zach4 - 1-20-2014 at 10:55 AM
Hi,
My brother and I will have a week in Baja in the end of February and would like to go and see the whales.
I was recommended to go to Bahía Magdalena, I wanted to know:
1. Given our time limits (We have 7 days and we drive from the border) - would it be better to do it in Guerrero Negro, saving the drive all the way
south?
What is the difference between the two places? in terms of - money, time spent, seeing things other than whales?
2. What is the difference between the two locations - San Carlos and Puerto López Mateos? do you get to see the same things? I saw that you can have a
tour of 1hour to a whole day - is it true in both locations? what do you get to see in one whole day?
3. I saw that in one tour operator leaving from San Carlos they also stop in two islands in the bay - is that a common thing? can we arrange it in
advance with the operators?
4. Where would you recommend staying in Bahía Magdalena region? we can either camp or take a hotel.
thanks..
Majorcynik - 1-20-2014 at 02:44 PM
I'd highly recommend San Ignacio lagoon. No where near as far as Lopez or San Carlos. A little farther than Guererro Negro. Accommodations in San
Ignacio.
Quaint little mission town with beautiful square and lots of things to see and good food. Don't miss the date pies!!
Many camping spots along the lagoon and also http://ignaciosprings.com/ Nice B&B. Also, they can take care of tours.
Ateo - 1-20-2014 at 02:47 PM
I would recommend Guerrero Negro's Ojo de Liebre. It's closer and I believe there are more whales. You can take your time getting there and see the
sights. Having said that, if you do have 7 days that's plenty of time to head further south.
There is a Baja Nomad named Shari and she runs tours at Ojo de Liebre. We did it last year and can't remember how long the tour was but it was long
enough and we saw tons of whales.
http://www.whalemagictours.com
[Edited on 1-20-2014 by Ateo]
David K - 1-20-2014 at 02:49 PM
Magdalena Bay is another full day drive south of Guerrero Negro. See posts by Nomad 'Shari' who leads tours to Scammon's Lagoon ('Laguna Ojo de
Liebre' in Mexico) and provides great details about it.
You can camp right at the whale watch area and boat ride start area at Ojo de Liebre (just a few miles outside of Guerrero Negro).
DianaT - 1-20-2014 at 02:54 PM
If you have such a short time and want to concentrate on the whales, I highly recommend San Ignacio because when you are not out at the lagoon, the
town is delightful with several interesting places to see. It is IMHO, a much nicer town than is Guerrero Negro.
The basic cost of the panga tour is the same at Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio. And both can have additional costs if you book an organized tour.
We prefer to just drive out to the lagoon at San Ignacio and go from there. Others prefer to book tours at one of the locations. Oh, part of the
road out to the San Ignacio Lagoon is not paved.
It was posted a while back that it is cheaper at Magdelena, but it is a lot further to drive! It is, however, it is a very beautiful place with
things to see along the way.
[Edited on 1-20-2014 by DianaT]
Whale-ista - 1-20-2014 at 02:58 PM
Im enroute to Ojo de Liebre ater 2 days at San Ignacio. Whales calves are older up north, more plentiful, camping is cheap, services limited, not sure
about guide options. $45 to go out in boat, but no real guides when I was there. Easiest/fastest driving from San Diego.
San Ignacio is my all time favorite. Road under construction, very rough in places for last 10 miles. Lots of camps to choose from, w/good guides. I
use Kuyima to camp: $10/night good restrooms, showers. You can rent tents or bring own, cook your own or eat at their restaurant- good fresh fish,
tortillas, cold beer/wine.
So, depends on what experience you want!
zach4 - 1-21-2014 at 12:24 AM
Thanks for all the answers -
Since our car will not handle well rough dirt roads, I guess we'll go with Guerrero Negro.
A few more questions:
1. We will be arriving GN after a long day of driving. Should we book a hotel in advance? (it's going to be the last week of February)?
If so - which hotels are recommended? (and can you give me their phone / email)
2. Can whale tours be arranged on the day of arrival, or even in the morning as we reach the bay itself? I saw contradicting reports on the need to
book a tour well in advance or the ability to just go to the water and get a panga.
3. I was looking at google maps and tried to see a road from GN to the laguna, but couldn't see any. Is that just a dirt road?
thanks..
David K - 1-21-2014 at 12:57 AM
The only paved road in central Baja are rare, but expanding. The dirt roads to any of the whale sites are wide, graded and used by all standard 2WD
automobiles. If you are in a Ferrari, maybe pass on them.
Google Earth image taken just one year ago and we see PAVEMENT on the Whale Road leaving Hwy. 1, about 5-6 miles southbound from Guerrero Negro's
entrance road.
Not paved for long, but the 12-15 mile drive to the whale docks and camp should be easy... Here is the end of the road:
A higher View:
Even higher:
