Imagine sailing in a small boat, watching at distance the whales exhaling or showing their tails. Then, one or two of them approaching your boat and poking their heads out allowing you to touch them. Believe us when we say: nothing tops this beautiful whale watching experience.
We hopped on a boat at 7.30 am without knowing what to expect, I even believe we haven’t yet assimilated what we saw and did. The ride began with some dolphin and sea lion appearances, and after 45 minutes, we reached one of the bays where the grey whale arrives from Alaska to give birth and mate.
The water was almost still, and there weren’t too many boats around. Then, almost like fireworks, we began to hear the exhalation of many whales. We kept turning our heads to catch a glimpse of their vapor that, with sunrise, created rainbows.
While trying to stay away from the clusters of ‘pangas’ (local word for boat), we were able to see many whales up close, but not so close that we could touch them. One even stayed right under the boat, belly up, for five full minutes, poking her head out from side to side, not letting us touch her in a teasing manner.
Our time ran out and we needed to head back. Luckily, we managed to negotiate an extra hour for free, and oh my god was it worth it. As the majority of the pangas began to head back, two juvenile whales started playing around us, and floating alongside enjoying all the petting they were getting. They felt so smooth we couldn’t take our hand off of them.
For a whole hour, we enjoyed, by ourselves, these magnificent creatures. It sounds overly cheesy, but we definitely felt a strong connection looking into their eyes, while caressing them. We’ll never forget that feeling.
PS. It was so mind blowing that we had to do it again the next day. But, this time we decided to share the ride with two other travelers, so that we could split the fare (the pangas fit up to six people). We definitely suggest this option, so that you can go twice without your wallet bleeding.
Have you done this? We would love to hear your experience…
For more photos, see the gallery we created, here.
Useful information
Where: Puerto San Carlos. It’s a little fishing village up north (five-hour drive from Cabo San Lucas or two and a half hours from Loreto), known for their whale watching tours, and their fresh and delicious seafood.
When to go: whales arrive from Alaska in late November, and begin their journey back in mid April. Many calves are born during February, so it’s considered the best month to visit.
We stayed at: Hotel Villas Mar y Arena. We booked it via Expedia. Out of the three hotels in the area, this is by far the nicest one.
How many nights: two, at least. Tours leave between 7am and 8am, so it is better to stay the night before and rest, and also if the wind doesn’t allow the boats to sail, you have an extra day to do the activity.
Tour guides: Hotel Villas Mar y Arena has boats and the guides are good, but if you want a charming expert that has been in the business for 50 years, call Sr. Crispin Mendoza (cel: 6131050117, or phone: 6131360253). You can also find him in the main road Puerto La Paz next to a business called ‘Magdalena Bay Whales’.
Tour costs: $1,000 mxn, per hour. They recommend three hours at least, because it takes two to come and go.
Instead of negotiating the price, ask for an extra hour. They usually accept and it is totally worth it- you end up alone in the bay with double the chance to have a close encounter with the whales.
Tour tips: 1. If possible, leave at 7am (almost all the other boats leave at 8), and let the guide know you are most interested in seeing the whales, so that you don’t waste time in the stops before. 2. Wear a jacket, the strong wind at 7am feels especially cold. 3. Don’t make loud noises that may scare them. Just gently shake your hand inside the water to catch their attention. 4. Put your camera away and enjoy.
Other activities: when coming back from the whales, ask the captain to make a stop at the white sand dunes and to leave you at Isla Margarita to have lunch. There, you can have fresh seafood, such as ‘langosta’ (lobster) and ‘camarón azul empanizado’ (breaded and fried giant shrimp). Also try the ‘almeja chocolata’ (a clam native to the Gulf of California), either served with melted cheese on top or fresh with drops of lemon and hot sauce.
Best dinner: the most delicious hotdogs in town. Ask for the ‘Hotdog Especial’, it has the sausage wrapped in bacon, with marinated steak, melted cheese, avocado, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard and onions. And the owners, Olivia and Ricardo, are wonderful hosts.
From the hotel, cross the two-way road, walk straight through the main road Puerto La Paz, until you arrive at #97. They open at 7pm and put their hotdog cart on the sidewalk, just in front of their restaurant.
