BajaNomad

Camping Scammons Lagoon in January

Aldervale - 12-30-2015 at 11:09 AM

What is the generally the camping scene near Scammons Lagoon in mid late January?

Are there pay showers or dining?

Is there anywhere to camp free ( clean and dry, no fire, etc. ) ?

How does one hire a panga to visit las bellenas?

We have been watching for the grey whales off our North Oregon headlands over the past month and seen less than other years.

Gracias

Many thanks

Aldervale

bajaguy - 12-30-2015 at 11:35 AM

Nomad Shari leads whale tours there. She camps out at the whale center...great place

Contact her at http://www.whalemagictours.com/

shari - 12-30-2015 at 02:44 PM

Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammons Lagoon) is a magnificent place to camp. It has 13 palapas, some with electricity, bathrooms by the Interpretive Center are nice, showers sometimes are hot if they have propane! There is a wonderful restaurant too where you can watch whales from the patio and from your palapa. Last year it was $5 a night to camp. the beauty of camping is you can just jump on a boat when you want..or if you want to join one of my guided trips, just U2U me and I can set that up for you too. If you look on the website you will see what the place is like...hope to see you there!

Aldervale - 12-30-2015 at 02:48 PM

Many thanks Shari

How far and what sort of road south from GN to the camp ?

What is name of the camp ?

W need to narrow down a schedule and will then inquire of your schedule....either before or after we head south.

Hope and David

"Aldervale"

shari - 12-30-2015 at 02:52 PM

the entrance to the camp is about 5 minutes south of Guerrero Negro...turn rigt at the OJo de Liebre sign...the road is pretty good usually, graded but some tricky spots so you have to watch for the little whale signs to guide you. You pass through the salt works gate where they take your name and plate # and it is about a 40 minute drive max to the lagoon gate. It is the Ejido Benito Juarez camp. I have a base camp there but probably wont be set up till the first week of February so I just drive there from Asuncion for my whale trips in January.

KurtG - 12-30-2015 at 09:05 PM

Its a great place to camp and very inexpensive. An advantage is we have been able to get on one of the first tours of the morning which is good since the wind can be a factor later in the day. We have also been lucky in having few other whale watchers there for the first tours. Last year there were only 4 of us in the panga and the year before we had 6. Also it is a great place to hang out, take walks, birdwatch, etc.

Whale-ista - 12-31-2015 at 03:09 PM

Agree with all of the above.

One note: get there before sunset. You will need to pass thru the gate to enter the Saltworks area, and the guard at the gate may not allow you in after dark for safety reasons. Also, he leaves then, so- plan accordingly.

In addition: the bird watching at the end of the road, driving away from the Interpretive Center, is outstanding. There are several "rustic" sites (no palapas or outhouses) in this area, near the inlet.

l I camped there last year, on a Monday, with no one else around. Absolute silence overnight- but then, at sunrise, the birds began calling- amazing sounds !

So if you like birds, as well as whales- excellent choice!

David K - 12-31-2015 at 06:03 PM

Last time I drove by (July 2015), the road was paved (at least the start of it)?

Whale-ista - 12-31-2015 at 06:37 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Last time I drove by (July 2015), the road was paved (at least the start of it)?


Only the first 1 or 2 KM, then graded dirt. Some areas have a bit of sand, occasional gravel/rocks, but it's well used and easy for passenger cars, RVs etc.

shari - 12-31-2015 at 09:39 PM

the lagoon "nature noise" at night and dawn is outstanding...whales breathing and curlews make a racket in the full moon too..coyotes yipping all the while...it's a magical place to camp...unless it's howling! but the palapas provide a cozy camp sheltered from the wind but open to watch whales in front off the beach.

wilderone - 1-1-2016 at 09:38 AM

How to hire a panga? When you come to the end of the road with gate where you pay for camping, you will see the building that houses the restaurant (whale skeleton out front). There is an outside window on the front patio area where you would pay for a panga. Arrive about 8:30 am, get on the list and pay - boats start going out at 9:00 am. 10 people per boat. There's coffee, quesadillas, eggs etc. inside for breakfast while you wait. Beer too. About $40-45 for whale panga. A must-do.

bajaguy - 1-1-2016 at 09:41 AM

And the food is pretty good.....well, it was last year
Quote: Originally posted by wilderone  
How to hire a panga? When you come to the end of the road with gate where you pay for camping, you will see the building that houses the restaurant (whale skeleton out front). There is an outside window on the front patio area where you would pay for a panga. Arrive about 8:30 am, get on the list and pay - boats start going out at 9:00 am. 10 people per boat. There's coffee, quesadillas, eggs etc. inside for breakfast while you wait. Beer too. About $40-45 for whale panga. A must-do.

bajacalifornication - 1-1-2016 at 10:08 AM

Hello baja namadas
My spouse and I were there last year for the whale season.
We were there in early season and I speak fluent Spanish.
I'm a native Mexican citizen. I am hard of hearing. And at night it was when I noticed the noices the whales and birds made. Like Shari says;
It is a magical place. We were there with 4 dogs. This is the reason we desited to take a separated trip. camped at the # 2 or 3 palapa. We payed one time for the whole time. 2 days and nights. Which I do not recalled how much it was. I went first on the whale trip with a couple and their daughter from Oregon. The couple were about my age late 50s early 60s. Our trip was in the early morning the birds were making a lot of calling and the water was mirror like still. The guy that we had as a capitan of the panga spoke English. He told me he work at a restaurant in the L.A. Area. And came to the lagoon for the whale season. We saw lots of whales or so I thought. (Amperently there is many more creatures latter in the season) My spouse went later on with Shari and said they had a beautiful trip. My wife told me that Shari is a well inform person regarding the habitat and welfare of the fauna and flora of the area. Specially when it comes to the whales. Shari had nikename a baby whale cola loca because a birth defect. And also they had a close encounter with a mama whale that whent under their panga and lifted them on top of its back. So yes it is an experience that it should be on your must do list. Pardon my English.

Heuschele - 8-9-2019 at 07:15 PM

This thread is quite old but I am planning a Scout outing to Scammons lagoon. I have gone 3 times as a family but last visit was around 10 years ago. So I have some questions...

Is there still camping at Scammon’s lagoon near where you catch the super pongas to go out to see the whales. How much do the the campsites cost? How many people are allowed per campsite? What is the current cost per person to go out in the boats? Can we reserve campsites? Can we rent entire boats? Can we reserve boats? Is there any other questions I should be asking?

Thanks

BajaRat - 8-9-2019 at 07:23 PM

Contact Shari

shari - 8-9-2019 at 09:37 PM

I am off to the surf tournament manana so will get around to the questions on sunday.

David K - 8-10-2019 at 02:28 AM

The road to the whale watching area & campground is between Km. 208 and 207 [or 207.5] (the kilometer value goes down as you drive south in the state of Baja California Sur).
It begins as a paved road to the right (if southbound). So, with the kilometer location, only paved side road, and the signs, it can't be missed!

shari - 8-11-2019 at 01:42 PM

The ejido campground called La Casa de Ballena Gris has campsites that were about $5 and over a dozen palapas that are $10 a night with no limit on how many camp in a site. You can jump on a panga right there too between 8-4 in the afternoon. They used to charge $45 a person but prices may have gone up.

I also arrange private camping at the middle lagoon Pta.Mariscal where my tours leave from. It is $10 a night and there are bathrooms, a little snack bar and I have glamping tents for rent there too for $25 a night too if you dont have your own gear. But this area is restricted so I nee to get you a permit to pass through the salt works to get to the site.

The pangas take 8-12 people depending on the size and if you want a private boat you usually have to pay for at least 6 tickets depending again on the time of year and if they are busy or not.

advrider - 8-12-2019 at 07:16 AM

I've only seen the whales at SI, but this sounds amazing to camp and whale watch.... Can't wait to get down there soon! If you have pictures I hope you guys will post them.

wilderone - 8-12-2019 at 09:39 AM

If you want the ultimate in a whale watching trip - if this is your one and only - I'd recommend going on one of Shari's multi-day camps.

Heuschele - 8-12-2019 at 10:59 AM

Quote: Originally posted by shari  
The ejido campground called La Casa de Ballena Gris has campsites that were about $5 and over a dozen palapas that are $10 a night with no limit on how many camp in a site. You can jump on a panga right there too between 8-4 in the afternoon. They used to charge $45 a person but prices may have gone up.

I also arrange private camping at the middle lagoon Pta.Mariscal where my tours leave from. It is $10 a night and there are bathrooms, a little snack bar and I have glamping tents for rent there too for $25 a night too if you dont have your own gear. But this area is restricted so I nee to get you a permit to pass through the salt works to get to the site.

The pangas take 8-12 people depending on the size and if you want a private boat you usually have to pay for at least 6 tickets depending again on the time of year and if they are busy or not.


Thank you for your reply.

Seeing that we are going as a Scout troop, we have lots of tents so no need to rent one.

Is there a way to reserve a site at La Casa de Ballena Gris? Is there typically room there without a reservation? Last time I was there it was early in the season and there was lots of room but that was ~10 years ago. We plan on going near height of the season (probably Feb 16 as first day). Is there a way to reserve a site at your place (Pta.Mariscal)? How do your trips out to see the whales differ from the ones at the usual place La Casa de Ballena Gris) (cost, time, etc.)?

I want to be as sure as possible that we have a place to stay and boats available to take us out to see the whales. I have been twice and both times have been fabulous (my son kissed a young whale on the lips last time).

Thanks