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Whales' Tails & Mission Trails

From San Diego to San Ignacio Lagoon and Loreto (or vice versa): combine whale watching with exploration of Spanish missions from the 1700s.

Baja Expeditions offers only two per year of these double-delight trips that combine nature with culture. The February trip starts in Loreto and goes north to San Ignacio Lagoon. The March-April trip goes the other way: fly from San Diego to San Ignacio for the whales, and then explore the missions on the way down to Loreto.

The highlight of both trips is spending quality time at San Ignacio Lagoon, where you'll observe hundreds of gray whales rolling, breaching, diving, playing, and caring for their young, during twice-daily skiff rides. Several hundred whales migrate thousands of miles from Arctic feeding grounds to these salty lagoons, The high saline content of the warm, protected waters makes it easy for newborn whales to float.

After several weeks, the whales’ return trip to the Arctic starts, so you can only see this spectacle in the late winter and early spring. Their round trip of 10,000 to 14,000 miles, at an average speed of six miles an hour, is believed to be the longest yearly migration of any mammal.

Also migrating to these warm, protected waters for the winter are sea turtles, harbor seals, California sea lions, and northern elephant-seals. And the bird-watching here is astonishing.

In between whale-watching forays, you’ll have plenty of downtime to relax in our new beachfront Cabañas Camp, where your private cabin – with a big bed and your own sink with running water – keeps a hardwood floor between you and the sand.

If you’re the energetic type, you can take off on one of our mountain bikes, or venture into the salt flats with a guide who knows the local flora and fauna like the back of his hand.

On both itineraries, on the way to or from the lagoon, you'll explore historical missions in Loreto and Mulegé from the early 1700s. They were founded by men who were not just churchmen, but daring explorers, too. One of them, the giant Father Ugarte, proved the Sea of Cortez was a gulf, not a strait.

You’ll take in the port city of Santa Rosalia, visit a bird sanctuary, or a ranch where traditional cheese is made. You'll spend a night in the picturesque oasis town of San Ignacio, where the Jesuit mission built in 1728 is still in use.

Each day you’ll enjoy fresh and tasty breakfasts and barbecues prepared by our talented local chefs. Each day’s adventures will wind down with a convivial happy hour as we watch the sun set over the lagoon.

Map Url:

Trip Map

Itinerary:

February 11, 2010 departure (Loreto to San Ignacio Lagoon to San Diego)

2/11, Day 1 ~ Arrive in Loreto and transfer to a hotel. Spend the rest of the day exploring on your own.

2/12, Day 2 ~ Early breakfast at the hotel, drive across the peninsula through mission towns of Santa Rosalia and Mulegé (five hours with stops at historical sites) to San Ignacio town. Overnight at hotel in San Ignacio town. (B/L/D)

2/13, Day 3 ~ Early breakfast; two-hour drive to Cabañas Camp in San Ignacio Lagoon. Two excursions by skiff to observe whales. (B/L/D)

2/14 &15, Days 4 & 5 ~ Celebrate Valentine's Day seeing whales up close during two full days at our camp, with two whale-watching excursions daily plus activities in camp. (B/L/D)

2/16, Day 6 ~ After breakfast, on a breathtaking private charter flight, take in the big picture of unspoiled nature preserves on your return from San Ignacio Lagoon to Tijuana or Ensenada, then ground transportation to San Diego, arriving early evening. You can plan your flight from San Diego to your home city any time after 6 P.M. tonight. (B/L)

March 28, 2010 departure: (San Diego to San Ignacio Lagoon to Loreto)

3/28, Day 1 ~ Private charter flight from San Diego area to San Ignacio Lagoon; afternoon whale watching. (L/D)

3/29 & 30, Days 2 & 3 ~ Full days (see activities above) spent at Cabañas Camp in San Ignacio Lagoon (B/L/D daily)

3/31, Day 4 ~ A.M and P.M. whale watching excursions; two-hour drive to San Ignacio town, overnight in a hotel. (B/L/D)

4/1, Day 5 ~ Leisurely drive to Loreto, visiting missions enroute; overnight in a hotel in Loreto. (B/L)

4/2, Day 6 ~ Depart Loreto on commercial flight to your home city.

Trip Fee:

Trip Fee: $2,195 pp dbl occ

Includes:

For the Loreto to San Diego itinerary: (Trip begins in Loreto and finish in San Diego)
Hotel in Loreto. Ground transportation from Loreto to San Ignacio town on day 2 and Hotel in San Ignacio Town. Ground transportation from San Ignacio town to San Ignacio Lagoon on day 3. Comfortable catered cabañas camping on nights 3 to 5. Two whale watching excursions per day on day 3,4 & 5. Charter flight from San Ignacio to Tijuana or Ensenada on day 6 and ground transportation to meeting point in San Diego. Meals as specified on the itinerary. Services of knowledgeable guides and caring crew members. Detailed pre-departure information to help you plan your trip.
Excludes: Transportation from Loreto's Airport to the hotel. Meals on day 1. Conservation fees.

For the San Diego to Loreto itinerary: (Trip begins in San Diego and finish in Loreto)
Ground transportation from meeting point in San Diego to airfield in Tijuana or Ensenada and charter flight from there to San Ignacio. Comfortable catered cabañas camping on nights 1 to 3. Two whale watching excursions per day on day, 2 & 3 and one one day 4. Ground transportation to San Ignacio town on day 4 and Hotel in San ignacio Town. Ground transportation to Loreto on day 5 and Hotel in Loreto. Services of knowledgeable guides and caring crew members. Detailed pre-departure information to help you plan your trip.

Excludes: Transportation from Loreto's Hotel to Loreto's airport on day 6. Meals on day 6. Conservation fees.

Trip Dates:

Dates	Availability
March 28 - April 2, 2010	Sold Out
February 2 - February 7, 2011	Available
March 31 - April 5, 2011	Available

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