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Whale Watching & Turtle Research
Get up close with Baja's gray whales and green turtles
Price: $1,795 USD per person
Duration: 8 days
Operator: Baja Expeditions
Join Baja Expeditions and RED Sustainable Travel on a unique whale watching and turtle research excursion to Magdalena Bay. You will get up close and personal with gray whales and learn about their annual migration all the way from Alaska. Your group will also have the unique opportunity to participate in hands-on green sea turtle research with local conservationists.
ITINERARY
Day 1 - ARRIVE IN LA PAZ
Spend some time exploring the colorful city of La Paz, with its charming boardwalk and many fine restaurants and shops. Dinner is on your own this evening.
Day 2 - LA PAZ TO MAGDALENA BAY
After breakfast, we will board a van for the ride to Magdalena Bay, with lunch en route or at camp. Once we arrive at the Bay, a short boat ride delivers us to our base camp, where you'll have an orientation, assignment of tents and a safety briefing. Tonight you’ll enjoy a beautiful sunset while the staff prepares a delicious welcome dinner. There will also be an evening presentation.
Days 3 & 4 - MAGDALENA BAY
The surreal landscape of the ever changing sand dunes provides a dramatic backdrop for exciting excursions to see the gray whales! There are two excursions each day using motorized skiffs, each lasting up to three hours. Our experienced naturalist guides will point out many behaviors of the whales, including spy hopping, mating, breaching, and nurturing their young.
Happy hour brings an opportunity to compare notes with fellow travelers while watching the sun disappear beneath the horizon. After dinner, one of our guides will present a natural history talk to help you learn more about the Baja Peninsula, its local people, and the marine wildlife protected in Magdalena Bay.
Days 5 & 6 - TURTLE MONITORING IN MAGDALENA BAY
After breakfast we will take a boat ride to change camp sites. Members of the Cooperativa Eco-Tortugueros, a local conservation group, will welcome us in their Turtle Monitoring camp. Turtle watching offers an alternative to fishing or poaching for local residents who want to see a future for turtles and themselves in the region. We will help to put out the nets and monitor turtles in the following 24 hours, where we will check the nets and bring the turtles ashore for study. Other activities as bird watching & traditional fishing are also possible.
Day 7 - TO LA PAZ
Explore the area and perhaps do some bird watching before we check the nets one more time for green turtles. After a final lunch in San Carlos, the group returns to La Paz in the late afternoon for a free afternoon shopping or exploring the town. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 8 - TO HOME
Depart to your home city with incredible memories, reflecting on your incredible opportunity to work directly with the turtles.
Prices & Dates
Dates: Feb 18-25, 2012
Duration: 8 days
Difficulty: Easy
Price: $1,795 USD per person
Included: Includes all in-country transportation, most meals, lodging, activities, guides, and a donation to turtle conservation.
Excluded: Airfare to La Paz, personal items, guide tips, and travel insurance.
Conservation
Conservation Impact:
Of the $1,795 pp trip cost, approximately $215 goes to sea turtle conservation (12%) and $430 is spent in local communities (24%) for a total of $635 pp (36%).
Benefitting Organization:
RED Sustainable Tourism - RED combines ecotourism with conservation activities to create stewardship of natural resources while strengthening local communities and their economies in Northwestern Mexico.
By booking this trip through SEEtheWILD, we will make a donation of $90 to RED for their turtle conservation efforts.
Featured Animals: whales
Images
Call us at 503-395-7360
Mon - Fri
9am to 5pm
Pacific Time
Similar Trips:
SEEtheWILD Promise
All of our trips & volunteer expeditions:
- Directly support wildlife conservation
- Educate travelers about wildlife
- Support local communities
- Reduce environmental impact