Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information

Tourist attraction · Donsol

Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information

Tourist attraction · Donsol

2

Donsol - Pio Duran Rd, Donsol, 4715 Sorsogon, Philippines

Photos

Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by Photo by J.W Alker/age fotostock
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by Photo by J.W Alker/age fotostock
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null
Donsol Whaleshark Tour Information by null

Highlights

Snorkel alongside gentle giant whale sharks in Donsol Bay, guided by locals dedicated to preserving their natural marine sanctuary.  

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Donsol - Pio Duran Rd, Donsol, 4715 Sorsogon, Philippines Get directions

Information

Static Map

Donsol - Pio Duran Rd, Donsol, 4715 Sorsogon, Philippines Get directions

+63 968 624 6202

Features

gender neutral restroom
wheelchair accessible parking lot
wheelchair accessible entrance

Last updated

Jul 30, 2025

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@afar

"Swim with the Whale Sharks in Donsol Bay Donsol, in southeast Luzon, is the perfect place to snorkel with whale sharks, otherwise known as butanding . Each year from November to May, possibly the largest school of whale sharks in the world migrates here to feed on the dense concentration of plankton and krill in the area. Donsol's whale shark interaction is strictly regulated to protect the creatures and their natural habitat. They are not captive and are not fed by the local fishermen, so whether they appear or not is pure chance. A small boat takes you out to the bay and spotters cue you to jump in and swim alongside the whale sharks as they begin to near the surface. It’s an incredible experience to be so close to these huge beasts, which are typically four to 12 meters long in Donsol (though residents claim, of course, to have seen larger). They look like spotted submarines, but luckily have a gentle disposition and are surprisingly graceful."

The Best Things to Do in the Philippines
View Postcard for Donsol Whale Shark Interaction Center
@afar

"Swim with the Whale Sharks in Donsol Bay Donsol, in southeast Luzon, is the perfect place to snorkel with whale sharks, otherwise known as butanding . Each year from November to May, possibly the largest school of whale sharks in the world migrates here to feed on the dense concentration of plankton and krill in the area. Donsol's whale shark interaction is strictly regulated to protect the creatures and their natural habitat. They are not captive and are not fed by the local fishermen, so whether they appear or not is pure chance. A small boat takes you out to the bay and spotters cue you to jump in and swim alongside the whale sharks as they begin to near the surface. It’s an incredible experience to be so close to these huge beasts, which are typically four to 12 meters long in Donsol (though residents claim, of course, to have seen larger). They look like spotted submarines, but luckily have a gentle disposition and are surprisingly graceful."

The Best Things to Do in the Philippines
View Postcard for Donsol Whale Shark Interaction Center

irene roselle roldan - de groot

Google
Its well organized. We did not see any whale shark even after 3.5hrs in the water, but the boat ride was good. I suggest staying for 5-7days to make sure there is sighting or maybe call ahead to get a feel of what that week is going to be. They try not to interfere with the natural habitat of the fish which was really good. In saying that, will still do the activity in the future regardless.

Kathy Green

Google
The tour information center is an official office for whale shark tour in Donsol. Php5000 per boat (3 hours) for six people. We had 4 people and we booked our own boat. It is not guarantee to meet the whale shark, may be just 50/50 as they do not feed the whale shark so it's your luck. Factors include weather, current, high / low tide, etc. If raining and no run lights then it's harder to find them. We went 3 days (raining on the first day) and we didn't meet them. I didn't blame anyone as they were trying their best to look for the whale shark. And as a service provider, they do want to show you what they are proud of in their town. So I feel like it's a gambling that you choose to involve. And I love this giant animal so I am happy they are trying to protect their sea to keep the whale shark. They only rely on human's eyes (stand on the top of the boat) to track the whale shark, the effectiveness can be improved by using more ways like Drone? They do not put gps tracker to the whale shark as they don't want to stress them. Donsol is a nice town, road and river are very clean (unexpected !) and people are generally doing okay. They seem to have a good waste management system. Besides, no beggers on the street. If they can manage the stray dogs numbers then it will be even better. The dogs are okay and they just sleep around like they are part of the neighborhood. There is a famous active volcano but we haven't gone to. I will come back another time to try my luck because I enjoy the time on the boat watching the sea and just focus on one thing. By the way, the firefly watching tour is impressive because their protection to the river does play an important role for firefly's growing. Must go.

Dean Leung

Google
Really enjoyed the experience. The organisers made sure that we had everything available and gave us snacks and drinks. Highly recommend. Unfortunately, did not see the Whale Sharks but it is what it is.

Pinay Tambay

Google
Just sharing our experiences with the whales, we were there last April 18 on our first attempt to interact with the whalesharks but mission failed 😔. So we opted to stay for another day, we planned to start later in the morning. And yes, the butandings were there! It was joyful for our family to watch, swim and play with the whalesharks! The tour was well organized with the help of B.I.O. (Butandings Interaction Officers). Butanding goals…checked!!

Valentina Todoro

Google
The crew was great and we saw dolphins at a distance. What wasn’t great, though, was that nobody told us December isn’t the right season to spot whale sharks. We discover the right season is March-April. Yes, we could have done more research, but given their commitment to wildlife protection, we assumed they’d be honest with us too. Unfortunately, we were wrong, which is a real shame. My recommendation to the whaleshark center is to be 100% transparent with visitors—we might still be willing to pay (maybe less?) and take our chances. They’ll probably just respond with a ‘thank you’ to this review because they don’t actually read them. :)

Sam Wilson

Google
It's a mixed place. The sustainability efforts are great, and if you see the whale sharks then it's a much better experience than oslob for sure. But it also wasn't explained to us that the whale sharks only stay on the surface for around 30 seconds once snorkelers are in the water. So if you're not the first boat you won't see them, and there are quite a few boats racing at the whale shark to get there first. Sustainability wise, I'm not sure the whale sharks want to be near the boats or people. They do make you watch videos and teach you the code of conduct which is great, but the boats aren't supposed to drop more than one group of snorkelers at once, but it doesn't look like they follow this all the time. Price wise it's not too expensive to go out even if you don't see the whale sharks. The boat crew and BIOs are great guides and seem to really care about preserving the whale sharks. And they do make sure you are aware that you don't always see them, but they didn't really mention that the whale sharks only surface for less than a minute which seems to me like they are stressed and trying to avoid people. We talked to several people and they said this is normal for donsol.

Ced Aquino

Google
I haven't seen the whale shark because it swam too fast but that's one good reason for me to try again one day. This is the type of eco-tourism that Filipinos should support.

Maddi Petro

Google
Loved my tour! Came solo around 8:30am and waited until around 10am for 4 others to make a group of 5 with. It's 5k pesos for the boat, so we paid 1k each plus marine fee (300 pesos for foreigner marine fee, I think cheaper for Filipinos). You can rent a mask and snorkel for 150 pesos and fins for 150 pesos also. I got fins only and they found a pair for my wide-ish size 41 feet. During the actual tour, the sky had just cleared up (it was raining when we watched the intro video) and it took an hour until we saw the 1st whale shark. This one was already quite deep when we got in the water, but we saw it swimming away. You gotta be ready at the front of the boat to jump in cuz the whale sharks are big and that means they're fast! It took maybe another hour to see another. And then on our ride back to shore with about 25 minutes left into our max 3 hours, they spotted another one and let us jump in again! The 2nd and 3rd ones we saw came a lot closer to us! The waiting room has air conditioning and bathrooms, and shower rooms are in the building behind. Good tshirt, magnet, and keychain selection at the souvenir store (other souvenirs also). You can also buy tampons there according to a sign.
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