Booking terms

1. Who you are contracting with

Your booking is with Mandarin Route Pty Ltd (ACN 703 388 952, ABN 25 703 388 952) ("we", "us"), an Australian company based in Melbourne, Victoria. We arrange travel services in China that are delivered by our operations team and by licensed Chinese suppliers (guides, drivers, hotels, rail operators, attractions) under contract to us.

2. Quotes and confirmation

Quotes are itemised in Australian dollars and valid for 14 days. A booking is confirmed when we receive your deposit and send a written confirmation. Prices may change before confirmation if supplier costs or exchange rates move; after confirmation the price is fixed except for government-imposed charges introduced after booking.

3. Payment

A deposit of 30% of the booking value is payable to confirm a tour or business trip. The balance is due 30 days before the first service date. Bookings made within 30 days of travel, and day guide bookings, are payable in full at confirmation. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and bank transfer in AUD. We do not add booking fees or card surcharges.

4. Changes by you

We will accommodate changes where our suppliers allow. Changes more than 30 days before travel are usually free. Inside that period, supplier change fees apply and are passed on at cost; we will tell you the fee before making the change.

5. Cancellation by you

For tours and business trips, measured from the first service date:

• More than 45 days: full refund less any non-refundable supplier costs that we identified to you in writing before committing them.
• 15 to 45 days: 50% of the booking value is retained.
• 14 days or fewer, or no-show: 100% of the booking value is retained.

For day guide bookings: free cancellation up to 7 days before the service date; 50% inside that; 100% on the day or no-show. Refunds are paid to the original payment method within 10 business days.

6. Cancellation or changes by us

If we cancel a booking for any reason other than your breach, we refund everything you have paid us. If a confirmed service cannot be delivered as described, we will provide a substitute of equal or higher standard at our cost, or refund the difference. Where a change is caused by events outside our control (weather, government action, strikes, epidemics, transport failures) we will do what we reasonably can to rearrange, and any unavoidable supplier costs are shared fairly; your rights under section 10 are not affected.

7. Travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance covering mainland China for medical, cancellation and personal liability is a condition of booking a tour or business trip. We will ask for the insurer and policy name at confirmation.

8. Passports, visas and health

You are responsible for holding a passport valid for at least six months beyond your return date, for meeting China's entry requirements (including any visa if the visa-free policy does not apply to you), and for any vaccinations. We provide general information in good faith but it is not immigration advice. Bookings made under your passport details (trains, attractions) require the details you give us to be accurate.

9. Conduct and responsibility

Our guides and drivers are entitled to a safe working environment. We may end a service without refund where a traveller's behaviour is dangerous or abusive. We are not responsible for losses caused by your own actions, by events outside our reasonable control, or by services you buy directly from third parties during the trip.

10. Australian Consumer Law

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies those guarantees or any other right you have under Australian law. To the extent permitted by law, our liability for breach of a guarantee is limited to resupplying the service or paying the cost of resupply.

11. Privacy

We collect your personal information, including passport details, to make bookings on your behalf. We share it only with the suppliers who need it to deliver your trip. See our privacy policy.

12. Complaints and disputes

Tell us during the trip so we can fix it. If something is not resolved, write to hello@mandarinroute.com within 30 days of your return and we will respond within 10 business days. These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.