Terms and Conditions

• Vertic, we, us: Vertic Travel, operated by GuideMe SpA, a company incorporated in Chile.
• Traveler, you: any person who books a trip with Vertic or travels on a booking made in their name.
• Trip: any itinerary, program, experience or service sold by Vertic, as described in your Booking Confirmation.
• Provider: an independent company or professional (guide, lodge, transport company, outfitter) contracted by Vertic to deliver part of a Trip.
• Booking Confirmation: the written document we send you after receiving your deposit, listing the services included, the price, the balance due date and the cancellation schedule of your Trip.

Vertic Travel is a destination management company (DMC) specialized in outdoor travel in Chilean Patagonia and the Andes. We design, sell and organize your Trip and we are your point of contact before and during it.

On the O Circuit and the W Trek, Vertic operates the Trip directly, with its own guides and its own contracted accommodation. On every other Trip, we assemble the services from selected Providers under contract with us. In both cases, Vertic is responsible to you for organizing the Trip as described in your Booking Confirmation.

These Terms apply to travelers who book directly with us. Agencies and tour operators who buy through our Travel Trade program are covered by their own written rate agreement.

3.1. A booking is confirmed once we receive the deposit and send you the Booking Confirmation.

3.2. The deposit is 35% of the Trip price, unless your quote or Booking Confirmation states a different percentage. The deposit is non-refundable, except in the cases described in Section 7 and in the Booking, Payment and Cancellation Policy.

3.3. The remaining balance is due on the date stated in your Booking Confirmation. That date is set for each Trip and falls between 30 and 95 days before the start date.

3.4. If the balance is not paid by its due date, we may cancel the booking, and the cancellation terms of your Trip apply.

3.5. Accepted payment methods and fees are listed in the Booking, Payment and Cancellation Policy.

3.6. Services not listed as included in your Booking Confirmation are paid by you directly (for example personal expenses, optional extras, tips and meals not specified).

4.1. You must provide accurate and complete information when booking, including the age, nationality and passport details of every traveler, and any medical condition, dietary need or physical limitation that could affect the Trip. Telling us early lets us adapt the Trip or tell you honestly if it is not suitable.

4.2. You are responsible for being physically fit for the Trip you choose, as described on its page, and for holding a valid passport, visas and any entry document required.

4.3. You agree to follow the instructions of your guide at all times. The lead guide has the final say on safety decisions, including changing the route, turning back, or stopping the activity. A traveler who endangers themselves or others, or who refuses reasonable safety instructions, may be removed from the Trip without refund.

4.4. You agree to respect local communities, protected areas and park rules, and to leave no trace.

5.1. All travelers must hold travel insurance for the full duration of the Trip. The policy must cover at least medical expenses, emergency evacuation and repatriation, and it must be valid for the activities and altitude of your Trip (for example trekking, mountaineering or backcountry skiing). Trip cancellation and interruption cover is strongly recommended.

5.2. You must send us proof of insurance (policy number and provider) before the Trip starts. If you cannot show valid insurance at the start of the Trip, we may refuse your participation, and no refund will be given.

5.3. You may choose any policy that meets these requirements. Vertic works with Global Rescue and World Nomads and can point you to them, but their use is not required.

5.4. You are responsible for the costs of any rescue, evacuation, medical care or repatriation, whether or not you are insured. Vertic can coordinate a rescue on your behalf, but it does not pay for it.

6.1. Outdoor Trips run in the weather that the mountains give us. If bad weather does not create a safety risk, the activity goes ahead as planned, unless a different arrangement was agreed with you in advance. No refund is due for weather that is uncomfortable but safe.

6.2. If weather or conditions make an activity unsafe, the lead guide may change the route, the schedule or the activity, and we will offer the closest equivalent we can. If no safe alternative exists, Section 7 applies.

6.3. We may replace a Provider, accommodation or vehicle with an equivalent one when needed. We will tell you as soon as we can.

6.4. If you leave a Trip early, or skip any part of it, for reasons not caused by Vertic, no refund is due for the unused services.

6.5. Vertic and your guide may change the itinerary when needed, for example because of trail, road or park conditions, Provider availability, group pace or safety. We will keep the Trip as close as possible to what was sold and tell you about the change as soon as we can.

7.1. Force majeure means an event outside our reasonable control that makes it impossible or unsafe to run the Trip, including natural disasters, volcanic activity, fires, floods or landslides, closure of national parks, trails or access routes by the competent authorities (such as CONAF), government travel restrictions, border closures, strikes, and serious illness or accident of a guide, or of a guide's immediate family member, when it cannot be covered by a replacement.

7.2. If force majeure affects your Trip, we will notify you as soon as possible and offer you one of two options: (a) reschedule the Trip to a new date agreed with you, at no additional cost or penalty, or (b) if rescheduling is not possible, refund the amounts you paid for the services not delivered, minus payment processing fees.

7.3. If Vertic cancels a Trip for any other reason, you will receive a full refund of the amounts paid, minus payment processing fees, or you may choose a different Trip of equal value.

7.4. Vertic is not liable for any other cost caused by force majeure or by a Vertic cancellation, such as flights, visas or other bookings you made separately. This is one more reason why insurance with cancellation cover is recommended.

8.1. Vertic is responsible for organizing the Trip with reasonable care and for delivering the services described in your Booking Confirmation. For services delivered by Providers, we are the organizer and your contact point, and we will work to solve any problem and, where it applies, make the Provider answer for it.

8.2. Mountain and outdoor activities carry inherent risks, including weather changes, altitude, rough terrain, wildlife, river crossings, avalanche and falls. You understand these risks, you have read the information we provide about your Trip, and you choose to take part voluntarily.

8.3. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vertic is not liable for: events outside our control, including force majeure; injury, loss or damage caused by your own actions, by ignoring instructions from a guide, or by failing to disclose a relevant condition; loss or damage to personal belongings; and delays or changes caused by third parties such as airlines or border authorities.

8.4. Where we are liable, our total liability for a Trip is limited to the price you paid for that Trip, to the extent the law allows.

8.5. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under the law of Chile or under mandatory consumer protection rules that apply to you, including liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud.

If something is not right during your Trip, tell your guide or contact us immediately, so we can fix it on the spot. If the issue is not solved, write to us at info@vertictravel.com within 30 days after the end of your Trip, and we will reply within 15 business days.

10.1. We may take photos and videos during Trips and use them in our website, social media and promotional material. If you do not want to appear in them, tell your guide or write to us before the Trip starts.

10.2. If you send us photos, videos or reviews, you confirm they are yours (or you have the right to share them) and you give Vertic a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use them to operate and promote Vertic.

The website, its texts, photographs, maps, logos, brand and itineraries belong to Vertic or to its licensors and are protected by intellectual property law. You may not copy, resell or reuse them without our written permission. You agree to use the website lawfully and not to interfere with its operation.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version in force when you book is the one that applies to your booking. Updates apply to bookings made after they are published.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Chile. Any dispute will be submitted to the competent courts of Puerto Varas, Chile, without affecting any mandatory right you may have as a consumer in your country of residence.