Small-Group Half-Day Whale-Watching Tour in Puerto Vallarta

Great small boat tour. We saw many whales and then we saw many more whales. Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained so many things about our location and the whales and whale behavior-it was fun and educational. The tour even includes a homemade lunch. The boat is a nice size, with room to move around and able to hear the guide and see all whales she spotted.

The total number of people on the boat was small so there was plenty of places to sit. Very knowledgeable and kind guide. Saw lots of whales and dolphins!

Such a great experience! Thalia was extremely knowledgeable and we saw so many active whales. The lunch that was provided at the end of the tour was delicious. Highly recommend!

Skip the booze cruise and do skip the booze cruise, and do this tour instead! The small boat is amazing the tour guide is a biologist who really knows her stuff and can teach you a lot about the whales! We saw approximately 30 whales! It was amazing the whole reason we came to Puerto Vallarta in February! Highly recommend this tour!

Terrific experience! Thalia is very knowledgeable and respectful of the whales. She did an excellent job pointing them out and then explaining the behaviors we witnessed. The whale encounters exceeded my expectations! I highly recommend you book this trip and spend your time with a biologist who has studied these beautiful creatures. You won't be disappointed.

Topnotch! I've been on multiple prior whale-watching trips. Thalia blew everybody else out of the water:
1) Gorgeous, small but sturdy, brand new boat with only 10 people. Everyone got great views. Sit on deck or on the roof! The boat even has a bathroom.
2) Thalia is a marine biologist with incredible knowledge and impeccable ethics. She's a guide, but also a scientist doing important conservation work by tracking whales every day.
3) We saw a TON of whales in one morning.
4) Respect for the whales is the foundation of everything this company does.
We had a stellar experience on this tour.

eviews

One of the very best days of my life! We saw so many whales and dolphins and birds. Thalia is beyond amazing ..so very knowledgeable and patient. She also made us the greatest sandwiches and fruit drinks.! I would recommend Thalia and her tours in a heartbeat. We are surprised that she is not a professor but that would take her away from her beloved whales and all of us who are so fortunate to get to learn and have such a wonderful time with her.
Maureen

We arrived to Puerto Vallarta via a Carnival Cruise. We chose to do our own excursion versus a group excursion to ensure we had a more intimate experience with the whales. Vallarta Natours was about a 40 minute walk from the Carnival cruise port, or like a $13 for a taxi.

Vallarta Natours did NOT disappoint!! Thalia did an amazing job through the entire 3+ hour tour. Her extensive knowledge of whale behaviors, identification, and habitat are unprecedented. Vallarta Natours goes above and beyond to respect the whales, as to not get too close or stress them with overexposure to boat presence/noise.

Now, it didn’t take long before our first humpback whale encounter. We witnessed multiple mothers and calves, escorts, and lone males working for her attention. We saw multiple baby whales breaching the water, spinning around, playing like toddlers. It was AWESOME!! At one point, a mother joined in, breaching the water multiple times with her youngster. The sights and sounds cannot be put into words. Thalia also took us out to sea a bit to drop a microphone in the water. We heard the songs being produced by the males in an effort to attract a mate.

Oh yeah, a homemade lunch and drink was given as well.

100% worth the money, worth the time, and 100% recommend!!!!!

We really enjoyed the tour and saw about 30 whales.
Our Biologist was very knowledgeable and informative. Would love to do it again but a little earlier (end of January) to see more whales as it's getting to the end of the season by end of February begin March, when the whales leave to Alaska

Wow, I expected to see a few whales - we saw 30 or more! While you may not experience so many sightings, Thalia (marine biologist, guide, and founder) said whales are seen on every trip. Thalia answered questions and shared her knowledge freely - she is taking notes and photos during the trip for her own research, so you are helping to fund her ongoing study of whales. With 12 participants, you can hear everyone's questions and Thalia's explanations. I learned so much! Thalia also posts her photos online so you can download them. (It takes up to two weeks, so I have not received the link yet, or I would have posted them.)

It was wonderful! The person sharing information about the whales is a marine biologist. Her explanation and background was fascinating. We sighted whales on and off the entire afternoon. Would recommend this tour to anyone.

The small group experience is the way to go. It allows for easy movement on deck and easy viewing without getting in each other’s way. Thalia and Angel are experts at finding whales and identifying the members of each pod. We learned alot about the nature of whales and their breeding behaviors. Loved hearing the whales “converse” under water. The experience was one that we are still talking about days later. Truly a highlight of our trip.

It was a great tour. Looking for whales and found them including mom and calf. WE also could hear them. Good education from the guide

Excellent tour. We saw so many whales! I appreciate that the guide is a scientist and provided education about what we were seeing. The driver and guide respect the whales. We were fortunate to have whales swim toward and then under our boat!

We had a great excursion. Thalia was our naturalist/biologist. She was very knowledgeable and caring about the whales' well-being. She and the captain followed the rules and kept proper distance from the whales. We saw whales breaching, mom and calf, and even a competitive pod. It was some of the best whale watching I've ever experienced!!! We saw a few boats that got extremely close to the whales and one even cut off a competitive pod a few times. It was really a shame. Please choose your tour companies carefully. We all want to be as close as we can to wildlife, but we have to protect them as well.

The guide was very knowledgeable and told us lots of interesting things about whales. The captain was very skilled at piloting the boat.

This was the best whale watching tour my husband and I have ever been on. We went in 2024 and decided to go back again in 2025.
The tour operator, Thalia, and the captain, Angel, are a great team. They somehow know where the whales are and took us right to them.
We learned a lot about the humpback whales’ behaviors, migration, mating, male competition, singing and calf raising.
We witnessed a pod of 5 and 2 males competition, a mother protecting her baby by steering it toward our boat and one time a whale came right over to us and under and up in front of us so close. Its own choice. So exciting!
If that weren’t enough we were treated to homemade sandwiches, great fruit beverages and cookies.
We will be booking again!