Our Tour Policies
Tour booking
We offer two booking models on our website. Each has its own conditions related to scheduling, pricing, and availability. Please review the following definitions to understand how your reservation is processed.
1. IMMEDIATE RESERVATION TOURS
Immediate-reservation tours allow you to select any available date on the calendar.
When this option is chosen, all logistics for that specific date — including guides, transportation, and planning — are organized directly upon booking. Because this requires arranging a tour for a custom date, the rate for immediate-reservation tours is higher.
2. OPEN GROUP TOURS (FIXED DATES)
Group tours are departures we publish on the website when we have logistical availability on a specific date.
These tours feature pre-set dates and are offered at a reduced rate to encourage additional riders to join.
The disadvantage of a group tour is that the dates are fixed according to our existing schedule. This means participants join a date selected by the tour calendar, not one chosen individually.
Open tour policy
Unless you specifically reserve and pay for a private tour, your reservation will be processed as an open tour. This means:
The published group-tour price may appear lower than the price you originally paid. This reflects the rate offered for predetermined group-tour dates and does not affect the validity of your original booking.
Additional participants of similar riding ability may be added to your tour.
Your selected date may be published as a confirmed group tour on our website to allow others to join.
Last minute booking
We generally do not accept bookings less than 24 hours in advance. If you have a special request please contact us to accommodate.
Immediate reservation tours made for 48hours or less will be subject to an additional 15% last minute booking fee
Payments
We accept all major credit cards for tour reservations.
Deposits
Deposits secure the logistics of your tour, including accommodations, transportation, guides, and scheduled services. Your deposit (50% of the tour price) is not refunded.
If your plans change, what is left of it after the cancellation penalty becomes credit for a future tour (see the Cancellation Policy).
If you choose to pay by deposit, your remaining balance must be paid before your tour departs. We will send reminders as your date approaches; however, if the final payment is not received on time, we may automatically process the outstanding balance using the card on file.
Cancellation policy
To book, a deposit of 50% of the tour price is paid. If you cancel, the penalty below (a percentage of the tour price, by how many days before the tour you tell us) is taken from your deposit first. What is left of it, and anything you paid above the deposit, becomes credit for a future tour, valid until 90 days after your original tour date. Credit is personal and cannot be transferred.
1-4 day tours
Paid in full
| Notice | Credit | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 15 days or more | 50% | 40% |
| 8-14 days | 50% | 25% |
| 4-7 days | 50% | — |
| 3 days or less | 50% | — |
Paid a deposit
| Notice | Credit |
|---|---|
| 15 days or more | 40% |
| 8-14 days | 25% |
| 4-7 days | — |
| 3 days or less | — |
Percentages of the full price of the tour. Credit is for a future tour; a refund is credit too unless you ask for it on your card (minus the refund fee).
5+ day tours
Paid in full
| Notice | Credit | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 46 days or more | 50% | 40% |
| 21-45 days | 50% | 25% |
| 8-20 days | 50% | — |
| 7 days or less | 50% | — |
Paid a deposit
| Notice | Credit |
|---|---|
| 46 days or more | 40% |
| 21-45 days | 25% |
| 8-20 days | — |
| 7 days or less | — |
Percentages of the full price of the tour. Credit is for a future tour; a refund is credit too unless you ask for it on your card (minus the refund fee).
Custom itinerary tours
Paid in full
| Notice | Credit | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| 90 days or more | 50% | 50% |
| 46-89 days | 50% | 25% |
| 21-45 days | 50% | — |
| 20 days or less | 50% | — |
Paid a deposit
| Notice | Credit |
|---|---|
| 90 days or more | 50% |
| 46-89 days | 25% |
| 21-45 days | — |
| 20 days or less | — |
Percentages of the full price of the tour. Credit is for a future tour; a refund is credit too unless you ask for it on your card (minus the refund fee).
On request, the part paid above the deposit can be refunded to your card instead of becoming credit, minus a 5% processing fee.
No-shows: if you are not at the meeting point within 20 minutes of the start time, the deposit is forfeited; anything paid above it becomes credit.
If you are paying by deposit your final payment is due before your tour departs. We will send a reminder as your date approaches. We may authorize collection automatically if your payment is not received 24 hours prior to your tour.
Unused features are non-refundable.
Custom group tours
Custom Group Tour Cancellation Policy
Custom itineraries require us to reserve guides, vehicles, accommodations, and operational resources exclusively for your group. Because these dates are blocked and often cannot be resold, custom tours follow a different cancellation structure than standard scheduled tours.
Group Leader Responsibility
All custom group tours are booked under a single reservation managed by a designated Group Leader. The Group Leader is financially responsible for the full booking and serves as the primary contact for all payments, changes, and cancellations.
Individual Cancellations Within a Group
If one or more participants cancel but the tour itself is still operating:
- Cancelled spaces are non-refundable.
- The cancelled guest is responsible for finding a replacement.
- Replacement guests must be approved by us and confirmed before the tour departure.
- If a replacement is found, we will transfer the reservation at no additional charge (price differences may apply if the itinerary changes).
We strongly recommend that groups consider travel insurance to protect against unexpected changes.
Full Group Cancellation
If the entire group chooses to cancel, the penalties for custom itinerary tours in the Cancellation Policy above apply.
Minimum Group Pricing
Custom tours are priced based on a minimum number of participants. If cancellations reduce the group below the minimum required size, we reserve the right to:
convert the booking to a private tour at the applicable rate.
Travel insurance
Mountain Bike Guatemala is not responsible for unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays or cancellations; the failure of embassies or consulates to issue visas; the inaccessibility of certain tourist attractions due to the actions of government bodies or political protest; the actions or services of accommodation and other facilities visited during the tour; or incidents such as injury, illness, or loss of personal belongings.
We highly recommended travel insurance for all Clients. At the time of booking, Clients are recommended to arrange his or her own insurance with a reputable insurer, with protection for the full duration of the tour, to cover personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, loss of luggage, and the expenses associated with cancellation or curtailment of a tour.
If you become ill, all hospital expenses, doctor fees, and repatriation costs are your responsibility and the Mountain Bike Guatemala shall not be liable for any refund of the tour cost.
Re-booking
If you are booking a private tour of 1-4 days you have up to 2 weeks before the departure date to reschedule your tour. Your rescheduled tour must be within 90 days of your original date. We can not guarantee that the pricing for your new tour will be the same or honor any discounts that were offered in your original tour.
Bicycle rentals
A valid credit card is required for all tours that include bicycle and equipment rental. Any damage, loss, or excessive wear to rented equipment will be assessed after the tour, and the corresponding charges will be billed to the credit card on file.
Rental Period
- Standard rental hours are 9:00am – 5:00pm (8 hours)
- All bikes must be returned by 5:00pm on the final day at the agreed location
- For multi-day rentals, these hours apply only to the final return day
Late Returns (Final Day Only)
- Returns after 5:00pm are subject to a $25 USD per hour late fee
- Time is calculated from 5:00pm onward and charged in full-hour increments
- Bikes not returned by 7:00pm will be charged an additional full rental day
Delivery & Collection
- Standard delivery is at 9:00am on the first rental day
- We may offer delivery the evening before upon request (subject to availability)
- Next-day pickups are not available after the rental ends
