Swimming with Whale Sharks in Mexico: The 12 Best Trips

1.La Paz Whale Shark Snorkeling Tour and Lunch From Los Cabos

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,066 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $259Our pick

Whale shark snorkeling from Los Cabos to La Paz with wetsuit gear, a Sea of Cortez swim, and fish tacos. Full-day trip.

“Giving 2 stars instead of 1 because the staff on the ground were kind, but this was an awful experience. The company's poor planning skills led to us wasting an entire day. We booked the tour from Los Cabos with hotel pick up. We were picked up at 6:15 am (others even earlier) taken to their office in Los Cabos and had to wait there for about an hour while they received confirmation that our boats would be allowed into the whale shark area. They said sometimes they find out boats aren't allowed and at the time I thought wow that would be horrible to wake up early on vacation,…”

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2.Whale Shark Adventure in Isla Mujeres and Cancun

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 951 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $155Best value

Small-group whale shark snorkeling in Isla Mujeres, Cancun. Max 10, guided entries twice, Caribbean cruise, snacks and ceviche lunch.

“This was possibly the highlight of my whole vacation. The whale sharks are phenomenal: majestic, gentle, and gorgeous. Our captain and guide were so nice and helpful. Only complaints: sunburn, seasickness, and some injury climbing back into the boat (make sure to use your knees).”

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3.Whale Shark Tour from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 929 reviews · 6 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $199

Small-group whale shark snorkeling from Cancun and Riviera Maya with hotel pickup, Caribbean lunch at Isla Mujeres, and reef-safe rules.

“Wonderful, knowledgeable tour guide-Rueben. Was friendly and so helpful! Wonderful ship’s captain and crew… made sure our experience was exceptional. Can’t wait to see videos! The whale sharks are such beautiful, peaceful creatures! Highly recommend!”

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4.Whale Sharks Small-Group Tour in Cancun and Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 916 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $160

Snorkel with whale sharks off the Yucatán on an 8-hour small-group tour from Cancun and Riviera Maya, with pickup, lunch, and guided care.

“Nice experience to swim ( very shortly) with this beautiful animal. Hotel pick up was perfectly on time, sea was quite rough and after a few days of rain in that area, it was extremely hard to find whale shark due to fact that plankton was not at surface, so whale sharks also not at surface, but finally, after long cruising, they found one and we were happy to have chance to swim with one, even it was very short due to presence of many other boats”

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5.Whale Shark snorkeling tour in a reduced group with local marine biologist

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 594 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $190

Small-group whale shark snorkeling in La Paz with a marine biologist, wetsuit gear, and GoPro photos, around 3 hours.

“MeXplore are great tour guides for a memorable encounter with a whale shark. Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend.”

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6.Whale Shark Encounter Full-Day all inclusive Tour from Riviera Maya

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 519 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $170

Whale-shark snorkeling off Cancun and Isla Mujeres beach time, with pickup, breakfast, lunch, and gear included. Small group, early start.

“The guide could not find a whale shark. We wasted an entire day of vacation and Viator refuses to refund the tour cost.”

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7.Small Group Whale Shark Snorkeling in La Paz, Mexico

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 410 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $190

Small-group whale shark snorkeling in La Paz with a marine biologist-led briefing, gear and snacks included, and limited on-water time slots.

“Swimming within 2 meters of a whale shark that was 8 meters long. Nice to be out on the boat. Good captain and guide”

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8.Whale Shark Swimming and Isla Mujeres Beach Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 399 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $210

Morning whale shark swims from Punta Sam plus Playa Norte beach time on Isla Mujeres, with hotel pickup and snorkeling gear included.

“The guide was really good interacting with my daughter and helping her keep up with the whale sharks.”

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9.Intimate Eco-Friendly Whale Shark Encounter – Premium Service

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 392 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $268

Intimate eco-friendly whale shark snorkeling in La Paz with premium gear, biodegradable sunscreen, guided swims, and photos/videos included.

“We had such an amazing time on this tour. The best thing is that they really do respect the whale sharks, limiting the number of people in the water at any one time. This meant that it was just the two of us and an instructor swimming with a whale shark for up to 5 minutes at a time. So it feels so special.”

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10.Swim with Whale Sharks

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 380 reviews · 7 - 7.5 hours · from $160

Snorkel with whale sharks on a small-group boat trip from Cancun with naturalist guides, snorkel gear, lunch, and ocean wildlife.

“We found the whole trip excellent and had an unforgettable time. Arturo was a great guide, friendly and attentive, and full of knowledge. I would highly recommend swimming with these majestic creatures, it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had with wildlife in my life! Also the lunch was a traditional Mexican spread with cerviche, chips and guacamole, it tasted absolutely lovely and they were very generous with the portions and made sure everyone was happy and satisfied. The swim in the sea by Isla Mujeres was idiliic and a fantastic finish to a super day!”

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11.Search and Swim with Whale Sharks ! All Inclusive.

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 171 reviews · 6 hours · from $224

Swim in small groups with Holbox whale sharks, plus manta rays, dolphins, turtles, snorkeling time, and fresh ceviche, guac, and mango on board.

“Willy was the best guide you can imagine. Born and raised on Holbox, he knows his way around and not only knows all about the whale sharks but can also tell you many other things about Holbox. Swimming with the whale sharks was simply a breathtaking experience, I would book the tour again at any time via V.I.P Holbox. Just because of the delicious ceviche we had for lunch. Highly recommended☺️”

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12.Whale Shark Swimming Adventure with Marine Biologist

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 34 reviews · 4 hours · from $204

Swim with juvenile whale sharks in La Paz with marine biologist guides. Small group, full wetsuit and snorkel kit included. 4 hours.

“We loved every minute of our experience with Erin and Tomas!! We can’t recommend them enough. They also give great restaurant recommendations. Five stars”

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