Booking, Cancellation & Refund Policy
Clear, upfront conditions regarding service reservations, written cancellation deadlines, refund scales, travel insurance requirements, and our Salar de Uyuni weather force majeure protocols.
Before You Book — Important Policy Notice:
Cancellation conditions vary by service (flexible, partially refundable, or non-refundable). Where a specific service has special supplier conditions communicated in your quotation, Debit Note, or confirmation voucher, those specific conditions will apply to that service. For Uyuni and Eduardo Avaroa tours, we highly recommend comprehensive travel insurance because weather and road conditions can affect access.
How Your Booking Works
Our booking process is designed to give you a full opportunity to review your itinerary and costs before making payment.
Our Commitment and Your Acknowledgment
Our Role: Boliviatravelsite.com is a booking platform that acts as an intermediary between you and local service providers (e.g., local tour operators, hotels, transportation companies, airlines, and railways). We facilitate the booking and payment process with full transparency and logistical coordination, but we are not the direct operational provider of the individual on-ground tours and services.
By confirming a booking with us, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted these Booking and Cancellation Policies, together with any specific provider conditions communicated to you before payment.
Availability & Quote
Contact us with your travel dates. We check supplier availability and provide an itemized quote detailing services and prices.
Review & Approval
We send you a Debit Note or booking summary. Please review the itinerary, dates, passenger info, and inclusions carefully.
Secure Payment
Once authorized, payment is completed securely via PayPal, Wise, or agreed international methods. The quoted price matches the bill.
Confirmation
Your booking is secured with suppliers. We issue your Confirmation Voucher, flight e-tickets, and driver contact documents.
Cancellation Requests & Operating Cut-Offs
Clear rules governing when and how cancellation notices take legal and financial effect.
Written Notice Requirement
All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by email. The cancellation will be considered effective from the exact date and time we receive your written request during our business hours (Monday–Friday: 08:30–19:00 GMT-4). If received outside business hours, the applicable period is calculated from the next business day.
Administrative Fee & Processing
For cancellations that qualify for a refund, Bolivia Travel Site may retain a 4% administrative fee of the amount paid. This fee covers international payment gateway charges, supplier communication, and booking administration costs. Refunds are processed through the original payment method (e.g., PayPal or Wise).
No-Shows & Unused Services
If a passenger does not appear for a scheduled departure, arrives late, misses a flight/bus/train, fails to check in at a hotel, or leaves a tour after it has started, the service will be treated as a no-show and is non-refundable. Unused services (meals, lodging, guides) during an ongoing tour are not automatically refundable.
Changes to Your Booking
If you need to change dates, passenger names, or hotel categories, please notify us immediately. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate changes subject to supplier availability. Any additional supplier costs will be communicated prior to confirmation.
Standard Cancellation Fee Scales
The standard penalty tiers below apply unless different supplier-specific conditions are stated in your booking voucher.
| Written Notice Received Prior to Departure | Cancellation Penalty | Eligible Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 60 days or more before departure | 0% (Subject to non-refundable supplier costs) | Full deposit refund (less 4% admin fee) |
| 59 to 30 days before departure | 30% of total booking | 70% of total booking |
| 29 to 15 days before departure | 75% of total booking | 25% of total booking |
| 14 days or less / No-Show | 100% of total booking | Non-refundable |
| Written Notice Received Prior to Departure | Cancellation Penalty | Eligible Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days or more before departure | 10% of total booking | 90% of total booking |
| 29 to 7 days before departure | 20% of total booking | 80% of total booking |
| 72 to 48 hours before departure | 30% of total booking | 70% of total booking |
| Less than 48 hours before departure | 100% of total booking | Non-refundable |
| Written Notice Received Prior to Check-in | Cancellation Penalty | Eligible Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 60 days or more before check-in | 0% (Subject to non-refundable supplier costs) | Full deposit refund (less 4% admin fee) |
| 59 to 30 days before check-in | 30% of deposit | 70% of deposit |
| 29 to 15 days before check-in | 75% of deposit | 25% of deposit |
| 14 days or less before check-in | 100% of deposit | Non-refundable |
| Written Notice Received Prior to Departure | Cancellation Penalty | Eligible Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 10 days or more before departure | 20% of ticket price | 80% of ticket price |
| 9 to 6 days before departure | 30% of ticket price | 70% of ticket price |
| 5 to 3 days before departure | 50% of ticket price | 50% of ticket price |
| 2 to 1 days before departure / Missed bus | 100% of ticket price | Non-refundable |
Special Cancellation Policy: Uyuni Salt Flats & Eduardo Avaroa Reserve
Operating protocols in extreme high-altitude desert environments (3,650m to 4,850m).
Tours to the Salar de Uyuni and Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve (REA) take place in a remote, high-altitude environment where road conditions and access can be affected by weather, snow, heavy rain, flooding, storms, road closures, and government decisions beyond our control.
Weather Disruptions, Force Majeure & No-Refund Policy
We and our local service providers cannot be held responsible for cancellations, delays, or itinerary changes resulting from unforeseeable events beyond our control. This includes, but is not limited to, extreme weather conditions (rain, flooding, snow, ice storms), natural disasters, civil demonstrations, strikes, political unrest, road blockades, and other force majeure events.
No Refund for Weather-Related Changes: The Salar de Uyuni is a dynamic natural environment. Weather conditions, particularly during the rainy season (typically November to March), can significantly alter the landscape, creating the famous "mirror effect" or, conversely, making parts of the terrain impassable.
Neither Boliviatravelsite.com nor our tour operator partners provide refunds, discounts, or rescheduling (without penalty) for cancellations, delays, or itinerary changes caused by inclement weather, road closures, or adverse natural conditions. When safety requires route adjustments, drivers adapt the route in real time for passenger protection.
Highly Recommended Travel Insurance
Because travel to Uyuni and Eduardo Avaroa involves remote areas and conditions that can change rapidly, we highly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance prior to your trip.
Your insurance policy should ideally include full coverage for:
- Trip cancellation & trip interruption
- Weather-related disruptions & transportation delays
- Missed flight/bus connections
- Emergency medical expenses
- Emergency high-altitude evacuation above 4,000m
- Lost or delayed baggage
Travel insurance is particularly vital for multi-day Uyuni tours and itineraries involving the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve or the Bolivia-Chile border crossing at Hito Cajones.
Mirror Season Safety Routing (Jan – Mar)
During the flooded mirror season, deep water can make driving across the central salt crust to Incahuasi Island unsafe. Drivers will adapt the route to safe flooded reflection zones and shoreline volcanic viewpoints to protect passenger safety and prevent vehicle damage.
Winter Border Closures (June – August)
Sub-zero winter blizzards can temporarily close the high-altitude Hito Cajones border pass into Chile. In such events, our team coordinates overland rerouting via the lower Ollagüe Pass to ensure passengers reach San Pedro de Atacama safely.
Third-Party Services & Personal Data Protection
How passenger details, passport records, and international payments are secured.
Third-Party Supplier Conditions
Bolivia Travel Site works with independent hotels, airlines, bus companies, railway operators, and local guides. These suppliers maintain their own terms and cancellation deadlines. Where a supplier's policy differs from our standard policy, the supplier-specific conditions communicated at booking apply.
Privacy & Payment Security
We collect passenger data (names, passport numbers, flight manifests) strictly to secure park permits and bookings. Personal information is never sold to third-party marketers. Payments are handled through encrypted, bank-grade SSL gateways (PayPal and Wise); we never store raw credit card numbers on our servers.
These policies are effective as of the date of publication. We reserve the right to update these policies from time to time. For any questions regarding our terms, cancellations, or custom route bookings, please contact us at contact@boliviatravelsite.com.