Intimate Eco-Friendly Whale Shark Encounter - Premium Service
La Paz, Mexico
Intimate Eco-Friendly Whale Shark Encounter - Premium Service
Recommended by 100% of travelers
La Paz, Mexico
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Snorkel with whale sharks on a small-group tour that maximizes your time in the water. Since every boat is limited to just six snorkelers, you’ll get a more personal experience than a larger-group outing. It also means a smaller ratio of guests to tour leaders; that allows the guide to capture more of the photos and video footage that are included in the tour price.
- Enjoy more time in the water than larger snorkeling tours
- Use provided snorkel, fins, and wetsuit to spot whale sharks underwater
- Included snacks and drinks keep you energized for swimming
- Stay safe with provided biodegradable sunscreen
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
What To Expect
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 412 reviews
Genevieve_Y, Dec 2025
Wow! Wow!! WOW!!! So worth it!!
Our guide Fatima and boat captain Fernandito were amazing!! We had an incredible experience!! We booked the Intimate Eco-Friendly Whale Shark Encounter - Premium Service with La Paz Whale Sharks VIP Tours for our family of six: my husband, myself, and our four children, ages 12 to 15 years. We were greeted promptly and friendly at the marina and given time to be fitted into our snorkeling equipment and wetsuits before embarking on our tour!
On the way, we were educated about the Whale Shark Sanctuary Area and the protections and history of the whale sharks in La Paz. Fatima was knowledgeable and enthusiastic and made the entire experience a joy! Once in the Sanctuary, her and Fernando wasted no time calmly and quickly locating several whale sharks for us to observe from the boat and then swim alongside!
I can't even put into words how awesome it feels to swim with one of these ocean giants! Just WOW!! I'm not going to lie, it was tiring! We had to swim along at a pretty good clip to keep up with our whale shark, but Fatima kept us on track and helped us easily while in the water. Fernando kept the boat nearby, ready for us to take breaks as needed or getting us into position to slip back into the water to swim with the whale shark again! My younger kids and I could only keep up for about 15-20 minutes at a time, but our oldest son swam along for almost the entire time.
Once we got over the initial shock, swimming with the whale shark was thrilling! We had an outstanding experience with La Paz Whale Sharks VIP Tours, and we will book with them again!
My only recommendation is to practice swimming and snorkeling before enjoying this adventure! My kids and I are very comfortable in the ocean and know how to snorkel. We are not avid swimmers, but we can all swim moderately well, plus the provided fins really helped. My husband is a good swimmer, but he was inexperienced with snorkeling and a bit uncomfortable in the ocean. It took him a couple of times in the water to get the hang of swimming with the whale shark, and removing his life vest actually helped give him more independent maneuverability and helped Fatima position him correctly with the whale shark. He was a little worried about sinking, but the wetsuit provided enough buoyancy, that the life jacket was not necessary.
Once our time was up and everyone felt completely satisfied with the experience, we returned to the marina. We were provided water, juice, fruit, and snacks on the return trip and took a slight detour to watch a couple of dolphins in the bay! A couple of hours after returning to the dock, we received an email with our photos and videos provided by Fatima. So cool!!!
Thank you Fatima, Fernandito, and VIP Tours! We don't know when we will make it back to La Paz, but when we do, we look forward to our next tour with you!
P.S. - We had lunch at The Dock Cafe, and it was delicious. I strongly recommend the chilaquiles!
Naomi_T, Dec 2025
Guide and boat captain were very knowledgeable and facilitated a very memorable experience with the whale sharks. I didn’t give them 5 stars because they promised photos of the experience, which would have been wonderful to have, but I asked twice and still never sent and that is very disappointing to not have those.
Eileen_H, Dec 2025
The best excursion we have ever taken with our many travels throughout the world. We were a group of 4 senior citizens, 2 of whom have done snorkeling and diving, one who chose not to get into the water, and one who has significant mobility issues. We did not make the first or second lottery for the time slots we requested. . We were pretty disappointed, but we were notified the morning of the excursion that we were able to get the midday slot. So glad we didn't give up and cancel. The boat captain found a whale shark fairly quickly and we were able to swim 3 different times with it. Katrin was the snorkeling guide and photographer. That girl is beastly strong. She would position us as we were snorkeling to get the best photos with the whale shark. The shark was truly breathtaking to be up so close. Even more remarkable is that Katrin went one on one with my sister and gave her the experience of a lifetime. (This sister was in a coma for an extended period of time and we promised her a fun trip if she could wake up). Katrin and the captain managed to get my sister in the boat despite the challenges of getting up the ladder. It was so worth the extra money for the VIP service. The other two men who came on our trip were gracious and we had a great time visiting with each other. We started as strangers and ended up as friends. It was a wonderful day.
Adrean_M, Dec 2025
Exhilarating experience, a definite must! We got to see 4 different sharks swimming around. Bucket list check!
Robert_B, Feb 2025
Fabulous experience! Our guides Javier (boat captain) and Angel (snorkel and nature guide) were friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. The sea lions were playful amazing, and -right- next to us! The bay was breathtaking. The lunch was great, and we were so appreciative they could accommodate the two vegetarians and one shellfish allergy in our group of four. Highly recommended!
Denise_D, Dec 2024
This was the most unforgettable experience my husband and I have experienced. We were a little nervous but excited to swim with whale sharks, our tour guides name is Angel and our captains name is Fernando. They were both very friendly and knowledgeable on necessary procedures to swim with them safely. Angel spotted our first whale sharks very quickly, although it was cloudy in the morning. We jumped in and the cute whale sharks was right next to us (AMAZING)! We saw a total of three and swam next to 2 and Angel took pictures of us swimming next to them. This tour was perfect, since there weren’t too many of us on the boat we got to dive in a few times. Highly recommend booking with VIP Tours!!!
Claire_T, Dec 2024
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.
Sinja_H, Mar 2024
Amazing tour with our very knowledgable guide Ana. We got lots of information about the whalesharks and protecting the wildlife is for Ana definetely a matter of heart!
Book a small group tour, you will have much more of it! It is worth the money!
Thank you also for the fantastic pics/videos!
Oriol_N, Dec 2023
Fantastic, highly recommended! It was incredible. One of the most wonderful experiences in my life, go and do it, titans!
Rick_H, Nov 2023
Great staff and amazing Sharks. Do this tour. You won’t regret it. Katlin was an amazing guide who knew her sharks and answered all our questions. If you are cruising, do this trip!!!!
Michael_H, Apr 2023
This was a truly amazing experience!! Katya was great to work with. She reached out to us a few days before our tour to let us know there were high winds forecasted and got us rescheduled to a different day. Anna was a wonderful guide, she made sure everyone had a positive experience! She and the captain were very friendly, knowledgeable, and safe. They ensured the whale shark was not disturbed while we enjoyed swimming with it. Anna took great photos and videos that we will treasure! There were 6 people on our tour, and each couple got to swim three times. This was the highlight of our trip to La Paz!
pam_p, Dec 2022
Got this as part of our sons Christmas present. They are 26 and 30 and loved every minute of it. was great having only 6 in the boat as you got more time with the whale sharks. They saw about 10 or so and had their go-pro but the guide got some great shots and sent to them. Everyone was super kind and helpful. Highly recommend.
charlene_k, Dec 2022
Excellent experience for all ages. My family loved it, fantastic and knowledge team. Highly recommend it!
Josephine_A, Mar 2022
This was an incredible tour with a fantastic host Katrin! The boat ride is quick and we found a whale shark right away. It was about 15ft and we kind of just keep following it with the boat and then when we’re close enough we take turns jumping out and swimming with it. Everyone wore wetsuits because the water is very cold but we didn’t have to wear lifejackets which is always appreciated. It was windy and the waves were kind of big so it was a workout! The big fish can swim pretty fast and your just keeping up with it. Katrin took incredible photos and videos for everyone. Unfortunately we didn’t see really big ones or multiple but everyone got to swim with it many times until we were tired. There was also nice snacks and drinks. Beautiful day!
LuisAndres_M, Mar 2021
Such an awesome experience! we were 3 on the boat, perfect weather, we saw some dolphins and could approach them, but the best was yet to come, with the whale sharks. Swimming next to them was unbeliavable, and our guide was super awesome and knowledgeable. I loved every second of it!
Attractions in La Paz, Mexico
More attractions near La Paz, Mexico