Terms & conditions
These terms apply to journeys and related services arranged by Chiford Travels from our office in Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka. Services may include private transport, accommodation, guiding, and other travel arrangements we confirm to you in writing.
1. Your booking
A booking may be made by you, or by one person you authorise to book for your group. We confirm arrangements as soon as we reasonably can. A contract is formed when we send a written confirmation of the services. Please read that confirmation and tell us at once if anything should be corrected. Some hotels and activities are held by suppliers only on request, so an early reply is not always a final confirmation of every item.
2. Your contract
These terms, and the services we arrange, are governed by the laws of Sri Lanka. Unless we say otherwise in writing, hotels, drivers, and activity providers supply their own services. We choose them with care and arrange them for you. We do not manage their staff, vehicles, or premises, and we are not liable for loss, delay, or injury caused by a supplier, except where it results from our own negligence. A supplier’s own conditions may also apply. We will share them on request or on your voucher.
3. Payment
Payment is by bank transfer, on the terms set out in your confirmation. We are not obliged to hold or deliver services until the agreed payment has reached us. If payment is late, we may release the booking. Any cancellation charge already explained to you will still apply.
4. The cost of your journey
The price we confirm is the price of the services described. It can change before you travel if a supplier raises a cost we cannot absorb, such as fuel, park fees, or taxes, or if the exchange rate moves sharply. We will tell you in writing. Any increase is due by the date in that notice, or by the original payment date if that is later.
5. Changes you ask for
After confirmation you may ask to change dates, hotels, or the shape of the journey. We will try to arrange it. You pay any extra cost, including charges from suppliers. If you choose not to use a confirmed service, that unused part is not refunded.
6. Cancellation by you
You may cancel in writing from the email address used for the booking. The cancellation terms in your confirmation apply. The closer a cancellation is to departure, the more of the cost a hotel or other supplier may retain.
7. Changes we may need to make
We may adjust an itinerary when weather, wildlife movement, road conditions, or a supplier makes the original plan impractical. We will tell you as early as we can and offer a suitable alternative. We are not responsible for extra costs caused by events outside our reasonable control.
8. Complaints
If a hotel or other supplier falls short, tell them at the time, and tell us within 48 hours with your booking reference. We can only put things right when we know about them. A complaint that remains unresolved may be referred to a single arbitrator in Colombo, in English, under rules the parties agree.
9. Our responsibility
Where we are liable, that liability is limited to the price of the affected service for the people concerned, except where Sri Lankan law does not allow a limit, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
10. Your responsibilities
You are responsible for passports, visas, and health requirements for Sri Lanka, and for insurance that covers medical care, cancellation, and your belongings. Costs of illness or accident are yours unless that insurance meets them. You are also responsible for your conduct, and for damage caused by negligence to a vehicle, hotel, or other supplier.
11. This website
You may read and print these pages for your own personal use. Please do not copy the design, text, or photographs for commercial use without our written consent. We take care to keep the site accurate. It is a guide to our services, not a promise that every detail will stay unchanged. We may update these terms. The version on this page is the one that applies.