Tour Overview
Private Whale Watching - Max. 6 Guests
From November to April, join us for a private whale watching expedition during Cabo San Lucas’ humpback season. Led by our experienced guides, we spend three hours searching the open water, reading the whales’ behavior and seeking out quieter spots away from other boats. No crowd, no fixed route, no rush.
Departing in the afternoon, the trip makes the most of Cabo’s golden light and often finishes at sunset, one of the most beautiful moments to share the water with humpbacks.
Private Whale Watching Tour
$11,000 MXN
Per boat (up to 6 guests)
Tax not included
Private Tour details
- Duration 3 hours
- Departure 3 PM *
- Maximum 6 guests
- Private tour only
* Departure time may be adjusted depending on weather and ocean conditions
When to participate
- From November to April
Humpback season in Cabo San Lucas runs through the winter months, with the peak of whale activity usually between January and March.
Every month of the season offers its own encounters, from the first arrivals to mothers and calves preparing for the journey north.
Where & Meeting point
- Departure from Marina Fundadores, Cabo San Lucas
- Meeting directly at the boat 10 minutes before departure.
Who can participate
- Open to everyone
- No swimming or snorkeling experience required
- Min. Age: 5 years old
- Maximum 6 guests
Included
- Experienced whale guide
- Underwater hydrophone
- Snacks
- Water and soft drinks
What to Bring
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Hat or cap
- Warm clothes or windbreaker
- Seasickness medication if needed
- Camera or phone for photos and videos
A Private Whale Watching Experience
Maximum of 6 guests
Our whale watching trips in Cabo San Lucas are operated exclusively as private expeditions.
Every booking reserves the entire boat for your group, with a maximum of six guests.
Rather than following a fixed route or simply joining the largest concentration of whale watching boats, we treat each departure as a wildlife expedition. Our crew searches the surrounding waters, reads the activity we encounter and, whenever possible, looks for opportunities away from the busiest areas.
Finding a whale away from other boats is never something we can guarantee. These are wild animals moving freely through a busy marine environment. But when conditions allow, we prefer to spend our time with fewer boats around us, giving our guests a quieter experience while allowing the whales' natural behavior to dictate the encounter.
This approach reflects the philosophy behind every Baja Shark Experience expedition: the wildlife always comes first.
Our experienced whale guides will help interpret the behavior unfolding around the boat throughout the trip, from migration and social interactions to the different surface behaviors that make humpback whales such extraordinary animals to observe.
With only your group aboard, there is no crowded deck, no shared booking and no pressure to follow the pace of a larger tour. Just three hours dedicated to exploring the waters of Cabo San Lucas and experiencing its humpback whale season.
Our afternoon departure is timed to take advantage of the beautiful late-day light around Cabo.
As the sun gets lower over the Pacific, the final part of the trip often unfolds during sunset, a particularly special time to be on the water and photograph the whales against the changing light.
Listening beneath the surface
Underwater hydrophone
Whale watching is usually a visual experience. With an underwater hydrophone aboard, it can also become an acoustic one.
When conditions and whale activity allow, we can lower our hydrophone into the water and listen beneath the surface. Male humpback whales are famous for their complex songs during the breeding season, and hearing those sounds directly from the ocean adds an entirely different dimension to the experience.
As with everything involving wildlife, vocal activity can never be guaranteed. But when the whales are singing, the hydrophone gives our guests an opportunity to experience a part of their world that normally remains hidden beneath the surface.
Our whale watching Boat
High Performance, Comfort and Safety
The boat is an essential part of our private whale watching experience.
Our 35-foot Contender offers a very different platform from the small pangas and high-capacity tour boats commonly used for whale watching in Cabo San Lucas. With a maximum of only six guests, there is plenty of room to move around the boat and enjoy unobstructed views throughout the encounter.
Its open layout allows guests to change position easily as whales move around us, particularly valuable for photographers and anyone who wants to observe the animals without being confined to a fixed seat or crowded viewing area.
The boat also provides shade, a protected cabin area, dry storage and an onboard toilet, making the three-hour expedition comfortable without compromising the performance and mobility we need when searching for wildlife.
Powered by twin 300 hp Yamaha engines, the Contender allows us to efficiently explore different areas around Cabo San Lucas and adapt the trip to where whale activity is developing that day.
For us, the boat is not simply transportation to the whales. It is part of the experience: a spacious, comfortable and capable wildlife-watching platform reserved entirely for you and your group.
Reviews & Testimonials
Meet the Humpback Whales of Cabo San Lucas
When to See Humpback Whales in Baja California
Every winter, humpback whales return to the waters of Baja California Sur as part of one of the great migrations of the Eastern Pacific.
After spending the warmer months feeding in productive northern waters, humpback whales travel thousands of kilometers south toward Mexico. The waters surrounding the Baja California Peninsula form part of their winter breeding grounds, where whales gather to mate, give birth and care for their calves before beginning their journey north again.
In Cabo San Lucas, the first humpbacks can begin to appear in November, with whale activity building through the winter and continuing into April. During these months, encounters can range from traveling whales and mothers with calves to competitive groups of males and some of the spectacular surface behavior humpbacks are known for, including breaches, tail slaps and pectoral fin displays.
Located at the southern tip of Baja California Sur, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez, Cabo San Lucas offers a unique setting to experience this annual migration.
Weather & Departure Time
Our standard departure time is 3:00 PM, allowing the trip to take place during the late afternoon and, depending on the time of year, into sunset.
However, ocean and weather conditions in Cabo San Lucas can change throughout the day.
When necessary, the departure time may be adjusted in order to operate in safer or more suitable conditions. Any schedule change will be communicated directly to guests before departure.
Wildlife sightings and specific behaviors can never be guaranteed. Every trip takes place in a natural environment and is shaped by the animals and conditions we encounter that day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Humpback whales can be seen around Cabo San Lucas from November through April, with activity increasing during the winter months as whales gather in the waters of Baja California Sur for their breeding season.
Yes. All our whale watching tours are 100% private. Each booking reserves the entire boat exclusively for your group, with a maximum of six guests.
Our standard departure is at 3:00 PM. This allows us to enjoy the late-afternoon light and, depending on the time of year, finish the experience around sunset. Departure times may be adjusted according to weather and ocean conditions.
Whales are wild animals, so sightings and specific behaviors can never be guaranteed. During Cabo’s whale season, our experienced crew searches the surrounding waters and adapts each trip to the wildlife activity and conditions encountered that day.
We carry an underwater hydrophone aboard. When conditions and whale activity allow, we can use it to listen beneath the surface, including the songs produced by male humpback whales during the breeding season. Vocal activity cannot be guaranteed.
Yes. Our private whale watching tour is available for children from 5 years old. No swimming or snorkeling experience is required.
Why Choose Us?
Baja Shark Experience is a team of professional marine experts, leading ocean safari and shark encounter trips in Cabo San Lucas and Baja California since 2016. As a leader in ecotourism in this region, you can rest assured that you're in good hands with some of Mexico's most knowledgeable guides, paired with a desire to preserve the ocean life we're able to explore.
Our entire team is passionate about our blue planet and showing Cabo's visitors our local hotspots away from the crowds.
While it may be a bold choice to take an active stance to support the wellbeing of wildlife over tourism’s profit, we take the time and effort to do tours right by nature. The safety of the animals and our guests is taken very seriously, shown by our commitment to sharing the importance of our ocean with our guests, pairing tourism with awareness to protect these wild spaces. Unfortunately, many of the species found in our region face rising stress toward endangerment, so it is vital we work together to mitigate these challenges.