The magic of Baja has continued to stun me. National Geographic Sea Lion began the morning with the sunrise featuring cotton-candy-colored skies, and an incredible backdrop of sand dunes near Puerto Adolfo on the Baja peninsula. After breakfast, guests and staff embarked on a gray-whale-watching expedition aboard pangas driven by local captains. Jaime, the captain of our panga, has worked in the waters of La Soledad for over 30 years. Despite the wind, we witnessed plenty of spyhopping and even a breaching gray whale!

In the afternoon, we experienced the wonders of the sand dunes of Bahia Santa Maria: crossing the dunes, shell middens, and the incredible desert plants en route to the Pacific Ocean. With the dropping sun, we witnessed incredible shadows across the barchan dunes. Towards the end of our sojourn, we made it to the Pacific Ocean which greeted us with an endless amount of sand dollars strewn about the beach. The landscape was reminiscent of the classic film Lawrence of Arabia, and truly was an unexpected gift of the Baja peninsula. This landscape never fails to impress!