This whale-watching tour provides the opportunity to give back on your Puerto Vallarta vacation. In the company of a biologist guide, you'll see humpback whales up close, as well as dolphins, turtles, and giant mantas in their natural environment and participate in a research project that helps to protect them.

Combine citizen science with whale-watching in Puerto Vallarta
Opportunity to see whales, dolphins, and turtles in their natural habitat
Tour is led by a biologist who specializes in cetaceans
See whales up close and learn all about their behavior

What's Included

Bottled water
Soda/Pop
Lunch
Snacks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Opequimar Centro Marino
Av. Paseo de la Marina Sur 214, Marina Vallarta, 48450 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
OPEQUIMAR is located across the street from Westin Resort in Marina Vallarta. At security gate tell them you are going for whales so they will let you in. Inside look for our sign with a whale and dolphin. We receive at the Azzul Marino Restaurant. Pleaes be 10-15 min prior tour

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Infants must sit on laps
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible

Most travelers can participate
Wheelchair accessible
No es recomendable para personas de mas de 7 meses de embarazo
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

olafriday

I saw whales! Mamas and their babies. It was amazing. The guide was informative and I appreciated the information before we started the tour. It was a beautiful day and I am so glad I got to see these majestic creatures in real life.

Reviews

5.0

382 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 382 reviews

Unforgettable !

cindijohnson11, Apr 2024

:earning about whale behaviour . Having the expert guidance- we would never have seen the baby whale playing with the dolphins with mom close by observing had we not been with a marine biologist who had been studying them for so many years . An unforgettable experience

It's a smaller boat, and...

Marco_T, Mar 2024

It's a smaller boat, and therefore you can get up close. Well worth it. Family loved it. The marine biologist was excellent!!

Great trip with Maru and Cesar.

Susan_G, Mar 2024

Maru was terrific and so knowledgeable and compassionate about marine life. She explained things clearly and gave a nice presentation at the beginning.

Recommend 100 %

LutzStefan_M, Mar 2024

Manu was very knowledgeable and provided a great experience. We were able to see several whales playing, flipping, jumping and taking care of their babies. It was very impressive.

Amazing

Ty_C, Mar 2024

Great tour, the guide was very knowledgeable and even though it was late in the season we saw plenty of whale shenanigans.

Lots of whales!

Maia_T, Mar 2024

We saw a lot of whales and dolphins and learned a lot too. Gema was an excellent guide- friendly and knowledgeable. The excursion went a bit longer than scheduled and my back was sore from sitting in the boat benches. Not recommended if you have back issues.

Epic day on the water

Heather_G, Mar 2024

Epic day watching mama and baby whales breaching! Amazing sight to behold, we feel so lucky to have experienced this.

The guide was amazing and...

Collin_B, Mar 2024

The guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. We loved seeing all the whales up close and it was nice that lunch was included.

Dozens of whales but don’t get stuck in the back of the boat or you miss out!

Stephanie_K, Mar 2024

We booked this specific tour because my 9 year old was so excited to learn about whales and see them. When we arrived, we had a very informative presentation and super excited for our tour. The boat is small, like a 14 passenger dingy. We were the unfortunate family last to board the boat and when our experience went downhill. Pros: - The captain was so incredibly kind and definitely passionate above his profession. - We literally saw dozens of whales which was amazing and a pod of 5 whales in the end. - He knew exactly where to go and tried to make us as comfortable as possible. To help reduce the water spray on my husband’s back, he had him remove his seat cushion to stand up to block the water hitting his back. He also offered for us to stand in the shade when we’re stalled. Cons: - When you’re last to board, you sit in the back of the boat by the motors which is very noisy and we inhaled fuel fumes for hours. My daughter is sensitive to smell and sound. She slept through some of the tour to mitigate the discomfort. - Also in the back, you don’t get the same panoramic views because we sat behind the captain. - Other passengers were often filming the experience and out of their seats, hanging over the edge, blocking our view and we’d have to go side to side of the boat the entire trip trying to see around them to see what everyone else could see from their seat. - The tour guide stands in the front of the boat. We didn’t hear anything after we left the marina which was very disappointing and a major consideration in choosing this company. The was no speaker of any kind. If they’re going to seat people in the back, there should be some kind of audio to hear, they should stand in the middle of the boat or provide noise canceling headphones to drown out the engine noise if you can’t hear anything anyway. - In the back, there is no shade due to our time of day. We left before 9am. We got to sit in the sun for three hours while other guests enjoyed shade, heard whale facts, didn’t sit by the motors, didn’t inhale jet fumes and weren’t drenched on the way out or in and we paid the same fee. - People should be placed in the back by order of booking and it should be discounted for all the discomfort and lack of audio. It was incredibly disappointing to miss out on the educational component. - Our tour guide didn’t even ask how we were doing until 2 hours & 15 minutes into the tour. I didn’t respond and my husband doesn’t like conflict so I gave a wave. Overall, from a whale perspective the experience was amazing but don’t count on hearing the content if you have the misfortune of being in the very back.

Run, don’t walk!

olafriday, Mar 2024

Don't hesitate to take this tour!

Doug_E, Mar 2024

The tour guide did a wonderful job explaining everything we saw and was very knowledgeable. I had a great time seeing all the dolphins and humpback whales.

Fantastic!

Robert_L, Mar 2024

The Marine Biologist and boat captain (George) were both so amazing! We saw lots of whales and definitely learned a lot. Highly recommend this excursion!

Amazing Whale Tour

Arina_V, Mar 2024

The tour guide Pilar (I might be misspelling) was very experienced and helpful! The tour was amazing even in March, we saw so many whales. Not even 20 minutes into the water and we saw a mom and her calf. Another group of whales we saw even breached the water a bunch. The boat was also kept super big or full which was nice. Would 100% recommend if you are wanting g to go whale watching.

Educational and fun!

Stefanie_S, Mar 2024

Such a fun tour! Pilar, a Marine Biologist and Captain Cesar were great guides! We saw Humpback whales, a turtle and dolphins. Educational and fun!

Whales, Dolphins and More

Jason_M, Mar 2024

What a wonderful experience! Not only did we see humpback whales, but we also were able to watch dolphins, sea turtles, and manta rays (all with the knowledge and insight of a marine biologist). We cannot recommend this tour highly enough. Thank you for a once in a lifetime experience!

Fun time!

Kris_C, Mar 2024

Great experience! It’s amazing seeing Wales so close to the boat. The captain and guide knew exactly where to find the wales!

Fabulous!

Maria_C, Mar 2024

Brief introduction to various whale types before on water experience. Excellent viewing of the whales with sensitivity to their space.

Jumping whales! What can be better!

Hanna_L, Mar 2024

We saw jumping whales! My dream came true! I would highly recommend this tour! Alex was knowledgeable and showed us a whale presentation at the beginning of the tour.

A magical experience with the whales & dolphins

Taryn_T, Mar 2024

This has to be the most magical experience I’ve had in my lifetime, Ali & Jorge did an a wonderful job with the tour from walking us through about whales, and seeing up and close. A licensed marine biologist is a must, the best experience ever, I wish I can do it more often. Please BOOK this tour this is a once in a lifetime experience

Amazing tour guides!

Jens_N, Mar 2024

Great tour guide Alex and her captain made this trip wonderful! Saw many many whales in March still. The educational part in the beginning was needed and interesting presented

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