Gray Whale Research Camp

Whale Watching at Almejas Bay – 7 days, 6 nights. 

*This sample itinerary is based on a real past trip. Your experience could vary significantly due to weather conditions, guest ages, moon phase, etc. Please, consider this an informative example, not a rigid plan to be followed.

Highlights –

• Watch Grey Whales in their winter breeding and calving grounds.
• Camp surrounded by the awesomely abundant wildlife of Almejas Bay.
• Accompany researchers as they photograph and study Grey Whales in this environment.

Day 1

Independent travel to La Paz. Arrive at the lovely Cathedral Hotel, located in the very heart of La Paz, near all the best restaurants and shops in the city.

Day 2 

Enjoy the complimentary breakfast at the Cathedral Hotel, and then we are off to our adventure! The van picks us up at 10 and we start our two-hour drive to Puerto Chale, where we will board a skiff for the final 30 minute ride to Cresciente Island. We arrive, do a brief camp intro, and then lunch is ready.

In the afternoon, we take some time to get set up at camp, and then head out for evening walks along the beach and tidal flats that contour the channel. We see whales all around, breaching, breathing, spy hopping, and the tidal flats are always full of birds, interesting shells, etc. Later, we arrive back at camp ready to sit down and enjoy happy hour, and dinner. Sometimes, if it’s dark enough, we do some star gazing. Jupiter’s moons are usually visible through binoculars and the stars can be amazing.

Days 3, 4 & 5

Get up early for the sunrise and coffee, then it’s free-time until breakfast at 8. We’re going to need energy today because we’re going to spend hours out on the water watching and photographing whales! We depart around 9 and start searching the bay for mother-calf pairs, breeding groups of whales, and then we head to the channel to see large aggregations of animals. After a few hours, we head back to camp for lunch and to rest during the heat of the day.

Depending on conditions, we might head out for another whale watching session, or we might do other activities such as exploring the mangroves behind camp for wildlife. There are coyote tracks, nesting bald eagles and hundreds of thousands of shore and sea birds. Nature is constantly putting on a show, we just have to watch.

After our evening walk, on which we see the dolphins frolicking in the waves, we arrive back at camp for happy hour, and then a nice early dinner. We sit around for a while chatting, then head off to bed nice and early. 

Day 6 

We gather for coffee, and then organize our gear to leave in the afternoon. After breakfast, we head out for our final whale watching session.

Lunch is served at camp, and once ready to leave, we load everything on the skiffs and start our way back to La Paz. We return to the Cathedral Hotel in the early afternoon for hot showers and a nice dinner. It’s been great traveling together.

Night at Cathedral Hotel.

Day 7 

Travel home or onward to further adventures. Safe travels!

 

Day 1

We will meet at 8pm on Day 1 at Hotel Catedral to welcome you to La Paz. We will also give you some large red dry-bags. Please pack whatever you will need at camp in these red bags. They are much more convenient to transport than your luggage, and your luggage remains sand-free.

Day 2

On Day 2, we will meet at 9am at Eco Migrations HQ

Paseo Alvaro Obregón 774
La Paz, B.C.S.
23000, México
Find us @ Google Maps