1. About these terms
These terms apply between you and [Registered company name], [Registered office address], GSTIN [GSTIN], which operates 31° North ("we", "us"). By using this website, sending an enquiry or booking a journey or Faith Trail, you agree to these terms, our Privacy Policy and our Refund and Cancellation Policy. The person who books accepts these terms for everyone in their group and must be 18 or older.
2. Using the website
- Our atlas and guides are written carefully for general information. Opening hours, entry rules, fees and festival dates change, so always confirm them before you travel. Nothing on the site is religious, legal, medical or safety advice.
- Please use the site lawfully: do not copy it in bulk, attempt to break its security, or submit false enquiries.
- Links to other websites are for convenience; we are not responsible for their content.
3. Enquiries and booking
- An enquiry is not a booking. We reply with a tailored itinerary and quote, valid for the period stated in it.
- Your booking is confirmed only when you have paid the deposit and we have sent written confirmation. A contract then exists between you and us on these terms.
- Please check your confirmation carefully and tell us within 3 days if anything is wrong, including names, which must match your ID or passport exactly.
4. Prices, payment and taxes
- Prices are quoted for each journey and include what the quote lists, nothing more. Usually excluded: international flights, visas, insurance, personal expenses, offerings, donations and tips.
- A deposit (usually 25%) confirms your booking; the balance is due 30 days before departure. If the balance is not paid on time, we may treat the booking as cancelled under our Refund Policy.
- Prices include applicable GST unless stated. For journeys outside India, tax collected at source (TCS) applies as required by Indian tax law; we deposit it in your name.
- Once your booking is confirmed, we will not raise the price, except for new or increased government taxes, permit fees or fuel surcharges imposed after confirmation. If such an increase is more than 8% of the journey cost, you may cancel with a full refund.
- Payments are made through secure payment partners; we do not store your full card details.
5. Documents, health and insurance
- Documents: you are responsible for a valid passport or ID, visas, and any permits that must be held in your own name. We guide you on what is needed, but authorities make the final decision.
- Health and fitness: some journeys involve long walks, crowds, heat or high altitude (for example Kedarnath at about 3,580 m or the Kailash parikrama above 5,000 m). Please tell us honestly about any condition that may affect you or others, consult a doctor before travel, and provide a medical certificate where required.
- Insurance: comprehensive travel insurance covering medical care, evacuation and cancellation is strongly recommended for all journeys, and required for high-altitude journeys.
- Leaders' instructions: for everyone's safety, please follow the reasonable instructions of your guide or trip leader.
6. Respect at sacred places
Every journey and Faith Trail visits living places of worship. Every traveller agrees to our Sacred Code:
- Prayer before pictures. No photos or filming during prayer, and never of worshippers without consent.
- Dress for the house. Follow each place's dress code and customs.
- Listen, never rank. No debating, mocking or comparing faiths.
- Give back in the way each community welcomes.
Some sacred places restrict entry, for example to followers of their faith or on certain days, and may close without notice. These rules belong to the communities, and we cannot override them or guarantee entry, darshan or a particular ceremony. Where a place is closed to you, we offer the closest respectful alternative.
If a traveller seriously or repeatedly breaks the Sacred Code, behaves abusively, or endangers others, we may ask them to leave the journey, without refund for the unused part.
7. The Sacred Passport
- The digital Sacred Passport is a free keepsake. Stamps have no cash value, cannot be sold or exchanged, and do not certify any religious status.
- Your passport is stored on your own device. If you clear your browser data or change devices, it may be lost, and we cannot restore it.
- Stamps are meant to be collected in person on a Faith Trail. We may correct or remove stamps collected without taking part, and may change or end the passport programme with reasonable notice.
8. Our role and our partners
We plan and organise your journey and work with carefully chosen independent partners: hotels, transport and helicopter operators, guides and Faith Hosts. They provide their services under their own terms and any applicable law, which also apply to you. We choose them with care and check standards regularly. Places of worship are not our partners or suppliers; we visit them as respectful guests.
9. Our responsibility to you
- We will deliver your journey with reasonable care and skill, as described in your confirmation.
- We are not responsible for loss, injury, delay or cost caused by your own actions, by a third party unconnected with your journey, or by events beyond our reasonable control such as weather, natural disasters, epidemics, civil unrest, strikes, closures of sacred sites or government action. In such cases we will still help you, and our Refund Policy explains what happens to your money.
- Where we are responsible, our total liability is limited to the price you paid for the affected journey, except where the law does not allow such a limit, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
- Nothing in these terms takes away your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 or other law that protects you.
10. Content and photographs
- The text, design, logo and Sacred Passport artwork belong to us. You may share links and short quotes with credit, but not copy the site or its guides.
- Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences, credited on each page and on our image credits page; their own licences apply.
- If you share photos of your journey with us, we will only use them in our marketing with your permission, and never photos taken during prayer.
11. Complaints
If something goes wrong during a journey, tell your guide or call us straight away so we can try to put it right on the spot. If you are still unhappy, write to [support@yourdomain.com] within 30 days of your return. We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and aim to resolve them within 30 days. Our Grievance Officer is [Grievance Officer name].
12. Law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of India. We will always try to settle a disagreement amicably first. Otherwise, the courts at [City] have jurisdiction, without affecting your right to approach a consumer commission or the courts where you live under consumer protection law.
13. Changes and contact
We may update these terms; the version in force when you book applies to your booking. Contact us at [support@yourdomain.com], [+91 phone number], or [Registered company name], [Registered office address].