How to choose the tour
The departure point matters more than anything else in Los Cabos, because the whale boats leave from two different marinas at opposite ends of the corridor. Guests staying in Cabo San Lucas, around the marina, Medano Beach or the Pacific side are closest to the dock area at the cape, where seven of the nine pages on this site begin: the eight compared boat trips and the six compared cruises both start there. Guests based in San Jose del Cabo or along the eastern stretch of the corridor avoid the drive by taking the 2-hour group tour from Puerto Los Cabos Marina, rated ★ 5.0 from 271 reviews, which includes water, cookies, tour pictures at no extra charge and a hydrophone.
By language and guiding style
English-language guiding is stated on most of these trips. A marine biologist leads the 2.5-hour humpback tour from $99, talking through behaviour, migration, communication and conservation during the outing, and also the small-group trip from $109, which caps the boat at 12 adults and sends the guide's photos to guests at no extra charge. The 2-hour sunset cruise from $109 also has a marine biologist guiding in English, while the San Jose del Cabo departure is run by multilingual marine enthusiasts. On the 10-hour whale shark day from $259 a professional guide stays with the group in the water, but the listing does not state which language the guide works in.
By budget
Prices on these pages start at $85 per adult, the lowest figure among the eight trips on the comparison page, and the entry prices of the single-tour pages run from $95 to $259. The 2-hour sail catamaran cruise to the Arch from $95 is the cheapest of the comfort options, capped at 16 travellers with a live guide in English and an open bar. At the top of the range for a short trip, the 2.5-hour luxury catamaran from $129 adds a second deck, appetizers, open bar, pickup in an air-conditioned van and a hydrophone that carries humpback song while the boat sits in the observation area. One trip among the eight compared boat trips is priced in pesos rather than dollars, from MXN 1529, and one of the compared cruises is priced from MXN 1680.
By what you want to see
Humpbacks and gray whales are the focus of every short trip here, with the Bay of Cabo San Lucas and the Arch on the route of the sail catamaran before it heads further out. Whale sharks are a separate animal and a separate day: only the 10-hour trip to La Paz puts snorkellers in the bay with them, from a local panga, with a 2-hour drive each way, hotel pickup and lunch on the malecon.
All tours compared
