Donsol Whale Shark Interaction

Donsol Whale Shark Interaction

Donsol Whale Shark Interaction
4
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Donsol, Philippines
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Donsol Whale Shark Interaction
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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

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles439 reviews
Excellent
255
Very good
80
Average
45
Poor
30
Terrible
29

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

Anaedok
Schleswig, Germany116 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Project supported by the WWF to snorkel with whale sharks in small groups. Put your name on a list at the tourist office the day before. Then start at 8:00 a.m. At the beginning you have to decide whether you want to book a boat alone (5000 pesos + 300 per person) or share it with a maximum of 6 people. The trip takes around 3 hours on specially certified boats owned by local fishermen (trimarans with very good stability even in rough seas). As soon as a whale shark is in sight, you have to sit next to the accompanying guide on the front of the hull and jump into the water on command. Back on board you go up a comfortable ladder. We were lucky and saw 3 whale sharks, and once we were able to snorkel with the shark all by ourselves. It was incredibly impressive and cannot be compared to the fake footage off Oslob.
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Written March 11, 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.

Susan B
Roseville, United States4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
The place is very clean and the staff is attentive, friendly, and respectful. Menu was limited but the food was good and priced right. It’s quiet and very provincial. Not too many people, which we liked. The rooms are basic…you get a tiny soap and 2 bottles of mineral water per day. Overall I recommend it if you’re on a budget. But be sure to bring everything with you bc there’s no place nearby where you can buy them.
Written March 20, 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.

Lara Osgood
Dartmouth, UK782 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Couples
We had an amazing trip and we’re fortunate to see and swim with the whale sharks. It’s true that a few boats go out at the same time and when there’s a spot it can get a bit busy with more than one boat but also the boats do give each other space in order to ensure that guests get the opportunity. At the end of the day it’s not like the whale shark is held captive nor do they get fed by the guides / BIO. So you are dealing with an animal in its natural habitat and there’s no guarantee that you will see it. We are very grateful to have had this opportunity and thank the lovely people in Donsol for their warm and friendly hospitality.
Written February 17, 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.

Sarah H
2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Couples
It is still a great experience and we did see 3 whalesharks. One of them super close. It was amazing. I just wanted to let you all know that the prices got up. The boot is no longer 3500PHP but 5000PHP. Plus 300PHP for environment fee per Person. The boot can be shared by 6 people. But if you are a couple and unlucky you have to pay the 5000 all by yourself. We did find a group of 4 others to share so in the end it was all good. I can still recommend it but you should know about the price.
Written March 23, 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.

Grass_Hut_Girl
Niceville, FL25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
I left Bicol long before the butandings showed up in Donsol. It was my bucket list to see them when I finally returned 41 years after leaving. The crew was so pleasant and attentive. When we thought we would not see the butandings after 2 hours of searching, the crew made a stop for us to do some snorkeling. Then, they tried one more time and it was a success! We sighted the same small butanding twice in 30 mins. I got to swim above it. Thank you so much!
Written November 28, 2020
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.

Florence M
Philippines4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Family
We were in hype while preparing to interact with one of the most amazing creature. We are amazed not just because of the whaleshark interaction but also the hospitality and friendliness of the locals of Donsol. From the ice cream vendor, to our BIO and the boatmen. We really had a wonderful time chit chatting with them, sharing colorful stories behind this magnificent creature that we are about to meet. They did their very best for us to have our very own moment with the famous Butanding. Thank you so much Donsol! We will surely come back here.
Written April 14, 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.

John M
Sydney, Australia8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Friends
What a great experience! Can't say enough about the crews we went out twice on different days. The first day we swam with 2 Butanding and the second day with one. To see them up close was something you will not forget.
Written May 25, 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.

potcommitted
Manila, Philippines8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2011
This is an awesome experience and has already been well described in other reviews. Let me just cover a few tips about doing this that will save you some time, money and frustration:
1) Arriving in Legaspi by plane or bus, take a tricycle or taxi to the "van/shuttle terminal". As usual, insist on the meter for taxis and ask locals how much you should pay for a tricycle ride. Do NOT overpay/overtip taxis and tricycles.
2) At the van/shuttle terminal, you can hire a whole van to donsol for 900 Pesos (at the time of this writing), or wait for the van to fill (12 people at 75 Pesos each). If you hire the whole van, you should make it clear with the van driver that you want to be dropped at the resort of your choice, which will always be near the Department of Tourism office, 2 or 3km outside Donsol proper. He should NOT charge you extra for this, and if he does it should never be more than 50 Pesos, which is more than the cost of a tricycle ride from Donsol to the DOT (department of tourism). If the van/shuttle driver tries to overcharge you, go and complain to the offices at the terminal.
3) Do NOT stay into Donsol proper. Stay at one of the beach resorts near the DoT. There is a very well advertized resort inside Donsol proper (Giddy's Place), but all you will get out of staying there is to pay more for less: ordinary rooms, ordinary food, ordinary service, no generator, crap location and extra cost of transportation, all that for much more than you would pay at the beach resorts. Vitton beach resort is a nice resort right next to the DoT and the departure area for the whale shark tours and the two dive shops, nice gardens, nice swimming pool. Wish I had stayed there. There are many other resorts within walking distance or a short tricycle ride, just Google Donsol beach resort. A really nice place to eat is Amor Farm Beach Resort, about 1-2km towards Donsol from the DOT. Food there is cheaper than elsewhere and better (go figure). Well worth the short tricycle ride to get there. You may experience some trouble booking a resort in advance (apart from Giddy's who is really eager to take your money before you realize your mistake), but I don't think they are ever all full, and again if they were it would be a horrible time to go to Donsol. Just Vitton resort itself has many many rooms available.
4) Do not book this tour through a tour agency or a resort, who will charge you a hefty overhead for nothing. Simply register yourself at the Department of Tourism just before you do the tour. I don't think it is ever fully booked, and if it was, it would be a horrible time to take the tour anyway. You do NOT want to take this tour when there are tens of boats out there or two or three tourist buses just arrived. Keep in mind that there are two separate fees you pay at the DoT: the "registration" (300PHP for foreigners, 100 for Filipinos, free for kids) and the boat (3500PHP for a whole boat, 6 adults max). If you take the tour more than once, you should NOT repay your registration. Remind the girls behind the counter that you already took the tour (keep the paperwork to prove it).
5) The tour runs a 7:30AM, 10:30AM and 2PM (not sure if there is a late afternoon session). I did the early morning one first, and it was my experience that this is the busiest time. Many boats, many swimmers, a lot of congestion. It already seems to be less busy at 10:30AM (unless tourist buses arrive), and it appears to be much quieter at 2PM. However, it would *seem* that the whale sharks are a bit shier and/or less numerous in the afternoon for some reason. Nevertheless, we had a tremendous experience the second time at 2PM, with a huge puppy absolutely not shy and swimming at a leisurely pace, and only 2-3 boats out there. Other people I met also had great luck in the afternoon, on a rainy day they were the only boat out there and had them all for themselves for the entire tour.
6) There are numerous outlets that rent fins, mask and snorkel for a rather prohibitive 300 Pesos a set, so if you have your own, bring it. Kids size are not available for rent. Also life vests are provided on the boats for adults, but there are no kids' size, so bring one for your kids. Otherwise you can rent one at one of the resorts or dive centers (200PHP). If you have a wetsuit, bring it also as the repeated water entry/exits will take a lot of warmth off you. If not, take towels to get dry when you get back on the boat.
7) Kids can do the tour, I had my 6 year old twin daughters with me and they loved that (but then, they are decent swimmers). I was looking after one of them and the guide was looking after the other one (tipped him a bit for it).
8) One thing I never got in Donso is the tricycle fares: I am told by the DoT it is 20PHP "per person" from Donsol to the DoT, so the guy earns 4 times more for the same distance if there are 4 of you in there!? Doesn't seem right at all.
Written April 17, 2011
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.

Louise19
United Kingdom48 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2017 • Solo
I came to The Philippines in May so I would be there for the season in Donsol. I did a lot of research into this before hand and of course Donsol seemed ethical (as opposed to places like Oslob) and was the only place I wanted to go to see them.

I am ashamed I took part in this activity. Completely unethical.

They have a list of rules, which, when you do your brief sound great and in the interest of the animals. However, as soon as the boats are out and people are in the water these rules go right out the window. At one point we had 8 boats of people around one whale shark, touching it, many getting too close, and of course when there are that many people expect to be kicked in the face, grabbed and pushed out the way. The guide from each boat goes into the water with the group so they are well aware of what goes on and they chose to have such a large number of people surrounding one whale shark. I didn't at any point see them telling people to back off away from the animal. Even when we were back on the boat and a few of us brought up the issues he just shrugged and wasn't interested in the rules people are supposed to follow.

These are still wild animals and although they don't feed them to keep them there, I felt even during the trip that it wasn't ethical and it must be distressing for the whale sharks to have so many people surrounding and touching them (of course this is when they promptly disappear down)

I wouldn't do this trip again, and I wouldn't recommend it. If you truely love animals and want to see them peacefully in their natural environment, you will be disappointed in Donsol.
Written July 17, 2017
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.

Wanderlustlane
Isla Mujeres, Mexico73 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2016 • Solo
I feel down right dirty after doing this. We came here to see the whale sharks because of its apparent eco-tourism approach to seeing these animals. Limited numbers of people per shark, control on boat numbers, no hand feeding etc. They promote themselves pretty well and you can, if only for a minute, begin to believe that they actually care for these creatures.

That is laughable. This is down right horrible. 100's of tourist dive into the water upon the sighting of one whale shark and chase it frantically. You'll get kicked in the face and almost ran over by neighbouring boats. The poor animal is clearly distressed and won't stick around for long. There's a long list of rules that are supposed to be adhered to such as stay 3 meters from the whale, enter the water calmly, one boat per whale. These rules fly out of the window so fast and there is a complete lack of regard for the animals safety or well being.

I feel ashamed that I partook in this circus act. If this is the "best/most natural" way to see whale sharks then I want no part of it. I'd say find a diving center and go on a dive. If you see these creatures it will be completey natural and you won't be causing any distress/contributing to a horrible activity.

If you care about animals at all, then don't do this. You'll only end up feeling sad for the whales and disappointed with your self for being ignorant enough to play a part in it.

Written February 8, 2016
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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DONSOL WHALE SHARK INTERACTION - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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