Terms & Conditions
Last updated: July 2026
Welcome to HYKA. These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") apply to your use of hyka.org and myhyka.com (together: "HYKA", "we", "us") and to every purchase you make through them. By using our websites or buying a guide, you agree to these Terms. Please read them — they're written to be understood, not to hide things.
1. What HYKA is
HYKA sells digital trail guides for multi-day hikes, created by experienced hikers ("creators") who walked the trail themselves, combined with planning tools that let you adapt the guide to your own trip. A guide typically includes stage-by-stage route information, sleeping options, transport, resupply, gear and safety notes, and a GPX download.
HYKA is a planning tool. It is not a navigation service, a booking agent, a tour operator or a guiding service.
2. Buying a guide
2.1 Price. Prices are shown per guide, in euros, including VAT where applicable. You pay once; a guide is not a subscription.
2.2 Payment. Payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details. Available methods (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, iDEAL, Klarna and others) may vary by country.
2.3 Delivery. Live guides are delivered immediately after payment: you get access to the full digital guide in your HYKA account. Because delivery is immediate, you expressly agree that performance begins right away.
2.4 Account. To keep your purchased guide saved, synced and editable, you create a free account after payment (e.g. via Google sign-in). Your purchase is linked to the e-mail address used at checkout; if you did not create an account at purchase, you can claim your guide later by signing in with that same e-mail address.
3. Our 14-day money-back guarantee
3.1 If a guide is not what you hoped for, you get your money back: full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked. E-mail [email protected] from the address used at checkout and we refund to the original payment method within 14 days of your request.
3.2 This voluntary guarantee is at least as generous as — and applies in addition to — your statutory rights as an EU consumer. Note that under EU law the statutory right of withdrawal for digital content lapses once delivery has begun with your consent (see 2.3); our 14-day guarantee applies regardless.
3.3 We reserve the right to refuse refunds in cases of clear abuse (e.g. repeatedly buying, downloading and refunding guides).
4. Founder pre-orders
4.1 Some trails are offered as founder pre-orders: the guide is announced but not yet released. This is always clearly stated before you pay.
4.2 A pre-order reserves your access at the stated founder price. The expected release window is shown on the trail page.
4.3 Pre-orders are fully refundable at any time before release, no questions asked — e-mail us and we refund within 14 days.
4.4 If we do not release a pre-ordered guide within 6 months after the communicated release window, we will automatically refund you in full.
4.5 After release, the standard 14-day money-back guarantee (section 3) applies from the day you first get access.
5. Your licence to use a guide
5.1 When you buy a guide, you get a personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive licence to use it for your own (and your travel companions') trip planning and hiking. The GPX file and wild-camp coordinates are yours to keep and to use in your own navigation apps.
5.2 You may not resell, republish, redistribute, share publicly or commercially exploit a guide or substantial parts of it (including the GPX, texts, photos and structured data). Guides are the work of real people who earn from every sale — sharing them for free takes that away from the creators.
5.3 Content you add yourself (notes, adjustments, journal entries) remains yours. You grant us the licence needed to store, display and process it so the product works.
6. Adapting your plan
HYKA's tools let you modify a purchased guide: swap accommodations, split or merge stages, change resupply stops, edit gear lists, and more. Any modification you make is your own choice and your own responsibility. A creator's original guide reflects their trip; your adapted plan reflects your decisions.
7. Safety — please read this one
7.1 Multi-day hiking involves real risks: weather, terrain, river crossings, remoteness, limited rescue options and changing conditions. A HYKA guide does not remove these risks and is not a substitute for your own judgment, preparation, fitness, equipment and navigation skills.
7.2 Trail conditions change. Paths erode, bridges wash out, buses change schedules, shops and accommodations close, water sources dry up. Guides describe the trail as the creator experienced it on the stated dates ("Walked May 2026"). Always check current conditions, weather forecasts and official warnings before and during your hike.
7.3 You remain solely responsible for your own safety and for the decisions you make on the trail, including any deviation from or reliance on a guide. In an emergency, contact local emergency services — HYKA offers no emergency support.
7.4 Wild camping, fires and access rules differ per country and region and can change. You are responsible for knowing and following local laws and the outdoor access code of the area you hike in.
8. Accuracy and updates
We and our creators work hard to keep guides accurate, and we update guides when creators or hikers report changes. However, we cannot guarantee that all information (including prices, timetables, availability and conditions) is complete, current or error-free. Factual information in guides is provided "as is". This does not affect your money-back guarantee or your statutory rights.
9. Affiliate links
Some links in guides (for example to accommodations, transport, gear or insurance) are affiliate links: if you book or buy through them, HYKA and/or the creator may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate earnings never determine what a creator recommends — guides describe what the creator actually used.
10. Liability
10.1 Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for intent or gross negligence, or your statutory rights as a consumer.
10.2 Subject to 10.1, our total liability for claims connected to a guide or the use of HYKA is limited to the amount you paid us for the guide concerned in the 12 months before the claim arose.
10.3 Subject to 10.1, we are not liable for indirect or consequential damage, including (without limitation) injury, loss, costs or damage arising from hiking decisions, trail conditions, third-party services (accommodations, transport, shops), or from modifications you made to a plan.
11. Fair use and termination
We may suspend or terminate access in cases of abuse: violating the licence (5.2), fraud, refund abuse, scraping, or attempts to disrupt the service. Where reasonable, we will warn you first. Purchased guides remain accessible unless the termination is due to fraud or licence violation.
12. Availability
We aim to keep HYKA available at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may change, improve or discontinue features. If we ever discontinue the service entirely, we will make purchased guide content (including GPX files) available for download for a reasonable period.
13. Privacy
How we handle your data is described in our Privacy Policy. Short version: we track anonymous usage events and session recordings (with input masking) to improve the product, we don't sell your data, and payment data is handled by Stripe.
14. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms. Material changes will be announced on the website. The version applicable to a purchase is the version in force at the time of that purchase.
15. Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by Dutch law. Disputes will be submitted to the competent court in the Netherlands, unless mandatory consumer law gives you the right to another court. As an EU consumer you can also use the European Online Dispute Resolution platform: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr — but feel free to just e-mail us first; we prefer solving things directly.
16. Contact
Questions about these Terms, refunds or anything else: [email protected]