Nature and coast

Holbox and the whale shark: what to know before you go

The whale shark, the world's largest fish, visits the waters near Holbox and Isla Mujeres every year between May and September. The official viewing and swimming season runs from May 15 to September 17, and swims are only allowed with licensed operators. From Mérida, Mary Tours offers a transfer to Chiquilá, the ferry port for Holbox; the swim itself is booked on the island.

Updated 2026-10-24 · NearVisual editorial team for Mary Tours

Hammocks set on a white sand beach in Holbox

Mary Tours × NearVisual

Book with a discount

Bacalar, Isla Mujeres and Tulum with a per-person coupon. Groups of 4 or more.

A gentle giant

Despite the name, the whale shark is a shark, and the largest fish on Earth. According to Mexico's environment ministry (SEMARNAT), it can reach 12 meters (about 40 feet) long. It feeds by filtering plankton and small fish, so it poses no danger to people swimming nearby who follow the rules.

When the season runs

SEMARNAT places the whale shark's seasonal presence near Holbox and Isla Mujeres between May and September. The reserve's management program sets the viewing and swimming season from May 15 to September 17. Exact timing and numbers vary every year, and encounters are never guaranteed.

A regulated activity

Swims take place within the Whale Shark Biosphere Reserve, which covers waters northeast of Isla Mujeres and near Cabo Catoche and Isla Contoy. That's why the activity requires permits and follows conservation rules: only licensed operators may take visitors. Holbox is also part of the Yum Balam protected area, where monitoring is stepped up during the season.

Don't touch the shark.
Always follow your guide's instructions.
Respect the turns and distance set by the crew.
Avoid sunscreens that pollute the water.

Holbox beyond the whale sharks

Holbox is an island in northern Quintana Roo, laid-back and without the development of other Mexican Caribbean destinations. Outside the season it's still a lovely place for a beach break, though ferry schedules and sea conditions should always be checked before you go.

Getting there from Mérida

Mary Tours offers a private transfer to Holbox: an air-conditioned van takes your group from Mérida to the port of Chiquilá, where the road ends, and waits for the return trip. The ferry to the island is paid separately, and the whale shark swim is booked on Holbox with licensed operators; neither is part of the transfer. If you'd rather have the Caribbean in one day with everything arranged, the Isla Mujeres trip includes the boat, reef snorkeling and lunch (no whale sharks).

Mary Tours has its office on Calle 61 in Mérida's historic center. Prices and what each service includes are in the booking section.

	Details
Maximum size	Up to 12 m (SEMARNAT)
Presence near Holbox	May to September
Official swim season	May 15 to September 17
Protected area	Whale Shark Biosphere Reserve
Who can take you	Licensed operators only

Fun facts

The whale shark is the world's largest fish.
It can grow up to 12 meters long.
It feeds by filtering plankton, not by hunting large prey.

Related tours

Transfers · 18 h

Transfer to Holbox

Mérida to Chiquilá and back, the whole day

from $5,550 MXN per vehicle

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

Caribbean · 17 h

Isla Mujeres

Playa Norte, which makes every list for a reason

from $2,500 MXN per person

See itinerary

5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily

4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
5:30 AM Drive to Valladolid — Two hours on the motorway, with a fifteen-minute stop.
7:45 AM Drive to Puerto Juárez — Two more hours to the pier in Cancún.
10:00 AM Isla Mujeres — Sailing the Caribbean, snorkelling at the reef with gear included, a stop at Playa Norte, buffet lunch at the beach club and free time in town.
6:00 PM Back to Mérida — Four hours back, with a stop halfway.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat transfer, Snorkelling gear, Lunch

Not included: Environmental tax, Shopping on the island, Extra drinks

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Transfer to Isla Mujeres

Mérida to the ferry pier and back, the whole day

from $5,550 MXN per vehicle

Frequently asked questions

When are whale sharks in Holbox?

Between May and September; the official swim season runs May 15 to September 17.

Is swimming with whale sharks dangerous?

They don't attack people; they eat plankton. Still, follow the rules and don't touch them.

Does the Mary Tours transfer include the swim?

No. The transfer takes you to the port of Chiquilá; the ferry and the swim are paid separately, with licensed operators.

Am I guaranteed to see a whale shark?

No. Their presence changes from year to year and day to day.

All tours and transfers from Mérida

Published prices from the Mary Tours catalogue. Groups of 4 or more.

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

Caribbean · 17 h

Bacalar, the lagoon of seven colours

Seventeen hours for water that changes colour every metre

from $2,800 MXN per person

See itinerary

5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily

4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
5:30 AM Drive to José María Morelos — Two hours. Fifteen minutes there for toilets and to stretch your legs.
7:30 AM Drive to Bacalar — Two and a half hours more, now crossing into Quintana Roo.
10:15 AM Boat trip on the lagoon — Pirates’ Channel, Cenote Negro, Cenote Esmeralda and Bird Island, with an explanation of the stromatolites and the ecosystem.
12:15 PM Lunch — Lunch in the town, beside the lagoon.
1:30 PM Bacalar magic town — Three and a half hours free: the San Felipe fort, the square, the piers, the cafés and the crafts.
5:00 PM Back to Mérida — Five hours back, with a stop halfway. Arriving around ten.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat trip, Lunch

Not included: Drinks

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

Caribbean · 17 h

Isla Mujeres

Playa Norte, which makes every list for a reason

from $2,500 MXN per person

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5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily

4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
5:30 AM Drive to Valladolid — Two hours on the motorway, with a fifteen-minute stop.
7:45 AM Drive to Puerto Juárez — Two more hours to the pier in Cancún.
10:00 AM Isla Mujeres — Sailing the Caribbean, snorkelling at the reef with gear included, a stop at Playa Norte, buffet lunch at the beach club and free time in town.
6:00 PM Back to Mérida — Four hours back, with a stop halfway.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat transfer, Snorkelling gear, Lunch

Not included: Environmental tax, Shopping on the island, Extra drinks

Coupon −$300 MXN per person

Caribbean · 14 h

Tulum and the Casa Tortuga cenotes

The only Maya city built facing the Caribbean

from $2,500 MXN per person

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6:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

6:00 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
6:30 AM Motorway to the rest stop — An hour and three quarters, with fifteen minutes for toilets and something light.
8:30 AM On to Tulum — An hour and a half more to the Quintana Roo coast.
10:00 AM Tulum archaeological site — Guided visit to the walled city: El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God, with the sea behind.
12:15 PM Casa Tortuga cenotes and lunch — Four cenotes of different kinds, with a guided route, trails and changing rooms. Lunch is on site.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Four hours back, with a stop halfway.

Included: Guide accredited by the Ministry of Tourism, Round-trip transport, Lunch, Cenote entry

Not included: Tulum archaeological site entrance, Drinks

Archaeology · 11 h

Chichén Itzá, Izamal and Valladolid

Four stops in one day, and none of them rushed

from $1,200 MXN per person

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8:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Izamal. The guide uses the drive to set up what comes next.
9:00 AM San Antonio de Padua Convent — The story of the 16th-century Franciscan convent told in its atrium, then free time to walk the yellow town.
11:15 AM Chichén Itzá — Guided walk through the Temple of Kukulkán, the Sacred Cenote, the Ball Court, the Tzompantli and the Jaguars and Eagles platform.
1:45 PM Regional lunch in Kaua — Buffet of Yucatecan dishes: cochinita, relleno negro, lime soup and meat-free options.
3:00 PM Selva Maya cenote — The swim lands exactly when the sun is at its worst. Changing rooms and showers on site.
4:20 PM Valladolid — Francisco Cantón Rosado park with its original railings, the church of San Servacio and the murals in the town hall.
8:00 PM Back in Mérida — We drop you off where the day started.

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Not included: Chichén Itzá entrance, Cenote entrance, Drinks

Cenotes · 7 h

The four cenotes of Santa Bárbara

Four different cenotes and a lunch made by hand

from $1,450 MXN per person

See itinerary

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily

10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Homún, through the ring of cenotes.
11:00 AM Cascabel cenote — Closed, cave type. You descend inside and the water sits in half-light: the most striking of the four.
11:30 AM Chaksikín cenote — Semi-open. You go down between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
12:00 PM Xooch cenote — Semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water mid-morning.
12:30 PM Pool Cocom cenote — Open and surrounded by vegetation. You swim along a channel out to the wide part.
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4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back, arriving around five.

Included: Transport, Certified guide, Entry to all four cenotes, Regional lunch

Not included: Drinks with lunch

Nature · 9 h

Celestún and the pink flamingos

The largest flamingo colony in North America

from $1,600 MXN per person

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8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a half west, out to the port.
9:30 AM Boat ride — Flamingo and bird watching, the mangrove tunnel, the freshwater spring and the Maya bath on the sandbar.
11:00 AM Lunch by the beach — Fish, octopus or shrimp from the gulf, at a table facing the sea.
1:00 PM Free time on the beach — Almost three hours to swim, walk the shore or do nothing at all.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Arriving around five.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat ride, Lunch from a set menu

Not included: Drinks

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from $1,300 MXN per person

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3:15 PM Back to Mérida — Back to Mérida, arriving around five.

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Wooden swings driven straight into the sea

from $1,250 MXN per person

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10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily

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11:30 AM Isla Columpios — Turquoise water barely past your knees, swings and hammocks over the sea, and mangrove all around full of birds.
1:00 PM Chuburná dunes — White sand mounds shaped by the wind, with nobody around. Good for walking and for photos.
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5:30 PM Back to Mérida — Half an hour back, arriving around six.

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Not included: Food, Drinks

Nature · 12 h

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Genuinely pink lagoons, and flamingos in the estuary

from $1,400 MXN per person

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7:00 AM – 8:00 PM · daily

7:00 AM Departure from the office — Almost three hours to the north coast, with a stop halfway.
9:50 AM Las Coloradas — A guided walk beside the pink, white and orange pools of the salt works. No swimming: it is a protected area.
11:00 AM Cancunito beach — A rustic beach inside the reserve, calm water and hardly anyone around.
12:30 PM Boat ride through the estuary — Channels through the mangroves, flamingo watching areas, crocodiles in their habitat and the mineral mud bath.
2:15 PM Lunch in Río Lagartos — Fresh fish, ceviche, octopus or tikin xic on the waterfront of the fishing village.
4:15 PM Back to Mérida — Nearly four hours back, arriving around eight.

Included: Transport, Guide, Boat ride, Lunch from a set menu

Not included: Las Coloradas entrance, Drinks

Archaeology · 11 h

Maya Train, Chichén Itzá and Izamal

The Mérida–Izamal leg by train, the rest by road

from $1,600 MXN per person

See itinerary

8:00 AM – 7:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Transfer to the station — From the office to the Maya Train station in Mérida.
9:18 AM Maya Train ride — Forty minutes from Mérida to Izamal. Ticket included.
10:15 AM Izamal — The yellow town, the three-tier Baroque altarpiece and free time on the main square.
12:30 PM Chichén Itzá — Guided walk through the Sacred Cenote, the Temple of Kukulkán, the Jaguars and Eagles platform and the Ball Court.
2:30 PM Lunch in Kaua — Buffet of typical regional dishes.
3:45 PM Selva Maya cenote — The swim of the day, with the heat already easing off.
5:00 PM Back to Mérida — Two hours on the road back.

Included: Transport, General culture guide, Maya Train ticket Mérida–Izamal, Midday meal

Not included: Chichén Itzá entrance, Cenote entrance, Drinks

Cenotes · 7 h

Hacienda Mucuyché

A stone channel joining two cenotes

from $1,800 MXN per person

See itinerary

9:30 AM – 4:00 PM · daily

9:30 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to the estate, in the municipality of Abalá.
10:30 AM Check-in and historical tour — A guide from the estate itself explains how the henequen business worked and what survives of it.
11:00 AM Carlota and Azul Maya cenotes — Two hours in the water. To move between the cenotes you cross the channel, swimming or along the stone path.
1:00 PM Time for lunch — Yucatecan food at the estate restaurant, paid per order. There is a pool for anyone who wants to stay in the water.
3:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back.

Included: Transport, Guide, Entry to the hacienda and cenotes

Not included: Food, Drinks

Cenotes · 9 h

Izamal and the Santa Bárbara cenotes

Izamal early, and the whole afternoon in four cenotes

from $1,550 MXN per person

See itinerary

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Izamal.
9:00 AM Izamal — The San Antonio de Padua convent, raised on a Maya platform, the Kinich Kakmó pyramid and the yellow streets.
10:30 AM On to Homún — An hour and a quarter through small towns to the cenote grounds.
12:00 PM Santa Bárbara cenotes — Five hours inside: Cascabel in a cavern, Chaksikín with its shaft of light, and Xooch and Pool Cocom in the open. You move between them by bike or cart, and lunch is served on site.
5:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back.

Included: Transport, General culture guide, Entrances, Lunch

Not included: Drinks

Beach · 9.5 h

Sisal: kayak, flamingos and beach

A magic town that is still a fishing port

from $1,500 MXN per person

See itinerary

8:00 AM – 5:30 PM · daily

8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a half on the road to the port.
10:00 AM Kayaking in the coastal wetland — A paddle by kayak or flat-bottomed boat through the mangrove, with birdwatching — pink flamingos included — and a dip in a freshwater spring.
11:45 AM Sisal beach — Over four hours free. There are seafood places along the shore and palapas you can rent for shade.
4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour and a half back.

Included: Transport, Kayaking in the coastal wetlands, Free time on the beach

Not included: Food, Drinks, Palapa rental

Transfers · 9.5 h

Transfer to Isla Columpios and Progreso

We drive you to the coast, wait for you and bring you back

from $2,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 10.5 h

Transfer to Uxmal and Yaxcopoil

The Puuc route at your own pace, with the van waiting

from $2,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 10 h

Transfer to Celestún

We drive you to the estuary, wait for you and bring you back

from $2,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 10.5 h

Transfer to Chichén Itzá

Four stops, your own pace and the van waiting

from $2,650 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 8.5 h

Transfer to Izamal and Santa Bárbara

The yellow town and four cenotes, with no group schedule

from $2,650 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 11 h

Transfer to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos

The pink lagoons and the beach, with the van at your disposal

from $2,850 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 17 h

Transfer to Isla Mujeres

Mérida to the ferry pier and back, the whole day

from $5,550 MXN per vehicle

Transfers · 18 h

Transfer to Holbox

Mérida to Chiquilá and back, the whole day

from $5,550 MXN per vehicle

Current catalogue prices; Mary Tours confirms availability on WhatsApp.

Sources

SEMARNAT. México, santuario de gigantes de los mares (2026-10-23)
Ruptura 360. Intensifican vigilancia durante avistamiento de tiburón ballena en la isla de Holbox (2026-10-23)

Image credits

Mary Tours · Imagen publicada en el sitio de Mary Tours; confirmar autoría original antes de publicación

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