Experience the wonders of Monterey Bay as you spend the week whale watching and exploring the coastline to enjoy the bay’s most iconic species, such as sea otter, humpback whale and northern elephant seal.
Often known as ‘the Serengeti of the Sea’, Monterey Bay is teeming with marine wildlife. The reason for this abundance of wildlife is due to the presence of a large underwater canyon which is located just offshore. The canyon and the surrounding shallow seas mean that the area can support a huge diversity of species, from deep ocean specialists like the magnificent blue whale to humpbacks and grey whales which favour shallower seas.
Joined throughout by Wildlife Worldwide team member and cetacean enthusiast Helen Bryon, you enjoy multiple whale watching trips. These trips offer the chance of a huge range of species of whale and dolphin including blue, humpback and fin whales, Risso's, bottlenose and common dolphins.
Whilst on land, you explore some of the coastline of Monterey Bay including Point Lobos, Elkhorn Slough, San Simeon and Piedras Blancas where you hope to encounter some of the region's other marine mammals, such as sea otter, harbour seal, northern elephant seal and California sealion, superbly complementing your time on the water.
Suggested Itinerary
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Day 1:
Fly to San Francisco & transfer to Monterey Bay
On arrival in San Francisco, you are met and transferred approximately two to three hours by road to Monterey Bay. Once in Monterey, you check-in to your comfortable hotel for a week-long stay, with the remainder of the day free to spend as you wish.
Accommodation: Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa (or similar), 7-nights
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Days 2-7
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Cetacean watching & explore Monterey Bay
For the next six days, from your hotel in Monterey, you head out to experience the wildlife and landscapes of Monterey Bay. Most of your mornings begin with a short 15-minute walk from our hotel to Fisherman's Wharf where you board your whale watching vessel.
An amazing variety of cetaceans can be regularly observed in Monterey Bay including humpback and blue whales, Pacific white-sided, Risso's and common dolphins, orca, and Dall's porpoise. If you are lucky, you may also encounter fin and minke whales, harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphins and beaked whales. Other marine mammals you may be fortunate enough to see are sea otter, northern fur seal and California sealion. Monterey Bay is also home to a remarkable diversity of birdlife with notable highlights including sooty shearwater, long-tailed skua, marbled murrelet, pigeon guillemot, northern fulmar, brown pelican, rhinoceros auklet and black storm-petrel.
After approximately four hours at sea, you return to land and walk back to the hotel for some downtime. For a couple of the afternoons during your stay in Monterey, you head out to explore some of the coastline and enjoy more of this region's wildlife. On one afternoon you are transferred up the coast to the town of Moss Landing where you board another boat and navigate up Elkhorn Slough, which is one of California's largest tidal waterways and arguably the best location on this coast for observing sea otters. These wonderfully endearing animals are incredibly photogenic, and you should be able to enjoy several sightings as you cruise along this tidal waterway. You may also spot harbour seals, California sealions and a whole host of birdlife. On another afternoon, you can take time to enjoy the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is thought to be one of the finest in the world.
One full day during your stay will be spent entirely on land and you'll explore the coast south of Monterey. Firstly, you head to San Simeon and Piedras Blancas to experience the northern elephant seal colony that lives there. The number of seals here varies throughout the year and, between June and September, it is predominantly males that can be seen as they arrive on the beaches to molt.
Once you have explored the beaches of San Simeon, you head back up the coast and visit Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just south of Monterey. This famous reserve is an excellent place to stretch your legs and experience some of the natural landscape of this part of California exploring the various trails, but also scanning from the shoreline or cliff tops to look for sea otters, California sealions, harbour seals and a variety of seabirds.
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Day 8:
Return to San Francisco & departure
Your final morning is spent at leisure prior to transferring to San Francisco for your return international flights, concluding what will hopefully have been a memorable week of wildlife watching in California.
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Day 9:
Arrive UK
Please note: As always with wildlife watching, the itinerary will be kept flexible to ensure that we make the most of the weather conditions available.
