Wildlife Connection

Wildlife Connection

Wildlife Connection
5
Scuba & SnorkellingSwim with DolphinsBoat ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
WILDLIFE CONNECTION offers the BEST concept of ECOTOURISM IN VALLARTA giving you a respectful close encounter with nature. Enjoy gentle giants on our WHALE WATCHING, swim and interact with DOLPHINS IN THE WILD, participate on the National Marine TURTLE CAMP Protection Program,admire the BIRD WATCHING on this tropical paradise, marine wonders on SNORKELING. Our guides are professional biologists with masters degree in Marine ecology and Wildlife Photographer all featured in magazines and documentaries including National Geographic and Animal Planet. We will share with you our knowledge and experience at the same time you will participate in research projects with dolphins and whales in Banderas Bay, making these excursions a once-in-a-lifetime.
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
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Tours and Tickets by Wildlife Connection
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles1,058 reviews
Excellent
953
Very good
61
Average
17
Poor
9
Terrible
20

Lesley O
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
We have been out on both the whale watching and swimming with dolphins in the wild. Whilst these sound similar they are totally different and both amazing in their own way.
Firstly the whale watching was awesome… we saw the male humpbacks after the ladies, they were breaching and gliding through the water and we even heard their “singing” which was beautiful to hear. We saw the mums taking care with their baby’s (never getting too close to upset them). To top it off we saw a pod of dolphins happy to play and swim by the boat.
Secondly the swimming with dolphins… again an amazing experience. Going out we came by giant mantas just hanging around and happy to swim by the boat… bigger than I ever imagined. We came by humpback mums with their calves and stopped for a short while. We then went off and found a large pod of dolphins. There were 6 of us on the boat and all got to experience a close sea swim with the dolphins, always letting them come to us. Such an experience not to be missed.
I would not hesitate to recommend this company mainly because of the small numbers allowed and the lady who took us out who was a marine biologist named Pilar and she was just the best, there was not a question we put to her that she didn’t know the answer to. I have to mention the captain George he clearly knew exactly what he was doing … I’m sure the dolphins recognised him!! The best of days 😃
Written January 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sasha
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
Really enjoyed our tour where we got to swim with dolphins in the wild! I enjoyed the lesson at the beginning and our guide Pilar was wonderful, made sure everyone felt satisfied with how many times we got to swim with the dolphins. We even got to do some whale watching! Boat was comfortable and tour size was just 4 people, which was a pleasant surprise.
Written January 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RCMommy
London, Canada567 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
Great choice for a whale tour in the area. Took a taxi to the marina. Had a quick educational briefing before heading out. Learned some new things! Our tour was full, so some rearranging of people in seats was needed. The boat is zippy! We had to go out quite far before actually seeing some whale action. I don’t get seasick, however, this time I nearly did: I was feeling very green and one other woman on our tour lost her lunch. When the boat was moving I was good. As we idled, the stomach roiled. Sandwiches and water or pop were handed out. Because it took so long to find the whales, we didn’t get a whole lot of time to watch them, however it was good enough. On the way back in some dolphins followed us and that was great. If you are seated in the back, you will get wet from the spray so keep that in mind.
Written February 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ashley S
British Columbia, Canada80 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
I’ll start with the good - Alex was very knowledgeable and she and the captain communicated well AND found whales within 30 minutes. We saw 3 different pods of whales and learned so much. Loved seeing the moms & babies. As a bonus, we saw two sea turtles and the Bay’s resident dolphins. It was really quite amazing to see all of this. However, there were a few negative factors. I never received the email with instructions on where/when to meet that is supposed to be sent after they receive payment. I emailed and asked for it but didn’t get a response. The website says that a light breakfast and lunch are included. The light breakfast was juice, coffee and toast w/jam. Lunch was a turkey sandwich and water or coke. It was alright. As we boarded the boat, my husband and I were last in line and I ended up in the front row of seats while my husband was in row 4. This was a bit disappointing as we were doing the tour together but didn’t even get to speak the entire 4 hours. Normally I’ve seen guides try to arrange groups so that families could sit together, or at least nearby, but that wasn’t done on this trip.
Written December 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michelle C
Tampa, FL14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Friends
We swam with wild dolphins with Pilar and Caesar. They were beyond awesome. Pilar started by telling us all about dolphins. For someone who loves dolphins, I learned a few new things with was pretty cool. They were very patient with us and allowed us to jump in many times so watch the dolphins swim around. They didn’t leave until everyone was satisfied with their time in the water. I highly recommend.
Written March 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mac M
Aylesbury, UK9 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
Swimming with dolphins has been on my bucket list forever - as for so many people. I was so excited that I might be able to do it in the wild, as I'd really like centres that keep them in captivity to close down.
We were told the dolphins would normally become really curious, come close to the boat and be around to swim with. As other reviews tell, it was not the case. The captain of the boat didn't seem to have done the trip before as he was following close indications from one the biologists and it did seem at some point that he was scaring the dolphins away with very aggressive navigating.

The tour itself was nice. You get a good introduction to dolphins and we did see a few pools of them. Even a whale. But was quite disappointed to not be able to swim with them.
Written January 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cruiser825577
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Family
We had an amazing time! The trip was led by a biologist who started the day with a great presentation about cetacean biology before we got onto the boat. The crew was fantastic and worked hard to make sure we all had a positive experience with the dolphins while also avoiding disturbing them. The trip leader was happy to answer all our questions and was full of information about the specific dolphins we were swimming with as well as the species in general. They provided snacks, soda, and water, as well as masks, fins and snorkels. We brought our 3 year old and were nervous it would be difficult for him but he had an amazing time. Great experience, highly recommended!
Written March 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HappyTravler_9
Bellbrook, Ohio, Usa231 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Solo
Amazing. My favorite activity on my vacation. Pital and Edwardo did a great job teaching us about the wildlife, and then took us out to find some. Found a few pods of dolphins and tried getting in the water with them, but they had babies and didn't want us too close, so they swam away. Went to look for more and found 2 humpback whales and a few of their dolphin friends. They even swam under the boat. We also saw a few turtles and another whale. It was early in the whale season, so that was very exciting and unexpected. The day was beautiful and they provided everything we needed. For what I paid for this, it was easily the best excursion I have done in years. If I could give more stars, I would.
Written November 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

nutleybrown
Arlington, VA1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We just returned from a fantastic week-long trip to Puerto Vallarta. It was our first time there and I had done some research before going so I knew what activities I wanted to participate in. One of the most amazing trips was with Wildlife Connection. We signed up on-line from the States but were not required to pay until after the tour was over (more on this later). Wildlife Connection offers 3 different trips depending on the season you're there: a whale watching trip, a dolphin trip (the one we chose) and a sea turtle rescue (we did this with another company but should have done it with Wildlife Connection).

The dolphin trip started with a video giving you some background about dolphins with a light continental breakfast. We then went out on a boat. It is a small, covered boat (limit of 12 people). They do this so that we can all experience the dolphins first hand and because it has low-impact on the dolphins. They have a hydrophone on board so you have a chance to hear dolphin communication. During the tour they provide more info about the dolphins. At this time of the year (late August) there were new borns so you we had a chance to see baby ones too. Also depending on the dolphins you have good chances to swim with the adults (we didn't get too close because of the babies and because of the murky water due to the rain water coming in from the rivers).

The great thing about this program is that they are all about dolphin and sea life conservation and research. Unlike most dolphin swim programs, you may not be able to touch the dolphins but this is one of the few chances that you will be able to swim with these beautiful animals in the wild versus animals that are captive. You will also get to see them diving and flipping in the water. Also, if you don't see dolphins (we saw at least 75), you don't have to pay. Eduardo Lugo, our guide, took pictures of us swimming with the dolphins. He is a renown photographer. He offered to simply e-mail us the pictures at no cost, which was VERY refreshing. They have shirts, hats, posters, etc. but unlike all of the other places in Puerto Vallarta, there was no push to purchase anything here, which we genuinely appreciated. They even had refreshments/granola bars on board for us.

Wildlife Connection conducts research on the dolphins in terms of their habitats, reproductive patterns, families, etc. and you will get to see all of that while you are out. Your tour funds their work. To be quite honest, this tour is actually priced much less than the captive dolphin tours. For 2 adults, it was $97.

In addition to this tour, they have a sea turtle rescue program. There are 8 species of sea turtles of which 7 live in Mexico. The tour goes on to the area of Nuevo Vallarta where the turtle protection camps are. You will visit all the instalations of the turtle camp to understand all the protection program. Then you will patrol the beach for around 40 minutes to search for a female laying eggs, when you finish patroling you will go back to the turtle camp and release baby turtles to the ocean (there are babies every night). The tour includes an educational explanation, soft drinks and transportation from the meeting point to the turtle camp and from the turtle camp to your hotel. The tour is lead by a Biologist and costs $38pp
Written September 4, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

luv2travelCalgary_AB
Calgary, AB9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
During our trip to PV we had time to do one off-site excursion. Our two girls, age 9 and 6, really wanted to swim with dolphins so before we left home we researched the various alternatives and decided that we would rather have an experience with WILD dolphins than swim with those captured to swim with tourists (lots of info on the web suggests this reduces dolphin life expectancy by almost 10 years). On Oct 10 we had the pleasure of taking the "Dolphins in the Wild" tour with Eduardo Lugo of Wildlife Connections and we were very impressed.

The tour began with a very interesting and interactive 30 minute briefing about dolphins and their behaviours. We were lucky as there were no other people on the tour that day so we then had a private tour into Banderas Bay to search for the pod. Eduardo, a wildlife photograher, and his wife who is a marine biologist, have been studying these dolphins for over 10 years and are able to identify most of them by dorsal fin. We saw the two male leaders about 10 minutes into the trip but did not swim with them as they are less tolerant than the females. After a relaxing hour of cruising around Banderas Bay Eduardo's keen eyes located the main group on our return back to PV. Once he spotted the pod, Eduardo told us to get our snorkles and masks on and we were able to get in and swim with the group of about 30 dolphins, including their very cute babies!!

The dolphins are naturally curious and Eduardo works hard by diving down to keep them engaged. Once one part of the group passed, enroute from their feeding area to the resting area, Eduardo repositioned the boat to get in front of the pod. That way it was always up to the dolphins as to whether they want to swim over to investigate us or not. |Throughout the experience it was great to see that Eduardo had both our safety and the well being of the dolphins top of mind.

We swam with the dolphins 4 times that day and most times they were within 3-5 feet of our party both on top of and under the water. The water in Bandares Bay was quite murky so I enjoyed looking at them eye ball to eye ball on top of the water. The last time we swam, Eduardo, stayed on the boat and took pictures of our family. As promised, he emailed them to us at no additional cost so that we could share them with our friends at home. You can check out one attached to this review.

We would highly recommend this tour. We had a great time, learned tons about Dolphins and were treated to a very unique experience by a company that truly cares about wildlife and understanding dolphin behaviour. Don't miss it!
Written November 8, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Wildlife Connection - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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