MEXICO
The ones worth booking.
The 15 most popular dolphin watching tours in Mexico right now. What each one is really like, who runs it, and what it costs.
Swim with wild bottlenose dolphins in Puerto Vallarta with a biologist and hydrophone hunt, plus a chance to spot whales and turtles.
“Our guide did an amazing job to help us have the best experience. If you have trouble spotting the dolphins under water, locate her and see where she’s pointing.”
Biologist-led whale and dolphin watching in Puerto Vallarta with humpbacks, hydrophone whale songs, citizen science, and small-boat access.
“Amazing tour with great staff! Saw a lot of whales and one came right up to us. Will go on it again next year .”
Puerto Escondido boat tour from Puerto Angelito for dolphins, turtles, reef snorkeling, and winter humpback whale watching. From $46.
“Amazing experience, we saw lots of sea turtles and dolphins. We were even able to jump in and swim with them! Mike, our guide was really good.”
Spot wild dolphins and sea turtles off Puerto Escondido, with a strong chance at whales on a small-group boat with pickup included.
“Great tour, great guide who seemed to really enjoy guiding. We got to wish for what to focus the tour on, and decided to go for whales, we saw a lot of them. Great value for your money!”
90-minute Destin Harbor dolphin cruise with an experienced Coast Guard crew, emerald views, and a good chance to spot playful dolphins.
“Our guide was amazing, I felt like it was a bit pricey.”
Puerto Vallarta whale and dolphin cruise with breakfast, lunch, open bar, bilingual guides, hydrophone, and marine biologist. Extra port tax.
“It was an excellent cruise!! We saw many whales and the crew was great!! Boat was not over crowded. Very relaxing experience! Go on this trip, you won't be disappointed.”
4-hour Puerto Vallarta cruise with a biologist, wild dolphin swims, and Pacific snorkeling at Los Arcos plus lunch and gear.
“This was an amazing trip. Michael was an amazing guide. We got to swim with dolphins, saw a baby humpback whale breaching the water, snorkled and saw lots of fish, then saw a manta ray, saw a huge pod of spotted dolphins and the baby humpback again. We took our kids and it was definitely…”
Early-morning dolphin watching from Puerto Escondido with a local guide, shade boat, and real odds at dolphins, turtles, rays, and whales.
“This was such an incredible experience! We were picked up around 6:30 in the morning, then got a boat and went looking for Dolphins. All the similar tours work together to help find the Dolphins, and we lucked out and were able to find at least 500 Dolphins just swimming and frolicking together. Then they…”
From La Ventana, a small-group panga safari for mobula rays, dolphins, and whales, with snorkeling gear and lunch included.
“We had an amazing day on this safari! We snorkeled above the thousands of mobula rays and saw a blue whale (largest animal to ever live on earth!). Mexico Travel Adventure is an excellent operation -- very professional, safety focused, and clearly cared about the animals and about being good stewards of the environment. Our…”
Akumal’s family dolphin encounter pairs 40 minutes of guided water time with conservation lessons, strict rules, and possible photo add-ons.
“Very expensive for the short time spent interacting with the dolphins.”
Dolphin Discovery Isla Mujeres from Cancún: an 8-hour dolphin encounter with an underwater platform, plus a buffet and pool time.
“Very well organised , staff really friendly . On the down side you are tied into their photographers so there is a major upsell of pictures as no cameras are allowed of your own. Overall very good experience”
A 7:00 AM Puerto Escondido boat trip for dolphins, turtles, and possible whales, with hotel pickup and 3 hours on calm Pacific water.
“Super expérience, réservée à la dernière minute. On vous amène sur un petit bateau, on vous donne masque et tuba et hop on saute à l’eau parmi les dauphins. Une expérience inédite! Je déconseille juste d’acheter le café auprès des marchands ambulants de la plage car il est vraiment pas terrible”
Swim with dolphins at Interactive Aquarium Cancún in Plaza La Isla. Small-group swim with 10 activities and a 20-minute interaction.
“amazing experience! Had a top class experience and the staff there were great”
Cozumel Royal Swim with dolphins plus a short manatee encounter at Chankanaab Park, with VIP lunch and open bar. 50 minutes.
“Heel slechte ervaring. Ik heb betaald voor de Royal Swim. De dolfijnen trainer was onbeschoft naar ons en totaal niet geinteresseerd. Hij ratelde zijn verhaaltje af alsof het een cassetteband was en was zeer onvriendelijk. We begonnen meer dan een half uur later dan afgesproken en er was niets Royal aan deze ervaring. Zwemmen was…”
Natural Space bottlenose dolphin encounter in Cabo with optional hotel pickup, safety gear, and English instruction. One hour visit.
“The dolphins are amazing and a MUST SEE!! SEE! We were a little scared but they all helped us feel comfortable. It was the best experience ever. I highly recommend!”
