Jun 6, 2025
Absolutely phenomenal experience – kind, professional, and way beyond expectations - I booked a private snorkel tour with EcoTours Vallarta for myself and my two young kids (ages 7 and 8), and I honestly can’t say enough good things about the experience. From the very first phone call, the team was accommodating, flexible, and incredibly kind. I explained our situation—first-time snorkelers, not the strongest swimmers, and two easily overwhelmed kids—and they immediately made it clear they could create something safe, manageable, and special for us.
They absolutely delivered.
Our guide, Margarita, was extraordinary. Calm, patient, encouraging, and endlessly kind with my kids (who were… not easy!). They had never snorkeled before, and she handled every little panic, fogged mask, gear adjustment, and mid-ocean meltdown with complete grace and professionalism. She had this amazing ability to make them feel safe and capable without any pressure. She also happens to be a skilled diver, a knowledgeable marine biologist, and just an overall exceptional human being.
We also had an excellent captain, Martín, who navigated smoothly and helped with gear and logistics behind the scenes, making the whole experience feel seamless and safe.
The tour itself was gorgeous—we snorkeled at Los Arcos and saw a wide variety of fish, including pufferfish, a moray eel, and a beautiful spotted ray. The timing was perfect, the spots were uncrowded, and the boat was clean, shaded, and very comfortable.
This trip completely exceeded my expectations. It was easily the highlight of our week in Puerto Vallarta, and I’ll be recommending EcoTours (and especially Margarita and Martín!) to anyone traveling with kids—or anyone who wants a thoughtful, well-run, truly memorable marine experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 25, 2024
scuba diving - Excellent, you just have to take into account that they are in the open sea, the guides say it is a calm environment and you can actually find all kinds of marine animals, for clasutrophobics
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 4, 2023
Last minute Snorkelling -2 spots - Joined a small group (4 of us) to go snorkelling at 2 locations. Our guide Cynthya was amazing, as well as our Captain (I unfortunately forget his name). We had a lot of fun. Conditions were excellent for seeing fish, and the emphasis of the tour was to go to the spot with the best conditions and least crowds. We were lucky enough to see whales and dolphins on the way. Cynthya spotted a ray and s turtle gor us to see while snorkelling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 27, 2023
Great tour, worth ever Peso! - We had an amazing trip! Michael, the guide, was fabulous and very knowledgeable. The boat captain and the office staff were great too. Highly recommend this tour. It is well worth the money. It’s also a great way to see the PV coast from Nueva to “where the highway ends” and beyond where the villages are only accessible by boat. We saw many kinds of fish, a sea turtle, spotted rays, and urchins and coral. And all this without the hassles of a large tour group on a cramped boat. The personalization of the tour is a great selling point.
Review provided by Viator
Oct 26, 2023
Worth Every Peso and Great Service - This was scheduled independent of but as part of a cruise that stopped for a day in PV. It was WAY better than a shore excursion through the ship. It was easy to schedule, great communication, very fair pricing, excellent staff. Our guide Michael was amazing. The captain of the boat was really wonderful as well. If you arrive by cruise ship their offices are within walking distance. I would definitely recommend this tour company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 29, 2023
Magical snorkel - well worth it - We had a great private tour with Cristina and Rafa to swim through Los Arcos and then on to snorkel in a magical private cove. They made sure we found clear water and pointed out dolphin, lobster, eel, turtle and more! Highly recommend this smaller company rather than one of the big tours. Very professional, friendly and knowledgeable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 27, 2023
Hiking with Maggie - This was such an awesome hike. Maggie was a fantastic guide and knew so much about the area. The path you walk along isn't terribly steep but you will want to be in decent shape. The snorkeling is beautiful and we even saw a turtle and heard whales!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 24, 2021
Eco Tours of Mexico Private Tour - Eco Tours and Maggie made for an amazing experience on our private snorkeling tour. There were six of us in the family and I was wanting a more personal experience than our previous group tours. Because Arcos was so crowded as we neared, Maggie opted to take us to a secluded cove. We saw a mantra ray, stingrays, and so many colorful fish as she guided us along the cove. After our snorkeling we headed out to sea and saw whales, dolphins, and a sea turtle by Arcos. Wonderful day and our whole family enjoyed how knowledgeable Maggie and her team were. They truly knew how to optimize the experience, avoid annoying crowds, and always took extra care for anything we needed. Couldn't recommend more!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 21, 2021
Lovely private tour - We had a beautiful private tour with Cynthia today. Everything was punctual. We ended up snorkeling at a different spot than Los Arcos - our choice as Los Arcos was busy. It was beautiful and secluded. We got to see Los Arcos on the way back. Non alcoholic drinks and light lunch were provided. Cynthia was very knowledgeable but not intrusive. We thought the price was fair for having the boat to ourselves. We recommend this company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 25, 2019
Awesome experience! - Captain Martin & guide Cynthia were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, experienced and fun!! We were a party of 4 & went in the off season so we were the only ones on the tour. It was like a private tour. Cynthia gave us the option to go to a nicer & more private place to snorkel where the water was clearer than Los Arcos, so we did and we we were very happy we did! We saw teems of a variety of colorful fish, including a stingray. On the way back we rode closer to the coast so we could see the several villages, resorts, hotels & buildings along the coastline accessible only by boat. We also stopped at Los Arcos to take pictures and observe the bird wildlife living on the rocks, we did not snorkel there because of limited visibility. We were pleasantly surprised they provided with homemade sandwiches, fresh fruit, sodas & bottled water. Lockers were provided at no charge to keep personal items, the only thing not provided were towels. The customer service was outstanding and we ALL highly recommend this trip! Ask for Cynthia & captain Martin.
Review provided by Tripadvisor