About Us > Nitty Gritty (FAQs)

NITTY GRITTY (FAQs)

International Flights

Our tours are operated on the basis of land-only, which means that flights from the point where the tour starts and finishes is your responsibility. However, we are well acquainted with flight routes and connections – and airlines and deals – between your point of departure and the gateway airport where the land portion of any given tour begins and ends, and we will be happy to advice you advice on flights if you book one of our tours. 

Price Policies and Inclusions

Prices quoted in any pages in this website are meant to be a guide of the price-levels you can expect to pay if you travel with us – obviously, the actual prices varies depending on various factors. Moreover, price inclusions depends on the kind of tour you would be taking – generally speaking, prices of scheduled tours and custom tours are all-inclusive, but Special Interest Private Tours operate under a different price computation, in which the price is broken down into its constituent parts and presented to you as itemised list, making the price wholly transparent.

Health Precautions

The potential of picking up infectious diseases is variable in the areas where we travel, and the level of cautiousness that you exercise is a matter of personal choice. For example, rabies is present in some rural areas in China – but we have never inoculated ourselves against rabies as we don’t consider it a significant risk. Likewise, malaria occurs in some areas of tropical Asia where we travel, but once again we have never taken prophylaxis for malaria because the risk of picking these diseases is very low. However, you might think otherwise; these are matters of personal choice. We do suggest that you visit your hospital to enquire about latest health advice and vaccinations you might opt to have before your trip. Please note that travel health advice is in a regular state of flux and we cannot dispense immutable advice in this page, but we can give you advice in good faith on request. And, while we do believe that Westerners in Asia are overcautious (we were also finicky at first), ultimately it’s up to you to be informed of the risks prior to travel and decide on a course of action. Do bear in mind that you should get advice at least one month prior to departure to ensure you have enough time for some staggered inoculations that you might decide to take. 

Adventure & Ruggedness

We operate adventure tours at the geographical frontiers, and most of our journeys take place in areas where the tourist infrastructure is basic or limited. This often means that our travels are relatively rugged – examples: standards of rooms and hygiene in some villages or far-out places may be lower that you are used to, some roads may be unpaved and bumpy, and local guides and/or drivers may be a bit unrefined. Additionally, our travels mostly take place in terrain and climes that are physically harsh and challenging – such as high altitudes, dry and dusty deserts, steamy tropical rainforests, and so on – causing you to feel some discomfort. We try our best to smoothen the roughness, but if you are not mentally prepared to put up with such ruggedness and discomfort, you should not travel with us, or neither should you go to the places where we operate.

Itinerary & Flexibility

The itinerary as stated is a statement of intent and not a contractual or legal document. Our adventure travels take place in remote and less-developed regions where the terrain is harsh. Despite meticulous planning, travels in geographic frontiers are inherently unpredictable – extraneous conditions or factors beyond our control might force us to do some changes to the itinerary along the way. Such events can be mechanical breakdowns, weather conditions, illnesses and local hazards (such as landslides), and any other unforeseeable event that might cause delays and force us to make some changes. We will do our best to execute the itinerary as agreed, but an element of flexibility is essential in the areas where we travel – and it is part of the travel experience – and unless you are prepared to accept an element of flexibility in good spirit, we suggest that you do not travel with us.

Packing Guide

Once you book a tour, a packing guide and checklist will be sent to you. This would have detailed information on everything you would need to pack, and bring with you, for the particular tour you would be joining. The list would be tailored to the season of travel.

Food Tolerance

We think that the food in the places where we operate is delicious and hearty, and part of the travel experience. But not everyone shares our enthusiasm for exotic cuisine, and not everyone is physically able to stomach unusual food. Once you book a tour, your interest and tolerance with the local cuisine will be discussed, and we will make special dietary arrangements if needed. Please note that we are able to cater to vegetarians. 

Altitude Sickness

Many of our tours take place in mountainous regions at heights of 2,000-metres-plus, and we often reach altitudes of over 3000 metres. At such heights, everyone will experience mild altitude sickness, which mostly manifests itself by a shortness of breath and dry mouth – symptoms that improve after a few days as you acclimitise. A few people may also suffer stronger ailments, such as headache and regurgitation. All of these are transients discomforts, and we carry free medication to assist you deal with these symptoms. On rare occasions, however, altitude sickness might be stronger, and the sufferer might have to move back to lower elevations. Severe altitude sickness is rare, and there is no need to worry unnecessarily about it as there is no way of knowing in advance whether you’re one of the unlucky few who may be susceptible to strong altitude sickness (if you have already been to high altitudes without suffering any strong reactions, then you may not be susceptible to severe altitude sickness.) 

Visas

Tourist visas are readily issued in most places where we work. If you are joining us on a scheduled tour or private tour, you make mention the company in the visa application form – yet this is not normally needed by the consular offices. On the other hand, if you do experience any glitches, we can issue you an official invitation letter to smoothen the process. We can offer advice for each particular case on request.

Detailed Terms & Conditions

Once you book one of our tours, a detailed policy document explaining our policies, terms, and conditions will be sent to you. This will explain everything about our operation – our obligations, our conduct, our legal responsibilities, and our service approach. This document reproduces the terms you read here, as well as the explanations in other pages of this website: the difference is that it is more detailed and clear, and serves as a legal contract between the client and the company. It’s a document that serves to protect you legally should something untoward happen during the tour.  

Copyright

All pictures on this website, as well as all stories and other writing, belong to © Victor Paul Borg. None of the material in this website, whether pictures or writing, can be copied or reproduced, whether in part or in full, without the prior written permission of Victor Paul Borg. Additionally, pleas refrain from creating links to any of the pages of Pepper Mountains without prior agreement.