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Baja:
Islands to
Whales
 10 Days / 9 Nights
Download Itinerary
Day
to Day Itinerary:
Day
1: San Diego
Departure
Day
2: Ensenada / Todos Santos Islands / Travel Day
After a
brief stop in Ensenada to clear customs into Mexico we head out
across the Bahia Ensenada enroute to Todos Santos Islands.
Todos Santos
Island is home to fantastic birding, sea lion and harbor seal
viewing opportunities! From the deck of Horizon you will take in the
sights and sounds of small island living, while being serenaded by
the local animals. Pull out your cameras as the photographic
opportunities are fantastic.
Pelagic Birding,
whale watching and relaxation are the main course for today. Get to
know your fellow adventurers and enjoy the beauty of a day at sea.
But keep your camera and binoculars close as you never know what
will be just over the next swell!
Days 3 - 4:
Islas San Benito
We arrive mid-morning to this offshore oasis, 279 miles south of San
Diego and 40 miles from the Baja peninsula. The first morning you
will have the opportunity to join our naturalist for a hike to the
old lighthouse, take in the sites of a California sea lion and
northern elephant seal colony, enjoy Pacific island birding and
botany! You’ll also have a chance to socialize with
the local fishermen that call San Benito their home.
During
lunch we may
reposition Horizon to the central or eastern islands. Afternoon
will be dedicated to the ocean where you’ll have the opportunity to
scuba dive, snorkel or kayak in a beautiful kelp forest. California
sea lions and Guadalupe fur seals call San Benito home and provide
fun interaction opportunities.
Unique to this section of Baja, temperate and tropical fish species
intermingle. This experience should not be missed for the ocean
lover in all of us!
The
second morning at this offshore oasis will be spent kayaking,
snorkeling and scuba diving one of the secluded
coves with sea
lions and Guadalupe fur seals. If conditions allow we may be able to
visit an offshore seamount for an out of this world snorkel or dive
experience.
During
lunch we’ll pack up and start south for Laguna San Ignacio. The
path we’ll be traveling is quite often frequented by blue, fin and
minke whales plus common, bottlenosed, Risso’s and white sided
dolphin. Keep
you cameras handy and your binoculars close as the next amazing
experience could be just over the next swell.
Days
5 - 7: Laguna San Ignacio
Laguna San Ignacio
is one of the largest breeding and calving grounds of the Pacific
gray whale and each winter these whales make the 12,000 mile
round-trip trek to its protected waters.
You will have the
opportunity to experience very unique face to face “friendly”
encounters with these whales. The friendly behavior displayed by
these whales is magical and experience to never be forgotten!
But Laguna San
Ignacio offers more than whales..it is a life magnet attracting
dozens of bird species, aquatic and terrestrial. Trips to the
mangrove forests will highlight the bird life with up to 30
different species being seen in one tour! Plus, if weather and tides
allow, we may be able to offer kayak tours into these mangrove
forests canals and channels. A quiet kayak into these areas is the
best way to truly appreciate all that the lagoon has to offer.
Nights spent in the lagoon are
another experience in itself as whales swim within feet of Horizon.
You will be able to hear the blows of the whales from all
directions!
Day
8: Cedros Island
With peaks rising over 3000 feet from the sea, Cedros is the largest
of Baja’s Pacific coastal islands. You’ll have the opportunity to
join our naturalist for a beautiful hike to experience desert island
botany
and fantastic topographic scenery in the morning. If you’d like to
have an ocean experience, strap on your mask and fins in the
afternoon and explore a magnificent kelp forest teeming with
temperate fish life along with sea lions and if your lucky…northern
elephant seals!
Days
9: Isla San Martin
This speck of an island is tall in stature. If you’re feeling strong
and adventurous, take a naturalist lead
hike to the rim
of the islands crater, explore lava tubes along the way and enjoy
the view from the top! This hike takes you past a quiet harbor seal
filled lagoon and terminates with a beautiful view of the entire
island and the Baja coastline.
If you’d
like to
relax today, try
snorkeling, diving or kayaking through the kelp forest. This island
is home to inquisitive sea lions and harbor seals.
Day
10: Ensenada / San Diego / Disembarkation
After an
overnight
steam from Isla San Martin we will enter Ensenada harbor early,
clear customs out of Mexico and proceed to San Diego arriving mid
afternoon.
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