Baja is home to some of the best whale watching experiences in the world. Every year, thousands of grey whales migrate from Alaska to Baja California to breed and calve. In this blog, I’m going to cover where you can go to get the closest encounters with these majestic giants.
When is the best time to go whale watching in Baja?
If you’re looking to catch the grey whales like we did, you should plan to go between January to early April. Keep in mind this is also high wind season so I recommend giving yourself more than a day to get out on a boat.
Where are the best places to see whales?
There are three lagoons that will give you the best chances of seeing grey whales and their calves by the hundreds. Ojo De Liebre (where we went), San Ignacio, and Magdalena Bay.
Ojo De Liebre: How To Get There
We opted to go whale watching in Ojo De Liebre because it’s in a marine reserve. They also allowed camping near the boat docks for as low as $5 USD. Ojo De Liebre is near the town of Guerrero Negro, about a 9 hour drive from San Diego, California. On your way down you can spend a few days visiting Mexico’s premier wine region: Valle De Guadalupe.
If you don’t want to make the 9 hour drive, you can hire a tour company to take you. Silver Shark Adventures and Five Star Tours offer multi-day to week long trips departing from Los Angeles or San Diego California.
Want to skip the long drive? Fly to Loreto and take a tour to Magdalena Bay with Loreto Sea and Land Tours.
Our Whale Watching Experience
Camping in the reserve of Ojo De Liebre was a special experience in itself. We saw so many whale spouts from our beachside campsite. The boats leave directly from there at 8am and we paid $55 USD per person. As soon as the boat left, we could see whale fins, spouts, and tails during the short time that it took to get to the spot.
It didn’t take long before the whales started coming up to the boats (yes, on their own). We had multiple whales that loved swimming under the boat and flipping their tails within arms length. Cameras and phones were sprayed during these close encounters but I don’t think anybody’s mad about it. I highly recommend doing this at least once in your life. It’s truly a magical experience.