I was going to wait a bit longer to announce our new whale camp project, but since people are asking about it, I am excited to present this magical
new place to hang out with whales.
It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce my involvement in a brand new ecotourism project in Laguna Ojo de Liebre called La Mar
Ecotours…short for Laguna Marina Ecotours. I have been invited to work with this vibrant group of young second generation fishermen as they embark on
an exciting venture to provide them with sustainable jobs for their future and protect their valuable ecosystem.
Their fishing cooperative has been operating in the Guerrero Negro area and the lagoon since 1969 but when the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve was formed
and commercial whale watching began, the fishermen agreed to stop fishing in the lagoon in order to protect the Gray Whale nursery. In order to
compensate for the loss of income, the cooperative has received government assistance and been granted permits to carry out whale watching and other
tourist activities which gave rise to the formation of this ecotourism sector within the coop.
The group’s enthusiasm is refreshing and they have many excellent ideas for building a healthy ecotourism camp including not only whale watching but
birding, kayaking, sport fishing, remote camping, hiking, workshops & courses. They hope to attract educational groups as well as tourists to
their unique wilderness camp.
The year round camp is located in a pristine area of the lagoon where giant white sand dunes meet the sea. The camp has a deep water canal close in
to the beach where whales pass by within 30 meters of the shore offering incredible land based whale watching from January to April.
Plans are underway for a unique facility with an educational center/conference room, guest rooms & dining room as well as private cabins and
camping area. Here you can swim, kayak, paddle board, fish for your dinner, hike, bird watch, beach comb or just relax and watch whales in front of
your tent.
The fishing cooperative will provide fresh seafood caught locally and collected from their aquaculture projects including fresh lobster you choose
from a trap, oysters and scallops as well as offer meat and vegetarian dishes to guests.
They have spacious new super pangas, top of the line safety equipment and infrastructure already established. The area where they whale watch is
private so only their pangas will be operating there.
We offer a variety of packages from half day whale watches, full day trips with 2 whale watches and a seafood lunch at their camp by the dunes, 3-day
glamping packages and week long retreats. The food is fresh, the staff is well trained and has a paramedic onsite as well. You leave your car in a
locked & guarded compound at their office while at the whale camp. We pick you up at your hotel if you prefer to stay in town.
I am taking an active role in training these wonderful young men how to successfully & safely approach and develop relationships with whales and
tourists too! I am delighted to be a part of this new team and will assist them with promoting their ecologically and socially responsible project.
Their enthusiasm is infectious and I feel rejuvenated as I head into my 60th year on this beautiful planet.
So Whale Magic will be offering more in depth naturalist guided whale trips with this new company providing unique, intimate, educational tours.
Reserve well in advance to get the dates you want as there will be limited space on the full day trips.
I dont think I will have time to get out there next season as I will be out at our new whale camp and doing full day trips....something new! Whale
Magic camp will not be at the Ejido campground but at the new camp called Carros Viejos which is located out close to the mouth of the lagoon.
The story is that the fisherman at Malarrimo fish camp wanted a vehicle out there to cruise the beach to their camp and so they brought beat up old
vehicles across on pangas lashed together. Over the years these vehicles died and were left on the beach where the new camp is being established and
where the vigilancia cabin is. I suggested they leave one there as a reminder of why the area is called that....it is really a spectacularly beautiful
place with insane beach combing! You can even go catch the fish you want for lunch!
It will be fun to discover a new area and the exclusivity is a real bonus...none of that jockeying for position for friendly whales. There are really
cool whirlpools there too where whales love to play and dance.
I am so excited about this new camp...there is nothing like it anywhere...the night sky is incredible and watching whales pass by only a few meters
from the beach is amazing...they will do very well there. They have grande plans for it and will be open to tourist year round with other activities
like fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding the estuaries, hiking etc. Malarrimo beach is just the other side of those dunes. I wonder if you could surf
the bar at the mouth of the lagoon?
The new full day tour is also something no other company offers and is a much richer experience. I'm so stoked!
very eco to collect rusting cars at the beach - a very inspiring camp!
the few vehicles that were there had been there for a long long time...before ECO was a concept. The cooperativa has removed them and the rubble and
cleaned up the area beautifully...leaving one vehicle as sort of a historical monument. I think it's kind of cool the name remains the same and they
dont make up some bullchit name like Dream Beach....keeping the original name acknowledges the history of the place which will be a part of the
educational program provided too.
Part of evolving into a sustainable business comes from historical "errors" made that they have learned from. They are learning and advancing and I
applaud their efforts...they can no longer just toss their cigarette butts on the beach! hahaha
Felicidades! This looks like a great location. I am making plans to bring a group down either late January or mid February. Looks like we'll have a
new place to explore.
PS
If they're interested in buying a shuttle bus we should talk.
\"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)
Great news Lori...you never know...they may be interested! They have excellent equipment and a couple of vans already and are looking into transport
from the north.
As the camp is going to be small this season, it is important to book early to get the dates you want as it is already filling up. You are going to
LOVE it!!! I found whale barnacles on the beach!
winnebago...this remote camp has no road to it and is accessible only by boat which will be so nice not to hear any traffic noise at all and the night
sky is amazing with no lights anywhere near it.
You can drive out to the Ejido campground...the entrance is a few miles south of Guerrero Negro
Malarrimo itself is accessible from the main road to Bahia Tortugas, but only by high ground clearance 4X4. The path is approximately 26 KM. long, and
many strewn boulders along the way.
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." - Cunningham's Law
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