BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, 15-27 JAN, 2022

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
15-27 JAN, 2022

(13 DAYS/12 NIGHTS)

with Jeremy Woodhouse

Itinerary

Pre-tour: 15 Jan, 2021 – Arrive San Jose los Cabos

O/N Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos

Day 1: 16 Jan, 2022 – San Jose del Cabo/Todos Santos/La Paz (110 miles)
Today we drive to La Paz stopping off on the way for lunch at the "Pueblo Magico" of Todos Santos, a mix of sleepy Mexican village and chic Southern California boutique hotel, where dusty roads and charming cobblestone share the same block. Sprinkle some yoga studios and art galleries, with beat-up pickup trucks off-roading on deserted beaches – and you begin to get a picture of Todos Santos.

The capital of Baja Sur, La Paz, like Ensenada, is an example of a major city that has maintained its smaller-town Baja feel. With a charming malecón and a seaside main strip, La Paz is a relaxing vacation alternative to uber-touristy Cabo San Lucas. La Paz is the launching pad for Isla Espiritu Santo, one of the 244 islands that form a Unesco biosphere reserve famous for its overwhelming selection of marine life (French explorer Jacques Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez “the world’s aquarium”).

O/N Hotel Catedral, La Paz, (B)

Day 2-3: 17-18 Jan, 2022 – La Paz/Isla Espirito Santo
We will be met in La Paz at 10:00 AM for 2 nights of beach “glamping”. We will pick up our wet suits and snorkeling gear, then it's off to the boats for the hour (or so) boat ride to Camp Cecil! There, the island crew will give us a tour of the camp, get us settled into our tents, then feed us the first of many wonderful meals.

Espiritu Santo National Park in the Sea of Cortez is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the best marine life viewing destinations in the world. Whales, dolphins, whale sharks, sea turtles, manta rays and plenty of beautiful tropical fish call the surrounding waters home*, while a terrific range of bird species including Blue-footed Boobies, Reddish Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Yellow-footed Gulls frequent the island’s skies and shores.  The island itself is stunning, with magnificent towering cliffs, spectacular sandy bays, amazing lava rock formations, and rock art left by the now-extinct Guaycura and Pericu Indians. There’s even an endemic ring-tailed cat, the babisuri. It’s a remarkable place to explore. 

We will spend the next 2 days doing exactly what pleases us - kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, swimming with sea lions, stand up paddle boarding, bird watching. Checking out cave art, hidden lagoons, deserted beaches. Reading, napping, swimming, chilling. Sipping margaritas, gazing at stars. We will be accompanied by one of the bilingual naturalist guides so just tell him or her what you feel like doing that day and they’ll get it all organized. Our guides are all great interpretive naturalists, so not only are all the activities a total blast, but you have a font of information on everything from marine mammals, to local ecology to Mexican history and more at your disposal all day long. 

O/N Camp Cecil – 2 nights (B,L,D)

Day 4-5: 19-20 Jan, 2022 – Isla Espirito Santo/Mulegé (300 miles)
After breakfast we will be transferred back to La Paz, arriving back on the mainland at about 11AM. We will jump in the van and drive the 300 miles to Mulegé. It will be a long day but we will break up the journey by stopping along the way for any photo ops that arise.

Mulegé
The palm- and mangrove-lined Río Mulegé, with its delta, birds, wildlife and nearby snorkeling and diving opportunities, makes Mulegé a great stop for the outdoorsy or those with kids. Set down in a narrow arroyo (stream), Mulegé is prone to flooding when it gets pummeled by hurricanes and major storms (which tends to happen every two to three years). The river setting plus the 18th-century mission and town square give the town a remote, old-town feeling unique in Baja.

As we approach Mulegé from the south, we’ll pass some of the peninsula's most beautiful, turquoise-lapped playas (beaches) along Bahía Concepción, The pelican colonies, funky rock formations and milky, blue-green water make it a top stop for kayakers, even though several of the beaches are becoming more built up.

O/N Las Casitas, Mulegé – 2 nights (B)

Day 6: 21 Jan, 2022 – Mulegé/San Ignacio/Guererro Negro (180 miles)
Mid-morning, we will begin our drove to Guerrero Negro. We will stop for lunch at San Ignacio, a palm oasis in the middle of the Baja desert. It has a small plaza with shade and a few restaurants, a museum and a well restored Mission church built in the 17th century. We will be spending a night here after our whale watching tour.

Guerrero Negro is best known for the whale watching, although its primary industry is salt. It is situated close to the Laguna Ojo de Liebre, a nesting and wintering site for harbor seals, California sea lions, northern elephant seals, blue whales and—what draws perhaps the most ecotourism—gray whales. The area also serves as a sanctuary for a variety of sea birds, and four endangered species of marine turtle. Laguna Ojo de Liebre, along with the Laguna San Ignacio to the south, was inducted into the UNESCO program in 1993.

O/N Hotel Los Caracoles, Guerrero Negro, (B)

Day 7-8: 22-23 Jan, 2022 – Whale Watching at Guerrero Negro
For the next 2 days we will be spending a lot of time in 24-foot skiffs with our experienced whale guides who will be able to get us up close to the grey whales and their calves. This will be an unforgettable experience with these gentle beasts. In the afternoons we will photograph some resident ospreys as they come in to their nests to feed their young. We will also take a drive out to a lighthouse where we’ll photograph boats, fishermen, seabirds (including more ospreys), the salt-works, and of course, the Baja sunset. 

About the Grey Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) 
By late December to early January, grey whales begin to arrive at the calving areas at Ojo de Liebre Lagoon (formerly known in English as Scammon's Lagoon, after the whaleman Charles Scammon who discovered the lagoon in the 1850s and hunted the Grey Whales there). These first whales to arrive are usually pregnant mothers that look for the protection of the lagoons to give birth to their calves, along with single females seeking mates. By mid-February to mid-March the bulk of the population has arrived in the lagoon, filling them with nursing, calving and mating Grey Whales.

Throughout February and March, the first to leave the lagoons are males and females without new calves. Pregnant females and nursing mothers with their newborns are the last to depart, leaving only when their calves are ready for the journey, which is usually from late March to mid-April. Often a few mothers linger with their young calves well into May.

The population at the Lagoon may reach up to a thousand whales, being the largest association of big cetaceans in the whole world. This number may vary due to climatic changes such as water temperature in the high seas. Along the season you may observe different behaviors ranging from the incredible and very moving show of mating whales in December and January, newborns in late January and February and very friendly and inquisitive youngsters that approach to the boats in late March and April. Throughout the whole season you may see whales jumping for joy

O/N Hotel Los Caracoles, Guerrero Negro, 2 nights (B)

Day 9: 24 Jan, 2022 – Guerrero Negro/San Ignacio/Loreto (260 miles)
After an early morning start we will drive to the town of San Ignacio where we spend a couple of hours. Of note, we visit Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán. With lava-block walls nearly 1.2m (4ft) thick, the former Jesuit Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán stands directly across from San Ignacio's small plaza and is flanked by a grove of citrus trees. Occupying the site of a former Cochimí ranchería (indigenous settlement), the mission has been in continuous use since its founding in 1728. It's possibly the prettiest mission in Baja.

We will continue our road trip south to the town of Loreto. This town feels like somewhere between an old and new world. Linger along cobblestone streets, past shops selling pottery and a centuries-old mission to find local teenagers practicing a hip-hop act in the square. Perhaps sit at an outdoor cafe to try some local craft beer or stroll along the malécon (beach promenade) where an old man hobbles along with a cane and young women jog by in the latest workout gear. Out in that blue water is a water-sports paradise and the magnificent Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto, where the shoreline, ocean and stunning offshore islands are protected from pollution and uncontrolled fishing.

Anthropologists believe the Loreto area to be the oldest human settlement on the Baja Peninsula. Indigenous cultures thrived here due to plentiful water and food. In 1697 Jesuit Juan María Salvatierra established the peninsula’s first permanent mission at this modest port backed by soaring mountains.

O/N Hotel La Misión, Loreto, (B)

Day 10: 25 Jan, 2022 – Loreto
Early this morning we will take a sunrise boat ride out to Isla Coronados. In just twenty-five minutes from the Loreto Mariana we will be among Sea Lions, exploring bird rookeries, and searching for dolphins. Snorkeling from the boat is a wonderful way to observe the Marine life below. After touring the island we make a picnic stop at the lovely white sandy beaches for more exploration. 

In the afternoon we will visit Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, or Mission Loreto. Dating from 1697, this was the first permanent mission in the Californias and was the base for the expansion of Jesuit missions up and down the Baja peninsula. Alongside the church, the Museo de las Misiones chronicles the settlement of the Baja Peninsula.

Towards sunset we will head out to photograph we visit San Javier Mission. The Jesuits started at Loreto and founded a total of 17 other missions in Baja California, including San Javier, which is about 20 miles from Loreto in the heights of the Sierra Giganta. After the Jesuits, the Dominicans and then the Franciscans under Junipero Serra and others went on northward building more missions in the northern Baja, and beginning in 1769 to build the famed chain of missions in what is today the US state of California. 

COVID-19 Test for Re-entry into the US
NB sometime during the day we will be making an appointment to get a COVID-19 test at the hotel. Medical staff will come to the hotel and it costs $39US. Results are ready in less than three hours and will be sent to us via email. The hotel will also provide us with a copy of our test results.

O/N Hotel La Misión, Loreto (B)

Day 11: 26 Jan, 2022 – Loreto/La Paz (220 Miles)
The last night of our tour will once again be spent in La Paz where we will be able to relax and explore the town some more. Laid-back, old-world beauty can be found on a stroll along the waterfront malecón or in the older architecture around the Plaza Constitución; chichi restaurants, cafes and bars cunningly hide in between the cracks. It’s a surprisingly international town – you’re as likely to hear French, Portuguese or Italian here as English or Spanish, and yet paradoxically it’s the most ‘Mexican’ city in all of Baja. Its quirky history includes American occupation and even being temporarily declared its own republic. 

After our final dinner you will have time to rearrange your gear before the morning transfer to the airport at San Jose del Cabo.

O/N Hotel Catedral, La Paz, (B,D)

Day 12: 27 Jan, 2022 – La Paz/San Jose del Cabo (119 miles)
Transfer to the airport for your afternoon flight back to the States

END OF TOUR