I wrote about our whale interactions in San Ignacio Lagoon in early 2024 (review) and it is still one of the most discussed trips among our family and friends.
What brought on this travel memory?
We were reviewing the awesome pictures of whales from that trip and I will never forget looking into the eyes of one grey whale (see image below).
Best months to see Grey Whales in San Ignacio Lagoon
San Ignacio Lagoon offers a protected sanctuary for gray whales as 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.
Award booking flights to Loreto
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).
Loreto Rental Cars
Rental cars are very reasonably priced at Loreto airport (Kayak) when you book in advance. I recommend trying to pick up the car at the terminal instead of the shuttle option (make sure to include personal liability which is a must in Mexico).
Things to do in Loreto, Mexico
I recommend staying in Loreto for a couple of days and experiencing blue whale watching (link). Loreto is one of the very few places in the world where it is possible to see blue whales and you should not miss the chance.
Loreto to San Ignacio town vs San Ignacio Lagoon
It takes around 3 hours to drive from the Loreto airport to the town of San Ignacio and another hour to reach the San Ignacio Lagoon.
San Ignacio Town
It is easy to find rental places on Booking.com in San Ignacio town, and you can choose to stay there for the remainder of your trip and make day trips to San Ignacio Lagoon for whale watching ($70 USD per person). This is the cheapest option for frugal travelers who don’t mind driving an hour each way for the whale watching trips.
There are several whale-watching tour agencies available that offer small boat tours (pangas). Panga tours last around 2 hours and each trip costs $70USD per person and two tours per day are typically included if you stay in their cabins and choose the all-inclusive option. You can pay the tour agency either in USD or Mexican Pesos and most also accept PayPal with a 3% additional fee.
San Ignacio Lagoon
If you decide to stay at the San Ignacio Lagoon, the total drive time from Loreto airport will be around 4 hours (see image below).
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 (it could be comfortable); we were able to drive a small rental car without any issues.
All-inclusive accommodations inside the San Ignacio Lagoon area
Baja Ecotours (link), Antonio’s Ecotours (link), Pachicos (link) and Kuyima (link) are some of the companies we researched and they all have great reviews from Tripadvisor.
Travelers have the option to stay right next to the San Ignacio Lagoon 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 and has a private bathroom and shower.
- The price for all-inclusive accommodations is $300-350 USD per person per night (priced based on the number of nights).
- For two people planning to stay for 2 nights, the cost will be $1300 USD ($650 x 2).
Best place to stay on the lagoon if you want a private bathroom and shower
Both Baja Ecotours and Kuyima offer cabins, but you still have to step outside for toilets and showers.
Option 1: Antonio’s Ecotours Beach House: You need at least 4 guests (or pay for 4) to complete the booking.
Option 2: Pachico’s Ecotours Premium & Family cabins: for a few dollars more, these cabins offer private bathrooms & toilets and they are priced per person (see image below).
Price comparison between staying in town vs lagoon
Breakdown of 3 night stay for two people in town:
- $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 San Ignacio Town and pay under $100 USD per night for excellent places with kitchen, private bathroom/shower ($300 for 3 nights).
- A 3-night stay in town is needed to be able to drive early in the morning to the lagoon and experience two panga trips each day.
- 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 around $250 USD.
- The cost for the rental car gas will be around $100 USD.
- Drive every day x 2 days for the whale watching tours (twice per day) in the San Ignacio Lagoon ($70 per person) and pay $12 extra for the lunch (for two people $70 x 4 = $280 +$24 for lunch + $6 tip = $310) for a two day grand total of $620 ($310 per day x 2).
- The total cost for the entire trip will be around $2650 for two people with lots of daily driving.
Breakdown of a 2-night stay for two people at the lagoon
- If you choose the all-inclusive option from the lagoon described below, the 2-night stay will cost $1300 USD plus $1200 for the airfare and $350 for the rental car and gas (grand total of $2850). I would choose this option next time for an extra $200 without the stress of driving every day.
Conclusion
Since I did the self-driving option from San Ignacio town to the lagoon during the last trip, I was able to get a better idea of the all-inclusive cabins and their prices. For the next time I am planning to stay at one of the cabins with private bathroom and toilets to enjoy the fresh seafood and whale watching tours without the stress of driving on the dirt roads. The difference between both options is not very significant (see the calculations above) and you get to enjoy a personalized service from the tourism companies.