Accompanied by a French-speaking guide, set off to discover the whales of Baja California. Your group is made up of just 6 participants.
23/02/2025 - PARIS - MEXICO CITY
Flight with Aeromexico to La Paz, via Mexico City.
Night on board.
24/02/2025 - MEXICO CITY - LA PAZ
Connecting flight to La Paz. Arrival in La Paz. After checking in at the hotel, you will head to Balandra Bay. You will set off to explore an immense turquoise lagoon surrounded by seven fine sandy beaches, along with a lagoon sheltering one of the largest mangrove forests in the region. It is home to numerous local and migratory bird species, and the mangrove also serves as a nursery for a multitude of fish and crabs.
25/02/2025 - SWIMMING WITH WHALE SHARKS
After breakfast, meet on the malecón to board a small boat for an excursion in search of whale sharks. La Paz is one of the few places where you can observe the largest fish in the world for 6 months of the year. Those who wish may snorkel alongside them behind a sandbar locally known as the Mogote. An unforgettable experience!
Return to the hotel and free time in the charming town of La Paz.
In the afternoon, visit an eco-ranch overlooking the Sea of Cortez. A walk is planned across beach, dunes and desert, allowing you to see 3 different ecosystems in a single location. Beautiful vantage points for photographs of the cactus forest, the sea, and the many birds (frigatebirds, pelicans, herons, ospreys, blue-footed boobies, roadrunners!).
Late in the day, you return to downtown La Paz.
26/02/2025 - LA PAZ - PUERTO LÓPEZ MATEOS - LORETO
Make the most of the time difference with an early start, heading north through Baja California. The road winds through the ochre and reddish mountains of the Sierra La Giganta before reaching the vast Bahía Magdalena, considered the gray whale watching capital.
Observing this mammal is one of the most powerful experiences to be had in Mexico, and the great “attraction” of the winter season. Thousands of gray whales come here to mate and give birth to their calves between December and April, before heading back north for the summer. Whale-watching outing at Puerto López Mateos before continuing on to Loreto.
27/02/2025 - BLUE WHALE EXCURSION
A 5- to 6-hour observation tour among the various islands of Loreto Bay National Marine Park in search of blue whales and fin whales (the two largest living beings ever to have existed), or even humpback whales.
In February and March, whales are plentiful and easy to spot.
This excursion is very different from the previous day’s, as it takes place out on the open sea.
Seeing three different whale species (or even 4, with humpback whales) in 2 days is a unique experience, and Baja California is the only place in the world where this is possible.
Return to Loreto in the afternoon.
28/02/2025 - LORETO - BAHÍA CONCEPCIÓN - SANTA ROSALÍA - SAN IGNACIO
Departure towards San Ignacio. The road is lined with immense cardón cacti exceeding 15 metres in height. You will then come upon Bahía Concepción, following the gulf coastline along a cliffside road via the magnificent bay on the Sea of Cortez. Beach after beach unfolds within the coves, fringed with mangroves.
You will then continue on to Santa Rosalía, known for its church, Santa Bárbara, designed by Gustave Eiffel himself.
You will then leave the coast to head inland and discover the imposing silhouette of the Tres Vírgenes volcano. The landscapes here are dramatically beautiful and stark... Arrival in San Ignacio in the early afternoon.
01/03/2025 - WHALE WATCHING IN SAN IGNACIO LAGOON
Departure for San Ignacio Lagoon. First encounter with the gray whales of the lagoon, who are often eager to receive a few caresses from delighted travellers!
In Baja California, gray whales number in the hundreds, and even in the thousands in some years at the peak of the season. San Ignacio Lagoon is arguably THE best observation spot on the entire peninsula. After spending the summer feeding in Alaska, the gray whale begins its incredible migration south towards the warm waters of Baja California at the start of winter. They travel for 2 to 3 months to come here to breed and give birth. Most gray whales congregate in 3 main bays along the west coast: Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Laguna San Ignacio and Bahía Magdalena (the southernmost of the three).
If you are lucky, friendly whales may decide to approach for a closer look and allow themselves to be touched, as these whales have the particular trait of seeming drawn to contact with humans, out of curiosity, playfulness... It is a unique and deeply moving experience!
Your guides will help you make the most of this experience. Around the camp, you can admire a beautiful mangrove, a prime spot for observing numerous bird species, as well as a salt flat.
Two boat outings are planned.
02/03/2025 - SAN IGNACIO - LORETO
Departure by road for Loreto. Several stops are planned along the way, including Santa Rosalía. The town’s unique architecture is unlike anything else found in Mexico. Santa Rosalía has today turned to Humboldt squid fishing. In 2006, the state and municipal governments launched a restoration project for the old buildings, aimed at restoring the town’s unusual historical heritage.
You continue on to Loreto, with a few stops at places you enjoyed on the way there, such as Bahía Concepción...
03/03/2025 - LORETO - PUERTO LÓPEZ MATEOS - LA PAZ
You climb over the Sierra de la Giganta and descend into the fertile Magdalena plain. After Ciudad Constitución, head towards the Pacific for one last whale-watching excursion.
Late in the day, you return to downtown La Paz.
04/03/2025 - LA PAZ: MEXICO CITY - PARIS
At the agreed time, transfer to the airport to board your international return flight.
Flight to Mexico City, then Paris, where you arrive the following day.
05/03/2025 - PARIS
Arrival in Paris.
