M-AGAIN - 2-5-2006 at 07:46 PM
Hello All,
My parents are interested in going to see the Grey whales but I have no current info to offer. Can anybody help me out with advise and experience?
Where is the best place, when, how much, best guides? Thanks in advance.
M
whales
tehag - 2-5-2006 at 08:17 PM
Try searching baja whale on Google.com or Mamma.com.
Here is a link for trips from Loreto to Lopez Mateos:
http://desertandsea.com/
High season right now and for the next few weeks.
Ken Bondy - 2-5-2006 at 08:34 PM
M-AGAIN
There are three major calving lagoons where gray whales can be seen, from north to south, Scammons Lagoon (near the town if Guerrero Negro), Laguna
San Ignacio, and Magdalena Bay. The whales are there now and will be there through March. All three areas have organized whale-watching operations.
There are subjective pros and cons with each of the three areas. Following are my personal opinions:
Scammons logistically is the most commercialized of the operations because it is so close to the fairly large town of Guerrero Negro which is the base
for a large salt-producing operation. It is easy to get out with the whales. The hotels in town can arrange trips and there is a whale-watching site
just south of town where you can simply show up, buy a ticket, and go out on the next available boat. You can also camp there if you want.
Laguna San Ignacio is the most remote of the three sites, about 45 miles on a rough washboard road from the nearest Mex 1 TP city, San Ignacio. There
are several whale-watching operations based at the lagoon, the largest of which is Kuyima which also has an office in town in San Ignacio and can
arrange everything for you. They have campsites and rudimentary cabins at the lagoon with sanitary facilities, showers, and a mess tent where you can
buy meals. They are a wonderful operation, see their website http://www.kuyima.com for full information.
Magdalena Bay is kinda in between Scammons and San Ignacio in terms of commercialization and facilities. The major whale-watching site is the pueblo
of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos which is at the north end of the bay, easily accessible from Mex 1 by paved road. Not as commercialized as Scammons and
not as remote as San Ignacio, the whale watching operation consists largely of a cooperative of pangas based at Lopez Mateos. Just show up in the
morning and you can get on a boat. There are some motels in town for lodging.
I have chased whales in all three lagoons for many years (decades, actually) and my overwhelming favorite is Laguna San Ignacio. It is hauntingly
beautiful and there seem to be many more "friendly" encounters with the whales there (read: the whale tries to climb into your panga with you). The
relative difficulty in access is well worth the effort IMHO.
I am not very familiar with prices. Just a half-day guided trip in a panga at any of the lagoons will probably cost you about $50/person. Prices for
lodging and food vary all over the map depending on what you want, from camping and bringing your own food to the luxury fly-in, all-inclusive
tent-camping trips that outfits like Baja Discovery and Baja Expeditions do.
I hope this is of some help. Seeing these animals in their natural calving/breeding environment is an awesome experience that will change your life.
If you have any more specific questions, please ask.
++Ken++
[Edited on 2-6-2006 by Ken Bondy]