Itineraries / Pacific Baja
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The Pacific Coast is home to an extensive network of lagoons radiating north and south from Bahía Magdalena. These are the winter calving grounds for gray whales, which migrate annually some 10,000 miles from the Bering Sea. Gray whale mothers and their calves often approach onlookers very closely.
Day 1 & 2
Cabo San Lucas lies at the southernmost tip of the 800-mile-long Baja Peninsula. The town fronts a small harbor facing a rocky peninsula that forms “Land’s End”. You have the opportunity to explore Cabo San Lucas on your own, or enjoy magnificent views of San José Bay form the boat. Keep a look out for whales, as we sail quietly into Pacific.
Day 3 & 4
Bahía Magdalena is a breeding and calving area for the California gray whale. Each winter, the whales make the longest migration of any mammal — south from their Arctic feeding grounds to breed and raise their calves in these sheltered waters. Bahia Magdalena also serves as a refuge for migratory birds. We might see as many as 40 different types of birds in a single day! Paddle a kayak and discover the winding canals of the dense mangrove swamps, marshes and inlets of this bay where many of these birds dwell. It is a vast wilderness of sculpted sand dunes, mangrove channels and protected waters. On its western side lies Isla Magdalena, a narrow, 60-mile long island comprised of enormous dunes.
To the north, in nearby Turtle Bay is perfect for a day of fishing. Within a 13 mile stretch there is a good spot for grouper, giant sea bass, yellowtail & yellow fin tuna.
Guerro Negro is named after a whaling ship (Black Warrior) that ran aground in the Laguna Ojo de Liebre near the town in the mid 19th century. This lagoon is the main breeding ground of the California Gray Whale from December to April and is most abundant in February & March. A tender will take you to the middle of the lagoon where it is not unusual for a female to approach the boat followed by her newly newborn calf. We may even be able to touch one!
Day 5 & 6
Bahia Vizcaino
San Ignacio & Sierra de San Francisco
Standing among thousands of date palms, the church of San Ignacio is one of the most prominent and best-preserved missions in Baja California. Unlike most of the missions on the peninsula, its magnificent Baroque façade sculpted out of volcanic stone has survived the centuries intact, complete with masonry details in reddish lava stone, holding four polygonal windows and four niches containing carvings of saints as well as its bell. The interior contains its original furniture from as well as altarpieces made of guilded wood embellished with oil paintings.
In the canyons near San Ignacio are ancient cave paintings. The area has the most important concentration of Pre-Hispanic art in the Baja California Peninsula. It is of exceptional quality at both national and international scale, for variety and originality of human and animal representations, its remarkable colors, and its excellent state of preservation.
Adorned with hundreds of human figures wearing headdresses & grouped in hunting scenes. Cochimí painters and their predecessors decorated high rock overhangs with vivid red and black representations. Motifs include weapons and animal species such as bighorn sheep, pumas and more abstract designs. These paintings were first discovered in the eighteenth century. The property is made up by around 250 sites. We will hire a guide in San Ignacio for the ultimate experience.
Day 7 & 8
Islas Benitos is a group of 3 rocky islands and numerous reefs. Scuba and snorkel divers find purple corals, caves, kelp forests and lots of tropical reef fish along the Pinnacle Rocks. The best fishing is reported here also. Elephant seals and sea lions are abound throughout this small island chain. We will anchor here before departing back to Cabo San Lucas.