Whale Shark Encounter Full-Day all inclusive Tour from Riviera Maya
Overview
Unique opportunity to swim and snorkel with the biggest fish in the ocean.
A full day adventure a memory for the lifetime.
Ideal for the whole family to spend some quality time together enjoying the ocean, nature and this wonderful, gentle giants of the sea.
100% GUARANTEED or you see the whale shark or money back !
A full day adventure a memory for the lifetime.
Ideal for the whole family to spend some quality time together enjoying the ocean, nature and this wonderful, gentle giants of the sea.
100% GUARANTEED or you see the whale shark or money back !
Inclusions
- Breakfast - cereals, honey, fruit and yogurt, sweet bread, coffee, milk, and fruit water.
- Lunch - Fish or shrimp ceviche, guacamole, fruit, and bread.
- Beverages (Water and soft drinks)
- Professional guide
- Use of Snorkelling equipment
- Snorkeling with the whale shark and any wild life encounter like manta rays, dolphins and turtles
- Another stop for snorkeling on the way back near isla mujeres
- On request: Veg and vegetarian food, gluten free.
- Entry/Admission - Eco Tours Adventure Whale Shark Tour
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Eco Tours Adventure Whale Shark Tour, Calle Felipe Carrillo Supermanzana 84 Manzana 2 Lote 1, Puerto Juarez, 77526 Cancún, Q.R., Mexico
A break for breakfast... and We'll sail to adventure, during our trip we will meet probably, dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles, ask the guide !! he'll be happy to jump in the water with you for an unscheduled snorkeling.
When we meet the whale sharks we'll start our activities.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Playa Norte, Rueda Medina 130, Isla Mujeres Mexico
Once the activities with the Whale Shark are over
We will sail to Isla MUjeres where we will stop for snorkeling, we'll swim in favor of the current and we'll admiring the colorful reef fish our guides will show you a well-preserved part of the reef and we'll talk about how to preserve this submerged paradise.
The Mesoamerican coral reef the second largest in the world.
And to end our day we will stop on Playa Norte considered one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world.
Lunch is served... crystal clear water white sand and a fabulous seviche accompanied by guacamole and a cold beer.
Duration: 1 hour
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Eco Tours Adventure Whale Shark Tour, Calle Felipe Carrillo Supermanzana 84 Manzana 2 Lote 1, Puerto Juarez, 77526 Cancún, Q.R., Mexico
A break for breakfast... and We'll sail to adventure, during our trip we will meet probably, dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles, ask the guide !! he'll be happy to jump in the water with you for an unscheduled snorkeling.
When we meet the whale sharks we'll start our activities.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Playa Norte, Rueda Medina 130, Isla Mujeres Mexico
Once the activities with the Whale Shark are over
We will sail to Isla MUjeres where we will stop for snorkeling, we'll swim in favor of the current and we'll admiring the colorful reef fish our guides will show you a well-preserved part of the reef and we'll talk about how to preserve this submerged paradise.
The Mesoamerican coral reef the second largest in the world.
And to end our day we will stop on Playa Norte considered one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world.
Lunch is served... crystal clear water white sand and a fabulous seviche accompanied by guacamole and a cold beer.
Duration: 1 hour
Additional information
- Not permitted for children 5 years old and under.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not permitted for pregnant women.
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide.
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required.
- Near public transportation
- Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund.
- What to bring: Cap, sunglasses, shirt, swimsuit, towel, sandals, biodegradable sunscreen, money for souvenirs.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
D4717WJkc
September 2022
Seamless experience from start to finish! Super easy booking process. The staff were very communicative before and during the experience. Pick-up went smoothly. Nuria was very knowledgeable and professional and gave a great briefing. She and her team on the boat really took care to make it the ...
Seamless experience from start to finish! Super easy booking process. The staff were very communicative before and during the experience. Pick-up went smoothly. Nuria was very knowledgeable and professional and gave a great briefing. She and her team on the boat really took care to make it the best possible experience. They went out of their way to make sure we had ample time with the whale sharks and also let us spend extra time near a pod of dolphins we saw on the way back. Super special, excellent experience.Jeff D
September 2022
Alexandra picked us up at our resort and she stayed with us the whole time. We swam with several whale sharks until we were all too tired to swim anymore!
Alexandra picked us up at our resort and she stayed with us the whole time. We swam with several whale sharks until we were all too tired to swim anymore!David D
September 2022
Amazing time with the whale sharks! Our tour guide was very thoughtful and we would love to come back! Only thing to keep in mind is they require you to either rent a wetsuit for $20 or wear a life jacket which wasn’t very clear
Amazing time with the whale sharks! Our tour guide was very thoughtful and we would love to come back! Only thing to keep in mind is they require you to either rent a wetsuit for $20 or wear a life jacket which wasn’t very clearAthena2c
September 2022
We had an incredible experience from start to finish! Booking was easy on their site and before excursion communication was great. We were picked up on time and the van was comfortable and not overcrowded and the driver drove safely. Moy was our guide for the day and was friendly, helpful and kn...
We had an incredible experience from start to finish! Booking was easy on their site and before excursion communication was great. We were picked up on time and the van was comfortable and not overcrowded and the driver drove safely. Moy was our guide for the day and was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Our Capitan, Chano, and crew, Brandon, were also great and the boat comfortable. It was the end of the season, so I got a little worried when it took a while to find a whale shark, but I shouldn't have worried-they found them and provided opportunities to swim with two of these amazing creatures. They also spotted a huge ray breaching out of the water and dolphins on the way. After our swim, they took us to a beautiful lagoon at Isla Mujeres, where they also prepared and served us a fresh, tasty lunch, and my shrimp/fish allergy was well accommodated. It was a long day, but an amazing one, and I highly recommend Eco Tours Adventure for your whale shark experience.jana100
September 2022
I’ve had a TripAdvisor account since 2009 and this is the first time I’ve felt compelled to leave a negative review. I researched and read reviews exhaustively and booked this tour due to all of the positive reviews. I felt obligated to bring up some points that I did not see mentioned in previo...
I’ve had a TripAdvisor account since 2009 and this is the first time I’ve felt compelled to leave a negative review. I researched and read reviews exhaustively and booked this tour due to all of the positive reviews. I felt obligated to bring up some points that I did not see mentioned in previous reviews. My main point would be that this excursion is HIGHLY WEATHER DEPENDENT and NOT FOR EVERYONE. They do run this tour even if the water is turbulent and the forecast is rain all day. The morning of the tour was pouring rain and windy. The hourly forecast was rain every hour, 85% chance of precipitation. The shuttle picked us up at 530am from Maya Riviera (630am for resorts at Playa del Carmen), and it was about a 2.5 hr ride to the port in Cancun after we made stops for additional passengers. There were 10 people total in our group. I was a bit apprehensive as I knew whale sharks require sunny weather to feed on plankton on the ocean surface. On the shuttle, we were given a short briefing by our tour guide and were given waiver forms to sign. We were told that each couple would have an order of jumping in with the whale shark, and not to swim too close or directly to the sides of the shark where the eyes are. A minor point, but we were told little about the whale sharks themselves. I really would have appreciated learning about the whale sharks’ role in the ecosystem, their biology, their size/what they looked like, etc. There would have been plenty of time on the shuttle to do that. We waited at a pierside restaurant for about an hour while the city port authority tried to decide whether it was safe to allow any boats out that morning due to the bad weather. Meanwhile we had coffee with milk, papaya, cantaloupe, yogurt, and a dry sweet roll. There were bathrooms available. We also took provided Dramamine and the group was given a tube of reef safe sunscreen to share. This was the only sunscreen allowed while on the trip and the only point you’d be allowed to apply it. Eventually it was decided that the boat would be allowed out into the ocean by the port authority. We rented shortie wetsuits for $20 each. They were in a locker and came out quite damp although they did seem clean enough. We took a small speedboat out for another 2 hour ride to where we could start looking for whale sharks. This ride was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. The boat was going extremely fast over choppy waters. It would rise about 4 ft on a large wave and then crash down from the air back into the water. At several points, my body was thrown up into the air about 6 inches and back down. People were hanging onto the side of the boat and the cushion to not get thrown around. The boat was at a 30 degree angle at points. Several guys were told not to stand up; however they were not standing on purpose, the turbulence had thrown their bodies from sitting into standing positions. My elbows, knees, and tailbone were completely bruised. The following day, my neck, back, and arms were extremely sore. There was little shelter from the rain and the water pouring from the sides of the boat into the boat; all of us were completely soaked. We finally made it to where we could look for whale sharks. After about 30 min of looking around, we found one and about half of the group was able to dive in and see the shark for about 2-3 min each. I was one of the lucky members of the group that was able to see the shark. The shark was quite deep in the water due to the bad weather and therefore the guide was unable to get any photos. Although I rented a wetsuit, due to the turbulent waters that day, I had to also wear a life jacket in order to stay afloat. Unfortunately the other half of the group was not able to see a whale shark on our tour. I was one of the lucky ones who got to have one jump. At this point half of our boat was throwing up. My husband did not vomit but was so ill that he was starting to black out and couldn’t see. He was told to jump into the water with the shark and it would make him feel better. In the end he was too ill to make a jump to try and see the shark. Although personally I saw only 4 out of the 10 people in our group vomiting, everyone in our group was very seasick, despite all of us taking the provided dramamine prior to coming out. We were all fit and in our 20s-30s. I’ve never suffered from seasickness before and have done multiple small boat tours before to see whales and dolphins. I think our tour guide could tell how miserable the whole group was, so we were offered the option to skip Isla Mujeres, the beach, and the ceviche lunch and go directly back to the pier and back to the resort. We unanimously voted to do so. In fairness I have to say that the tour guide, captain, and the swimming guide were friendly and nice. They did seem experienced and got us back to the pier in one piece. The entire group was disgruntled by our experience and we were offered a couple free videos from our trip. This was a nice gesture but honestly in no way made up for a miserable day and a wasted day of vacation. I will never forget being in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, having my body flung up in the air and crashing down on my tailbone, with rain pouring into my eyes and salt water being dumped onto my head every 30 seconds from the side of the boat for 2 hours each way with no land or end in sight. Definitely the worst thing I’ve ever done voluntarily “for fun”. Live and learn! TLDR: - If the weather is bad, you will have a miserable experience. I know that weather is not under the company’s control. However, I definitely think that the tour should have been canceled. The weather forecast clearly said rain all day, every hour, which makes chances of a whale shark sighting very slim. Additionally, the seasickness and turbulence resulted in a terrible experience and the cancelling of half of the tour itinerary (Isla Mujeres, beach, snorkeling, lunch). We spoke to others at our resort, and other ocean excursions that day from different companies had been canceled that day due to bad weather. I do wonder if there is an element of greed here. - Is this worth the money and time? This is for whale shark excursions in general. The total shuttle time was 5 hours and total time speeding on the boat to the whale shark destination was 4 hours. So 9 hours of misery for 3 minutes seeing the shark. The shark was deep in the water and we honestly would have gotten closer at an aquarium. It was also being crowded by many tourists and did not feel like a magical or private experience. Half the tour did not even get to have a jump or see the shark at all. This part is not entirely the fault of Eco Tours, but they do still operate tours in rainy weather where you are very unlikely to see whale sharks. There is also no refund or guarantee if you do not see a shark. We spent $165 per person, $20 for a fee, $40 on wetsuits, and $40 on tips, so $430 total. We also wasted one day of our limited resort time in Mexico. I very seldom leave bad reviews but I felt obligated to write this to help future tourists to Mexico.davidmJ506MD
September 2022
Eco Tours service is outstanding! Our guide Aleksandra and the crew are the best! They did an amazing job of getting us up close with lots of beautiful whale sharks! We took the 7am ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen for 7:55 pickup. They were there on time for a comfortable fun van ride to P...
Eco Tours service is outstanding! Our guide Aleksandra and the crew are the best! They did an amazing job of getting us up close with lots of beautiful whale sharks! We took the 7am ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen for 7:55 pickup. They were there on time for a comfortable fun van ride to Punta Sam, North of Cancun. They served a light breakfast with great scenery before a fun boat ride to the site, and amazing whale shark encounters. We stopped at Isla Mujeras on the way back for snorkeling and a little beach time while they made us the best ceviche I've ever had. Back at Punta Sam we had time to rinse off before heading back to Playa Del Carmen. We made it there in time for the 5pm ferry, but our mistake was buying round trip ferry tickets. The ferry company we chose didn't leave till 6pm, so we waited. A world of advice. Buy one way ferry tickets so you can take whichever of the two ferries that is leaving when you're ready. I highly recommend Eco Tours, and Aleksandra! I previously did the same tour with them back in 2009, and had an amazing time. It's hard to believe that if anything, they're even better now!