Travel to Baja California and enjoy the plethora of cetaceans that reside here during the early part of the year alongside one of the world’s leading whale experts, Mark Carwardine.
Baja California is the best place in the world for whale and dolphin watching, and Mark, as a world-renowned whale expert, is the perfect guide to take you. We hope to see as many as 10-15 different cetacean species during the trip (with life-changing close encounters with grey, blue, fin, sei, Bryde’s, humpback and sperm whales and some of the other largest animals on the planet), and a host of other wildlife, from whale sharks to Guadalupe fur seals.
Beginning with a night in Mexico City and San Jose del Cabo, we head to the San Ignacio Lagoon to experience and interact with the ‘friendly’ grey whales that come to these waters to mate and calve. After spending four days at the lagoon, we then board our vessel, Spirit of Adventure, which is our home for 8-nights as we voyage the Pacific Coast of Baja California and sail into the Sea of Cortez. Nothing can be guaranteed, but during this voyage we can hopefully observe pods of long-beaked common dolphins in Magdalena Bay, breaching humpbacks at Gorda Banks and whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez if the conditions are on our side.
"If you want to see whales and dolphins, Baja California is the best place to go. This wonderful new 15-day adventure has been carefully designed to get some of the best whale watching on the planet. We spend a few days in an exclusive luxury camp on the shores of San Ignacio Lagoon (home to the world-famous ‘friendly’ grey whales), sail down the Pacific coast of Baja and then explore the magical Sea of Cortez aboard the Spirit of Adventure. There is quite simply no other marine safari like it!" Mark Carwardine.
Typical Itinerary
Day1: Depart UK
On arrival in Mexico City, we're met and transferred to our accommodation, where we stay overnight.
Accommodation: Hotel Historico Central, 1-night
Day2: Transfer to Baja California
This morning, we're transferred back to the airport for our domestic flight over to Baja California.
On arrival at San Jose del Cabo, we're met and transferred to our accommodation in Cabo San Lucas. Mark and Rachel meet us once we reach our hotel, and the rest of the day is free to spend as you wish.
Accommodation: Hotel El Ganzo, 1-night
Day3: Transfer to San Ignacio Lagoon & grey whale watching
We depart our hotel early in the morning and transfer back to the airport for our light aircraft up to San Ignacio Lagoon. On arrival at the airstrip near San Ignacio Lagoon, we are met and transferred to our accommodation nearby.
We have time to settle into our accommodation before heading on our first of two whale watching excursions on San Ignacio Lagoon and our first encounter with the famous grey whales.
Accommodation: San Ignacio Luxury Camp, 3-nights
Days4-5: Whale watching at San Ignacio Lagoon
For the next two days, we have three whale watching excursions each day on San Ignacio Lagoon. Heading out on skiffs, we spend an hour in the whale watching zone on each excursion and will hopefully enjoy a number of interactions with the 'friendly' grey whales that reside in this lagoon during their mating and calving season between January and April.
Day6: Continue whale watching at San Ignacio Lagoon & board the Spirit of Adventure
This morning we depart our camp on the shores of the San Ignacio and head out on a whale watching excursion.
After spending our allotted time in the whale watching zone, we are transferred to the Spirit of Adventure, which is our home for the next eight nights. Upon boarding the ship, we're shown to our cabins and given a safety briefing. We then enjoy our two remaining whale watching excursions from the Spirit of Adventure.
Accommodation: Spirit of Adventure, 8-nights
Day7: Full day of whale watching at San Ignacio & depart for Magdalena Bay
Today, we enjoy another full day of whale watching at the San Ignacio Lagoon, and this is our last day with its friendly marine inhabitants. Once back on board the Spirit of Adventure after our last excursion on the lagoon, we hoist the anchor and set sail for Magdalena Bay, navigating overnight to our next destination on the coast of Baja California.
Day8: Offshore near Magdalena Bay
During the evening we arrive at the nutrient-rich waters off Magdalena Bay, a major feeding ground for blue whales and home to a staggering number of migratory and marine birds, sea turtles and marine mammals – including grey, Bryde’s, fin and humpback whales, pods of long-beaked common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, turtles, sharks and more.
This area comprises the largest wetland ecosystem on the west coast of Baja California and is considered to be one of the most important in North America. The bay provides another vital calving area to the Eastern Pacific grey whale, and a feeding ground for several species of endangered marine turtles.
The habitat consists of mangrove forests, barrier beaches and islands composed of sand dune, which contribute to the zone's incredible scenery and diverse biological make-up. The bay harbours the continent’s northernmost breeding colony of magnificent frigatebirds, the southernmost breeding site for threatened bald eagles, a large nesting colony of endangered California brown pelicans, and one of the largest colonies of California sealion on the peninsula’s Pacific coastline.
Day9: Gorda Banks & offshore at Cabo San Lucas
Our route takes us around the tip of the Baja peninsula at Cabo San Lucas, where magnificent frigatebirds fill the skies and California sealions and Brandt’s cormorants perch on the rocks below. We may spot a peregrine perching on one of the rocky outcrops, but offshore we hope to see humpback whales that come here to sing and mate; if we're lucky, we may have spectacular encounters and witness some dramatic breaching.
This morning we cruise to Gorda Banks where humpback whales gather to sing and mate; if lucky we may have some spectacular encounters. We may also see the majestic blue whales as they migrate northwards. During the afternoon, if there's time and the weather conditions are suitable, we stop at Los Frailes beach where we have an opportunity to snorkel and enjoy some birdwatching.
Days10-13: Navigate the Sea of Cortez
We round the tip of the Baja Peninsula and sail into the Sea of Cortez, where we spend time navigating these vibrant waters that are teeming with wildlife. The locations we visit over the course of the next few days will depend on weather conditions and wildlife sightings. The Sea of Cortez has so much to offer that there will be no shortage of places to see and wildlife to enjoy.
Conditions permitting, we hope to enjoy a snorkelling encounter with whale shark, the largest fish on Earth. It's important to stress that the conditions have to be right to have a chance to observe, let alone snorkel, with these marvellous denizens of the ocean and due to this it is not included in the cost of the itinerary. However, it can be arranged once when we're in the Sea of Cortez.
One of the locations we may visit is Islas Los Islotes which comprises underwater rocky reefs and two islets that are regularly used by colonies of California sealions as haul-out sites. Skiff rides along the coastlines of the islets provide excellent views of not only the sealions, but also nesting brown and blue-footed boobies. There are opportunities to see the fish and invertebrates of the reefs and if you wish there's also time for some snorkelling. Afterwards, we take time to do some whale watching, and we could observe blue, humpback, fin, sperm or pilot whales as well as a number of dolphins.
We also visit the stunning island of Espiritu Santo. We head ashore for a short walk to enjoy the island's plants, reptiles and scenic vistas. Later, there's an opportunity to get in the sea again and do some snorkelling to round off an exciting day in the Sea of Cortez.
We could also venture to Islas San Jose in the Islas del Golfo Biosphere Reserve. Here we can see the spectacular red sandstone cliffs of Punta Colorado on Islas San Jose. We can start the day off with a walk through the island's arroyo (or gully) to admire the desert-adapted flora and birdlife that we come across.
Following this, we take another skiff ride to explore the rugged and notched coastline, which is dotted with caves and secluded coves. From the skiff we should have stunning views of yellow-footed gull, pelican, blue-footed booby, osprey and white-throated swifts. Alternatively, we may wish to do some more snorkelling to view some tropical fish. For the rest of the day we hope to do some cetacean watching as this particular area can offer good sightings of blue, fin and sperm whales, and large pods of bottlenose dolphins which can sometimes exceed 30 or 40 individuals.
Day14: Depart Mexico
Early this morning we disembark in Cabo San Lucas and, depending on the times of our flights, we may spend a couple of hours here before transferring to the airport for our return flights to the UK.
Day15: Arrive UK
Key info
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 15 daysfrom £10,495 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 14 daysfrom £9,495 pp
Single supplement:
On request – please contact us.
Trip type:
Voyage
When to go: Mar-Apr
Group Departures: We are currently finalising future dates for this tour. Please contact us for further details.
Zoologist Mark Carwardine is a widely published wildlife photographer, an award-winning writer, a TV and radio presenter, a best-selling author of more than 50 books, a long-time BBC Wildlife magazine columnist and an outspoken environmentalist.
He presented BBC Radio 4’s weekly programme Nature for many years and is best known for his Last Chance to See books, radio series and TV series with Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry. He was Chair of the Judging Panel of the prestigious ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ competition for seven years and was selected as one of ‘The World’s 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers’ in Outdoor Photography magazine. He recently presented and produced the brand new BBC Wildlife Photography Masterclass series on YouTube.
Rachel Ashton has worked closely with conservationist and broadcaster Mark Carwardine since 2004 when she became his Project Manager.
She has helped with book research, handling bookings and assisting Mark on tours such as whale watching in Mexico, snorkelling with sperm whales in Dominica and on polar expedition voyages. She is a wildlife enthusiast, diver and passionate about marine life.
With a background in advertising and marketing, Rachel has previously worked as a Features Editor at BBC Wildlife Magazine, and has also co-written captions for the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
San Ignacio Lagoon is located in the Mexican province of Baja California and is one of the winter sanctuaries of the eastern Pacific grey whale. Here, males and females congregate looking for mates and newborn calves prepare themselves for the long journey north to their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic.
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The Sea of Cortez (also known as the The Gulf of California) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on the planet with the widest variety of whales and dolphins, and nearly 900 species of fish.
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Where: West coast
Ideal for viewing: blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, whaleshark, Bryde’s whale
