weebray
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Lopez Mateo whale watching
Looking for a good whale watching guide in Lopez Mateo for a friend. Anyone with a recent experience in the area? We have heard that Lopez Mateo and
San Ignacio offer the best opportunity.
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shari
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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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Each lagoon has different features and experiences and "best" is all relative to your taste and what kind of trip you want. If you are down south
after February, Lopez Mateos has the fewest number of whales and mom/baby pairs but is closer to the tip. San Ignacio is further to drive to and has
300-400 whales and lots of boat traffic but has better interpretation on some boats and has tourist camps set us and you can fly into there. It gets
going mid January but has whales later into April even.
Ojo de Liebre(Scammons Lagoon) is the main lagoon with over 2,000 whales there and you can drive to the lagoon and see the beautiful Interpretive
Center with whales right there in front and also is a great place to camp. The season starts earlier there and end earlier. They have several
companies that take you in a little bus too from town to the mouth and has more hotel options than the other lagoons...so depending on where you are
at what time of year each are different and great!
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weebray
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Thanks Shari. I have a friend/albanil here in La Paz that works for Pachicos ecotur in San Ignacio. I can highly recommend these people for whale
watching as well as guided kayak tours. My friends are unsure of the road conditions into San Ignacio and, therefore, thought Lopez Mateo may be an
easier access to the water. I was looking for a recent recommendation for guides in LM.
Every beautiful beach in the world needs a few condo towers - NOT.
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DianaT
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They strictly limit the number of boats in the observation area at any one time.
Mula should be able to answer any current information about Lopez Mateo.
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BajaBlanca
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Have them post some pics weebray, should they go to Lopez....i am very curious as to what their experience will be.
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Mula
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Registered: 8-16-2011
Location: San Nicolas y Lopez Mateos
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I recommend Jose Osuna for guiding in Lopez Mateos.
He speaks pretty good English and can really tell people a lot about the whales, best viewing times, etc.
He has a brand spanking new boat this year for the whales.
You can call him between 4 and 7pm for advance reservations.
He is with the Co-Op "La Union".
613 118 0123
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TLBaja79
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Where exactly is the Interpretive Center in Scammons Lagoon?
Going to stop by in a few weeks and want to check it out.
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bajalinda
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Location: Pacific Coast, BCS
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We went whale-watching last year in Lopez Mateos and it was fantastic. Went with Jose Osuna as recommended by Mula and he was a great guide - highly
recommend him. Look at the other thread "whales arrive at Lopez Mateos" for some great photos - our trip looked very much the same.
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shari
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Posts: 13048
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 for the referral Mula as many people like to visit all the lagoons and ask me about guides, so I will write down his info to give to people.
The Interpretive Center is located in the inner lagoon where the Ejido Benito Juarez has their whale watching concession and restaurant. Going south
from Gn on the highway turn right at the signs that say Ojo de Liebre...about 5 minutes out of GN...go through the salt works gate where they take
your name and plate #...follow the whale signs and it is about a half hour drive into the lagoon on a sand and salt road...dont drive too fast as
there are some soft spots.
You can camp at the lagoon, they have palapas and bathrooms, showers and a restaurant open from 8-? great margaritas, breakfasts and seafood served
while watching whales from the patio. Lots of shore birds to watch too. If you camp you can just jump on a boat whenever the urge strikes you...and
you can wait till there is nobody around so you get a boat to yourselves.
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