, hotels, transport providers, government authorities and other third parties.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to remove or limit any responsibility that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable Bhutanese law.
By confirming your journey and making the required payment, you acknowledge that you have had the opportunity to read and understand these Terms and Conditions.
Your individual quotation and confirmed itinerary form an important part of the agreement between you and Aether Bhutan.
Where a specific written arrangement in your confirmed booking differs from these general Terms, the specific arrangement applies to that service.
We would rather you did not feel you were following an itinerary. We want you to have time to pause, to notice things, and to experience Bhutan in a way that stays with you. From the first conversation to the final farewell, we are here to coordinate the details and answer the questions.
Last updated 15 September 2026. Aether Bhutan Tours and Travel, Thimphu, Bhutan.
We would much rather answer an awkward question now than have you discover something after you have paid.
