Baja California Sur, Mexico is a whale watching haven for animal lovers. During our last trip to Cabo San Lucas we saw several majestic humpback whales (review). Grey whales travel from Alaskan waters to the coast of Baja to mate, give birth, and nurse their young calves. There are three major lagoons in this region for whale watching named Bahía Magdalena (2hr drive from Loreto), Laguna San Ignacio (5hr drive from Loreto), and Laguna Ojo de Liebre (6hr drive from Loreto).
San Ignacio Lagoon (see images below) is the smallest of the 3 lagoons mentioned above with a higher concentration of grey whales in the area tourists are allowed to visit. This unique place is also known for the friendliest whales that come to your boat for interactions (petting, kissing etc.,) instead of traditional whale watching, which is done from a distance in the rest of the world.
Grey Whale Facts
- The average Gray Whale life span is 70-80 years.
- The gestation of a female lasts 12-13 months, giving birth to a 15 foot, one ton calf.
- The calf will stay with its mother for the first year of life.
- The calf goes under the mother to nurse and often comes up for air on the opposite side of the mother.
- After the split from the calf, the mother Gray whale will return to the Baja lagoons and become impregnated again.
- Female Grey whales give birth to 30-35 calves over their lifetime.
- An average Gray Whale typically dives for 5-7 minutes with the maximum ability to dive for up to 20 minutes.
- Grey whales come to the water surface for 3-5 breaths, re-oxygenating their blood. They are able to utilize 90% of inhaled oxygen in every breath (humans can only utilize 15-30% oxygen per breath).
Common Grey Whale Behaviors
Best months to watch Grey Whales in San Ignacio Lagoon
San Ignacio Lagoon offers a protected sanctuary for gray whales when they enter the lagoon in late December and leave in early April. February 13th to mid-March is the busiest time for whale watching in San Ignacio Lagoon. I prefer going in early February to watch whales without many tourists or late March to see mother whales and calves swimming together.
Is this part of Mexico safe for tourists?
Baja California Sur region of Mexico is very safe for tourists and we never had any issues communicating with the locals (we used Google Translate and downloaded Spanish language for offline use). I recommend downloading offline Google Maps before leaving for Mexico due to poor cellular signal in the Baja region.
Can you use credit cards everywhere?
Several places in the Baja region (e.g., gas stations, restaurants) accept U.S. credit cards without additional fees, but it is good to carry local currency for paying at small eateries and local shops.
Nearest Airport to San Ignacio Lagoon
Loreto (LTO) airport is 3hr 30 minutes away from the town of San Ignacio and the lagoon is located another hour away from the town.
Flights from the US to LTO
Loreto (LTO) has nonstop Alaska flights from SFO and LAX; and nonstop AA flights from Phoenix (PHX) and Dallas (DFW). We used a connecting flight from Florida to LTO via Dallas and booked the flights 6 months ahead of our travel dates. The flight tickets costed around $600 per person for the roundtrip economy. Flight prices from the eastern US tend to get very expensive closer to the travel dates and I recommend booking several months in advance.
Loreto Airport
Once you land at Loreto airport you must clear the immigration/customs, pick up your luggage and pick up the rental car. I highly recommend getting some Mexican Pasos from an ATM inside the Loreto airport. I used the Schwab Bank card to withdraw 2000 & 4000 Pasos in both Loreto and San Ignacio and the ATM fees have been refunded (Schwab Review) when the statement closed (see image below).
Depending on the time you land in Loreto, plan to eat at a local restaurant and pick up snacks/water from a grocery store before heading out to San Ignacio. I recommend NOT to take this journey at night time due to poor road conditions and zero cellular signal most of the way.
Driving from Loreto Airport to San Ignacio Town & Lagoon
- The road from Loreto to San Ignacio Town (3hr 30 min) is fully paved with little traffic and no speed traps. We made the journey in just under 3 hours without any breaks.
- The road from San Ignacio Town to San Ignacio Lagoon (~1hr) is around 42 miles and most of the road is paved except for the last 10 miles of dirt road with loose rocks.
- There is no need for a 4×4 for driving on this dirt road; we were able to drive a small rental car without any issues.
- The cellular signal is not reliable once you leave the town area. I recommend downloading offline Google maps for the entire region.
- DO NOT follow Google Maps for the last 2 miles on the dirt road. Google Maps has not been updated for this region. DO NOT make the left turn into a smaller dirt road when announcing the last 2 miles to your destination. This will lead you to a fenced area forcing you to turn back onto the main road.
- I recommend staying on the main dirt road until you see the posted signs for Kuyima and Antonio’s Ecotours which are nearby each other.
- You will pass a few colorful lakes while driving on the dirt road (see image below)
San Ignacio Lagoon Whale Watching Tours
There are several whale-watching tour agencies available that offer small boat tours (Panga’s) and all-inclusive accommodations. Baja Ecotours (link), Antonio’s Ecotours (link) and Kuyima (link) are some of the companies we researched. We used Antonio’s Ecotours for our daily Panga trips and the staff members (Emanuel, Gerry, Paola, Esperanza) were wonderful.
- Panga tours last around 2 hours and each trip costs $70USD per person.
- Only 16 boats are allowed during a 2 hour timeframe into the protected preserve.
- There are no age restrictions and kids can accompany adults on Panga tours.
- Three tours are offered per day (8AM, 11AM and 2pm); 11AM tour is typically reserved for drive-in tourists.
- Tours at noon are preferred since whales tend to interact better with the boats.
- Lagoon boat rides tend to get chilly in the winter months. One should prepare for the trip with a hat, sunscreen, inner layers, wind & water-proof jackets and pants.
- Lunch (delicious seafood) after the tour is offered for a reasonable $12USD per person.
- You can pay the tour agency either in USD or Mexican Pasos.
- Antonio’s Ecotours accept PayPal payments with 3% additional fee.
- No one forces you for tips and there is a tip jar for additional contributions.
Should you stay in San Ignacio Town or Lagoon?
I will describe all the available whale watching trip accommodations starting from the cheapest to the most expensive one.
San Ignacio Town Accommodations
San Ignacio is a small town (3h.30m drive from Loreto) with a few restaurants (link), gas stations and an ATM machine. We used Booking.com to find an accommodation (link) that suited our budget. The place we stayed was very clean and well equipped with a kitchen, a large bathroom and decent internet (link).
San Ignacio Lagoon Accommodations
Travelers have the option to stay right next to the San Ignacio Lagoon (4h.30m drive from Loreto) for an all-inclusive price that covers 2 whale watching trips, all meals and happy hour cocktail drinks.
The prices listed below are for Antonio’s Ecotours:
- Cabins accommodate 2 people with a private toilet and a shared outdoor bathroom; there are 4 shared bathrooms for 8 cabins.
- Beach House is available (same nightly price per person) for a minimum of 4 guests (2 extra can sleep) and has a private bathroom and shower.
- The price for all-inclusive accommodations are $300 USD per person per night.
- For two people planning to stay 3 nights, the cost will be $1800 USD.
- Two whale watching trips per day are worth $140 USD per person.
- You may not get to experience any whale tours on the first day if you arrive late to the lagoon accommodation (due to the long drive from the airport). I recommend staying one night in a cheap accommodation area in San Ignacio Town and leaving the next morning early to make it to the first Lagoon Panga ride by 7.30AM. This method is the only way to enjoy two Panga boat rides on your first day of arrival (you must confirm the space with the agency).
- If you decide to stay at the San Ignacio Lagoon, the total drive time from Loreto airport will be around 4h.30m to 5 hours (see image below).
5-Day Air Trip from San Diego to San Ignacio Lagoon
This option is for people who don’t mind the extra cost for the comfort of flying into the San Ignacio Lagoon from San Diego on a private charter plane (no driving involved). It is exclusively offered by Baja Ecotours (link) and costs around $4200 USD per person for 2 people minimum (singles fee additional $500). The trip’s highlights include:
- Roundtrip charter to San Ignacio Lagoon from San Diego
- 4 nights in solar powered beach cabins
- All inclusive: meals, beer, wine, margaritas and happy hour
- Whale watching twice daily
- Mangrove tour
Our interaction with whales in the lagoon
We went for a whale watching tour every day for 3 days and had unbelievable interactions with the grey whales. During our first tour we saw the grey whales from 10 feet away and two of them came close to the boat to be able to touch only during the last 10 minutes. On the second day, one grey whale stayed around our boat for the entire 90 minutes. He was very playful and kept entertaining us and a few other boats with unlimited energy. We had to finally leave the place since our time was up. Our third day trip was not as exciting as none of the whales were coming to our boat, but we saw plenty of them surfing on the water.
See the image below of my wife petting a friendly grey whale.
See pictures below of passengers from another boat across from us petting the grey whale.
How to plan a budget whale watch trip to San Ignacio Lagoon
I wanted to provide a breakdown of our costs for people on a budget (99% of us). Prices are listed below for two people for a 3 night stay:
- $600 per person for roundtrip flights from California, Phoenix or Dallas to Loreto airport ($1200 for two). Book 6-8 months ahead of time for the best prices.
- Stay 3 nights in the San Ignacio Town and pay under $100 USD per night for excellent places with kitchen, private bathroom/shower.
- Keep the cost for the 4-day meals under $150 USD (excluding the lunch cost at the lagoon).
- Get a rental car for 4 days from LTO airport terminal for under $200 USD (make sure to include personal liability which is a must in Mexico).
- Drive every day x 2 days for the whale watching tour in the San Ignacio Lagoon ($70) and pay $12 extra for the lunch ($82 x 2 = $164 +$6 tip) for a total of $170 per day x 2 = $340.
- Self-driving tourists may get a better deal by driving to the lagoon’s local pier and hire a local panga operator (we did not try this method).
- The cost for the rental car gas will be around $100 USD.
- The total cost for the entire trip will be around $2000 for two people.
- If the budget permits, I recommend doing at least 3 days of whale watching tours to get the most out of this experience.
Other attractions near San Ignacio Lagoon
- Kayaking & Canoeing activities to explore mangroves.
- Las Grutas Hot Springs
- Cave Paintings of Baja California
Summary
San Ignacio Lagoon offers the most intimate whale watching experience in the world. It can be done on a budget if you don’t mind driving 3-4 hours each way from Loreto to San Ignacio. To get the best experience, I recommend traveling between February and March. We have seen several travelers reaching into the lagoon to kiss the whales, but we were fortunate enough to pet them several times during this trip. The interactions and looking into the eyes of a 30-foot whale will stay with you for the rest of your life. The nearest comparable experience on my bucket list was watching polar bears up close (review) but we never dared touch them.