Day trip from Cabo or a night in La Paz for the whale sharks?
If you are staying in Los Cabos, you can reach the whale sharks of La Paz on a guided day trip or move up the coast for a night or two. The day trip is easy and popular but long. A stay in La Paz costs less per swim and gives the weather room to change its mind.
Two ways to reach the sharks
The whale sharks feed in the Bay of La Paz, on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula. La Paz lies about 2.5 hours by road north of Cabo San Lucas, so a swim from Los Cabos always means a long drive.
You can hand that drive to a tour company and be back at your hotel the same evening. The alternative is to sleep in La Paz and join a short morning swim from town.
Both put you in the same water with the same sharks. The choice comes down to how you want to spend the hours around the swim, and how much slack you want if the weather turns.
The Cabo Adventures day
Cabo Adventures' whale shark day from ~$259 is the most reviewed whale shark tour we compare. On Viator it holds 4.9 from 1,100+ reviews, and on GetYourGuide 4.7 from 10+.
The day lasts about 10 hours. A vehicle picks you up at your hotel in Los Cabos, and the GetYourGuide listing gives about 2.5 hours each way in an air-conditioned vehicle.
In La Paz you board a traditional panga with an expert guide. Snorkel gear, life jackets and wetsuits are included, and the listing says stingrays and other marine life may show up too.
After the swim comes a Baja-style taco lunch with soft drinks, then some free time in La Paz before the drive back. Groups are capped at 10 people on GetYourGuide.
Hotel pickup, the swim and lunch in one day
Cabo Adventures handles the driving from Los Cabos and the boat in La Paz. Prices vary by date and partner, so check both sites before you choose.
What counts against the day trip
The obvious cost is time. Roughly five hours of the day pass in a vehicle, against perhaps an hour or two on the water, and the schedule is fixed from pickup to drop-off.
The fare is the other one. At ~$259 it costs well over the La Paz swims, and our price comparison shows that most of the difference pays for transport and lunch rather than more time with the sharks.
Weather hurts more on a day trip too. If the wind closes the bay, you lose the whole planned day, so check the forecast the evening before and read what happens when a trip is cancelled.
A night or two in La Paz
Sleeping in La Paz turns the swim into a morning outing. Mexico Travel Adventure from ~$123 takes about three hours, with boarding at the Muelle Fiscal on the Malecón.
Eco Migrations from ~$187, our pick, takes about four hours from its office in the center. It includes a full wetsuit and a bilingual marine biologist guide, and the listing describes a small group, eight per boat.
The rest of the day is yours. The Malecón runs along the bay for an evening walk, and Balandra, one of the best-known beaches near La Paz, makes an easy afternoon trip.
Two nights give you a spare morning for a windy day. They also leave room for a boat trip to Espíritu Santo, which our sea lion guide describes.
Driving yourself
With a rental car you can make the trip on your own schedule. The drive from Cabo San Lucas takes about two and a half hours, so a self-drive day trip is possible but tiring.
A car also lets you reach Balandra and the beaches north of town without booking a transfer. Driving makes most sense if you stay overnight. You arrive in the afternoon, join a morning swim the next day and head back south after lunch with no rush.
The road up the Pacific side passes Todos Santos, a small town many drivers like to break the journey in. The organized day trip may not stop there, so do not count on it.
Who should pick which
- Pick the Cabo day trip if you have no car and only one free day in Los Cabos
- Pick it too if you would rather not plan anything, since pickup and lunch are handled for you
- Stay in La Paz if you want a cheaper swim and the afternoon free
- Stay in La Paz if you travel in midwinter, when wind most often moves a trip and a spare morning helps
- Stay in La Paz if long rides make you queasy, since the boat ride is short from town
Neither choice changes your odds with the sharks. They are wild animals and never guaranteed, and both options use the same bay in the same months, as our season guide shows.
Making either plan work
On the day trip, eat a proper breakfast and bring motion-sickness tablets if you need them. The long ride plus a bouncing panga is a lot for a sensitive stomach.
If you stay in La Paz, book the swim for your first morning there. A windy day can then move to the second morning without changing the rest of your plans.
Whichever you choose, our packing list covers the kit for a cool morning on the water. The swim rules explain what the guides will ask of you once you are in.