What makes our tour different?
What is your cancellation policy?
Monterey Bay Eco Tours offers a stress-free, 24-hour cancellation policy for all of our public tours. Customers have the option to receive a full refund or a credit to rebook for another tour with 24 hours’ notice of their regularly scheduled tour. Please contact us by phone to cancel, or to inquire about a cancellation. Customers will receive a full refund or credit in case of operator cancellation on the day of their scheduled tour due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. No-shows are not eligible for a refund. You may rebook on a standby basis for another tour, but space is not guaranteed when rebooking as a standby passenger. Please remember to give yourself ample time to arrive, at least 20 minutes before the boat is scheduled to depart, as our tours leave promptly at departure time. We have a minimum of eight total passengers required for public tours. If we don’t meet that requirement, you will be contacted by phone or email and either rescheduled or given a full refund.
*This policy does not apply to private tours. For private tour cancellations, please call us at (831) 200-3454
When is the best time to go?
Anytime is a great time to book! The Elkhorn Slough is a dynamic ecosystem that is always brimming with wildlife. Below are some guidelines to help you pick the best time for you and your group, but keep in mind that there is no “bad time” to book.
- Mornings are generally the best weather, as you avoid afternoon wind that frequently builds in Moss Landing throughout the day through out the Spring months. Morning tours also have the best lighting for photography.
- Afternoon trips provide the best chance of a sunny ride down the slough, but bring a jacket as it often gets windy in the afternoon.
- Sunset tours of the slough provide excellent lighting for photographers, and there is less human activity taking place.
- Low tides are a very active time on the slough. Low tide is the best time to see large rafts of sea otters. The otters will raft up for a nap when they can roll themselves up in the eelgrass that is exposed on a low tide. Birds are very active during a low tide, as mud flat exposes new feeding areas. Click here for a link to NOAA’s tide predictions for Moss Landing.
- High tides often bring pelagic species from the ocean up into the slough. This is the best time to see jellyfish! We also see active otters feeding through out the slough during a high tide. cu