Terms and Conditions

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of Bhaktapur City ("we," "us," "our," or "the Platform"), accessible at bhaktapur.city. Our platform is a travel information resource dedicated to hiking destinations, cultural festivals, traditional cuisine, mountain peaks, visa guidance, and travel utilities for Bhaktapur.

By accessing or using our website, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use our website. These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access the website.

1. Nature of the Platform

Bhaktapur City is an independent informational travel portal. We provide:

• Guides to hiking trails, trekking routes, and mountain destinations in Bhaktapur, including difficulty ratings, elevation profiles, and permit requirements.
• Information on cultural festivals, national holidays, and seasonal events.
• Guides to traditional cuisine, local dishes, and food experiences.
• Practical travel tools including forex exchange rates, visa requirements, domestic airline information, and emergency contacts.
• Interactive maps and destination discovery features.

All content is provided for informational and educational purposes only. We are not a licensed travel agency, tour operator, or booking platform. We do not sell travel packages, trekking permits, or accommodation.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By using this website you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 13 years of age (or 16 in the European Economic Area).
• You have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
• Your use of the website will comply with all applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations.
• You will not use the website for any unlawful or prohibited purpose.

3. Permitted Use of Content

All content on Bhaktapur City — including text, images, maps, trail data, festival descriptions, cuisine guides, photography, and compiled travel information — is protected by copyright and intellectual property laws. You may:

• Access and view content for personal, non-commercial, informational travel planning.
• Share links to our pages on social media or personal blogs with attribution.
• Print or download content for personal, offline reference during your travels.

You may not, without our express written permission:

• Reproduce, republish, or commercially distribute our content on any website, publication, or platform.
• Use our hiking trail data, festival calendars, or cuisine guides in competing commercial travel products or services.
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from our website using automated tools.
• Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or attribution notices.
• Frame or embed our website within another site without permission.

4. Accuracy of Travel Information

We make every effort to ensure that hiking trail information, festival dates, cuisine descriptions, visa requirements, forex rates, and other travel data are accurate and up to date. However:

• Trail conditions, permit requirements, and access rules in Bhaktapur change frequently due to weather, government policy, and seasonal factors.
• Festival dates may vary year to year based on the Nepali calendar (Bikram Sambat).
• Forex exchange rates are for reference only and may differ from rates offered by banks or money changers.
• Visa regulations are subject to change without notice by government authorities.

Always verify critical travel information with official sources — including the Nepal Tourism Board, Department of Immigration, and relevant embassies — before undertaking any trek, journey, or international travel.

5. No Professional or Safety Advice

Content on this platform, including hiking trail guides, altitude information, and trekking itineraries, is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute professional mountaineering, medical, safety, or legal advice. High-altitude trekking and mountaineering in Bhaktapur carry inherent risks including altitude sickness, extreme weather, and remote terrain. You are solely responsible for:

• Assessing your own physical fitness and experience level before undertaking any trek.
• Hiring licensed and certified guides where required.
• Obtaining appropriate travel insurance, trekking permits, and TIMS cards.
• Following safety protocols and guidelines from qualified professionals.

Bhaktapur City accepts no liability for injury, loss, death, or damage arising from reliance on trail or travel information published on this platform.

6. Advertising & Third-Party Content

Our website displays advertisements served by Google AdSense and other third-party advertising networks. By using our website, you acknowledge and agree that:

• Third-party advertisers may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve personalised ads based on your interests and browsing history, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• We do not endorse, guarantee, or take responsibility for the products, services, or claims made by third-party advertisers.
• Clicking on third-party advertisements may take you to external websites not operated by us, and we are not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or accuracy.
• You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or via the NAI opt-out page.

We comply with Google AdSense programme policies, including prohibitions on invalid click activity, adult content violations, and deceptive practices. Users must not engage in any activity designed to generate artificial or fraudulent ad impressions or clicks.

7. User Submissions & Contact Forms

When you submit information through our contact form — including travel inquiries, feedback, partnership requests, or content suggestions — you agree that:

• The information you provide is accurate and not misleading.
• You grant us the right to use your feedback to improve our services and content.
• You will not submit spam, unsolicited commercial communications, or harmful content.
• We may use Cloudflare Turnstile CAPTCHA to verify submissions and prevent abuse.

We will handle your submitted information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

8. External Links

Our website contains links to external websites including the Nepal Tourism Board, trekking companies, airline portals, government immigration services, and cultural organisations. These links are provided for your convenience and information. We do not control these external websites and are not responsible for their content, reliability, or privacy practices. The inclusion of a link does not imply our endorsement of the linked website or organisation.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to engage in any of the following activities:

• Using the website in any way that violates applicable local, national, or international laws.
• Attempting to gain unauthorised access to any part of the website, its servers, or connected databases.
• Transmitting any viruses, malware, or other malicious code.
• Engaging in systematic scraping, crawling, or data mining of our content.
• Misrepresenting your identity or affiliation when contacting us.
• Attempting to generate artificial ad impressions, invalid clicks, or ad fraud.
• Reproducing, distributing, or commercialising our content without written permission.
• Using our platform to harass, defame, or harm other users or third parties.

10. Intellectual Property

All content, design elements, logos, compiled travel data, and original text on Bhaktapur City are the intellectual property of the platform or its licensed content contributors, and are protected by applicable copyright and intellectual property laws. The names, logos, and trademarks of third parties (including government bodies, cultural organisations, and tourism authorities) remain the property of their respective owners.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

This website and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that:

• The website will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components.
• The travel information, trail guides, or festival data will be complete, current, or accurate.
• The results obtained from using our platform will meet your specific travel needs.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Bhaktapur City, its operators, affiliates, and content contributors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from or related to:

• Your use of or inability to access the website or its content.
• Reliance on hiking trail information, trekking data, or travel guidance published on the platform.
• Personal injury, illness, or death during any trek, expedition, or journey undertaken based on information from our platform.
• Loss of data, revenue, or profits resulting from use of the website.
• Third-party content, links, or advertisements displayed on or accessed through our platform.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bhaktapur City and its operators, affiliates, agents, and content contributors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to:

• Your violation of these Terms.
• Your use of the website or reliance on its content.
• Your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights.
• Any content you submit through our contact or inquiry forms.

14. Privacy

Your use of this website is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information, including in connection with Google AdSense and other advertising and analytics services.

15. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date displayed on this page. Your continued use of the website after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We recommend reviewing these Terms periodically.

16. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to Bhaktapur City at any time, without notice or liability, for conduct that we believe violates these Terms, is harmful to other users, third parties, or the platform, or for any other reason in our sole discretion. Upon termination, all rights granted to you under these Terms will immediately cease.

17. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Bhaktapur, without regard to conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the website shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation in the first instance. If resolution cannot be reached, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Bhaktapur.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed from these Terms and shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Bhaktapur City with respect to your use of the website and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings.

20. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms of Use, please contact us through our Contact Page or by email at legal@bhaktapur.city.