Whale Shark and Snorkeling Adventure from Isla Holbox
Overview
Available languages
6 hours
Mobile ticket
Can you imagine swimming with a 14-meter-long animal? Whale sharks, the biggest fish in the world, come every year to visit Holbox. They are totally harmless, so you will be able to swim by their side in an amazing and life changing experience. During the boat trip, you may see turtles, giant manta rays, dolphins, flamingos and/or many other species.
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children under 6 years old are not allowed.
Season starts officialy May 15, but the arrival of whale sharks to the area vary each year.
Subject to favorable weather conditions. If cancelled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund
What To Expect
You will meet with your guide and group at the our office, in Isla Holbox at 6:30 am, is located one block from the Main ferry pier (not by the beach side) . There, you will have a small briefing and get all the necessary equipment. You will also enjoy a light breakfast to have a great start. Then, you will walk to the pier, where the boat is waiting to start the journey to find the whale sharks. The trip will take you between one and two hours and you may find different species on the way (if you see a giant manta and its behavior permits it, you can also swim with this harmless creature). Once in the area, you will swim by the whale shark in groups of two plus the guide, for safety reasons and to ensure you get the best experience. On the way back, you will stop near Cabo Catoche to snorkel the "cuevones" reef and maybe see sea turtles, nurse sharks, lobsters, squids, octopuses, and different reef fish. During the journey, we will prepare the freshest ceviche you'll ever have. Finally, you will go to Santa Paula, where you can stretch your legs, have a pleasant swim and enjoy the ceviche. From this point, you have a 45-minute journey back to Holbox.
Options
Whale Shark and Snorkeling Adventure from Isla Holbox
What‘s Included
Light breakfast: coffee, tea, fruits, yoghurt and sweet buns.
Guacamole or mango for those who do not eat fish.
Cool water and sodas.
Snorkeling equipment.
Our famous ceviche.
Gratuities
Taxi to / from meeting point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
218 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
No whale sharks in may
krissycruse,May 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00If May is too early in the season then why are we offering tours and taking people's money? I paid $250 to ride around on a boat all day . To then have 20mins of snorkeling at a reef that is deeper down. Making it hard to even see anything. To then get on boat to isla mujeres for another 30 minutes or so. Its a whale shark tour so maybe its better to offer the tour after the first week of June rather then take people's money and hope for the best. The captain and sailor made an amazing ceviche it was so good.The staff on the boat were absolutely amazing and were so kind , attentive and made the absolute best out of a very devastating situation as I had been looking forward to a whale shark tour for months and $250 is a lot of money in exchange for a wasted/ sacrificed vacation day Not happy with the tour company. They should not offer tours for may its too early and they know it sadly!!
Just amazing.
MARIAANDREA T,Sep 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing! The captain and our guide were super! They made one of the best ceviches I have ever eaten, super kind, organized and especially careful with the beauty of these animals
Excellent Team guiding us with the Whale Sharks
DayTrip47056583331,Sep 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the whale shark experience in August. Had an INCREDIBLE experience. Our guides were Eddie and Jorge. We each got two opportunities to swim with the whale sharks (beautiful creatures). It was super efficient, and they had great communication with us. After the whale shark experience we got to snorkel near Cabo Catoche, where we saw LOADS of nurse sharks, sting rays, and of course fish. We went near the shore after that and they fed us ceviche and guacamole. At the end of the tour, they dropped us at the north side of the island, which was convenient for us to get back to our hotel.
Highly recommend VIP Holbox
516xx,Sep 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing! We got to snorkel with a whale shark, then snorkel with numerous grey nurse sharks and stingrays! The tour lasted about 7 hours round-trip; it was worth the money. There is plenty of water on the boat, and the captain and tour guide were friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend using VIP Holbox for tours because they were great when we had to reschedule multiple times. They could have made us pay the deposit again, but instead they happily worked with our changing schedules. They were wonderful to work with.
Excellent!!!
patriciajillt2015,Aug 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a bucket list item for me, and it was everything I had hoped for and more! Willy (our guide) and our boat captain were amazing!! We had a good breakfast, got information and instructions about our swim with the whale sharks and what we would be doing during the day. They provided good equipment that we would need, snorkel and fins, and located a whale shark quickly. Willy was so good to direct us, get us in the water at just the right time and swim with us alongside the whale shark. It was an experience of a lifetime for me. Then we went to a small island where we snorkeled and had lunch. On our way back, we passed right by a nature preserve that had flocks of flamingos on the beach! It was an amazing and wonderful day from start to finish!
Amazing adventure - respect for wildlife and guests
DayTrip24167526197,Aug 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was such an amazing experience! The company gave us breakfast in the morning and explained how to approach the whale sharks, as well as rules to make sure we were being respectful of the animals. The driver and our guide were very knowledgable and we were able to find more than one whale shark throughout the day. They were also very dedicated to our experience. My sister and I jumped off the boat first, but the visibility in the water was not very good and it was very difficult to see the whale shark. Instead of staying, we moved on to a new location where the visibility was much better and we got another swim. We both felt they cared about each guest, as well as caring deeply about respecting the whale sharks. They tried to limit the number of people in the water and the number of boats around each whale shark. Ceviche and snacks were great, we can't recommend this company enough. The most magical day and experience ever!!
Must do activity in Holbox!
Nila P,Aug 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing once in a lifetime experience. We were fortunate enough to see 3 different sharks and swim with 2! The captain and guide were excellent and ensured we got the most out of our trip and that we felt safe and taken care of the entire time. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Unique and unforgettable experience
112olivierd,Aug 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It's quite unusual to be able to swim two meters from a whale shark. We were lucky, an excellent sea, whale sharks in large numbers (about ten) located not too far from the coast and therefore reachable in 1h15 boat. Nice crew. In addition to swimming with whale sharks we see another island and lunch on Cabo Catoche is rather pleasant. Certainly, as some note, it is 15-20 zodiacs hunting some mammals, so not hyper ecological, but frankly the experience is unique and unforgettable. Please note, if you are not sure if you will come, no refund once the 24h deadline has passed.
Things to do despite the price
dadmulls,Aug 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Unique and unforgettable experience. The guide Daniela was perfect as well as the captain. The excursion was in French despite what was announced. We were able to dive twice with whale sharks and also snorkeled and saw skate, turtle and bulldog shark. Stop on the beach. Great breakfast of delicious ceviche. I recommend. Only criticism: everything is going a little too fast and the excursion lasted only 4 hours
Unforgettable experience
N9301AIgemmam,Aug 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Good organization. Captain Ali and guide Ronald were superb, helpful, attentive and demonstrated deep knowledge and professionalism. An unforgettable experience.
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Operated by VIP Holbox Experience