This experience for humans is a nightmare for the animals. Hundreds of boats are chasing a few whale sharks, trying to feed. The boats are very loud; we all know the sounds spread faster in water, and the whale sharks are very sensitive to sound. Moreover, the boats release chemicals in the water that kill their food. The locals explained that this activity is done disrespectfully towards nature. They push further and further away the sharks from their feeding grounds. Please read before booking if you want to be educated, informed, and intelligent (not egoistic).

First off, Gustavo is incredible! He was a lovely guide and such a kind and thoughtful person. I was nervous on the speed boat and he was so kind and lovely to me the whole trip! The other staff members were super great as well. The whale shark experience was amazing, we got really up close to a beautiful one. The only negative is that there were so many boats and people around the sharks that it seems to have been stressful for them. Although the coast guard was there keeping a close eye on everyone which is great.

Excellent experience, what people don’t realise the distance you have to travel and you may still not see anything. I was lucky and it was an amazing day with our team.

My partner and I had booked our dream trip to see the world’s largest fish - and we weren’t disappointed at all. Eddie and Jorge were absolutely fantastic the whole time and did an amazing job to make sure everyone in the group could swim with the whale sharks. We had a bad view the first time, and Eddie and Jorge did amazing to make sure we could end the trip with incredible views. We would 100% recommend VIP Holbox - Eddie and Jorge were extremely professional and respectful of the whale sharks; something not consistent across all of the tour companies unfortunately. So we left feeling looked after, and most importantly the whale sharks too.

Can I leave more than 5 stars? Eddy and Jorge made the entire trip and experience unforgettable! From start to finish the communication was excellent. Please understand that the whale sharks are wild but if you are lucky enough to see them Jorge will position you and Eddy will swim with you alongside these beauties. The trip out is a bit rough even in fabulous weather but worth every bounce. Lunch and snorkeling (huge rays all around) just topped off an incredible experience. We felt safe,taken care of and respectful of the wildlife with VIP. Cannot recommend enough!

Such a great activity from the very start to the very end. Breakfast at a restaurant in town followed by a safety briefing from Eddie. We then made our way to find the whale sharks. We were so impressed with the care and respect they have for these animals and allowed us to see them without disturbing them. Everyone on the trip had the chance to see the whale sharks! We then went for a snorkel followed by some delicious ceviche and soft drinks. I would recommend this tour to everyone and Eddie was a great guide.

We had a great trip out with Eddie and Jorge. Absolutely worth it. It’s quite a long trip out by boat and on very choppy water at times but worth it once you get there. Each couple gets 2 “jumps” and after each jump, the boat has to join the back of the queue - there were anywhere between 5-10 different boats around at the same time. They are quite elusive creatures, often spending a few minutes at the surface and then diving deep out of sight and then popping up somewhere else. When they are at the surface they don’t hang about much either. The snorkelling on the way back is a bonus and lunch was good.

Excellent start to finish! Our guide, Eddy, was really knowledgable and welcoming - swimming with the whale sharks was incredible, but it would have been a fantastic day even if we hadn’t been lucky enough to find them, with swimming, snorkeling and sightseeing around Holbox. Be mindful that the waters are really choppy, so if you are prone to seasickness take the offered Dramamine.

Eddy our guide was so awesome and so so helpful! The shark experience itself was simply wonderful and magical. One of kind experience for sure.

I wanted this experience to be amazing, but unfortunately it was not. Our guide was great, snorkeling was fun and the ceviche was delicious! But once we got to the whale sharks it was a scary mess. There were several other boats all competing to see the whale sharks the waves were high. Boats crashing into each other, the gas fumes were terrible it was awful. I was scared to get into the water thinking I could be hit by a boat. I was so bummed that it turned out this way. I don't believe any of the boats had a care in the world about the whale sharks and their safety. It was a sad and disappointing experience.

Keep in mind the trip took us like 2 hours and a half to find whale sharks but it was worth it. If you get sea sick like i do I recommend to take the pills the offer. The captain and the tour guide were extremely nice and they made sure we enjoyed the experience. Its a once i an lifetime experience if you like an adventure you wont regret it.

Very expensive, nearly £800 for four people, didn't get to see any whale sharks, just endless crashing through the waves of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to reach the site where they thought the sharks would be, there were over 20 other boats there, lined up, waiting their turn. Had the sharks been present there would have been ~200 people splashing around in the water with them, no wonder they left the area, must be terrifying for the creatures. Nearly 7 hours on a boat to not see anything. The crew of the boat was lovely, the food delicious, but the whole thing would not have been a good experience even if we had seen the sharks,

Our whale shark experience with this company was excellent from the start. They were available to answer questions by email or WhatsApp and were attentive to every question. Silvia in particular was an awesome liaison once we arrived at breakfast on the morning of the tour. We met our guide, Vicente, an expert with over 25 years on Holbox, during breakfast which was served in a lovely spot called La Mandarina (highly recommend dinner there if you arrive the day before). Vicente is knowledgeable and cares deeply about the environment and ecosystem of Holbox, the Mexican Gulf and the surrounding bays. There are other companies offering whale shark tours, but I highly recommend choosing this one if you care about quality and respecting the natural beauty of la isla de Holbox.

Highlight of our trip, for sure! Our guide (Eddie) was great - friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgable. Knowing that finding the whale sharks isn’t a given, we were lucky enough to find a big group and swim with them, but even without that, the experience would have been a highlight of the trip as a lovely day trip; seeing uninhabited parts of the island, snorkeling off the coast, and some of the freshest and best ceviche for lunch. Highly recommended!

The chance to see a wale shark close up is already priceless, V.I.P. Holbox makes the entire trip a great experience. The guide Vincente was very engaging. He did not just give the plane information, going through the programm, but showed also interest in the people he was guiding and it was obvious that he also always enjoys the experience to see these impressive animals and sharing this. He and the captain took very good care of all the participants. After seeing the wale sharks the tour takes you to a reef on the way back to Holbox where one can see plenty of beautifull fish, octopus and rays. Finally you are treated to a freshly prepared ceviche. I can only highly recommend this tour with V.I.P Holbox!

We booked with this agency because they had a great rating and were recommended by Lonely Planet. We knew that they were much more expensive than all the other agencies on the island, who basically offer the exact same tour (minus the breakfast). However, we still booked with VIP Holbox because we wanted a hassle-free, booked in advance experience without any funny business. Unfortunately, all we got was funny business. They cancelled our trip at 9 pm the night before we were supposed to set out, apparently due to engine trouble. This was weird in two different ways. Firstly, when we called them, they admitted that the engine trouble had been going on all afternoon, meaning they waited until the very very last minute to cancel, probably hoping we would just agree to postpone our trip. Secondly, they had sent us multiple messages that day asking us to come to their office and pay in cash (weird, because we had already wired a deposit). So they (A) knew they had engine trouble all afternoon and (B) still asked us to come by and pay in cash (last message we received asking us to come over was at 19:34), and (C) waited until the last minute to cancel our trip via whatsapp. As a fun bonus, they did not even give us the option to cancel our trip. Instead, they either wanted us to postpone our trip until the engine was fixed, or pawn us off to another tour agency (which would undoubtedly have been a cheaper one, since VIP Holbox is the most expensive tour on the island). To their credit, they eventually did give us a refund off our deposit, but we had to call them multiple times to arrange this, and they were very hostile over the phone. Honestly, we also doubt if they really had engine trouble - we could see online that they had very few bookings on the day of our tour, and we suspect that they just preferred to cancel instead of going with a boat that was only half full. Fortunately, we were able to find another tour last minute, thanks to Casa Mech, and we saw very clearly that all boats essentially do the exact same tour. We cannot say anything about the quality of the guides at VIP Holbox, but for the price they charge, I hope they are worth it. For the record, our tour with another agency ended up being 2700 pesos and we did the exact same things VIP Holbox did (again, minus the breakfast). Long story short: do not book with these guys just because you want peace of mind. You won’t get it. Just travel to the island and book with any of the agencies there, they all offer the same and you will definitely be able to secure a spot - there is no shortage of tours at all. Also: enjoy your day! The whale sharks are awesome, and even though your time with them is short, the experience is worth it. And don’t forget dramamine ;) Good luck!

My partner and I absolutely loved this experience! We both swam with 2 of the whale sharks which was utterly incredible. Gustavo was so lovely and friendly. He made us feel very comfortable and was so excited that we were able to share this experience with him. He really added to the whole experience and we loved him. If you get sea sick (like me) I would highly recommend taking an anti-sickness tablet before getting on the boat (they do provide them if you forget, however.) The snorkelling after whale shark swimming was a lot of fun too, we saw all sorts of fish down there! The lunch was also so delicious, just what you need after a long morning of swimming and travelling. They have a vegetarian option for those who don’t eat fish which is equally as yummy. Extra note: there is no toilet on the boat, so if you need to go, you go in the sea! The travelling can also be quite long, I think it took us 4 hours before we finally saw the whales, so prepare yourself for this, but believe me it’s worth it. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone! The whale sharks are such beautiful and gentle creatures plus it was so nice to be with the crew who genuinely care and love these creatures so much.

There is no guarantee with nature. That makes it magical when you get the chance to encounter what you are looking for. But VIPHolbox deliberatly chose not to go on a spot where several whalesharks were spotted by other boats (which was communicated on their radio, we heard it, Willy didn't know we understand spanish). So we didn't get any chance to swim with a whaleshark while other tourists from other tour operators had a wonderful experience as we heard when we got back at the hotel. Very disappointing experience. We waited for that day 2 years long, talking about this with our 3 kids. We booked a private tour to be sure to have the best conditions with the kids for this experience. And it was so dispponting. Not because there were no whalesharks but because VIP Holbox didnt really looked for them neither wanted to make that trip a one life experience for us... I'm so sad to have chosen that company instead of another one. We booked in advanced because we were worried about not having seats on a boat if we booked when arriving on Isla Holbox. But don't make the same mistake. There are plenty of places where you can book such a trip on Isla Holbox, always looking to take people for a tour. You will definitely find someone with who you have a good feeling for this experience when you get there.

Captain and tour guide were exceptional. Tour guide very friendly and very knowledgeable of animal. Wanted passengers to have a great experience. Really spent time explaining area. Captain was knowledgeable of areas to go. Food was great. Had chips as fresh made fish/salsa. Had coke and plenty of water. Even had Dramamine for boat ride for all passengers that wanted it. You will need it. Very fast boat. Moves a lot on water. Had a wonderful time seeing the whales. Such beautiful creatures!!! Would definitely do this tour again!!!

We came a long way from our home in Canada specifically for an opportunity to swim with a whale shark, knowing that there was no guarantee of a shark encounter. We had booked a private trip for my wife and I which was the best option if you can afford the splurge . I dropped by their Holbox office and spoke with the company owner 2 days prior to our scheduled trip and felt confident in my choice of operator . We could not have asked for a better experience! From the light breakfast prior to departure until we returned to the dock it was first rate . Our guide Willy explained everything and had us ready to go when the whale shark was found . There were multiple boats on the scene but it was very well orchestrated in each boat waiting to drop its swimmers in a quick moving queue . Once in the water , you didn’t even notice the other boats . We had multiple drops and each time was amazing . Having the experienced crew gave us the best opportunities to have perfect drops in front of the shark so we didn’t just catch it swim by . Finished trip with freshly made ceviche on a isolated beach . If I could I would rate the trip as a 12/10 ! Unforgettable!