Baja California Expeditions

February 10, 2022

Boca de Soledad, Baja California Sur

25.29° S -112.129° E

Berit Solstad, Naturalist

2024 WINTER WHALES SAVINGS PACKAGE: $500 AIR CREDIT, HOTEL STAY OR 50% OFF BLUE WHALE EXTENSION, PLUS SOLO AND GROUP SAVINGS

The Ultimate Whale Watching Experience

Vivid with life, Baja California is one of the planet’s best places to see whales. Witness an unforgettable marine spectacle, as we enter the birthing lagoons of the California Gray Whales and observe these majestic creatures and their newborn calves up close. With more than a third of the world’s marine mammal species at home in Mexico's biodiverse Gulf of California, we’ll also search out pods of dolphins, flying mobula rays, boisterous sea lions, and much more.

 

Join us this winter to discover a magical region—blissfully remote, yet close to home. Now with exceptional savings opportunities on air, extensions, solo travel and more.

Wake up among the gray whales on our 5-night Wild Baja California Escape aboard National Geographic Sea Bird and National Geographic Sea Lion, the only ships small enough to enter and anchor in the birthing lagoons.

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(5) Baja California Itineraries

Baja California

California Coast

A Southern Migration: From the Channel Islands to Baja California

Duration

12 days
Dec

From

$6,248

Prices are per person

Highlights

Baja California

California Coast

A Southern Migration: From the Channel Islands to Baja California

Duration

12 days
Dec

From

$6,248

Top Highlights

  • Discover the incredible biodiversity of Channel Islands National Park, home to over 2,000 species including 145 endemics.
  • Go behind the scenes and enjoy a private lunch at a boutique vineyard in the world-renowned Valle de Guadalupe.
  • Explore the waters and experience the wildlife of peninsular Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve; meet the fishermen of Isla Natividad’s model fishing co-op.
  • Observe breaching humpbacks and acrobatic dolphins from the bow of a small ship.
  • Snorkel in Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, the only hard coral reef in North America; featuring over 220 species of fish.

Baja California

Baja California Holiday Voyage: A Living Sea and Desert Isles

Duration

8 days
Dec

From

$5,430

Prices are per person

Highlights

Baja California

Baja California Holiday Voyage: A Living Sea and Desert Isles

Duration

8 days
Dec

From

$5,430

Top Highlights

  • Search for large pods of dolphins and a variety of marine wildlife including sea lions and, with luck, leaping mobula rays, which flap for a moment before belly-flopping back in the water
  • Explore water-level caves by kayak, hike uninhabited beaches, and snorkel among fish and acrobatic sea lions
  • Photograph the landscape as the light changes and the golden hour approaches, with its deep red hues that seem to engulf the desert environment
  • Conditions permitting, visit Isla Rasa. Composed of Pleistocene and Holocene basalt lava flows, this is where 90 percent of the world’s Heermann’s gulls and a large population of elegant terns come to breed
  • Visit the old mining town of Santa Rosalia, with its wooden homes and historic steel church, designed by Gustave Eiffel

Baja California

Baja California: A Remarkable Journey

Duration

15 days
  1. Mar
  2. Apr

From

$12,610

Prices are per person

Highlights

Baja California

Baja California: A Remarkable Journey

Duration

15 days
  1. Mar
  2. Apr

From

$12,610

Top Highlights

  • Get up-close views of gray whale mothers and their growing calves as they prepare for their journey back to Arctic feeding grounds.
  • Kayak clear blue waters to search for wildlife, including magnificent frigatebirds, and investigate the intricacies of the shoreline.
  • Snorkel the living sea: observe large schools of vibrantly colored fish, swim among playful sea lions, and much more.
  • With more time for adventure, rely on your expedition leader to take you where wildlife will be at its best—including the remote oceanic island of San Pedro Mártir with clouds of nesting seabirds and crowds of sea lions onshore, and expanses of sea where huge pods of dolphins gather.

Baja California

Baja California: Among the Great Whales

Duration

8 days
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar

From

$6,930

Prices are per person

Highlights

Baja California

Baja California: Among the Great Whales

Duration

8 days
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar

From

$6,930

Top Highlights

  • See Gray whales and their newborn calves up close in lagoons, and witness breaching humpbacks from the bow of our ship, or on Zodiac excursions
  • Snorkel amidst the vibrant sea life and pristine coral reefs of Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, a conservation success story
  • Hike desert islands and sculpted sand dunes, and witness a variety of desert flora and fauna
  • Conditions permitting, swim with playful sea lions at Los Islotes
  • Get steeped in culture walking the quaint maze of streets and sun-drenched promenades in lively La Paz

Baja California

Wild Baja California Escape: The Whales of Magdalena Bay

Duration

6 days
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar

From

$3,677

Prices are per person

Highlights

Baja California

Wild Baja California Escape: The Whales of Magdalena Bay

Duration

6 days
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar

From

$3,677

Top Highlights

  • Live among gigantic gray whale mothers and their calves in the nursery waters of Bahía Magdalena. See them from the ship and local pangas, delighting in up-close encounters
  • Kayak and paddleboard stunning mangroves, or beachcomb along endless beaches
  • Explore diverse landscapes; fat-tire bike along desert island terrain
  • Scan the skies for bird species, from diving pelicans to magnificent frigatebirds

Expedition Highlights

Sail among pristine islands in search of rare endemic creatures. Encounter whales, possibly up close, for an experience that will never leave you. Snorkel with playful sea lions. Hike up arroyos blooming with life and discover medicinal plants. Get a slice of life in rural Baja towns. Kayak, hike, stand-up paddleboard, snorkel, and actively explore this incredible playground of wildness. 

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National Geographic Global Explorers Program

One of the most rewarding sights on an expedition is witnessing the gleam of discovery in a child’s eyes, whether they’re hiking desert islands or snorkeling with sea lions. Moments like these are abundant in Baja California—and they’re especially meaningful when complemented with the learning opportunities offered through our exclusive National Geographic Global Explorers Program for kids and teens 18 and under.

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Discover

Discover Baja California

As one whale spouts in the distance, another spyhops up to take a look around, and yet another might breathe right behind you. You are afraid to turn in another direction because you might miss something. It is immensely exciting because there is so much going on!

Kelly Coursey Gray, Naturalist, February 14, 2022

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FAQs

FAQs and key information

From climate conditions to water temperature to packing the right footwear, find answers to the questions Expedition Specialists get most often.

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The whale sightings were fantastic. Touching the gray whales was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Connie C.

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Baja California is arguably the best place in the world to see whales in good conditions—humpback, gray, fin, blue, pilot—to name the most likely.

Sven-Olof Lindblad

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