Isla del Carmen, Baja California, Mexico
After leaving the city of La Paz, capital of the Mexican State of Baja California Sur, shortly before midnight, we headed out of the Bay of La Paz and up the Gulf of California. Dawn found us up north in the Gulf of California, in the vicinity of the western islands of Monserrate, San Jose and Santa Catalina. We sailed even farther north and by late morning we came upon Isla del Carmen, a 58 square-mile volcanic island, just off the town of Loreto, on the Baja Peninsula.
During the morning we cruised the area between the island and the peninsula, where we had the opportunity to watch bottlenose dolphins ride our bow wave, and cavort among the waves of the ship.
After these stupendous opportunities to see these intelligent animals at play, we left them and approached Isla del Carmen, where we anchored during lunch. Shortly thereafter we began our afternoon activities, such as kayaking and hiking on the island. The water was just right for this aquatic exercise, during which we visited small bays and beaches along the very transparent blue-green waters.
Hiking was good, as we walked along a quite high-walled, cool and humid arroyo, where a great number of cacti and other plants were seen. Late afternoon found us all back on the ship for cocktails, a recap of the day and dinner.
But that was not all. By no means had the day died, and soon we were back in our Zodiacs and heading, in a clear, starry and moonless night, to a large ocean cave, where we observed more than 100 fishing bats with marvelously white bellies. These bats are endemic to the Gulf of California. As we watched, completely enthralled, bats were always circling the inside of the cave!
After leaving the city of La Paz, capital of the Mexican State of Baja California Sur, shortly before midnight, we headed out of the Bay of La Paz and up the Gulf of California. Dawn found us up north in the Gulf of California, in the vicinity of the western islands of Monserrate, San Jose and Santa Catalina. We sailed even farther north and by late morning we came upon Isla del Carmen, a 58 square-mile volcanic island, just off the town of Loreto, on the Baja Peninsula.
During the morning we cruised the area between the island and the peninsula, where we had the opportunity to watch bottlenose dolphins ride our bow wave, and cavort among the waves of the ship.
After these stupendous opportunities to see these intelligent animals at play, we left them and approached Isla del Carmen, where we anchored during lunch. Shortly thereafter we began our afternoon activities, such as kayaking and hiking on the island. The water was just right for this aquatic exercise, during which we visited small bays and beaches along the very transparent blue-green waters.
Hiking was good, as we walked along a quite high-walled, cool and humid arroyo, where a great number of cacti and other plants were seen. Late afternoon found us all back on the ship for cocktails, a recap of the day and dinner.
But that was not all. By no means had the day died, and soon we were back in our Zodiacs and heading, in a clear, starry and moonless night, to a large ocean cave, where we observed more than 100 fishing bats with marvelously white bellies. These bats are endemic to the Gulf of California. As we watched, completely enthralled, bats were always circling the inside of the cave!
