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tgpepper
Newbie
Posts: 7
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: Rialto, CA
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Whale watching tours in San Ignacio
I'm planning on a whale watching trip in Feb, any feedback , suggestions, hotels, tour boats, etc. will be appreciated.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Kuyima for tours
http://www.kuyima.com/kuyima.html
Ignacio Springs for B&B
http://www.ignaciosprings.com/main.html
IMHO San Ignacio is the absolute best place to see the whales
Have fun
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13043
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I don't agree that San Ignacio is the best place... but if you must go there look for Mauro in the lagoon, he's a local and is a very knowledgeable
and a conciencious soul....which means he cares about the actual whales! He disturbs them less than the others.
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BAJACAT
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2902
Registered: 11-21-2005
Location: NATIONAL CITY, CA
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What's IMHO BAJAJUDY
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13043
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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The best place to see whales totally depends on what kind of person you are and how you FEEL about whales. If you like lots of gringo companies, lots
of boats, planes and tourists chasing whales around to try to touch them...then yes San Ignacio is for you. There there is more mating activity,and is
a much smaller lagoon with many more boats. If you like a more respectful approach with fewer humans and more whales doing their natural whale thing
which is raising their babies...then Ojo de Liebre (scammons lagoon) is a better bet. My favorit place to observe whales is driving out to the lagoon
south of Guerrero Negro and camping where you can hear the whales blowing all night and see them from shore spy hopping at dawn. There are very few
boats there and not alot of people either. The boats leave on demand and often there are just a few people on board and you can wait and choose the
folks you want to go out with which really makes a big difference on your trip...and often you are the only boat out with the animals...and there are
between 1,500 and 2.000 whales there as opposed to 3-400 in San Ignacio. Ojo de Liebre is the largest and main calving lagoon where over half of the
worlds gray whales are born. It is awesome to observe the mother's and calves nursing and teaching their lovely babies how to spy hop and breach.
There you see much more natural behavior as they are not as disturbed by boats. While I too love petting whales, we must remember that human
habituated animals are in more danger of being killed and the point of whale watching is just that...to watch...observe and appreciate thier
beauty...not race around trying to touch them. This whole whale touching phenomenon has become rather obscene in my opinion as people now come to
expect to touch a whale and companies even guarantee touching!! Kind of whale pimping.This makes me sad as it puts alot of pressure on the boat
operators to get close to a whale...sometimes in San Ignacio I feel like the whales are just resigned to this and swim up to a boat just to get it
over with. In the old days,whales were afraid of boats and kept their distance but now they have not only lost their fear but even challenge the
pangas to the point of being dangerous. You don't hear much about these accidents but I assure you, they happen. I have seen a real change in whale
behavior over the last 20 years...yes they are more "friendly" but are also much more agressive. There have been many more accidents as whales are now
coming right up to boats and they don't always see the animals and so run them over which makes the whales kinda mad and they slap the panga away. I
can tell you, it's no fun getting tail slapped by a 30' angry whale. So all of you whale watchers, please be kind to these lovely sensitive
creatures...respect their lives and their space and don't pressure your captain to get too close. Just enjoy thier splendid presence.
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abreojos
Nomad
Posts: 168
Registered: 2-9-2006
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Call it paradise and kiss it goodbye...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64722
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BAJACAT
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IMHO= In My Humble Opinion
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greta-inbaja
Nomad
Posts: 132
Registered: 7-19-2006
Location: Truckee, CA
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Shari is right on... Whale petting, shark feeding, kinda light in the 1960s at Yellowstone. Put honey on childs face so you could get a picture of the
bear licking it.
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BAJACAT
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2902
Registered: 11-21-2005
Location: NATIONAL CITY, CA
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IMHO
Darn Dk you always have my back thanks.,I have been told there is nothing like a dumm question. now I know somenthing different.
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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Shari
Hi,
I really like what you wrote and agree. We also enjoy the campground and whale watching at Ojo de Liebre and we will be there soon---we hope! Since
we have to leave the pups in the truck, we like to go out as early as possible and have been a little frustrated before waiting for more people. But,
we do understand and appreciate the economics involed. We just need more whale watchers to get up earlier. 
Also, when we went whale watching out of Lopez Mateos, we found them to be very sensitive to the whales and did not try to approach them---the driver
also had a long pole that he used to fish trash out of the water----his whole attitude reflected a real respect for all of the environment.
I highly recommend both the whale watching and camping at Ojo de Liebre. --- Oh, if you are not camping, you can stay in Guerrero Negro and either
book a "tour" out there, but it is really easy to drive out there.
Have a great time
Diane
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13043
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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Thanks Diane, and I agree about Lopez Mateos...it is the ONLY lagoon where there is actually a fisheries patrol boat that enforces the regulations,
which is why they are more respectful. In 1988 I was honored to design those regulations and I'm very proud of my work....the problem is in the other
lagoons there is no enforcement...so it's up to the operators...kinda like the fox guarding the hen house. The tours from town go to the mouth of the
lagoon which is a different experience than the inner lagoon where the nursing groups congregate. What I love about driving yourself to the lagoon is
the total experience ....being on the beach...looking for obsidian arrowheads and petrified sharks teeth and just hangin out with the guys, playing
music, chatting, and of course watching the whale action from shore. There is nothing like lying in your tent listening to the individual blows and
the little spits of the babies...makes it hard to go to sleep. Viva ballenas.
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BajaDanD
Senior Nomad
Posts: 745
Registered: 8-30-2003
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I totally agree with you Shari I love the camp ground at Ojo de Liebre and the Whale watching operation there we have gone there the last 5 years and
been to San Ignacio a few times too Ojo de Liebre is our favorite.
We will be down your way in Asuncion and surrounding areas Campo Rene and Estero cayote in mid March. We will stop for one day at Ojo de Liebre and
see the whales
Cant wait
DAND
[Edited on 1-29-2007 by BajaDanD]
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Capt. George
Super Nomad
Posts: 2129
Registered: 8-21-2003
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Look up Ignacio Springs, a B&B run by a canadian couple Gary & Terry.
Great place and they'll set you up with whale watching...
good luck
\"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men\" Plato
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Pstreet1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 94
Registered: 7-25-2005
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Shari, we'd like very much to experience whales as you have, but we're not campers. Can you recommend a hotel in the area, and perhaps tell me how I
might reach the hotel to make a reservation? We'd go anytime in February. I'm also wondering if it will be difficult to secure a spot on a boat at
that time.
Any information appreciated.
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greta-inbaja
Nomad
Posts: 132
Registered: 7-19-2006
Location: Truckee, CA
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The camping sound pretty incredible. If I could be lucky enough to hear the whales at night that would be hard to beat. We went diving in Hawaii once
and you could hear them under water and it was very special. Any nomads planning on camping at Ojo de Liebre in early Feb? Since we will have our
dog with us, finding a boat earlier in the days sound like a good idea if possible.
Thanks,
CC
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13043
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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Why don't you join us on Feb.23, you can stay in a lovely hotel in Guerero Negro and then drive out to the lagoon and go out with us. We are
organizing a Nomad experience and we will either camp on Feb.22 or if it's bad weather stay in GN too. Why don't you come out to Asuncion after whale
watching?? I can make reservations for you at Los Caracoles in GN. Regarding Malarimo Hotel...it is a classic because it's the most expensive,
touristy and used to have the best restaurant when Eddie was the cook there, but he has his own restaurant now Las Cazuelas which has great food and
great prices too, it's just coming into town on the right side and has lots of plants out front. I won't get into the politics of the way Malarimo got
popular...it's not pretty...but I personally do not recommend it. There are several other very nice options that would be more helpful to the local
folks there.
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Pstreet1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 94
Registered: 7-25-2005
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We were thinking of The Desert Inn, formerly La Pinta. Any opinions on that one? Can you recommend others? On the sites I looked at, Malarimo was
less expensive than La Pinta, so we were going to go with it, but if that's not a good option, we'll switch: we're easy.
We'd love to join you on the 23rd. Count us in if we can get hotel reservations. There will be two of us, Pat (female) and Terry (male); the names
make it hard to tell which is which. :-)
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13043
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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The old Pinta is OK but it's far from town and was a little run down for the prices but it's kinda neat...old style hacienda type place. I would try
Los Caracoles as it's new and very nice and reasonably priced and well run. Would you like me to make the reservations for you?? Maybe we can all have
dinner in town on the 22nd of February at Las Cazuelas? a few doors down from Los Caracoles.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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Whale watching?Think maybe those whales would rather be left alone.
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Pstreet1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 94
Registered: 7-25-2005
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Sounds great! I just sent the Hotel Caracoles an email saying we wanted a room for two nights. Hopefully, I will hear back from them soon that they
have space for us.
Would the whale trip be with Malarrimo? It appears they have two tours: 8:00-12:00 and 11:00-3:00. Which is best?
Let me know and I'll try to get a reservation.
If the tour is with someone else, that's fine. Save us two spaces on your boat and we'll pay for it when we get there.
Dinner sounds good also. We're looking forward to meeting you and the whales. 
Where are you in Baja? We're in Rosarito Beach. My email is Pstreet1@aol.com
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