Warranty and Returns

We cannot and do not guarantee whale shark sightings. These are wild creatures in the open sea, and expecting the presence of a whale shark in a specific area is not in our control.

The season starts on May 15 and ends on September 17. However, it is most likely to find these giants between the months of June – August.

Payment terms.

A deposit of $500 Mexican pesos must be paid at the time of booking.

When customers book by phone:

There will be a period of 24 hours from the moment of confirmation to make the deposit payment. After 24 hours of confirmation, if the deposit payment is not received, the reservation will be subject to availability and will not be confirmed.

The balance of payment for the tour must be settled 24 hours before the excursion date.

If payment is not received by 3:00 pm the day before the tour date, the reservation will be automatically cancelled, and a new reservation will need to be made, subject to availability.

We will make at least two separate attempts to contact you or your representative via the mobile and/or email address provided when booking to secure the balance due. However, if we cannot secure payment of the 80% balance due on your tour after attempting to connect, we may, with much regret, cancel your reservation and offer your seats to other guests, with no deposit refund payable to you.

When customers book online:

The deposit will be automatically charged to the supplied credit card, and your reservation will be confirmed.

The tour payment balance will be automatically charged to your credit card eight days before your tour.

If this payment is refused, we will make at least two separate attempts to contact you or your representative via the mobile phone and/or email address provided when booking to secure the balance.

However, if we are unable to secure payment of the 80% balance due on your tour after attempting to connect, we may, with a heavy heart, cancel your reservation and offer your seats to other guests, with no deposit refund payable to you.

International Payments: You must agree to be charged all fees and charges associated with international payment.

Rescheduling and cancellations:

Cancellations or rescheduling must be requested by email.

We can reschedule your tour at any time up to 72 hours before your tour departure. “Subject to availability.”

We do not charge a cancellation fee if we can resell your tickets before your scheduled departure, even if you cancel the day before your tour.

We will only partially refund bookings that we have been able to resell.
In these cases, we will make the refund discounting a penalty equivalent to 20% of the total reservation.

To increase the chances of a partial refund, you must notify us of the cancellation as soon as possible. Sometimes we have waiting lists, and other clients are waiting for some space to become available.

If we are unable to resell your tickets before your tour departure, our cancellation fees are:

Cancellations are greater than 7 days.

All reserves cancelled with anticipation greater than 7 days from the excursion date will be entitled to 100% reimbursement.

Cancellation of less than 7 days.

Reservations that are cancelled less than 7 days in advance, and more than 24 hours before the excursion date, will have a penalty for administrative expenses equivalent to the DEPOSIT.
If the reservation is 100% paid, the refund will be made, deducting an amount equivalent to the DEPOSIT.

Cancellations of less than 24 hours

Cancellations requested less than 24 hours before the excursion date and not later than 3:00 pm the day before the excursion will be penalized with the equivalent of 20% of the reservation.

Cancellations after 3:00 pm the day before and no-show
The cancellations requested after 3:00 pm of the previous day of the excursion will have a penalty equivalent to 100% of the reservation.

Again, the above only applies if we cannot resell your tickets after you cancel.

Cancellations:  Holbox Whale Shark Tours Canceling or Rescheduling

Cancelling tours is something we do everything we can NOT to do.

However, we occasionally have to cancel tours due to safety concerns, weather conditions, factors beyond our control, the minimum number of passengers required for a tour to depart not being met, or force majeure events, including acts of God. Natural disasters, government action or restrictions, labour shortages, national emergencies, epidemics or disease outbreaks.

When this occurs, we promise to do everything we can to provide you with some form of enjoyable and replaceable tourism experience, including but not limited to:

-Reschedule for our next available whale shark tour

– Placing you on another company’s whale shark tour.

We reserve the right to do any of the foregoing, even if we have been unable to contact you for confirmation.

We promise always to try to contact you before doing this.

In those cases where you have to leave the Island before we can take you on an equivalent tour, or you have not yet arrived in town for your tour, we will provide you with a whale shark travel voucher valid for 36 months from the date of your original reservation so that you can use it when you are on the Island, the voucher is transferable to another person.

Entirely at the discretion of our business, we may alternatively pay you a refund for your booking if the cancellation of the tour has been partially or wholly the result of our actions.

Agent Reservations.

If the travel, tour or booking agent, Visitor Center, or a third party through whom you booked your tour has not yet paid us for your booking, you will need to directly arrange your refund through that organization.

They still have your money, and we have not received it.

However, suppose this organization has already paid us for your tour. In that case, you agree that we do not have to refund the portion of your reservation that this organization has charged us for making the reservation on your behalf. (This amount is usually between 10-25% of the total price you paid.)

Refunds.
• When applicable, reimbursements will be made in the same way the payments were made.
• Credit card payments are processed in MEXICAN PESOS by STRIPE. From the moment we request the return to STRIPE, the reimbursement will be considered as made by us.
• STRIPE sends refunds to the customer’s bank immediately. Depending on the bank’s processing time, it may take 5-10 business days to appear in the bank account.
• If the currency of the credit or debit card with which the payment was made is not in MEXICAN PESOS, the amount reimbursed in a foreign currency will vary according to the exchange rate applied by your bank. You may receive more or less than the amount you initially paid. VIP Holbox will not be held responsible for differences resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates.

Specifically, we will not provide a refund if you do not show up for your tour due to:

Medical emergency.
Mechanical breakdown.
Death in the family.
Arriving at the wrong place or being late.
He/she fell asleep. 

We never refund credit card charges.

Fully inform us of every one of the relevant medical and operative conditions.

All passengers are required to fully disclose and communicate any medical, physiological or psychological conditions or history that may affect their ability to fully participate in any tour they are booked on in a normal and safe manner.

You must accurately communicate any significant issues associated with conducting our tour that we reasonably need to be aware of so that we can provide this tour in a safe, professional, and enjoyable manner that does not diminish anyone else’s tour experience. Guest onboard your tour in any way.

This tour is not suitable for children under 6 years of age, nor is it recommended for pregnant women, the elderly, or people with spinal problems due to the blows produced by the waves. It will only be possible with a letter of authorization from your doctor.

Weather conditions and extraordinary problems

We may ask you to come earlier or later, depending on the groups we have created, weather conditions, etc.

Weather conditions may make conditions for whale shark tours less than ideal.

While this is beyond our control, we will do our best to ensure that our passengers enjoy their tour regardless and minimize the impact of weather conditions on our guests.

However, we cannot be held responsible for less than ideal weather conditions during the tour, and no refund is due to guests if more than 50% of a tour is completed before it has to be cancelled due to weather or safety reasons.

No guarantees as to possible marinelife.

Whale Shark Tours does not attempt to guarantee that clients will swim with whale sharks or see any particular marine or terrestrial life during one of our tours.

We guarantee that we will do everything we realistically can to make these things happen and do things to the best of our ability to enjoy your tourism experience as much as possible.

Holbox Whale Shark Tour Responsibility

Except to the extent required by law, Holbox Whale Shark Tour and its agents, employees and associated companies do not assume any responsibility in case of damage, personal loss, injury or dizziness of passengers.

However, we will do whatever is reasonably possible to help in every situation that comes our way.

Passenger liability for carelessness leading to loss of equipment

Holbox Whale Shark Tour will require clients to pay for any lost or damaged equipment or damage to the tour boat or vehicles, only where the client’s carelessness or choices have caused this result.

If customers borrow our snorkel gear free of charge as part of their tour and do not return it, they agree that we may charge the cost of the replacement snorkel gear to their credit card without requiring their express permission to do so.

Photos and videos may be used for marketing purposes.

Clients agree that all photos and videos taken by the Holbox Whale Shark Tours onboard photographer and videographer may be used for marketing purposes by the company without the need for client approval for up to five years after the tour date.

Should a guest have a problem with us using their photo. In that case, we promise to immediately stop using this photo or video for marketing purposes and for all marketing efforts as soon as guest requests it.

Customer Reviews and Comments and our Social Media Terms and Conditions

Holbox Whale Shark encourages all guests to provide feedback on how it can improve what it does. (We love compliments, too!) Our team is committed to doing the right thing at all times, which includes correcting any mistakes you make or negative impacts on any of our customers or other important stakeholders.

However, due to the significant risks to Holbox Whale Shark’s brand and reputation and the potential for competitors creating negative reviews, either directly or indirectly, seeking to harm our brand, Holbox Whale Shark requires that every one of the guests agree to the following Social Media Terms and Conditions when booking with the company.

Both parties agree that the act of a guest boarding one of our vehicles or vessels represents each guest’s voluntary agreement to fully comply with the Holbox Whale Shark Social Media Terms and Conditions.

Each guest agrees to first raise any complaints or concerns about any negative aspect of Holbox Whale Shark operations with company management directly before posting any negative feedback or comments online and providing guests with company representatives a fair and reasonable opportunity to make good and address any issues raised to the customer’s satisfaction.

Guests who do not raise issues about Holbox Whale Shark operations with the company before placing negative comments or reviews on social media sites or in the public domain expressly grant Holbox Whale Shark the express right and authority to work with all websites and applications that host such customer comments and remove them. 

Without any need for the guest to approve it in advance.

Following the removal of any such comments, Holbox Whale Shark agrees to do everything we reasonably can to contact the guest involved to work on the issues raised and address any issues of internal concern to the guest’s satisfaction.

The guest has the option and the right to republish their comments on all social networking sites and in the public domain if they wish.

Should a guest decides to place any form of negative opinion or comments about Holbox Whale Shark on social media or within the public domain. In that case, they expressly agree to cite their Holbox Whale Shark unique reservation code as a crucial part of their review or comments.

Should a guest does not provide their unique Holbox Whale Shark reservation code as part of their opinion or comments. In that case, they expressly grant Holbox Whale Shark and its representatives and agents the right to contact the website or application of such comments or reviews and remove them immediately, without any guest approval.

Holbox Whale Shark agrees to do everything reasonably possible to notify the guest of this result so that the guest has the option to edit their original post to include their reservation code and then republish it.

Amendments.

The company reserves the right to modify its Terms and Conditions from time to time, as required by its operation and environment. It ensures that such changes do not diminish the value of the customer’s purchase if such changes are necessary.

If the company has to cancel their tours due to reasons beyond their control, guests who have been issued another tour booking, or have been given a voucher, do not have the option of receiving a full refund.

Please note that gift cards and gift vouchers are not redeemable for cash. Reservations on our tours using a coupon are considered “voucher reservations”. No cash refunds will be paid on these tour reservations if the client or the company later cancels them.