Baja California - The whale capital of the world The kingdom of the Pacific Gray Whales Baja California Wildlife Safari gray whale encounters, fantastic tranquility, bird colonies, snorkeling with sea lions and a lot more Jan 29 - Feb 05
2011 If you ever planned on getting away from the noises of the world and sit back on a sandy beach at your safari-style camp, and do nothing else for a few days other than watching whales and enjoying birds and sunshine – this is certainly the trip you are looking for.
Whales provided fuel for the streetlights of every city in the world for several hundred years, so they would have all reasons to be seriously scared of any human beings. Yet here, at Magdalena Bay, the Pacific Gray Whales don’t just simply allow you to approach them over and over again, but they even bring their newborn babies to you and “blow hello”, before they take a plunge. And if you are really enthusiastic about them, they will feel your enthusiasm and might even come up and let you touch them. An incredible experience that one can certainly not find anywhere else in the world. Combine this with a huge mangrove forest next door, with birds and kayaking opportunities, beach combing, great cuisine and a fascinating excursion to snorkel with sea lions, and you have a recipe for an absolutely unforgettable wildlife holiday. Detailed itinerary: | Jan 29 | La Paz |
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| | Today we are all arriving to La Paz, the capital city of Baja California Sur. We will be coming either from Los Angeles or from Mexico City, but either way, will be met upon arrival and transferred to our guesthouse. Our first organized activity is our welcome orientation and welcome dinner, so in case we arrive early enough, we will have a chance to explore the city on foot, soak up some sunshine after the long winter days at home and practice our Spanish. Once we gathered at our hotel for an introductory speech, we transfer to a fantastic seaside restaurant for a delicious Mexican welcome dinner. | | | Accomodation: Lunasol Hotel
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| Jan 30 | La Paz/Magdalena Bay |
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| | After our fulfilling breakfast today, we jump on our transport vehicles and leave all signs of civilization behind for 4 fantastic nights. Our destination is Magdalena Bay, a narrow inlet on the Pacific side of the peninsula, where Pacific Gray Whales of the north gather every year, to give birth in the shallow, protected, warm tropical waters. Our trip is timed to the very best period in this process, which will allow us to see several of the extremely tiny, yet fast growing calves. After being on the road for four hours, we arrive to our private beach camp, which will serve as our home and our whale-watching base for the next four days. A delicious lunch will be served upon our arrival, and once we have relaxed a bit and got through a fantastic swim in the ocean, we will get on our small, motorized boat with great excitement and take off to have our first experience with those fascinating creatures in the water. After about 2-3 hours on the boat and with hopefully many whale images in our cameras, we return to camp, relax a bit in our tents, and then gather in the dining hall for a lovely Mexican dinner made of fresh farm produces. The evening around the campfire will give us a perfect opportunity to listen to an official whale presentation and to discuss our first experiences, before we retire. | | | Accomodation: private whale-watching camp
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| Jan 31 | Magdalena Bay |
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| | The first thing we experience this morning is the absolute tranquility of our camp. As the sun slowly rises behind our tents, the ocean gets more and more blue just a couple of meters from our door and nothing will break the peace, other than the occasional bird calls as they are flying by. If you wish to rise early, we will visit the mangrove forest and its bird colony before breakfast, but as soon as we have eaten, we will be back on our small boat, in hope of more exciting whale encounters. Once we are back at camp, we will take a fantastic, long siesta today, interrupted by a light meal at noon. Those of us who had enough of whales already (hard to imagine), will be able to use the camp’s sea kayaks and explore the mangrove forests or simply take a great hike into the breathtaking sand dunes of the interior, but most of us will surely be back on the boat, enjoying many more outstanding encounters with the largest mammals in the world. | | | Accomodation: private whale-watching camp
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| Feb 1 | Magdalena Bay |
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| | Our day is very similar to the previous one. After a nice early morning hike and birding walk, we go out at sea and search for the many small calves and their mothers in the surrounding waters. After siesta, we will be able to choose between a number of activities, especially if the waters are too rough for whale watching, which is always a possibility for the afternoons. Tonight, after our lovely dinner, we will enjoy another campfire and presentation session, at this time focusing on the flora and smaller fauna of the habitat we are visiting. | | | Accomodation: private whale-watching camp
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| Feb 2 | Magdalena Bay |
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| | Today is our last full day at camp. While most of us will still be very keen in being out on the water and looking for that great opportunity to pet a giant whale, others will have the chance of participating in any other activities they have missed during the last two days. Our evening will be busy with packing our belongings and preparing for our last great dinner in camp. | | | Accomodation: private whale-watching camp
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| Feb 3 | Magdalena Bay/La Paz |
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| | This morning is our last chance to enjoy absolute peace and heaven on Earth. Waking up to the mellow noises of the water at our doorstep, plunging in for a great swim or going for a scenic hike in the dunes, before it gets too hot or before the breakfast call brings us back. And for one last time, we will have a chance to enjoy the calm morning waters out on our boat, as we search the horizon for Pacific Gray Whales and their calves. Once back at camp at a relatively early time, we pack our belongings and gather in the dining hall for a healthy Mexican lunch. We will have to take off towards La Paz right after lunch, since it will take us four hours to get back to the city, where we will enjoy a proper shower, even though we have had a basic chance to use the camp’s solar-powered shower cabins during the last few days. Once back at the hotel and completely refreshed after the drive, we gather for dinner and for discussing our great whale experiences and the new adventure that lies ahead of us the following day. | | | Accomodation: Lunasol Hotel
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| Feb 4 | La Paz/Espiritu Santo Island/La Paz |
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| | Today is dedicated to the exploration of the Sea of Cortez side of Baja California. In about an hour boat ride distance from town, lies a large tropical island – Espiritu Santo. It is not only a true wild-west wonderland with all of its sand dunes and cactuses and rugged slopes, but it is also home to several large seabird colonies and a small Californian Sea Lion colony. Once we arrive on the island, we will all want to do one thing first – jump into the warm, crystal clear waters and snorkel with the sea lions. A fascinating wildlife experience, should not be missed by any wildlife enthusiasts around the world. After this great encounter, we put our hiking shoes back on and climb onto the hillside, in search for some ancient cave paintings. Once back on the beach, we have a well-deserved and fulfilling picnic lunch, before we board our vessel and cross the Sea of Cortez again, all the way to our jetty in La Paz. Sadly, this evening is our last one on this voyage, which means we will gather at the hotel and celebrate our Farewell Evening by going out and having a fantastic lobster dinner. | | | Accomodation: Lunasol Hotel
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| Feb 5 | La Paz/homebound |
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| | Today is dedicated for our departures. Depending on our schedule, we will have a great breakfast at our hotel and will be transferred to the local airport for our homebound flights. This is the official end of our amazing whale encounter in Baja California, have a safe trip home. | | | |
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