Discover "the world's aquarium", the Sea of Cortez and Mexico's Baja California, on this 5-day trip. Travel to scenic Magdalena Island, on the Pacific coast of the peninsula. Gray whale mothers and calves travel close to shore on their northbound migration, providing excellent viewing opportunities. Visit Espiritu Santo Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to turquoise waters with diverse fish species. Watch as hundreds of resident sea lions bark, play, and sun themselves on the rocks, or you can jump in the water to swim and snorkel alongside them. Learn about the natural history of this region as you explore its dunes and mangroves from the Gulf of California to the Pacific Coast. Enjoy the best that Baja California Sur has to offer!
Highlights
Take a Baja vacation perfect for families, nature lovers, and adventurers
Observe gray whales, known for their curiosity, in Magdalena Bay
Snorkel with sea lions on Espiritu Santo Island, a UNESCO Heritage Site
Feast on freshly caught seafood and relax on postcard white-sand beaches
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive to La Paz and transfer independently to your hotel. Meet your naturalist guide at your hotel and receive a briefing on the adventure ahead. La Paz is the capital of Mexico's Baja California Sur, on the Sea of Cortez. The region is known for its vast marine biodiversity and terrestrial species endemic to the region. Adventure seekers are drawn to the plentiful opportunities to enjoy sea kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, and wildlife watching.
Day 2: Magdalena Bay
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Depart La Paz for Magdalena Bay. Head out on the water at Puerto López Mateos and make your south, exploring mangrove canals, sand dunes, and beaches by skiff. Search for gray whales and observe their complex mating and calving behavior, which occurs primarily in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Gray whales have one of the longest migrations of all mammals, traveling as far north as the Bering and Chukchi Seas to their summer feeding grounds. Seabirds and other marine mammals such as dolphins, sharks, turtles, and manta rays may accompany your travels as you explore the body of water that Costeau called "the world's aquarium". Settle into a waterfront hotel in Magdalena Bay for the evening.
Spend the morning searching for gray whales in Magdalena Bay. This afternoon transfer back to Laz Paz and enjoy time at leisure. Stroll along the waterfront malecón, enjoy delicious restaurants, browse historic museums and local shops, or simply relax on the white-sand beaches.
Early this morning you are transferred to the marina where you board a boat for an 1.5-hour ride to Espiritu Santo Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its scenic cliffs, mangroves, sandy beaches, and diverse wildlife, see why this gem is one of Baja's most amazing destinations.Your first stop is at a sea lion colony, where you can join your guide in swimming and snorkeling with playful sea lions. Next board your boat and navigate to a pristine beach where a delicious meal of fresh seafood awaits (special dietary needs are taken into account upon request). Your guides provide a presentation about the natural history and conservation of Espiritu Santo; the island is the only known habitat of the black jackrabbit! Enjoy swimming, hiking, or relaxing on the beach. Arrive back in La Paz in the early evening.
Day 5: Depart La Paz
1 Breakfast
Enjoy a final relaxing morning in La Paz. Transfer to the airport independently for your return flight home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is 30%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
For full cancellation policy details, please contact us for a quote.
Included
4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners
4 Nights Accommodations
1 Day Locally Hosted Guide Service
Accommodations as listed
Ground transportation as listed
Activities as listed
Meals as listed
Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
Excluded
Gratuities
Travel Insurance
Personal Expenses
Flight costs (please request a quote)
Additional excursions during free time
Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
International Flights
Departure Transfer
Meals not Included - Depending on restaurant of choice, budget $10-15 per person for breakfast, $10-20 per person for lunch, and $35 per person for dinner.
Arrival Transfer - Shared shuttles cost $35 per person each way. Private transfers cost $250 each way in a van with a capacity of up to 10 people.
Gratuities - Recommended: 10-15% of total trip cost
Map
When to Go
Jan
Feb
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Dec
Good to ideal period to travel, and many people choose to visit at this time.
Typically not offered during this period because of weather conditions.
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.