Terms and Conditions (Experiences)

Pre-booking is required for all animal experiences. We do not accept walk-ins at any time!

The minimum age is 12 for the Alpaca Trekking experience.

There must be at least one adult aged 18+ present at all times during a picnic experience - no entry will be allowed if there is not an adult present.

The minimum age is 18 years old for the Alpaca Speed Dating experience.

The minimum no. of guests required for the Alpaca Speed Dating experience to go ahead is 4 (minimum of 2 ladies and 2 gents) and the max is 12. The minimum number of persons is required for the experience format to work to its full potential.

Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times and we can only accept a maximum of two children per adult booked for safety reasons (this applies to the Alpaca Trekking and Alpaca Encounter experiences).

Minimum no. of alpacas on the Alpaca Trek experience is 2 and the max is 6. If you are a single person who has booked a trek and there are no other bookings for that day, then your trekking guide will take out the second alpaca.

Companions - If you have someone you would like to bring on the trek that does not want to walk an alpaca, they can join the trek as your Companion. Please note that the Companion cannot lead an alpaca at any time during the trek and must be over 18. We can only accept one Companion per Adult or Child Alpaca Trek ticket purchased. Think of them as your personal photographer!

No food of any kind is permitted on the farm with the exception of cold drinks or items required for medical reasons. The only other exception to this is if you are attending a Picnic with the Pacas event but your food must be kept away from the animals at all times.

No dogs (or other animals!) are permitted on the farm or on the treks at any time. This includes dogs being left behind in the owners car - we do not permit this and our insurance does not cover this eventuality.

Experience start time - please do not arrive earlier than 15 minutes before your Trek, Encounter, Picnic or Speed Dating experience. This is to ensure that there is someone available to greet you upon arrival. If you are any earlier, there are picnic tables across the road where you can wait.

Disability

• The terrain on all Trekking experiences is not suitable for wheelchairs but can be accommodated on Encounter experiences. We have step free access from our entrance to the paddock where the alpacas live. Wheelchairs may be able to access the picnic area but please check with us in advance - you need to cross a fairly level paddock and go up a moderate slope to get access to the orchard. 

• If in any doubt that the trek or other experience may not be suitable for your disability please contact us to see how we can accommodate you.

Cancellation and amendment

1. If we need to cancel - 

   • From time to time we may need to cancel your experience due to circumstances beyond our control such as adverse weather conditions or animal illness. If cancellation does occur we will always endeavour to give you at least 24 hours notice and the offer to rebook on another day or receive a gift voucher. No refunds can be offered and any rebooking is subject to availability. Note that your gift voucher expiry date will be 12 months from the date of your cancelled experience and not from the date of your original booking. We think this is only fair given we have had to cancel your experience and to give you enough time to find another suitable date.

   • Specifically for Alpaca Speed Dating Experiences - If your experience does not have a minimum number of 4 guests booked on with at least 2 ladies and 2 gents tickets booked, then you will be offered an alternative date or you can take a gift voucher to rebook at your own convenience (this will be valid to book against ANY experience). The experience could still be run if we do not meet the minimum number required but only if all of the booked guests are in agreement - we will give you this option when we notify you.​

   • Specifically for picnic experiences

   1. As there is no undercover area for your picnic (this is in planning!), if the weather is not suitable for your experience then we will let you know 24 hours in advance if we have to postpone. You will be given the offer to rebook on another day or receive a gift voucher. No refunds can be offered and any rebooking is subject to availability. Note that your gift voucher expiry date will be 12 months from the date of your cancelled experience and not from the date of your original booking. We think this is only fair given we have had to cancel your experience and to give you enough time to find another suitable date.

   2. If you have added a picnic onto an Alpaca Trekking or Animal Encounter then it might be just the picnic portion that needs to be cancelled. We still can trek if it is light rain and Animal Encounters can be run undercover so your primary experience could still go ahead. If we do though have to cancel your picnic element, then we will issue a gift voucher to the value of £32 that you paid for that part. Note that your gift voucher expiry date will be 12 months from the date of your cancelled experience and not from the date of your original booking. We think this is only fair given we have had to cancel your experience and to give you enough time to find another suitable date.

   • If an experience needs to be postponed we do not accept any responsibility for any cost or expenses you may have incurred. 

   • At the time of booking we will request a phone number and email address. These will be used to notify you in the event of a cancellation and it is your responsibility to check these communication channels and any associated messages we have left. We do not accept any responsibility for missed messages.

2. If you need to cancel - 

   • If you need to cancel your experience for any reason, we cannot offer a refund in any circumstances.

   1. More than 7 days notice (a day starts at the time of your experience so if you are cancelling a 10am trek, you need to notify us by 10am 7 days prior or more) - we will offer to rearrange your experience to another suitable date (subject to availability) or offer a gift voucher with a 12 month expiry. This will be offered free of charge but note that the 12 month expiry of the gift voucher will start from the original date of your booking. You must have booked and attended your rebooked experience before the last date of the expiry period.

   2. Less than 7 days notice (a day starts at the time of your experience so this applies if you are cancelling a 10am trek after 10am 7 days or less prior) - we can only offer to rebook your experience to another suitable date (subject to availability) or issue a gift voucher (where the expiry date starts from the original date of your booking) if we are able to resell your tickets. If we are not able to resell your tickets then we are not able to rebook your experience or issue a gift voucher. Any partial ticket resale will be honoured with the issue of a gift voucher to the value of what we have been able to resell. We want to do the best for our customers but as a small business we have to impose this restriction - a late cancellation often means we cannot resell the tickets at such short notice. This impacts heavily on our revenue and ability to be able to survive as a business.

   3. Subject to points 1 and 2 above, you are only permitted to cancel your booking twice. If you need to cancel your experience a third time, we are not able to rebook you or issue a gift voucher. This is regardless of the notice period given and covers all circumstances. If cancelling for the second time, any gift voucher issued will still carry an expiry date starting from the date of the original booking.

   4. Covid-19 cancellations - points 1, 2 and 3 directly above will still apply in the event that you need to cancel because of testing positive with Covid-19 or having the need to isolate. 

   5. Cancellations must be made in writing and emailed to contactus@lydfordgorgealpacas.com

3. ​​​For business reasons and for the kind consideration of all our trekkers, we need to start the trek at the allotted time. Anyone arriving after we have completed the safety briefing will not be permitted to trek that day. This is for your own health and safety as important information will be given at this briefing. If you are running late by a few minutes then please call ahead and although we cannot guarantee we can delay we will always try to accommodate you.

4. We reserve the right to change the advertised experience if deemed appropriate for the health and safety of our guests.

Transport & accessibility

1. Parking - there is some room to park onsite at the farm on the driveway. If you cannot get any space on our driveway or you prefer to have a larger area to turn, there is parking in the entrance to the bridleway a minute’s walk from the farm entrance. This is the lane on the left just before the bridge if you are coming from Okehampton direction or the first lane on the right after the bridge if you are coming from Tavistock direction.

2. Bus - the Dartline route 118 which runs Okehampton to Tavistock stops by request right outside the farm. This is the bus stop that serves the Whitelady Waterfalls entrance of Lydford gorge.

Personal data

1. Email addresses and phone numbers will be requested at the time of booking. These are to be used for notifying you of any pre arrival information and of any cancellations or amendments.

2. Under no circumstances do we give out any telephone numbers or email addresses of any guests to other guests.

3. We typically share photographs and videos we take of you during your experience via our Facebook, Instagram and / or our website. However this is only done with your written permission after the experience and If you do not wish for your photos to be shared online we will email them to you instead

Biosecurity - we have strict biosecurity on our farm. Anyone not wanting to walk through our disinfectant mats or to wash their hands when requested will be refused access.