Puerto Vallarta whale watching prices, and what each one buys
The five whale trips on this site start at ~$62 and top out at ~$120 per person. The cheapest pours tequila, the dearest brings a biologist and a hydrophone. Below you can compare all five fares in one table and see which costs still turn up on the day.
Five whale trips side by side
The table gives the regular "from" price per person on each tour's main listing. All five go looking for humpbacks in Banderas Bay, yet the boat, the food and the people on board change a great deal from one fare to the next.
| Tour | From | Length | Boat | Food and drink | Start point | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecotours Vallarta, research trip (our pick) | ~$120 | 4 h (GetYourGuide: 3.5 h) | Small authorized boat with a restroom | Coffee or tea, water, sodas, granola bars | Proa 20, Marina Vallarta | 5.0 from 300+ (Viator) |
| Mike's Fishing & Tours, catamaran | ~$99 | 4 h | Catamaran | Breakfast, lunch, premium open bar | Puerto Mágico or a Nuevo Vallarta pier | 4.8 from 400+ (Viator) |
| Los Veranos, guaranteed whale trip | ~$99 | 3 h | High-speed APEX boat | Box lunch (fruit, sandwich, soft drink) | Los Veranos office, Zona Hotelera, with transportation | 4.9 from 100+ (Viator) |
| Chica Locca Tours, sunset yacht | ~$110 | 3 h | Mega yacht | Guacamole with chips, premium open bar | Two meeting points, by option | 4.7 from 100+ (GetYourGuide) |
| Live & Travel Tours, whale and dolphin trip | ~$62 | 4.5 h | Specialized vessel | Food plus drinks (tequila, rum, beer, brandy) | H. Escuela Naval Militar 11 | 4.5 from 24 (GetYourGuide) |
The spread between the lowest and the highest fare is about double. The whales are the same animals in the same bay, so you are choosing between a guide who explains them and a crew that keeps the glasses full.
One trip, two price tags
GetYourGuide and Viator sell most of these trips from the same operators, but the figures rarely match. Ecotours Vallarta lists ~$120 on Viator and asks slightly more on GetYourGuide, while the Live & Travel Tours trip is cheaper on GetYourGuide than on Viator.
Mike's catamaran also starts a little lower on GetYourGuide, and Los Veranos shows the same fare on both. Open both sites for your date before you pay, because a gap can narrow or swap sides from one week to the next.
What the top fare pays for
Ecotours Vallarta at ~$120 is the most expensive trip here and our pick. It holds 5.0 from 300+ reviews on Viator and 5.0 from 13 on GetYourGuide, which is the strongest record among the five.
The money goes on knowledge, not food. You get a talk on humpback biology before boarding, a biologist on the boat and a hydrophone to listen for singing males. A donation to the research project is built into the fare, as our guide to the biologist trip explains.
The fare we would pay first
Ecotours Vallarta's small-group trip from Marina Vallarta, with a biologist, a hydrophone and a research donation in the price. Bring pesos for the boarding fee.
What the fare leaves out counts too. Snacks are coffee or tea, water, sodas and granola bars, there is no hotel pickup, and an MX$80 boarding fee is paid in cash on the day.
Meals and an open bar for less
Three trips fold food and drink into the fare. Mike's catamaran at ~$99 serves a continental breakfast, then a lunch of marlin burritos, paninis and vegan ceviche, with a premium open bar on top. It rates 4.8 from 400+ reviews on Viator.
The Chica Locca sunset yacht at ~$110 swaps the meal for guacamole with chips and an open bar, over 3 hours. It is sold on GetYourGuide only, and our sunset cruise guide compares it with a morning trip.
Live & Travel Tours at ~$62 is the bargain on paper, with food, drinks, a marine biologist and a hydrophone over 4.5 hours. Its scores are the lowest here, though, with 4.5 from 24 on GetYourGuide and 4.2 from 200+ on Viator.
Paying for speed
Los Veranos at ~$99 sells something different, a 3-hour run on high-speed APEX boats with transportation and a box lunch included. The trip is sold as "Whale Watching Guaranteed", yet neither listing explains the remedy if the bay stays empty.
Ask before you book, and read our page on your odds of seeing humpbacks for what any trip can and cannot promise. If you are torn between this boat and a slower one, our catamaran or speedboat guide lays out the trade.
What you pay on the day
None of the five fares is the full cost of your morning. These extras appear on the listings, and a few pesos and small bills in your pocket will cover most of them.
- The MX$80 boarding fee on the Ecotours Vallarta trip, paid on the day
- A $2 port fee on the Los Veranos trip, in cash or by card
- Gratuities, listed as not included on the Ecotours Vallarta, Los Veranos and Chica Locca trips
- Your ride to the dock on every trip except Los Veranos, the only one that lists transportation
- Lunch afterwards if you take the Ecotours Vallarta trip, which serves snacks only
The ride to the marina can add up if you stay far from it. Our page on where the boats leave from sorts the five start points by area of town.
Cancelling without losing money
Every listing we read offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the trip. That matters more than a small fare gap, because wind can close the port and plans change on holiday.
If the operator calls off a trip for weather, you should get a refund or a new date, but the wording differs by listing. Our page on weather refunds covers that, and booking early in your stay leaves a spare morning for a second try.