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BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR - MEXICO WHALE POT

About five million years ago, the Baja California Peninsula (Baja California) was separated from the Mexican mainland by tectonic forces of unimaginable proportions, creating unique land and aquatic ecosystems with a huge variety of fauna and flora. These places are famous for the giant migration of gray, blue and humpback whales, in which about 28,000 individuals travel from 16,000 to 23,000 kilometers in both directions to find a mate and hatch their young in several warm water lagoons off the Baja Peninsula. California Sur. From north to south, these are the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, the San Ignacio lagoon and Magdalena Bay. nine0131 We will visit all three lagoons on this tour.

Baja Peninsula California Sur (Baja Southern California) - an elongated section of Mexican territory, shaped strongly resembling a giant chili pepper, on one side washed by the Pacific Ocean, and on the other - the Sea of ​​Cortez or the so-called Gulf of California. This is a unique place on our planet with unearthly, almost Martian landscapes, where bare rocks, endless desert with snow-white dunes and giant endemic cacti contrast with the crystal-blue sea water of the Pacific Ocean surrounding the peninsula and numerous bays in the Sea of ​​Cortez. This is a delightful coast, preserved almost in its original form, where, despite the noise of the waves and the sounds of marine life, a feeling of deep silence inevitably dominates. These places are often referred to as the "Mexican Galapagos". nine0005

Baja California Sur is the best whale watching spot in the world, with a kaleidoscope of gray, blue and humpback whales. Here you can scratch the back of an incredibly affectionate and friendly gray whale, listen to unforgettable, completely unearthly songs of humpback whales, from an incredibly close distance feel the unprecedented luxury of communicating with the largest animal on our planet - the blue whale, swim with a noisy flock of dolphins and see many other beautiful creatures that inhabit the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of ​​Cortez - a real whale "cauldron". nine0005

The boundless serenity of virgin land, landscapes of completely wild sandy beaches with emerald water and colorful cliffs, incredible experiences with marine life of the Sea of ​​Cortez and the Pacific Ocean.

La Paz - Espirito Santo Island and Partida Island - Puerto and Balandra Beach - Gray Whale Watching in Puerto Chal - Loreto - Bay de Loreto National Park - Countless cozy coves and fishing villages - Concepción Bay and its amazing Beaches – Kayaking in the coves – Whale watching in San Ignacio Bay – Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve – Whale watching in the Ojo de Llebre lagoon – Salinas Guerro Negro – La Puricima and Cerro el Pilon – Magdalena Bay and white dunes – Whale watching in Puerto San Carlos – Mangroves thickets and Bird Island. nine0132

Day 02 La Paz - Espirito Santo Island - Partida Island - Balandra. Today we have a magical natural sea day with observation and immersion in the amazing marine life of two uninhabited islands in the Sea of ​​Cortez with its huge beaches, lagoons with shallow, warm water in all shades of blue and emerald, surrounded by mountainous desert landscapes. We will see the unearthly beauty of Balandra Beach, where we will climb a small hill to admire the breathtaking view of several landscaped bays with different shades of water. The natural beauty here is mesmerizing, in front of your eyes is a virgin beach with a depth of one to one and a half meters with very clear water, which allows you to always see the bottom. We go on foot and observe a lot of colorful fish. The beach is surrounded by hills and mountain formations. On this beach there is a curious mushroom-shaped rock - El Ongo, which is the symbol of Balandra. This mushroom is a rock formation that has arisen naturally as a result of the erosion of the elements, its height is about three meters, and the narrowest part is about 40 cm wide. Next, on our private boat, we will go to the islands of Espirito Santo and Partida - real natural treasures of Baja California Sur, where we will enjoy untouched nature and swim with sea lions. The French oceanographer Jacques Yves Cousteau described the waters of this region as "the aquarium of the world". On the way, we observe dozens of sea lions basking under the bright sun on the rocks. The uninhabited island of Espirito Santo ("Island of the Holy Spirit"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features amazing wildlife as well as one of the most fantastic beaches in the world. Landing on Ensenada Grande Beach, named one of the 12 Best Beaches in the World by Travel Magazine. A surreal landscape will open up before our eyes: the sea the color of Curacao, white sand, like for a wedding cake, pink volcanic rocks, as if covered with nail polish, and clouds of yellow butterflies. We are waiting for dolphins and sea lions, swimming and snorkeling, complete relaxation and delicious ceviche. In the evening we will return to La Paz. nine0131 (Breakfast and lunch included)

Day 03 La Paz - Puerto Chale Whale Sanctuary - Loreto. Today you have your first meeting with gray whales, an incredible opportunity to observe sea giants and their cubs. In the morning we leave to the northwest from La Paz to the small fishing village of Puerto Chale (178 km), located in Almejas Bay on the Pacific coast. If you look at a map of the Pacific coast of Baja, you will see that the coastline is intricately indented with bays and bays of various sizes. The depths here are shallow, the water warms up well, here, in natural incubators, whales come to conceive offspring and give rise to a new life. For two hours we will sail the calm waters along the Santa Margarita and Crescent Islands in search of gray whales. Recent years, around 20192009, Puerto Chale won the top spot on the Baja California Sur peninsula for watching gray whales that come here to breed from the cold waters of the Arctic. Puerto Chale is a completely virgin whale sanctuary, not promoted by world tourism, so there is hope to be the only one at the moment of observing these huge friendly animals. Gray whales are one of the most beautiful whales on the planet and stand out for their size and skin type. They can reach a length of up to 15 meters, and their weight - up to 20 tons. The gray whale is distinguished by its gray skin, covered with numerous light spots formed as a result of attachment of various crustaceans to the skin. Gray whales are considered to be the creatures that make the longest seasonal migrations among mammals. For a year, a whale swims 12–19thousand km. Often, gray whales will surface next to the boats and usually let themselves be stroked. Watching huge whales swim under your boat is something indescribable. Everyone remembers this for the rest of their lives. It is necessary to follow the rules - you can not touch the whales by the eyes and the air valve. After an exciting sea excursion - lunch with sea food and on the way, because we have the city of Loreto ahead of us, located on the coast of the Sea of ​​Cortez. We will cross the Baja California Sur peninsula from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of California, driving 224 km. Evening arrival in Loreto - the former first capital of the Baja California Peninsula, a beautiful seaside town with an interesting history of the first Jesuit temples in the region and the Bahia de Loreto National Marine Park. nine0131 Hotel accommodation for 2 nights. Evening walk around the city. (Breakfast included)

Day 04. Bahia de Loreto National Park - Snorkeling - Kayaking. Today we will dedicate the whole day to the Bahia de Loreto National Park - a paradise on the Baja California Sur peninsula, in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The biodiversity of this park delights travelers from all over the world, and scientists are engaged here in research work to study this amazing world: five uninhabited islands and a lot of small islands make up the Bahia de Loreto National Park, in the waters of which live dolphins, sea lions, humpbacks, gray and blue whales, starfish, pearl mussels, and on the coast - amazing blue-footed boobies, white-winged turtledoves, great white and blue herons, frigatebirds and gray pelicans. We will go to Coronado Island with its caressing soft sand and turquoise color of the Sea of ​​Cortez. Our boat flies along the mirror surface of the sea through the transparent stripes of the morning fog. The coast has long gone beyond the horizon, we see only the disk of the rising sun and rare flocks of dolphins along the way. Beauty is a calm turquoise sea, a light breeze and still not hot morning sun. Along the way, we observe seascapes surrounded by the desert mountains of the Sierra de La Giganta, fabulous geological formations rising from the turquoise water, as silent witnesses of the thousand-year history of the formation of this region. We will surely meet a huge colony of sea lions, possibly sea turtles, and starfish will be perfectly visible through the blue surface of the water. Let's go snorkeling on the island - the water is clear and clear, and you can snorkel in pursuit of colorful fish, as well as sea lions, if you're lucky, and dolphins too. Beautiful water invites to kayaking, and we will do it while swimming and contemplating the amazing surrounding landscapes. After such activities, we will have a lunch of the freshest seafood. Return to Loreto. We will spend the evening in an excellent local restaurant, where we will taste juicy lobsters, scallops, fish tacos, oysters and a lot of sea yummy, because Loreto is so famous for its seafood. nine0131 (Breakfast and lunch included)

Day 05 Loreto - Concepcion Bay - Amazing beaches of the Sea of ​​Cortez - Santa Rosalia. We leave to the north from Loreto, we move along the landscape road that runs along the coast of the Sea of ​​Cortez, on the right we see countless cozy coves, framed by sandy beaches of unearthly beauty, and on the left, the mountain range of the Sierra de La Giganta rises like an almost vertical wall - Giantess Mountains. We make numerous stops in these fabulous bays, survey the beauty, take pictures, reach the bay of Concepción with a bewitching configuration, as if materialized from the pages of advertising brochures with far-reaching mountainous islands. Long stop at Rakeson Beach - the most scenic on our way. We make a hike, climb a mountain peak, from where a bewitching panorama opens. At the top we will have a picnic with Californian wine, fruits and local cheeses. In the evening we will arrive in Santa Rosalia, an old port ghost town with an interesting French history of its founding, which you will definitely learn about. nine0131 Hotel accommodation for 1 night. (Breakfast and picnic included)

Day 06 Santa Rosalia - Pacific Coast - Laguna San Ignacio - Guerrero Negro. We leave early in the morning. Today our goal is to see gray whales in the San Ignacio lagoon - truly unique and one of the four world whale lagoons where gray giants are born. On the road 2.5 hours. In February, the lagoon “boils” from the mating games of gray whales, and we rush to meet them. The San Ignacio Lagoon is part of the El Biscayno Biosphere Reserve, extends 26 km into the desert and has a maximum width of 8 km. About 200 gray whales come here every year for their wedding games and the birth of their cubs. The San Ignacio lagoon is divided into three parts: the upper lagoon is the shallowest and is the birthing site where pregnant females give birth to their young. The middle lagoon is the corridor that mothers take with their newborn babies to the lower lagoon. The lower lagoon is where most of their "social life" takes place. Here, males and females congregate in search of mates, and newborn cubs prepare for the long journey north to summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. Today we are taking a 2 hour boat ride in search of these amazing marine giants that can reach 12 to 16 meters in length and weigh over 30 tons. Gray whales are considered one of the oldest mammals on the planet - the age of the species is about 30 million years, and is listed in the Red Book. Let's hope for an incredible meeting with these cycling marine inhabitants and, if we are very lucky, we can even gently pet them. Such a close encounter with whales is described by people as “an inexplicable spiritual excitement, healing and life-changing.” Our journey continues to Guerrero Negro on the territory of the El Vizcaino nature reserve, the junction of the dunes, the Sea of ​​Cortez and the huge salt mines. Arrival and hotel accommodation for 2 nights. (Breakfast included)

Day 07 Ojo de Lliebre Lagoon - Soledad Dunes. Today we study and visit the most outstanding places of the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve - a protected area between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of ​​Cortez (Gulf of California), the largest in Latin America. In the morning we set off for the Ojo de Lliebre Lagoon (Hare's Eye Lagoon), the waters of which have ideal conditions for bathymetry, temperature and salinity for gray whales, which annually come here to mate, give birth and raise their young. In addition, harbor seals, California sea lions winter here, and sea turtles breed. You can often see Brandt's geese, great blue, white and reddish herons, ospreys and cormorants. A 3-hour boat tour in search of gray whales in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon. The journey to the whales in the Ojo de Libre lagoon is truly unforgettable: the boat quietly approaches friendly giants who nobly allow themselves to be stroked, some circle around the boat, raising their heads from the water, as if looking at us, thinking who it was that came to them in guests? Tails are heard everywhere and huge bodies are seen swimming under us, cautiously moving away from our such a tiny boat ... leaving calmly, causing us a bewitching excitement, because we see the largest marine mammals in the wild so close. After that we go to the dunes of Soledad. They meet with dazzling white sand, heated by the rays of the bright sun. We admire a fantastic sunset of two colors - the red setting sun and the green water of the lagoon. Mesmerizing landscapes, hiking through the dunes and beautiful photographs are waiting for you. In the evening we will gather at a local restaurant and eat the freshest and most varied mussels, shrimps, lobsters and fish tacos. nine0131 (Breakfast and box lunch included)

Day 08 Guerrero Negro - Surreal salt landscape of Los Amargos - La Puricima. In the morning we will go to the huge salt field of Los Amargos, where we will see a fabulous panorama of an endless white canvas merging with the horizon. The surreal landscape, spread over 33 hectares, is divided into numerous salt tunnels around small natural pools of turquoise blue water. Let's try to "hover" in these waters, and check the "cork effect" - you will be pushed to the surface all the time, as in the Dead Sea. We will learn the fantastic history of Mexican salt mining, because 7 million tons of salt are mined here a year. Then a long drive (400 km) to the village of La Purisima with technical stops and photographing interesting landscapes. Night arrival at the hotel - ranch and accommodation for 2 nights. La Puricima is an oasis in the middle of the desert, a great place to enjoy nature and tranquility, delicious food from a real Mexican ranch, with a beautiful river and kayaking, which we will do the next day. (Breakfast included)

Day 09. La Purisima - Magdalena Bay. In the morning we will walk along a landscape mountain path that will lead us to a quiet river, take individual kayaks and sail, observing wild beautiful landscapes, the magnet of which is Cerro el Pilon, a geological formation of an interesting shape 400 m high. We take wonderful photos. After that, we will have a delicious breakfast made from fresh products grown and produced on the ranch. We continue our journey to Magdalena Bay - the southernmost of the coastal lagoons, where gray whales come from distant Arctic seas. On the way, we observe an interesting landscape: old mesas covered with huge cacti, valleys, an ocean coast with deserted beaches, gorges, mouths of dry rivers and undeveloped expanses. Arrival at Puerto San Carlos - fishing port and hotel accommodation for 2 nights. (Breakfast included)

Day 10 Magdalena Bay - Gray Whales - Bird Island - Mangroves. In the morning we go out on a boat to watch gray whales and their calves. Great opportunity to see dolphins with baby dolphins and sea lions. We will pass through the mangroves to the "bird hotel" - an island that is teeming with pelicans, gulls, frigatebirds and various herons. The spectacle is indescribable: thousands of birds take off and land, swim and walk on the shore, dive for fish and clean their plumage. Walking along the coast, we will see the most beautiful landscapes: snow-white dunes on the deserted shores, only birds are in charge of the expanses of water and land. We moor the boat, get out of it on a completely wild and deserted shore. Around some alien landscape. Absolute silence is broken only by the cries of exotic birds. Beauty is indescribable and all this against the backdrop of the setting sun! Return to the hotel. nine0131 (Breakfast included)

Day 11 Magdalena Bay - La Paz - Mexico City. We're leaving for La Paz. On the road 3 hours. Departure to Mexico City. Arrival and hotel accommodation for 1 night. (Breakfast included)

Day 12. Mexico City. Flight home. *

*If you must return home, we bid you farewell at Mexico City International Airport and wish you a great flight home! But, you can extend your discovery of Mexico:
MEXICO IS INEXHAUSTABLE, LIKE ATOM! Just write to us: [email protected]