Frequently asked questions

Send the route, date and number of passengers through the booking form, WhatsApp, the Trip Desk chat on this site or a phone call. You get a written all-inclusive quote back, usually within fifteen minutes. A twenty percent advance confirms the vehicle.

Fuel, tolls, parking, state entry taxes, driver allowance and, on multi-day trips, the driver's food and accommodation. Protected-area permit fees, monument tickets and the Bhutan Sustainable Development Fee are charged at actuals because those rates are set by the authorities, not by us.

Twenty percent advance by UPI or bank transfer holds the car. The balance is handed to the driver in cash or paid by UPI at the end of the trip. Corporate accounts are billed monthly against a GST invoice.

Yes, on every booking. For corporate clients we consolidate the month's duty slips into a single invoice with your GSTIN on it.

Yes. Our Phuentsholing desk files it for you and it normally takes one working day, which is why our Bhutan itineraries begin with a night at the border town. You need a passport valid for six months or a voter ID card, two passport photographs and the completed form. Route permits for Punakha and further east are issued in Thimphu and we handle those too.

Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir, Nathu La, Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang, Gurudongmar and the Zuluk Silk Route all sit inside protected areas. Permits are arranged as part of your package. Only Sikkim-registered vehicles are allowed beyond the checkposts, and our cars carry that registration.

A Restricted Area Permit for Sikkim, which we apply for on your behalf with a copy of your passport, visa and two photographs. Some areas including Gurudongmar are closed to foreign nationals entirely, and we will tell you before you book rather than at the checkpost.

Yes, for Indian nationals entering Arunachal Pradesh including Tawang. It is applied for online and we manage the process as part of any Arunachal itinerary.

Give us the flight number when you book. The driver tracks it and waits. The first sixty minutes after landing carry no waiting charge, and for genuine airline delays we do not charge waiting at all.

NH10 closes several times each monsoon. Our dispatcher usually knows before the news does. We reroute through Rangpo or Melli where possible, and if the road is fully shut we help you rebook hotels. Costs arising from weather and road closure are not part of the fare, but we will not profit from them either.

Yes. Add a viewpoint, drop a stop, extend a night. Extra kilometres are billed at the published per-kilometre rate for your vehicle, and any additional permit is arranged if the timing allows.

His name, photograph, mobile number and the vehicle registration reach you on WhatsApp the evening before pickup.

Yes, on request at no extra charge. Tell us the child's age when booking so the right seat is fitted.

Below about 2,000 m a sedan is comfortable and cheaper. For Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar, Zuluk and Nathu La you want a Scorpio or Bolero for the ground clearance. Groups of five or more travelling long circuits are happiest in an Innova Crysta. Tell us the route and we will recommend honestly, including when the cheaper car is fine.

Every vehicle carries a valid commercial permit, comprehensive insurance, fitness certificate and pollution certificate. Documents are in the car and can be shown on request.

Police verification, a valid commercial licence with badge, a road test on a gradient of our choosing, and two supervised runs on any new route before carrying guests. High-altitude routes are rostered only to drivers with three or more seasons.

Yes. Cars going above 3,500 m carry a portable oxygen can and a first-aid box. Gurudongmar sits at 5,430 m, so we also advise a rest day in Lachen first.

Cancelling more than 48 hours before pickup is free and the advance is refunded in full within seven working days. Inside 48 hours the advance is held as credit against another trip within six months.

If we cannot provide the vehicle we booked, we arrange an equivalent or better one at no extra cost. If no vehicle can be provided at all, the entire amount paid is refunded.

If the army closes Nathu La or snow shuts a North Sikkim road, permit fees already paid to the authorities are not refundable to us and so cannot be refunded to you. Our own service charge for that day is waived and we offer an alternative sightseeing route instead.