Whale Watching Adventure with a Marine Biologist

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Take an unforgettable eco-tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and experience the awe of humpback whales up close. Led by expert biologists, this small-group whale-watching adventure lets you listen to whale songs using a hydrophone and explore their world through a fascinating lecture. Relax with included snacks and enjoy knowing your adventure helps support whale conservation. Plus, you’ll even take home a responsible whale-watcher sticker as a keepsake.

Expert biologists as guides for in-depth insights
Listen to humpback whale sounds via hydrophone
Video/lecture about humpback whale biology
Small groups for a personalized experience

What's Included

Coffee o tea, refilled water, light bite, Sodas and granola bars
Professional guide
Travel insurance
Restroom on board
Hydrophone system to listen the sound of marine mammals such as the male of humpback whales.
Lecture about humpback whales

Alcoholic Beverages
Gratuities
Boarding fee, Ecotours Vallarta

$5.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Ecotours Vallarta
Proa 20, Marina Vallarta, 48335 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
located near the ramp at the end of Calle proa, 1/2 block beyond the "8 Tostadas" restaurant in Marina Vallarta.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Start time
.8:30 am

Itinerary

Ecotours Vallarta

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Marina Vallarta

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
Infants under 2 years old are not allowed on this tour.
Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Jody_M

Amazing day whale watching. We started with an overview of the humpback whale in their office which was informative and interesting. We learned about their habitat, migration and much more from our guide Francisco. Then it was out to the boat which is open sides for viewing but a canopy overhead for the sun. We started to see whales almost immediately. Lots of Mom’s with their babies, lots of slapping flukes and we saw an adult breaching. Perhaps the most amazing thing of all was hearing the whales talking through the under water audio phone. At one point we could hear a whale talking without the audio phone. A most amazing morning. It is a small group tour and we only had 11 on board. Francisco our guide was a fountain of information and our boat captain Raphael got us to so many sightings. We saw perhaps 15 or more whales. I highly recommend this tour. It was excellent.

Reviews

5.0

based on 181 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Small group led by very...

Mary_J, Feb 2026

Small group led by very knowledgeable and personable guide and excellent boat captain, Michael and Raphael. We saw over 2 dozen whales including mothers and calves thanks to their guidance. Also lots of dolphins.

Epic Whale Watching

Jody_M, Jan 2026

Cynthia our guide was...

Alan_Z, Jan 2026

Cynthia our guide was very knowledgeable. We saw several groups of whales. The boat was clean and comfortable. We enjoyed our tour.

Awesome ! We saw 11...

Wes_J, Jan 2026

Awesome ! We saw 11 whales including two baby whales. Got to some amazing breaches. Crew was excellent. Would definitely plan on going again if we return to PV

Amazing!

Gabe_E, Jan 2026

Cynthia was amazing, so knowledgeable and super kind. We were pretty lucky to see a good amount of whales and a few got pretty close. We saw 17 whales and 3 sea turtles. There was even a baby with two other whales who got really close to the boat which is apparently pretty rare.

Whale watching on The Prince of Whales

ralinhart60, Mar 2025

Our guide, Michael, & Captain, Raphaell, were knowledgeable, & professional. We received detailed information about humpback whales & were transported quickly to several sites to view at least a dozen whales - moms, babies & escorts. It was an informative & exciting experience!

Excellent experience! ...

Jim_M, Mar 2025

Excellent experience! Our tour guide and captain were amazing. The whales we saw were great and would definitely recommend this!

Highly recommended tour

Kimberly_B, Mar 2025

We saw nine whales. Cynthia was very knowledgeable and we felt safe with Captain Martin. Eco-friendly.

Awesome Experience!

Evelyn_T, Mar 2025

What an incredible experience. Michael & Martine were wonderful guides. We saw a mom and calf AND a group of 6-8 males showing off.

We went in March, late in...

M_T, Mar 2025

We went in March, late in the season, and still saw several groups of whales, including moms and their calves and even one group of competing males. Our guide, Cynthia, was fantastic and very knowledgeable, and our captain Rafael helped get us quickly and safely around the bay to see the whales. Highly recommended tour!

This tour was absolutely...

Kiyum_T, Feb 2025

This tour was absolutely amazing! It starts with an informative presentation about whales, so you learn a lot before heading out on the water. The guide was passionate and knowledgeable, which made the whole experience even more fun. We were lucky enough to see two different groups of whales, each demonstrating different behaviors. We even got to hear some of the male whales singing.

Amazing! :)

Rebecca_D, Feb 2025

We had an amazing experience. It was a small boat with a small group of people which was perfect because you didn’t feel overcrowded, total of eight people, including the Captain and the marine biologist Cynthia. Cynthia gave us so much wonderful information about the whales, sea turtles and the dolphins we saw! The Captain awesome! They have snacks and water for you on board and before leaving. -side note: no bathrooms on board, again small boat. So I wouldn’t drink too much before hand :) Thank you for a wonderful time!

Very Informative trip!

John_G, Feb 2025

The guides with very professional and informative. We greatly enjoyed hearing the whale's song and look forward to taking another trip soon.

Magical and educational

Faith_A, Feb 2025

It was amazing! We were able to see many whales, Mamas with babies and their male escorts. It was thrilling every time one breached the water. We also saw many playful dolphins swimming with the whales. I highly recommend this trip.

Whale Watching

Michael_O, Jan 2025

Whale Watching was worth the time. We saw over 20 whales and got to see a couple up close. Highly recommend.

Humpback Mating Season

Donna_M, Jan 2025

Our whale-watching adventure was absolutely epic! We were lucky enough to witness humpbacks during mating season, and wow, did they put on a show! The males, clearly focused on impressing the female rather than us, dazzled us with playful and dramatic behaviors that were mesmerizing to watch. Adding to the experience was the incredible biologist on board, who filled the trip with fascinating whale facts and answered all our questions. This wasn’t just a tour—it was an unforgettable marine spectacle! If you’re considering it, don’t hesitate—I HIGHLY recommend this tour!

Lots of whales!

Karen_T, Jan 2025

Maggy was the perfect guide, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. They went to a lot of effort to make sure we saw as many whales as possible. I'd highly recommend this company.

100% recommend

Kristen_C, Dec 2024

Hands down the best whale watching experience. Not only did we luck out and see a ton of whales, flukes, head slaps, pectoral slaps and full-on whales jumping completely out of the water, we feel that having a tour led by the marine biologists enhances the experience. The price was a very good value as well! 100% recommend. Cynthia and Astrid were amazing leaders.

You Won't Be Disappointed

Myrna_K, Mar 2024

We saw about 10 whales, too many dolphins to count, and a giant Manta Ray, Our experience was greatly enhanced by our Marine Biologist who had a background in birds, plants, as well as sea life. She was able to answer any and all questions. We have been on the whale watch trips, all were wonderful, and this one was among the best.

Greatest whale trip!!

Kristine_S, Mar 2024

Loved the info we watched and listened to at the beginning. It was really great having a biologist lead the trip. Loved seeing the whales!

ECO TOURS Does Fantastic Job, VIATOR not so much.

Richard_M, Mar 2024

The trip with the Whale Biologist was very informative. We found that to be a huge benefit to this trip. We saw a number of whales during this trip displaying a number of mating as well as mother and newborn babes behaviors. I would recommend that you book directly with ECOTOURS. VIATOR has a low price guarantee that is not truthful. I found the booking price for anyone in the public, not associated with any organization or discount group on the ECOTOURS website at a lower price than thru Viator. VIATOR would not respect that lower price and stated that it was not honored because of this policy. "Viator's Lowest Price Guarantee covers retail and prepaid rates available to the general public. This does not include discounts you may receive (or be eligible for) from third-party organizations such as AAA or AARP, or special offers made as part of a membership program, corporate discount, daily deal, group or rewards program." Lower price is not a daily deal. The price has remained the same for the last 5 days.

Fantastic tour

mrshths, Feb 2024

This whale watching tour was absolutely fabulous! The highpoint of the tour was when our boat driver Raphael saw two whales blow out in the distance, and he drove the boat to that location. There were no other boats around and he and our guide Cristina looked for the location to stop the boat. He turned the engine off and we just waited. In a few minutes two huge whales started swimming around our boat. There were a total of 13 people on board, so was not a large boat. The boat did seem very stable and we all had a life vest on. The whales swam around the boat, and then they started sticking their heads up out of the water, as if to look at us and check us out. Then they would swim under the boat, and they would come up on the other side and look at us, several times they came right up to the edge of the boat and stuck their heads out of the water. It was absolutely breathtaking! Anyone who has any feeling for animals would have been overwhelmed as we were. I have seen whales on a boat in Australia , but only from a distance. It was nothing like this close encounter. We were all amazed at what was happening. We could’ve almost reached out and touched the whales. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anybody. We went out in the morning, and it was a perfectly clear day, and the sea was quite calm, which made it much easier to see the whales. The pictures show the whales coming up to the boat, sticking their head up out of the water and then also swimming underwater just barely covered by water so we could see their whole body. Sometimes they would even go upside down and we would see the underside of the whales. The boat driver, Raphael was extraordinary, and Cristina was an excellent guide and spotter.

Has to be one of the best.

Kevin_L, Jan 2024

Just wow! This was just the best tour we could have booked whilst in Puerto Vallarta. It is a very respectful professional operation and Christina and Raphael made sure we got the absolute best viewing of the whales whilst out on the ocean I cannot recommend this tour company highly enough. 5 stars!

Whale of a time

EFL, Feb 2020

The educational session before departure was very valuable in learning about the habitats of Whales. The Whale watching excursion was wonderful. We certainly saw quite a few whales. For some strange reasons, simple sandwich always taste better on the water. Nice treat. The day we sailed the water was a bumpy- several of us got nauseous. The team was well prepared for this, with small bites of ginger.

Amazing

k8lloyd, Feb 2020

Maggie our guide was incredible, so informative. Rafael was the perfect "driver"! We saw so many whales.

Magnificent Tour

raana, Feb 2020

To say it was outstanding would be an understatement !! Meg and the captain were !! We were so fortunate to see these beautiful Humpback whales, during birthing and mating season in the warm waters of Bandaras Bay Puerto Vallarta !!! AMAZING

Whale watching with Professionals!

Tour29244972757, Jan 2019

Our trip out to watch the whales could not have been better! Our guide was so knowledgeable and willing to answer any and all questions. Thank you so much!