Havasupai Reservations Overbooked in 2024: What Hikers Need to Know

The Havasupai Reservation system failed the Tribe again in 2024, along with an untold number of hikers eager to visit this stunning site near the Grand Canyon.

I will continue to update this space as additional information is released about the overbooking of campground and Havasupai Lodge reservations from April through November of 2024.

Key Info on Havasupai Reservation Overbookings:

• The overbooking was confirmed via email on February 20th.
• Reservations from April on through the year are affected.
• Permit holders in February and March were not affected.
• The Tribe *says* all hikers impacted have been notified by email.
• The lodge was also overbooked, and those emails went out March 1st.
• We have no idea how many people bought Havasupai reservations for overbooked dates.

Options for Impacted Havasupai Permit Holders

Hikers who bought permits for a now-overbooked date should log onto the Havasupai Tribe’s online portal to choose from these options:

• Cancel for a full refund (within 7-10 days).
• Try to move your reservation to an available date.

Hikers were given four days to make a choice on what to do with their Havasupai reservation. Many chose to ride it out, hoping others would drop out and opt for refunds on their dates to the point where they were no longer overbooked.

This is the best advice I’ve been able to glean from a number of sources.

First, check to see other available dates. Of course, this only works if you have a flexible vacation and travel schedule.

Second, keep checking the Havasupai Tribe’s online reservation portal to see if other people have canceled or moved dates.

Third, if all else fails, cancel and get a refund. Then, once the reservation transfer website reopens in March, log-on daily to try to snag your preferred dates!

As unbelievable as it may sound, people who were overbooked and canceled in 2023 are among those impacted by the same problem in 2024!

The good news for them: they’ll be first to move up in line as others cancel and move dates.

In general, the rebooked forced-cancellations from 2023 are least likely to be impacted by the 2024 overbooking… but it’s definitely still happening in some cases!

For everyone else, the Tribe instituted a “last in, first out” policy.

The “last” reservations made are the “first” to be kicked out due to overbooking.

More cancellations are coming for people who booked reservations at the Havasupai Lodge.

The Havasupai Tribe Tourism Office says people with lodge reservations should be notified March 1st if they’re affected by overbooking.

That email will contain additional cancellation or rebooking instructions, which will have to be completed by March 6th.

If you don’t get an email, your Havasupai Lodge reservation is secure.

A third-party private company, called Fasturtle Interactive, is taking the blame for the reservation debacle in 2024.

The Havasupai Tribe’s records aren’t public, so it’s unclear how much the Tribe pays Fasturtle to run its reservation portal.

We do know: Fasturtle was contracted by the Tribe and sent the email to impacted permit holders in February.

Aside from offering apologies to tourists and the Tribe, the company says its booking system was tested several times before it opened to the public on February 1st. They didn’t say what went wrong, only that “the system did not work as tested.”

The official reservation shut down for about 10 days, to allow Fasturtle (the hired contractor) to work on cancellations and rebooking.

No new reservations are accepted until March.

No campground transfers are accepted until March 1st.

The Havasupai Lodge reservation page will reopen March 15th.

A lot of people saw the Havasupai reservation mess coming again in 2024.

The first warning signs came shortly after the Tribe’s first-ever attempt at a “pre-sale” for reservations in January. The pre-sale ran for a few days, and the “winners” were notified just before the bulk of the 2024 reservations went up for the general public to bid on at 8:00am February 1st.

One week later, on February 7th, all permit holders got an email from the Tribe, offering a “one-time only refund opportunity.” They were allowing anyone having second thoughts, or anyone who didn’t like the dates they’d secured during the pre-sale to back out for free.

This raised a lot of eyebrows. Normally, people who want to give up their tickets are stuck eating the cost, unless they sell them on the Tribe’s transfer site. Even there, you’ll get hit with a 10% fee. Permits now cost $455 each, so 10% on two permits is approaching a $100 loss.

People were right to be suspicious about the opportunity to forfeit their reservations without penalty.

The next clues came in private messages from people at the Havasupai Tribe’s Tourism Office, who confirmed the concerns of hikers: reservations were oversold … again.

For weeks, it seems the Tribe and Fasturtle worked to figure out the extent of the problem, and how many reservations would have to be canceled and revoked.

While the mules remain controversial (they only carry luggage, mail, and supplies … not people) many hikers booked their pack mules along with their campground or lodge reservations.

For people impacted by the overbooking, their pack mule reservations will be canceled and refunded, or moved to your new dates (depending on which option you choose).

Yes, we’ve seen this before, and yes steps were taken to “never let it happen again.”

When Havasupai Falls reopened in 2023, after a three-year Covid closure, the overbooking and confusion could be easily blamed on getting the system up and running again.

People impacted (again, the exact number was never released) were told to pick new dates later in 2023 or in 2024.

The Havasupai Tribe said it was a one-time mess. Visitors were double-booked for many days during February, March, April, and May of 2023.

I’m using the word “cancellations” even though the Tribe takes issue with it. From their standpoint, reservations are just delayed or rebooked. From my standpoint, hikers who purchased reservations only to be told they can’t come have indeed been impacted by a cancellation.

With that said, let’s go through some frequently-asked-questions. Several of these have also been answered above.

Will people double-booked in 2023 get priority?

Yes. Those reservations are least likely to be impacted by the 2024 overbooking … BUT … it’s still happening in some cases.

What does the “last-in/first-out” policy mean?

Reservations made in 2023 (after prior rebooking issues forced hikers to transfer) will be honored first. The “last” reservations made are the “first” to be kicked out due to overbooking.

Basically, the “last” or most recent bookings (likely from February 1st) are the most-likely to be overbooked and canceled.

Why didn’t I get the Overbooking email?

If you didn’t receive an email about an overbooked campground reservation date, your Havasupai permit and reservation are secure. No further action is needed.

What happens if I’ve already booked flights?

You can see if your airline will allow you to cancel, or get credits for a future flight. The Tribe will almost certainly not assist with this.

They advise all visitors to buy travel insurance. HOWEVER, make sure the travel insurance you buy (now or in the future) would actually cover a situation like this.

What caused the overbooking at Havasupai Falls?

The Tribe hasn’t clarified, other than passing the blame to a third-party web contractor, called Fasturtle. They claim the system was tested, but still failed for some reason.
It’s possible that some hikers planning to visit in 2024 had permits from before the pandemic which were canceled/postponed when Havasupai reopened in 2023.
Add to that the mass confusion over the first-ever “pre-sale” in January, and you have the elements that created the situation.

How many permit holders had their Havasupai Falls reservations canceled?

It’s unclear. The Tribe didn’t release numbers after the same situation happened last year either.

I got the email, so why doesn’t the website show my reservation as overbooked?

It’s good news! It means enough people already closed to cancel or move their reservations, so the date is no longer overbooked and you’re good to go.

Will more Havasupai reservations be canceled in 2024?

I’d like to be able to give a solid answer on this, but the Tribe was not forthcoming about the same issue in 2023.

The Havasupai Tribe’s Tourism Office *says* all overbookings have been dealt with, and all impacted hikers have been notified for 2024.

Keep in mind: they sent the same message last year, and people continued getting emails about their reservations being canceled into the late spring.

Can I wait to see if other people cancel their Havasupai Reservations?

Yes, you can wait to see if enough other people choose to move their reservations. Your dates might open up!

BUT … make sure to make a decision by February 23rd.

I had to reschedule my Havasupai Falls reservation due to overbooking in 2023. Now I’m facing the same situation in 2024. What should I do?

If you don’t want to cancel for a refund or reschedule, you can wait it out to see if others choose to move their dates before February 23rd.

With an original reservation date from 2023, there’s a better chance that you’ll move up quickly as other people cancel, and get to keep your 2024 dates.

The Tribe says you have a “good chance” of keeping your reservation in this scenario. Keep checking the website or online portal!

What happens if I’m overbooked, but don’t make a decision by the February 23rd deadline?

Havasupai Reservations will be canceled in the order they were booked, beginning with the most recently booked.

If you booked your reservation this year, yours will be cancelled before someone else’s reservation which was rescheduled from last year’s overbooking.

(Let’s hope this cycle ends this year!)