Terms and conditions

1. Who we are

Fat Cat Valle de las Animas Tours is the operating brand in La Paz of Visit South America, a Bolivian company running travel in the country since 2012. Office: Figueroa 760, La Paz, Bolivia. Contact: fatcat@valledelasanimas.com, WhatsApp +591 67152270.

Legal entity and tax ID (NIT): [under review — registration of the brand in progress, September 2026]. Tour operator licence: [under review — application in progress]. Trademark (SENAPI): [under review — filed]. When you book with us, the operator of your tour is us: our own vehicles, our own guides. We do not resell third-party tours.

2. Booking and payment

• How to book. Send your date, the tour and the number of people by WhatsApp or email. Sales answer 9 am – 3 pm, every day. A booking exists when you pay for it and receive our written confirmation — instantly when you book online, or by WhatsApp or email when you book with us directly.
• Full payment at booking. You pay the full price of the tour when you book. There is no deposit and nothing to pay on the day. Shared tours are confirmed instantly and run with a minimum of 2 passengers (section 4).
• Payment methods. PayPal, credit or debit card (Stripe), WeTravel, crypto, or cash in La Paz. Card payments are processed by Stripe or PayPal; we never see or store your card number. Prices are in US dollars; payments in bolivianos are converted at the rate we quote on the day.
• Deadline. Book up to 12 hours before departure.
• Your details. Give us the full names of everyone travelling, passport number and nationality (required for the tourist invoice, see section 10), a phone number that works in Bolivia, your hotel and, if you have one, a condition we should know about (section 7). Wrong or missing details are your responsibility.

3. Changes and cancellations

We book direct customers as flexibly as we can. The cut-off for everything below is 3:00 pm (La Paz time) the day before your tour — because that is when we finish reserving guides, vehicles and breakfast for the next morning.

Changes are free

Change your tour date, free of charge, up to 3:00 pm the day before your tour. Subject to availability on the new date.

24-hour risk-free cancellation

After booking you have 24 hours to cancel for a full refund, for any reason — provided your request reaches us by 3:00 pm the day before the tour. After this window the standard terms below apply.

Standard cancellations and no-shows

• Cancel up to 3:00 pm the day before: 70% refund (a 30% administration fee applies).
• Cancel after 3:00 pm the day before, or do not show up at the pickup: no refund. By then everything is reserved for you and it is too late to resell your seat.
• Late at pickup: the vehicle waits 15 to 20 minutes — La Paz traffic is what it is, and we build that in. After that it leaves and the no-show rule applies. Call us the moment you know you are late; sometimes we can catch you up on the way.
• Leaving a tour early, for any reason, is treated as completed: no partial refund.

How refunds are paid

To the same method you paid with, within 7 to 9 business days. Bank and platform fees charged by third parties (PayPal, Stripe, your bank) are outside our control and may be deducted by them.

4. If we cancel

If we cancel a tour — for weather, road closures, strikes or blockades, safety concerns, a vehicle problem we cannot solve in time, or any other reason on our side — you choose between a new date and a full refund. We will tell you as early as we can, usually the evening before.

Shared tours need a minimum of 2 passengers. If the minimum is not reached we will offer a new date, a private tour at the private rate, or a full refund.

5. Weather and the mountains

Valle de las Ánimas sits at almost 4,000 m and the weather changes by the hour. Rain especially makes the adventure versatile — let us set the right expectations together. Bring a waterproof jacket every time, whatever the forecast says at breakfast.

We will always try to run the programme as planned. If we see serious difficulties that put your safety at risk — heavy rain in the canyon (it is a riverbed), lightning on the ridge, a road that has become unsafe, or a passenger who is unwell — the guide decides, and the guide's decision is final. That may mean waiting, changing the order of the stops, swapping a walk for a drive, replacing the canyon with the city, or turning back. Changes made for safety on the day are not grounds for a refund; a tour we cannot deliver at all is covered by section 4.

Light rain, cold, wind, clouds and mud are part of the mountains, not reasons to cancel. In the rainy season (December to March) we walk into the valley instead of driving in, and Palca Canyon runs only when the forecast allows.

6. Pickup — and a warning about informal operators

We pick you up at your hotel or hostel at the time on your confirmation. Be in the lobby five minutes early with your phone on. The vehicle is ours, the guide is ours, and your name is on our list.

7. Health, fitness and insurance

• Altitude. Our tours run between about 3,300 m and 4,000 m. Tell us before booking if it is your first day at altitude, if you are pregnant, or if you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition; we adapt the pace and carry oxygen, but you must consult your doctor first.
• Not suitable for wheelchair users, pregnant travelers, and small children without an adult to supervise them. Children from about 6 on the flat loop; ask us about the climbs.
• Travel insurance is required for every passenger, with medical cover. Our vehicles carry SOAT, Bolivia's mandatory traffic-accident insurance, which covers accidents involving the vehicle only. Anything else — illness, altitude, a twisted ankle, lost or damaged belongings, delays — is covered by your own insurance, not by us.
• Honesty. If you hide a condition that affects your safety, the guide may stop your participation without refund.

8. On the tour

• Follow the guide's instructions on the trails and near the edges. The spires are soft sediment: do not climb them.
• Respect the community at the chain — it is their land. The 10 Bs entrance is included in every tour and paid by us on your behalf.
• No alcohol or drugs on the tour. The guide may end the participation of anyone whose behaviour endangers themselves, the group or the vehicle, without refund.
• Damage to the vehicle or equipment caused deliberately or by gross negligence is charged to the person responsible.
• Personal belongings are your responsibility at all times.

9. Liability

We operate with our own trained guides, maintained vehicles, oxygen and first-aid on board, and a written altitude protocol. Within what the law allows, our liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for the tour. We are not liable for events outside our reasonable control (weather, blockades, strikes, road closures, acts of authorities, force majeure), for losses that follow from them (missed flights, hotel nights, onward bookings), or for the acts of third parties such as restaurants, cable-car operators or other services we do not run. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Bolivian law.

[under review — wording to be confirmed with legal advisor]

10. Prices, taxes and what is included

• Prices are per person in US dollars and are the ones on the tour page on the day you book. Private-tour prices depend on the size of your group.
• Each tour page lists exactly what is included and what is not. Unless it says otherwise, tips, lunch, personal expenses and travel insurance are not included.
• Invoicing. International visitors receive a Bolivian tourist invoice (factura turística) at the published price — that is why we ask for your passport number and nationality when you book. Bolivian residents and companies that need a standard tax invoice (factura) pay an additional 16% on the published price to cover VAT; tell us when you book.
• We may correct an obvious pricing error before confirming a booking; once confirmed, your price is fixed.

11. Photos and drones

• Our guides take photos during the tour and will share them with you. We may use photos taken on our tours in which you appear on our website and social media — tell your guide or write to us if you prefer not to appear, and we will not use them.
• Drones are allowed in the valley only after informing the community members at the chain. On our tours the guide does this for you; tell us when you book. An unannounced drone can be met with hostility, and any consequence is the pilot's responsibility.

12. Complaints and disputes

If something went wrong, tell us the same day if you can — on the tour, to the guide, or by WhatsApp — so we can fix it while it can still be fixed. Formal complaints: fatcat@valledelasanimas.com within 14 days of the tour, with your booking date and what happened. We answer within 7 days.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Any dispute that cannot be settled between us will be brought before the competent courts of La Paz, Bolivia. [under review — consumer-protection references (Ley 453) and arbitration clause to be confirmed with legal advisor].

If any part of these terms is found invalid, the rest remains in force. We may update these terms; the version on this page on the day you book is the one that applies to you. The English text is the reference version; a Spanish translation will be published [under review].