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Aldervale
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 12-22-2013
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Camping Scammons Lagoon in January
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
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
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Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Nomad Shari leads whale tours there. She camps out at the whale center...great place
Contact her at http://www.whalemagictours.com/
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shari
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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!
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Aldervale
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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"
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shari
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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.
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KurtG
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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.
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Whale-ista
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Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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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!
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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David K
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Last time I drove by (July 2015), the road was paved (at least the start of it)?
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Whale-ista
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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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.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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shari
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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.
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wilderone
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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.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
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Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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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. |
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bajacalifornication
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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.
Todo por servir se acaba. Y acaba por no servir.
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Heuschele
Newbie
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Registered: 8-31-2011
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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
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BajaRat
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Contact Shari
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shari
Select Nomad
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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I am off to the surf tournament manana so will get around to the questions on sunday.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Location: San Diego County
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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!
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
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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 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.
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advrider
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Registered: 10-2-2015
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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.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 2-9-2004
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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.
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