San Ignacio Lagoon
In early morning we disembark the ship to travel to San Ignacio Lagoon on the Pacific coast. En route across the peninsula, we pass through miles and miles of varied desert habitat and over mountains, near ancient volcanoes, past remote ranches. Towering cardon cacti and palo verde give way to forests of lush date palms in the charming town of San Ignacio. Cardon cacti create an otherworldly landscape with Joshua trees as we approach the Pacific coast. Salt flats and piles of empty shells signal that we are nearing the lagoon.
Today’s goal is to see gray whales in the Vizcaino Biosphere reserve at San Ignacio Lagoon. “There’s a blow at eleven o’clock!” We spot the distinctive heart-shaped blow of a gray whale. Next to the mottled gray mother is a small calf with dark gray skin. The calf lunges forward, partially showing its head above the surface. Mother and calf swim near us. Gray whales blow in the distance, a gray back surfaces a few meters away; we look carefully and realize that whales surround us. A whale rolls, showing a pectoral flipper. Thirty tons of whale swims beneath a twenty foot long panga. Moments are embedded in memories... and in countless camera memory cards. A massive, gray body swims within reach, and eager hands reach out to touch whale skin.
In early morning we disembark the ship to travel to San Ignacio Lagoon on the Pacific coast. En route across the peninsula, we pass through miles and miles of varied desert habitat and over mountains, near ancient volcanoes, past remote ranches. Towering cardon cacti and palo verde give way to forests of lush date palms in the charming town of San Ignacio. Cardon cacti create an otherworldly landscape with Joshua trees as we approach the Pacific coast. Salt flats and piles of empty shells signal that we are nearing the lagoon.
Today’s goal is to see gray whales in the Vizcaino Biosphere reserve at San Ignacio Lagoon. “There’s a blow at eleven o’clock!” We spot the distinctive heart-shaped blow of a gray whale. Next to the mottled gray mother is a small calf with dark gray skin. The calf lunges forward, partially showing its head above the surface. Mother and calf swim near us. Gray whales blow in the distance, a gray back surfaces a few meters away; we look carefully and realize that whales surround us. A whale rolls, showing a pectoral flipper. Thirty tons of whale swims beneath a twenty foot long panga. Moments are embedded in memories... and in countless camera memory cards. A massive, gray body swims within reach, and eager hands reach out to touch whale skin.
