Don’t miss the limited window to go whale-watching off the coast of Puerto Vallarta. Instead, spend half a day looking for whales, listening to their song, and immersing yourself in conservation-related research projects, something not offered by many whale-watching excursions. Plus, benefit from the insight of your marine mammal expert guide throughout.

Look out for and learn about whales on this half-day excursion
Benefit from the insight of your bilingual marine mammal expert guide
Safety equipment, hydrophone, and snacks are provided
Round-trip transportation from a central meeting point is included

What's Included

Snacks
Use of hydrophone
Life Vest
Whales goverment permits
Whales conservacy wrist bands donation.

Breakfast
Alcoholic Beverages
Gratuities
Marina Dock fee must be paid cash during your check in (u$3.00 or mx$50.00 each pax)

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Whale Watching Eco Explorer Vallarta
Proa 22, Marina Vallarta, 48335 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
We are located at Marina Vallarta, at just 5 minutes from airport, 2 blocks away from the Whale statue.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Please consider that all our guests must show an ID, f you do not present it at the time of check in you will not be allowed to board the boat.
Toddlers ar not allowed on public tour, only private tours.
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 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.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

151 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 151 reviews

Amazing Experience!

Erica_H, Mar 2023

Best excursion I’ve ever been on. Carlos was amazing! He truly does seem like the whale whisperer. Highly recommend!

Worth it

Olivia_D, Mar 2023

Whale watching was amazing! We saw so many. Carlos and Emilio were so kind and informative. A trip highlight!

The perfect whale watching tour!

Janelle_M, Mar 2023

Carlos, our guide, was beyond amazing! He was knowledgeable, kind, fun, and ensured we saw whales and we even got to see dolphins swim right up to us. He has a true passion for what he does and it shows. Our captain, Alex, had fruit, water and juice for us, and navigated the waters like a true expert. Look no further and book this tour! I will definitely book with them again.

Great whale watching adventure

Suzanne_B, Mar 2023

Our guide Carlos was fantastic. Warm, funny, and knowledgeable. We saw many whales and a few dolphins.

Great trip

twgoddard, Feb 2023

Whales jumping out of the water and a great crew and good wheather but the boat was bumpy was good staff was great

1 traveler found this review helpful

Whale watching extraordinaire!

marilyn_b, Feb 2023

Our whale watching cruise last week was absolutely spectacular! Carlos and Javier are true professionals who love sharing the majesty of the marine world. The small boat was an advantage as well. Don’t hesitate to book this tour!

Great day on water

Thomas_M, Feb 2023

Carlos and Emilio were fantastic guides. We were fortunate to see numerous whales. Definitely recommend.

Great experience

WINGKWONG_C, Feb 2023

We saw a few whales, not very close though. Our guide, Carlos, has tons of knowledge of whales, and other animals for that matter. I like that Eco Explorer organises small-group tours. Some people who reserved our tour did not show up and Eco Explorer did not cancel the tour even though there were only three people left. Really appreciated that. The boat was small and the ride could be bumpy when it is going fast. So if you get seasick easily, take some medication before the tour.

Excellent Experience!

Jeff_V, Feb 2023

Incredible! Such a great experience. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We saw so many whales and dolphins. Highly recommended!

Great value, experienced lots of whales

Hanz_B, Feb 2023

eco tours knew extra toy how to find them. The smaller boats are nimble and can get right up next to the whales and dolphins. Great length for kids too. Saw 20+ on this trip in early February.

The best boat trip ever!

Hannah_S, Feb 2023

We had the most amazing whale watching boat trip! We had used another company earlier in our holiday but EcoExplorer exceeded our expectations. We had so many whale encounters, including two sets of mothers, their calves and the males escorting them. We managed to see the calves breaching as well as some amazing breaches from the adults too!! Some whales were also tail slapping and reaching their pectoral fins out of the water. The most spectacular experience and by far the best boat trip we have ever done! A nice small covered boat with a small group and the best guide! Thank you to Carlos and our captain for being absolutely amazing guides. So knowledgable, friendly and funny.

Great small group excursion

Michael_F, Feb 2023

Four of us had a great morning seeing many hump back whales on Jan 30th! There were just six sightseers on the boat, so all of us got get an excellent view of the whales at all times. Erik did a wonderful job of explaining the whale behavior and what to watch for. Capt Emirio got us as close to the whales as was permissible. We highly recommend Whale Encounter Puerto Vallarta by Eco Explorer. Mike

Must see

L_K, Jan 2023

Ricardo ,and Emilio were both wonderful. The information they provided included information on the whales but all sealife the land and bird's. We highly recommend this tour.

So much more than expected!

Sandy_V, Jan 2023

Carlos was our amazing guide and helped us see a lot of whales and dolphins. We traveled to an island and stopped to snorkel. We learned a lot and had a wonderful time!

Whales were very active! EcoExplorer 10/10

Dawn_E, Jan 2023

First time on a whale watching boat trip and was not disappointed. Carlos was our guide and had prepped us on what the trip would be like - went over whale classification and was very knowledgeable. Martin was the boat driver - I was a little apprehensive that these tours would be invasive to the whales' environment and I was delighted that they were sensitive to the animals and gave adequate space for us to watch but not interfere. We saw multiple whales (males) vying for the female whale - which means that the males were breaching often as they were "fighting". We also saw a female whale and her baby and a couple of dolphins. One whale breached right by our boat and was a wonderful surprise! We were given 3 hours on the water due to the amount of activity and was not rushed to go back to shore. Beautiful day on the water and a great memory! Definitely 10/10 recommend!!

Once in a life time experience

Aniella_B, Dec 2022

This tour really fulfilled one of my bucket list wishes. First, Carlos was a super knowledgable tour guide, clearly passionate about the whales and shared a lot of interesting information. Captain Emilio had a great eye to discover them and we were lucky enough to encounter a whole group of whales and accompany them for quite some time, seeing them blowing and even breaching multiple times. The boat is small and fast, so we were a lot more mobile than the bigger boats and got very close. We even got to hear the whales sing via an underwater microphone. It was an absolutely wonderful experience to see these beautiful animals in their habitat and we saw more of them than I could have dreamed of. Additionally, we saw many dolphins and turtles as well. Would absolutely recommend this tour.

Perfect day!

Cedric_H, Dec 2022

After many whale watching experiences, I have learned a great experience requires a fast and nimble vessel skippered by a captain/crew with knowledge of resident and migrating whale pod behaviors. Carlos, Emilio, and Rogelio and the tess add may EcoExplorer delivered on all criteria. A superb experience shared with six other passengers. Perfect day!

Fun and exciting

Doris_G, Dec 2022

The staff was very knowledgeable. The tour guide excitement was contagious. It was a prefect afternoon

1 traveler found this review helpful

Best experience in PV!

Carlton_W, Dec 2022

Great experience! I can't imagine a better guide than Carlos. So knowledgeable, and fun! He and Emilio, the captain, are a great team, perfectly in tune to make sure you get a wonderful adventure. Saw many humpback whales, mother's and calves.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Baby Whale breached right by us!!!

Kirstin_D, Mar 2022

Baby WHale breached right by boat was fun and exciting. Very nice trip and saw whales breach and all many times.

Questions?

Product code: 118966P1

Attractions in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

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Whale Encounter Puerto Vallarta

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Overview

What's Included

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

End point

What To Expect

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

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