Terms & Conditions - Alpaca Experiences
We want your visit to Lydford Gorge Alpacas to be relaxed, enjoyable and safe. These terms explain the important conditions that apply when booking and taking part in one of our alpaca experiences.
By completing a booking and ticking the box to confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms & Conditions, you agree to be bound by them.
1. Booking & payment
All experiences must be booked in advance. We do not accept walk-in visitors.
Your booking is made for the date, time and experience selected at the time of purchase. If you need to change it, our cancellation and amendment terms below explain the options available.
Please check your booking details carefully before completing payment and contact us as soon as possible if you notice an error.
2. Ages & supervision
Alpaca Trekking
The minimum age for alpaca trekking is 10 years old.
Anyone aged 10–17 must be accompanied by a responsible adult aged 18 or over. There must be at least one adult for every two children taking part.
Alpaca Encounters
Children of all ages are welcome on Alpaca Encounters, but must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
There must be at least one adult for every two children attending. Babies and very young children must remain under particularly close supervision around the animals.
3. Trekking on Dartmoor
Our alpaca treks take place on open Dartmoor over natural, uneven moorland terrain. This may include slopes, rocks, loose stones, wet or muddy ground and small streams.
By booking a trek, you confirm that you are physically able to complete the advertised distance over this type of terrain.
Suitable walking footwear and clothing appropriate for Dartmoor weather must be worn. We may refuse participation if we believe your footwear, clothing or physical condition would make the trek unsafe.
Alpacas walk at their own natural pace, so trek timings are approximate. Please allow a little flexibility when planning the rest of your day.
4. Alpaca Trek tickets, companions & sharing
Depending on availability, trekking guests can book:
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an Alpaca Place to lead their own alpaca;
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a Companion Place to join the trek without leading an alpaca; or
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an Alpaca + Companion option, allowing two people to share one alpaca.
Companion places must be booked alongside an alpaca place and are subject to the ticket options available for that trek.
Alpacas must only be handled as instructed by your trekking guide. Guests must not swap, take control of another guest's alpaca or attempt to handle more animals than they have been allocated.
Our occasional Epic Trek requires a minimum of four alpaca places to run.
5. Alpaca Encounters
Alpaca Encounters take place outdoors in a grass paddock on our working farm.
Closed footwear must be worn and guests should dress appropriately for the weather.
Our alpacas have individual personalities and all interaction is led by the animals themselves. Close contact, stroking or cuddles cannot be guaranteed.
Guests must follow all instructions given regarding safe interaction with the alpacas and other animals.
6. Dogs, food & other animals
Dogs and other visiting animals are not permitted on the farm or on our alpaca treks.
Dogs must not be left unattended in vehicles while you take part in an experience.
Food must not be brought onto the farm, with the exception of cold drinks and anything required for medical reasons.
7. Arrival times
Please arrive no more than 15 minutes before your booked experience.
Experiences need to start promptly for the benefit of the animals and all guests.
A safety briefing is given before trekking. Anyone arriving after the safety briefing has finished may not be permitted to take part and their booking will be treated as a late cancellation.
If you are unexpectedly delayed, please contact us as soon as possible. We will always try to help where we reasonably can, but we cannot guarantee that a start time can be delayed.
8. If you need to cancel or change your booking
We do not offer cash refunds if you cancel your booking.
More than 7 days before your experience
If you give us more than 7 days' notice, you may either:
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move your booking to another available date; or
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receive a gift voucher for the full value of the experience tickets purchased..
There is no charge for this.
Any gift voucher issued following a customer cancellation will retain an expiry period calculated from the original booked experience date.
7 days or less before your experience
If you cancel within 7 days of your booked start time, we can only move your booking or issue a gift voucher if we are able to resell your tickets.
If only part of your booking is resold, a gift voucher will be issued for the value of the experience tickets successfully resold.
If we are unable to resell your tickets, no rebooking, voucher or refund will be available.
Repeated changes
A booking may be cancelled or moved a maximum of twice.
If you cancel for a third time, we will not be able to move the booking or issue another gift voucher, regardless of the amount of notice given.
All cancellation requests must be made in writing by emailing contactus@lydfordgorgealpacas.com.
9. If we need to change or postpone your experience
Animal welfare and guest safety always come first.
We may occasionally be unable to run an experience as planned because of circumstances such as adverse weather, extreme temperatures, animal illness, unsafe moorland conditions or other circumstances outside our reasonable control.
If an alpaca trek cannot safely go ahead but conditions are suitable for an on-farm experience, we will usually offer you the option to change your booking to an Alpaca Encounter at the same date and time, at no additional cost.
Where more than one trekking party chooses this option, we may offer a shared Encounter instead. We will always check that everyone is happy with this before combining bookings.
If you would prefer not to change to an Encounter, or if we are unable to offer one, you will be offered either:
• another available trek date; or
• a gift voucher for the full value of the experience tickets purchased.
Any separate Booking Hound booking fee is not included in the gift voucher value. No further booking fee is charged when the voucher is redeemed.
A gift voucher issued because we have had to postpone or cancel your experience will be valid for 12 months from the date of the affected experience.
If none of these alternatives is suitable, please contact us and we will discuss the options available to you.
We may also alter the route, duration or format of an experience where reasonably necessary for animal welfare, weather, safety or conditions on Dartmoor.
10. Safety & animal welfare
A safety briefing will be given where appropriate before your experience begins.
Alpacas are animals with individual personalities and may react to unfamiliar sights, sounds, animals or situations. Their behaviour can never be completely predicted or guaranteed.
Guests must:
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follow all instructions given by the experience guide;
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behave calmly and responsibly around the animals;
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avoid behaviour that could distress or endanger an animal, another guest or a member of the public; and
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comply with any safety restrictions introduced during the experience.
We reserve the right to refuse participation or end an individual's involvement in an experience if their behaviour puts themselves, another person or an animal at risk. No refund will be provided where participation is ended for this reason.
11. Hygiene & biosecurity
Lydford Gorge Alpacas is a working farm and we operate strict hygiene and biosecurity procedures.
Guests must follow all instructions given, including using disinfectant mats where required and washing their hands after contact with the animals.
Anyone refusing to follow necessary hygiene or biosecurity measures may be refused access to the animals.
12. Accessibility & individual requirements
Our alpaca treks take place over uneven open moorland with rocks, slopes, streams and other natural obstacles. The trekking route is therefore not wheelchair accessible.
Our Alpaca Encounter takes place on the farm and has step-free access from the entrance to the alpaca paddock, making it suitable for a wider range of access needs.
If you have a disability, mobility requirement or any other concern about whether an experience will be suitable for you, please contact us before booking. We will be happy to discuss your needs and any reasonable adjustments we may be able to make.
13. Pregnancy
Pregnancy may affect the suitability of some activities, particularly trekking over uneven terrain or close interaction with large animals.
If you are pregnant, please contact us before booking so that we can discuss which experience may be most suitable.
Our Alpaca Encounter can usually be enjoyed with a barrier between you and the animals if preferred.
We cannot provide medical advice, so please speak to your healthcare professional if you have any concerns about taking part.
14. Photography & personal information
You are very welcome to take photographs during your experience, provided this can be done safely and without interfering with your responsibility for an animal.
We may also take photographs or video during experiences. We will only publish identifiable photographs of you on our website or social media where we have obtained your permission.
Personal information provided when booking is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and is used to administer your booking and communicate important information about your visit.
15. Questions before booking
If there is anything you are unsure about — whether that relates to accessibility, age, fitness, weather, children or the suitability of an experience — please contact us before booking.
We would much rather answer a question beforehand than have you arrive for an experience that isn't right for you.