Cancellation & refund policy
How cancellations, changes and refunds work for bookings made with Droelma Tours & Travels.
Last updated: 17 September 2026
Draft — pending legal review
This document was drafted from standard tour-operator practice and has not yet been reviewed by a qualified legal professional. Specific figures and timeframes need to be confirmed against how this business actually operates before these terms are relied on.
1. Cancelling a booking
You can cancel a booking from your dashboard or by contacting us. The refund you receive depends on how far before your departure date we receive the cancellation. The date we receive written notice is the date used, not the date you decided.
| When you cancel | Refund |
|---|---|
| More than 45 days before departure | 90% of the trip cost |
| 30–45 days before departure | 75% of the trip cost |
| 15–29 days before departure | 50% of the trip cost |
| 7–14 days before departure | 25% of the trip cost |
| Less than 7 days before departure, or no-show | No refund |
2. What isn't refundable
Some costs are paid to third parties on your behalf and are governed by their rules rather than ours:
- Visa fees are generally non-refundable once the application has been submitted.
- The Sustainable Development Fee is refundable according to the rules set by the Government of Bhutan at the time of cancellation, which we will confirm for your booking.
- Flight tickets follow the airline's own fare rules. Many discounted fares are non-refundable.
- Bank charges and payment processing fees already incurred.
3. Changing dates instead of cancelling
Where possible we would rather move your trip than cancel it. If you ask to change dates more than 30 days before departure we will do our best to rebook you with no change fee, subject to availability and any difference in seasonal pricing. Closer to departure, a change may be treated as a cancellation and rebooking under the tiers above.
4. If we cancel
If we cancel a confirmed booking for any reason within our control, you will receive a full refund of everything you have paid us, or the option to rebook at no extra cost.
If a trip cannot go ahead for reasons outside anyone's control — weather closing a route, flight cancellations, natural events, government restrictions — we will rearrange what we can and refund the portion of your payment we are able to recover from suppliers. This is why we strongly recommend travel insurance that covers trip disruption.
5. Trekking and remote itineraries
Multi-day treks and remote itineraries commit staff, permits and supplies well in advance. Cancellations within 30 days of departure on these trips may be subject to stricter terms than the table above, which we will tell you at the time of booking.
6. How refunds are paid
Refunds are made to the original payment method where possible, in Bhutanese Ngultrum. If your payment was converted from another currency, the amount you receive may differ from what you originally paid due to exchange rate movement and your bank's fees, which are outside our control. We aim to process approved refunds within 14 working days.
7. Getting in touch
To cancel or change a booking, or to ask about a refund, please contact us.