The 4 Best Cancun Whale Watching Tours

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

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

Leave early for a small-group boat trip to Cancun’s seasonal whale shark grounds. Guides such as Dory, Pia, Diego, and Vanessa help you swim safely with these gentle giants, then serve ceviche near Playa Norte. Expect a long day, rough water, sun, and nature on its own schedule.

“Our tour guide Daniel was a lot of fun. We saw so many whale sharks from the surface as well as in the water. It was a perfect day and by going very early in the morning you still have the rest of the day after the tour to enjoy another activity this is really a once in a lifetime bucket list thing to do.”

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

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

Set out from Puerto Xtabay with a bilingual naturalist guide and a small boat group of up to 10 participants. Watch for whale sharks, swim beside them in pairs, then stop near Playa Norte for ceviche, sandwiches, and a swim. Pickup covers major Cancun and Riviera Maya hotels.

“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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3.Whale Shark Swimming and Isla Mujeres Beach Tour

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

Join Contoy Adventures for an early boat trip from Punta Sam into the whale shark protected area. You swim in pairs with a guide, usually two or three times, then stop at Playa Norte for ceviche and beach time. Guides such as Herbert, Angel, Manuel, and Xavier have earned special praise.

“We booked the trip on Viator based on the reviews the company had we either got a bad day or the reviews are not quite what they seem We where staying in Rivera maya which meant the transfer was nearly 2 hours so pick up at 05.20 it’s hard enough getting 4 kids out of bed for that time but the transfer was 20mins late with no apology When we eventually got to the dock to get on the boat it was well organised and lots of people were put on boats quickly and efficiently The Boat was clean but small no toilet just 12 people on the not plus…”

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4.Cancún: Swim with Whale Sharks

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

From May to September, join EcoColors Tours for a small-group whale shark trip from Cancún. Guides such as Omar, Arturo, Naara, and Alex lead the snorkel sessions, with lunch, drinks, gear, and a swim near Isla Mujeres included. Dolphins, turtles, and manta rays may appear along the way.

“They guys were absolutely lovely and explained everything and OMG we’ve seen quite few whale sharks such an amazing experience swimming with them, although I was a bit scared at first! I’d go back and do it again 😊”

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