Terms & Conditions
Nine short sections covering what we promise, what the park decides, and what you need to do on safari day. No small print hiding in the corner.
Last updated: 07 October 2026
1. Introduction & scope
These Terms govern bookings made with Bigstriped Cat Safari Tours (“we”, “us”, “our”), a private travel agency based in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. They cover safari permits, accommodation, transfers, the Chambal boat trip and any other service we arrange for you.
Booking with us means you accept these Terms, our Cancellation & Refund Policy, and our Privacy Policy. Questions go to bigstripedcatsafaritours@gmail.com or +91 94689 20940.
The safari season runs 1 October to 30 June. The park is closed 1 July to 30 September. Zones 1–5 close every Wednesday and zones 6–10 close every Tuesday, so two safaris cannot be booked on the same weekday. These are the Forest Department's rules, not ours, and they change — if what you read here does not match what we tell you, our advice on the day wins because it will be current.
2. General terms for tour packages
- Rates shown on this website are not held for long weekends, festivals or the Christmas and New Year period unless we confirm the booking in writing.
- Hotels are quoted on the basis of the base category. Upgrades depend on availability and are paid directly to the property.
- Check-in is typically 12:00 noon and check-out 11:00 AM, though individual properties differ. Early check-in and late check-out cannot be guaranteed.
- Give us the correct age of every traveller at the time of booking. Incorrect ages cause problems with permits and hotels, and the cost is yours.
- If your preferred room category is unavailable, we arrange something of similar standard at no extra charge.
- Where the government changes a fee, tax or surcharge after you have booked, we tell you before you travel and you pay the difference.
- We are not liable for loss of or damage to your belongings. Travel insurance is worth having.
- Where an alternative has to be substituted for safety or operational reasons, we aim to provide something of equal value and we tell you before you set off.
3. Safari booking terms
3.1 Gypsy and Canter safaris
Before the permit is issued, cancellations are handled under our Cancellation & Refund Policy. Once the permit is issued, the government permit fee cannot be recovered because it has been paid to the Forest Department.
If your vehicle changes on the day, the price difference is refunded in full and you are told beforehand.
3.2 Current and Tatkal slots
Same-day and next-day bookings carry the most risk on both sides. A morning slot may be issued the previous evening; an afternoon slot may come through earlier on the day.
If the booking does not confirm, you get the full amount back. We will never describe a pending permit as confirmed.
3.3 Chambal River safari
Boat capacity is fixed per slot, so a confirmed boat booking is not transferable and is non-refundable. Cancelling more than a day ahead usually allows us to release the seat without charge.
3.4 If we cannot get you a permit
Where seats are unavailable or an application is rejected and we cannot resolve it, you get the full amount back to your original payment method. We tell you the same day rather than leaving you to chase us.
The full schedule and timelines for cancellations are set out in the Cancellation & Refund Policy, which is the controlling document on that subject.
Refunds in one paragraph
Your booking contains two things that behave differently on cancellation. The park permit fee is government revenue, paid to the Forest Department against a specific date, vehicle and passenger list. Our service fee pays for filing and coordinating that booking. What is recoverable at each stage is set out in the Cancellation & Refund Policy, which is the controlling document: before a permit is filed there is far more to recover than after it is issued, and where we cannot obtain a permit at all, you get everything back in full.
There is usually more recoverable before a permit is issued than after, and one message tells you which side of that line you are on. No justification is needed and there is no deadline for asking.
Approved refunds go back to the original payment method, or by bank transfer if that account has closed. Allow seven to fourteen business days for the bank. Full detail, including tour packages, last-minute bookings, park closures and vehicle changes, is on the Cancellation & Refund Policy page.
4. Your responsibilities on safari day
These are the things that most often cause a guest to miss a drive, so they are worth reading properly.
- Carry the original identity document for every traveller — the same one you gave us at booking, with the name spelled identically. Photographs on a phone are not accepted.
- Be at the gate thirty minutes before your slot. Vehicles leave on time and the gate closes behind the last one.
- A tiger sighting is never guaranteed. Nothing in this booking is a promise of one.
- Follow the guide's instructions inside the park. Driving off the track, playing audio, or calling out will end your drive early and may lead to your vehicle being asked to leave.
- Do not feed any animal, and do not carry food out into the forest to do so. It is prohibited and it harms the animals.
- There is no reliable mobile signal inside the park. Save the gate address before you leave your hotel.
5. Payment
- We accept UPI and bank transfer. We do not process card payments through this website, and we will never ask you for a card number, PIN, OTP or net-banking password.
- Payment instructions appear on your booking summary and are confirmed by e-mail and WhatsApp.
- Where a booking needs an advance, it is stated on the quotation before you pay. The balance, if any, is due on the date shown there.
- Quoted prices include the permit, vehicle, driver, licensed guide and taxes where applicable. Hotel transfers and the gate camera fee are separate and are listed as such.
- No charge is added after you have booked. If a price has genuinely changed, we tell you and you decide.
Enter the age of every child accurately at booking; permit rules and vehicle capacity determine which travellers are charged, and your quote states exactly what applies.
6. Liability, force majeure and jurisdiction
6.1 Our liability
We are responsible for providing the services we promise, with reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for the decisions of the Forest Department, for animals behaving as animals do, or for anything outside our reasonable control. To the extent permitted by law, our total liability is limited to the amount you paid for the affected booking.
6.2 Force majeure
We are not liable for delay, cancellation or change caused by events beyond our control, including:
Where we can offer an alternative we will, and where money can be returned we will return it.
6.3 Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by Indian law. Disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, where our business operates.
7. What we are
Bigstriped Cat Safari Tours is a private travel agency. We are not the Forest Department, we are not authorised by it, and we do not sell park permits directly. We file and coordinate bookings on your behalf and charge a service fee for doing so.
Reservations inside the tiger reserve are subject to the Forest Department's conditions. The department may close the park, change zone closures or alter timings at short notice, and issued permits are not transferable, reschedulable or refundable as per park rules.
By booking with us you confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms, that the information you have given us for the permit is correct, and that you will carry the original documents on the day.
8. Contact & support
If any of this is unclear, ask before you book. A question costs you nothing and saves an argument later.
Ready to book?
Send us your dates; we will confirm availability and put the terms in writing before you commit.