Whale Sharks and Sea Lions Snorkeling Plus Balandra Beach Lunch

Snorkel with whale sharks and sea lions, then relax at Balandra Beach with a delicious lunch. Small groups, expert guides, and unforgettable memories await.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Topete 125 - We will meet at “Marina de La Paz” located at the intersection of “Topete and Miguel de Legaspy” streets. It is VERY important to arrive on time.
    Then we will provide you with all the necessary gear: mask, snorkel, fins, and wetsuit (shortie). After that, we will head to the whale shark area and request a spot at the control stand for…
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Federal permits and whale shark donation for its conservation
  • Use of snorkel equipment and wetsuits (shorties 3mm)
  • Traveler’s insurance
  • Complete food and drinks
  • Pictures and videos of your tour with GoPro (quality depends on conditions)
What's Not Included
  • Towel, sweatshirt and biodegradable sunscreen
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Gratuities
Meal Options
  • Fish ceviche - Marinated fish with tomato, onion, cilantro and cucumber, all seasoned and served alone or with chips.
  • Burritos - Flour tortilla, two options: with beans and cheese or shredded meat
  • Additionals - We also bring fruit and soft drinks
Additional Information

Live a truly experience of a lifetime on small groups of 9 people maximum (regular tours take around 15-25 people per boat), avoiding big crowds and long waiting prior to swim with whale sharks.
Just a few minutes away from the city of La Paz, you will search, see and swim with one or various whale sharks, guided by a local marine biologist which will…

Location
Topete 125
Topete
It is VERY important to arrive on time at the hour marked on your ticket. The tolerance is max 10 min. We will meet at "Marina de La Paz" which is located in the corner of "Topete and Legaspy" streets, you can just walk into the marina and search for the "meeting point".
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(27 Ratings)
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Katrynah2018
Jan 10, 2025
A must if you are visiting. - Fabulous trip. We had Michelle as our guide. A fully qualified marine biologist with lots of knowledge and passion about the whale sharks and all sea life. Our boat captain was very helpful and excellent at being just the right distance from all the creatures we saw. Amazing experience swimming with the whale sharks in such shallow water. The little island with the sea lions has beautiful coral and fish of many sizes. Perfect tour with care for the environment and great opportunities to view. Finished with a yummy lunch on a perfect beach. A must if you are visiting!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
918micheleh
Jan 6, 2025
Great experience - Snorkeling with a whale shark was a great experience. MeXplore provided good quality equipment and Carla, our guide, was excellent—well spoken English and clear communication on what we needed to do to enjoy the experience. She even held my hand and pulled me along next to the whale shark to help me keep up with it! The sea lion colony isn’t the best but still a good experience (Espiritu Santo is the place to go for that!). A very nice lunch was provided on the beach.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephanieei7013sa
Jan 5, 2025
Unique experience, amazing tour - We had an absolutely fantastic tour. Group of 8 people. 4 and the guide may only enter the water at a time. We were allowed several times in the water and had several whale sharks up close. A very impressive experience. In addition, we were able to snorkel with a manta. Later we drove by a small seal colony for snorkeling and afterwards we had a great lunch in a secluded bay on the famous Balandra Beach. I can only recommend the organizer Mexplore. Great organization small groups, great guided tour by marine biologist Carla. In total you are on the road for 5-6 hours which is also a huge difference from many other tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zenac806
Jan 5, 2025
Book this tour! Incredible experience! - Exceeded our expectations! This is a must do tour! Karla was very knowledgeable and passionate about the marine life we encountered. We swam with whale sharks, a giant manta ray, sea lions, and beautiful tropical fish. Israel was an excellent captain. We felt very comfortable and safe the entire time. I would highly recommend this trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deanna_o
Jan 1, 2025
Must do!! - Amazing excursion, we saw sooo many whale sharks. Karla was our guide and taught us how to experience the whale sharks in a way that respects them. Communication was great, sea lions were adorable and lunch was delicious. I would highly recommend this company!! The small group size was perfect.
Review provided by Viator
Bryann904
Dec 31, 2024
Excellent tour! Definitely worth it. - Great experience all around. Well organized and well executed. Eco/marine conscious operation. Carla and the Capt. were amazing! They went above and beyond to ensure that we saw as much marine life as possible.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
774graya
Dec 9, 2024
Amazing & absolutely worth it! - Our experience with Jaime & Capitán Archibald was absolutely amazing! Jaime was super knowledgeable, really helpful and patient with new people and anyone not confident with swimming. Capitán Archi was also great and very safe! The whale sharks were so awesome and snorkeling with the sea lions & the reef area was fantastic. Lunch was yummy too! 10/10 we actually tried to add a different tour to Espíritu Santo with them while we were down there but the timing didn't work out. The other tour company we used was good but in comparison fell short so I'd definitely recommend these guys! For us plus size people they had up to XXXL for wetsuits and I surprisingly only needed a XXL (6ft 330lbs). The other tour company must have had a different brand or something because we had to go without wetsuits for their trip. Also side note that is probably not relevant to many people but as a nonbinary transmasc person I felt really comfortable. Everyone basically just treated me like another typical human with zero comments on a person with a beard needing to wear a two piece bathing suit lol Any trans person can attest to it being really nerve wracking both socially and safety wise to not know how you'll be received in general but specifically in situations where you can't hide behind clothes. Anywho it was a once in a life time magical day and absolutely worth it. We booked our whole week to La Paz just for the whale sharks and we were blown away by this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Betteraudiofanatic
Dec 9, 2024
Unforgettable! - This tour was one of the most incredible things I have done in my life! Our guide was very knowledgeable. She spoke English fluently. In addition, she helped every person in the water to make sure everyone got a view of the shark. The boat captain kept the boat behind us at all times. Also, our guide had a GoPro, and we got our videos with the shark the next morning! The swimming at San Rafaelito with sea lions was also great. Not just for the lions, but for the beautiful reef and fish! If you have time to do both San Rafaelito and Los Islotes, definitely do both! The encounters with sea lions are very different in those two tours. Lastly, the beach was beautiful and it was not the beaches we could access without a boat. I am so glad I booked a full day tour and not a half day - the second part of the tour was just as unforgettable as the first.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen_c
Dec 8, 2024
Whale Shark adventure - We had a great day swimming with the whale sharks! Our guide was very knowledgeable and she took photos and videos with her GoPro and emailed them to us. The lunch they provided was very tasty.😋
Review provided by Viator
Edithcecchini
Nov 25, 2024
Swimming with whale sharks - a must do - The team at Méxplore was very communicative after booking, and throughout the whole process. Our tour was canceled because of high winds two days in a row, but they were able to get us on a tour the third day we were in town when the Coast Guard allowed boats to go out. Getting to swim alongside the whale sharks even for a few minutes a few times was such a magical experience. It does require you to be a strong swimmer to keep up with them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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