Day 1
Baja Arrival and Welcome Dinner
Welcome to Baja California Sur! Today you'll arrive at the airport in San Jose del Cabo (please see INFORMATION page for arrival details and procedures) where you will be met by your guides. Please go with them for the 2.5 hour transfer to La Paz and Hotel Blue. Once you get settled into your hotel, you'll head out for a welcome dinner and trip briefing with your guides. Let the fun begin!
Day 2
Sea of Cortez and Isla Espiritu Santo Luxury Tent Camping Adventure
We're off to Isla Espiritu Santo and Camp Cecil today! After breakfast we'll go to our bodega to get snorkeling gear and wet suits, then it's on to the boats and out into the Sea of Cortez! Our first stop will be swimming with the whale sharks - the largest fish in the world - in the Bay of La Paz. Because of the new permitting process in place to protect the sharks, we will go out in one boat to see the whale sharks, then transfer to another boat for the trip to Camp Cecil.
Camp Cecil is on Isla Espiritu Santo which is in a National Marine Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the best marine life viewing destinations in the world. Whales, dolphins, whale sharks, sea turtles, manta rays and plenty of beautiful tropical fish call the surrounding waters home, while a terrific range of bird species including Blue-footed Boobies, Reddish Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Yellow-footed Gulls frequent the island’s skies and shores. The island itself is stunning, with magnificent towering cliffs, spectacular sandy bays, amazing lava rock formations, and rock art left by the now-extinct Guaycura and Pericu Indians. There’s even an endemic ring-tailed cat, the babisuri. It’s a remarkable place to explore. We’ll spend the days doing exactly what pleases us - kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, swimming with sea lions, stand up paddle boarding, bird watching, and exploring hidden lagoons and desert beaches. Hanging around doing nothing, reading trashy novels and sipping margaritas also highly encouraged.
Day 3:
More island fun at Camp Cecil. Sea lions, mantas, whales, sea turtles, Blue-footed Boobies, Magnificent Frigatebirds - no telling what you'll see today!
Day 4:
More island wonders. Maybe snorkeling with sea turtles? Perhaps a kayak trip to explore the vast fish nurseries of the mangrove roots? A hike to get panoramic views of the island and the Sea of Cortez? Another visit with the playful sea lions at the permanent sea lions colony of Los Islotes? All the amazing wonders of the island and the Sea of Cortez are yours to explore.
Day 5:
We’ll (sadly, reluctantly) return from Camp Cecil and check back into our old La Paz haunt, Hotel Blue. We'll have dinner at a terrific local restaurant and start dreaming of the wondrous possibilities that await us the next day with the gray whales of Magdalena Bay.
Day 6:
Magdalena Bay Whale Watching Adventure
Magdalena Bay is the largest wetlands ecosystem on the west coast of Baja and one of the most important in North America. The World Wildlife Fund ranks it as one of the most important coastal habitats in Mexico. The Bay is the prime calving ground for the gray whale, and January to March it is possible to see – and often pet - a large number of whales, including mothers and calves. Magdalena Bay also has mangrove forests, barrier beaches and sand dune islands, all of which contribute to the incredible scenery and biological diversity of the area.
On the first day of our whale watching adventure we'll drive about 4.5 hours to Magdalena Bay, have lunch in one of the local restaurants, then head out on the water for 3 hours of interacting with the amazing gray whale mothers, babies, young couples and sporting males. We'll have dinner and spend the night in a local hotel. On the second day we’ll have breakfast, then get in three more hours of observing and hopefully touching and gazing into the eyes of the gray whales. We’ll then head back to Todos Santos with a celebratory lunch stop on the way.
Day 7:
When we return to Todos Santos we’ll check into the luxurious Hotel Guaycura for our final evening. We’ll enjoy a wonderful farewell dinner at La Casita, where Chef Sergio Rivera will prepare some of his great specialties just for you.
Day 8:
Say adios but not good-bye. Transfer to airport
