Return & Refund Policy
We believe in transparency and establishing a foundation of trust before your journey begins. Please review our comprehensive policies regarding payment, cancellation, and refunds.
1. Advance Payment
To secure and confirm your tailormade itinerary, private transfer, or luxury package, Yatara Ceylon requires a 20% non-refundable advance payment at the time of booking. This advance is immediately utilized to block highly sought-after boutique hotel inventory and commit premium private transport strictly to your dates.
The remaining 80% balance is invariably due 14 days prior to your scheduled arrival in Sri Lanka, or immediately if the booking is made within 14 days of travel. Our operations team will issue a secure payment link via PayHere for this final settlement.
2. Cancellation by the Customer
We understand that circumstances may force a change of plans. To cancel a confirmed booking, formal written notice must be submitted to our concierge team at info@yataraceylon.me.
The following tiered refund schedule applies to the total value of the booking, based on the notice period provided prior to your arrival date:
| Notice Period | Refund Eligibility |
|---|---|
| 30+ Days before arrival | Full refund of advance (less 3.5% gateway processing fees) |
| 15 – 29 Days before arrival | 50% of the advance amount remains refundable |
| 7 – 14 Days before arrival | 25% of the advance amount remains refundable |
| Less than 7 Days (or no-show) | No refund. 100% cancellation penalty applies. |
Note: Peak season bookings (Dec 15 - Jan 15) may be subject to stricter non-refundable conditions dictated by our hotel partners. You will be explicitly notified of these if they apply to your itinerary.
3. Cancellation by Yatara Ceylon
While exceedingly rare, we reserve the right to cancel a booking due to extraordinary operational failures or supplier bankruptcy. Should this occur, you will be offered the choice of:
- A complete, 100% refund of all payments made to Yatara Ceylon.
- An alternative journey of identical or superior value.
We do not accept liability for consequential losses you may incur, such as non-refundable international airfares or visa fees.
4. Modifications to Journey
We welcome itinerary modifications requested more than 14 days before travel, and do not charge administrative fees to process them. However, you will be liable for any net increase in cost (such as upgrading a room category or switching to a premium vehicle).
Changes requested within 14 days of travel are treated as partial cancellations and re-bookings, inevitably subject to availability and potential penalty charges from our regional suppliers.
5. Force Majeure
In the event of circumstances entirely beyond human control—including but not limited to severe natural disasters, global pandemics, civil unrest, or sovereign government travel restrictions—Yatara Ceylon will waive standard cancellation penalties.
Our primary directive in such scenarios is to rearrange your itinerary or issue an open-ended credit note for future travel valid for 24 months, rather than issue cash refunds, as funds may already be irretrievably committed to suppliers.
6. Refund Processing Logistics
All approved refunds are strictly processed backward through the original method of transaction (via PayHere to your original credit/debit card). We cannot remit refunds to alternative bank accounts or distinct cards to comply with international Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards.
Please allow 7 to 14 business days for the funds to reflect in your account, dependent solely on your card issuer's clearing cycle. Gateway processing fees (typically 3.5%) levied by PayHere are generally non-recoverable and non-refundable.
7. Transport & Transfer Services
For bookings comprising purely of point-to-point private transfers (e.g., Airport to Galle), cancellation is entirely free of charge until 24 hours prior to the scheduled pick-up time. Cancellations invoked within 24 hours of pick-up are non-refundable.
8. Contact the Concierge
For all inquiries regarding cancellations, or to formally request a modification or refund, please liaise with your dedicated travel designer or our central desk:
