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Whale Shark and Snorkeling Adventure from Isla Holbox
4.6
214 Ratings
Holbox
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.
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.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
GJM8+4R Holbox - Participants will gather with their guide and group at the office in Isla Holbox at 6:30 am, located one block from the main ferry pier (not on the beach side). A brief orientation will be provided, along with all necessary equipment. A light breakfast will be served to ensure a great start to the day.
Afterward, the group will…
- GJM8+4R Holbox - Participants will gather with their guide and group at the office in Isla Holbox at 6:30 am, located one block from the main ferry pier (not on the beach side). A brief orientation will be provided, along with all necessary equipment. A light breakfast will be served to ensure a great start to the day.
Afterward, the group will walk to the pier, where the boat awaits to embark on the journey to locate the whale sharks. The trip will last between one and two hours, with opportunities to observe various species along the way (if a giant manta is spotted and its behavior allows, participants can swim with this gentle creature). Upon arrival in the area, swimming with the whale shark will be done in groups of two plus the guide, ensuring safety and an optimal experience.
On the return trip, there will be a stop near Cabo Catoche to snorkel at the “cuevones” reef, with chances to see sea turtles, nurse sharks, lobsters, squids, octopuses, and various reef fish. During the journey, the freshest ceviche will be prepared. Finally, the group will visit Santa Paula, where they can stretch their legs, enjoy a refreshing swim, and savor the ceviche. From there, it’s a 45-minute journey back to 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
- 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
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Taxi to / from meeting point
- Gratuities
- Taxi to / from meeting point
Additional Information
- 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
- 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
Location
VIP Holbox
Avenida Caleta
the office is typical yellow Mayan House
Calle Palomino avenida caleta, 77310 Holbox, Q.R.
close to the Main ferry Pier where the ferry´ passengers arrive to Holbox
(Not by the seaside )
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(214 Ratings)
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Mariaandrea_t
Sep 13, 2025
Just amazing. - Amazing! 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
Review provided by Viator
Daytrip47056583331
Sep 11, 2025
Excellent Team guiding us with the Whale Sharks - We 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
516xx
Sep 7, 2025
Highly recommend VIP Holbox - Amazing! 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patriciajillt2015
Aug 30, 2025
Excellent!!! - This 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daytrip24167526197
Aug 26, 2025
Amazing adventure - respect for wildlife and guests - This 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!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nila_p
Aug 23, 2025
Must do activity in Holbox! - Amazing 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.
Review provided by Viator
112olivierd
Aug 20, 2025
Unique and unforgettable experience - It'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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N9301aigemmam
Aug 12, 2025
Unforgettable experience - Good organization. Captain Ali and guide Ronald were superb, helpful, attentive and demonstrated deep knowledge and professionalism. An unforgettable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eugenios435
Aug 11, 2025
Incredible experience - TOP experience! Our guide Edi and captain Jorge are very respectful of the animals. Edi is willing to talk and explain everything.
We began at 6.30 am with a breakfast and a presentation with guidelines by Edi at the meeting point. After 1 hour and 15 minutes of navigation, we found the whalesharks! It was unbelievable to swim with these giants! We did snorkeling with them (2 people at a time) guided by Edi.
Then, we stopped at Cabo Caboche to see the beach and did snorkeling with a lot of fishes (also stingrays). We had a good lunch with ceviche prepared on the boat. Then, on the way back, we also met some dolphins and we saw flamingos and other birds at Punta Mosquito.
Super recommended!!!
Great!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dadmulls
Aug 14, 2025
Things to do despite the price - Unique 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
Review provided by Tripadvisor
