BajaNomad

More Whales in Guerrero Negro

biglar - 11-5-2008 at 11:36 PM

I hope you all enjoyed my previous post of the '04 trip to Guerrero Negro. Here's the story of my '05 trip..........

http://whalesinbaja.homestead.com/whales05.html

I didn't make the trip in '06 or '07, and the '08 trip was un-remarkable.

If you're interested in the earlier trips, they're at:

http://webpictures.homestead.com/whaleshome.html

If you're a real sucker for punishment, lots of traveling stories at:

http://webpictures.homestead.com/travelling.html

I'm hoping to make a fishing trip down past San Felipe soon, and plan on the annual pilgrimage to G.N. next Feb., too. Anyone else going down then ??

Lar.

boe4fun - 11-6-2008 at 10:16 AM

We'll be heading down sometime in February as well. Shoot me a U2U and maybe we can caravan down together. Paul Boe

BAHALOU - 12-11-2008 at 02:06 PM

I am planning a trip this year to go see the whales in Guerro Negro for the first time, When is the best time to go see these magnificent creatures ?


Gracias
BAHALOU:spingrin:

TonyC - 12-11-2008 at 02:43 PM

I'm heading down to San Quintin next month, and would like to take Pops down to Guerrero Negro for a few days. Never checked the whales out, how much do they charge...mas o menos? Do I need to get a tourist visas for him?

DianaT - 12-11-2008 at 02:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TonyC
I'm heading down to San Quintin next month, and would like to take Pops down to Guerrero Negro for a few days. Never checked the whales out, how much do they charge...mas o menos? Do I need to get a tourist visas for him?


February is a good month. Yes on the tourist visas. I think, but I may not remember quite correctly, they were charging 500 pesos a person last year. With the change in exchange rate, who knows.

Now that price is for driving out to Ojo de Liebre not for taking one of the tours from town---

Diane

woody with a view - 12-11-2008 at 03:03 PM

we drove out 2 years ago and i think it was $20/person in march. it WASN"T $50 each.... maybe now????

edit: whatever the cost ends up, be good to your Capitan!!! they work for tips.... touching a whale will be one of the greatest things you ever do so tip accordingly......

[Edited on 12-11-2008 by woody in ob]

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DianaT - 12-11-2008 at 03:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
we drove out 2 years ago and i think it was $20/person in march. it WASN"T $50 each.... maybe now????


Since we plan on going a few times this year, I hope you are correct. Actually, I remembered 400 pesos from last year, but John remembered the 500 pesos---

Guess we will have to wait and see. While we always drive out there and will continue to do so, I am curious as to how much the tours from town charge???

Lar, I enjoyed your pictures and your writing.

Diane

tripledigitken - 12-11-2008 at 03:37 PM

We took the tour two years ago. We booked it through the Malarrimo Hotel the day before and it was about $45 per person. We did it in early March. It was a great day!

Ken




Baby on Mama's back looking right at us. Very cool moment! We were not lucky enough to get to touch them though.

bajabird - 12-11-2008 at 03:44 PM

any sightings yet in the lagoon? We will be there soon

desertcpl - 12-11-2008 at 04:19 PM

great post,,, loved the photos

fishbuck - 12-11-2008 at 05:49 PM

TonyC make sure you give yourself a few days. It can be windy on the day you want to go which makes it hard to get close to the whales.

biglar - 12-11-2008 at 06:20 PM

What a pleasant surprise. Thank you all for your nice comments. I have a lot of fun with my stories, and it's nice to see them enjoyed by others.

So far, I've always gone in mid-Feb. The great folks at Malarrimo have told me that earlier in the season the mothers are still very protective of their babies, and later many whales have left for the north. I've heard some controversy on that, but may just try the 3rd week of Feb., rather than the 2nd.

Last Feb, '08, my cousins and their friends joined me and we had a nice trip, tho' the whales didn't come close enuf to touch this time. Now, planning for next Feb., we are concerned with the violence and danger. I'll be going, (with caution and some reservations) but doubt very much if the others wil join me this year. Too bad.

Thanks again, I enjoyed your comments.

Lar.

mtgoat666 - 12-11-2008 at 06:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BAHALOU
I am planning a trip this year to go see the whales in Guerro Negro for the first time, When is the best time to go see these magnificent creatures ?


Gracias
BAHALOU:spingrin:


late jan and early feb to see new babies and mating.
march is warmer and has longer days for playing outdoors, but no mating to be seen.
most whales leave by early to mid april.
i prefer san ignacio lagoon over GN, but both are good venues, just differences in facilities, businesses, local community, and environment (lots of differences, but whales are same in both places)

woody with a view - 12-11-2008 at 06:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Quote:
Originally posted by BAHALOU
I am planning a trip this year to go see the whales in Guerro Negro for the first time, When is the best time to go see these magnificent creatures ?


Gracias
BAHALOU:spingrin:


late jan and early feb to see new babies and mating.
march is warmer and has longer days for playing outdoors, but no mating to be seen.
most whales leave by early to mid april.
i prefer san ignacio lagoon over GN, but both are good venues, just differences in facilities, businesses, local community, and environment (lots of differences, but whales are same in both places)



......just no mating.....:P:lol::light:

shari - 12-11-2008 at 08:50 PM

Whatever you do, try to avoid presidents day weekend. Later is better for getting closer to whales when the calves are older...my favorite is a week before they begin to depart from Ojo de Liebre...in late february or early march...this lagoon clears out by the last week of march whereas San Ignacio has whales later.
The captain in the photo is a dear amigo of mine...Flacco...he used to be the cook at the little palapa where we all ate and was always pining to get out there and be where the action was...poor guy had to listen every day to all our fantastic tales of whale action...well, several years ago he was given the chance to be a captain and he is VERY well liked by the whales with his mellow attitude.

EMAM - 12-11-2008 at 09:30 PM

For those questioning price, we went last year out of Malarrimo one the trip that they drove us right from the hotel to the lagoon, took us out for a few hours and fed us a sack lunch with a soda...price was $45 per person.

For those talking about mating, on our trip, I think I was one of the only people in Baja to get a picture of a whale penis, or Dork as it's called in the marine biology world:lol:



How's that for size!!

Diver - 12-11-2008 at 09:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by EMAM
How's that for size!!


Thinking about changing my name from Diver to Whale !! :lol::lol::lol:

Or maybe Dork ?? :lol:

[Edited on 12-12-2008 by Diver]

biglar - 12-11-2008 at 10:13 PM

I should mention that going all that way, it seems a waste to just go out for a couple of hours. I've gone in the past with both Malarrimo Tours and Laguna Tours, and was treated very well by both. If you pay for both of the day's trips, you'll stay out there, and go from one boat directly to the next. For you who live near there, it may not matter, but for me, it was a 600+ mile one way trip from Palm Springs. Now that I'm in Santa Fe, NM, it's closer to 1500 miles one way. Seems a waste not to go out all day, and an extra $45.00 is nothing on top of fuel, etc.

Boe4fun, sorry for not replying earlier, but we'll see about getting together for the run down in Feb.

Lar.

Miette - 12-12-2008 at 08:12 AM

biglar I had a look at your site and enjoyed the photos and your caution about watching where one sits in the desert!

You have started a thread, where once again, I have learned a lot from all of the contributors. The first hand reports are great. The comments about the different locations and the various reactions of the whales and the people are really helpful - it helps others sort out their preferences and priorities.

I'm a bird watcher, as well. It was nice to read about someone having the sensitivity to realize when their act of observation might be disturbing the subject in a negative fashion.

Big thumbs up!

shari - 12-12-2008 at 08:18 AM

Biglar made an excellent point which is why it is so awesome to just drive out to the park south of guerrero negro and spend the day if you dont want to camp...you can go out early in the morning, then have a fantastic breakfast at the gorgeous interpretive center there watching whales from the outdoor patio all day....hike on the beach and watch whales all day from shore or take another panga out later in the day...wait for the coolest captain etc....it is well worth spending more time out there with some binoculars...the road is well maintained (usually) and there are even nice palapas for camping.

woody with a view - 12-12-2008 at 08:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Whatever you do, try to avoid presidents day weekend. Later is better for getting closer to whales when the calves are older...my favorite is a week before they begin to depart from Ojo de Liebre...in late february or early march...this lagoon clears out by the last week of march whereas San Ignacio has whales later.
The captain in the photo is a dear amigo of mine...Flacco...he used to be the cook at the little palapa where we all ate and was always pining to get out there and be where the action was...poor guy had to listen every day to all our fantastic tales of whale action...well, several years ago he was given the chance to be a captain and he is VERY well liked by the whales with his mellow attitude.


Capitan Leopoldo, AKA Poldo was a very humble and informative guide. he seemed to have a great love for the creatures. after having spent 30 minutes with a mom and calf on the rail the entire boat voted to go in and hit the cantina. Poldo denied us and promptly found another pair that spent the next 30 minutes on our rail. the other boat we went out with never touched a whale and just observed from 30 feet away! bummer...

Gracias, Capitan Poldo!!!

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shari - 12-12-2008 at 08:30 AM

AKA Flacco...is a great captain. I always found it fascinating how individual whales developed relationships with certain pangeros. Agressive whales sought out the fearless ones and tried to scare them in a fun way...which was sometimes alarming to the passengers...one special guide who kind of just ignored the whales and cleaned his finger nails was always getting bumped into....the whales would try to get his attention! Guides who have a little fear in their heart would have the whales not get too close so as to scare him...guides trying to get close for tips...well...whales would just swim off...the best experiences are with guides who are patient, non agressive, unassuming and love the whales for what they are...dear flacco had all of these qualities and great success with whales as a result.

biglar - 12-12-2008 at 09:14 AM

Shari, please tell me more about the park, the breakfast and how to get to it. Personally, I've always been un-easy about the food in Mexico, especially after visiting a few carnicerias, and esp. the one in the Super Mercado in G.N. I rarely eat meat or chicken in Mexico anymore because of that, and am very pleased to have my camper so's to take my own food and water. I got a very mild case of the Touristas in '02, and now I really watch the water, too.

In '02, I went with 2 friends, and Enrique, founder of Malarrimo Tours personally took us up to San Francisco de Sierra (on my website) to visit the little, isolated, very old village and see the paintings at Cueva Raton. I can't recommend it highly enuf.

I have to admit that my cousin's concerns, and the newspaper reporting are making me a little un-easy about my trip this year. I never even consider Tijuana crossing - always go across at Tecate and down the back way to Ensenada. Beautiful drive. Now, hearing about construction on the highway, I'll just carry a book and be patient.

Lar.

shari - 12-12-2008 at 11:03 AM

Ojo de Liebre was the very first gray whale reserve in the world, declared protected in around 1973 I believe. It has grown into a wonderful operation with a campground and interpretive centre with interesting exhibits, movies,gift shop and a nice restaurant that opens a bit late but is perfect for a late breakfast...around 10 or so...the view from the patio is outstanding. It is only $3 to get into the park and you can camp as long as you want for free as well as grab a panga whenever you want...no reservation...first come first serve..last year it was $45 a person I think or maybe even $40. This park is very clean, well run and just a fantastic place for watching whales from the shore and camping.