Baja Sea of Cortez Kayaking Tour & Magdalena Bay Whale Watching Combo, Mexico

Go eye-to-eye with gray whales in a calving lagoon on Baja's Pacific coast and then cross the Baja Peninsula to paddle a kayak alongside dolphins and blue whales in the clear waters of the Sea of Cortez.  Our Sea of Cortez Kayaking and Magdalena Bay Whale Watching Combo tours lets participants get close to whales, explore desert islands by sea kayak and snorkel along isolated coves in warm, turquoise waters.

Magdalena Bay is sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by a barrier of desert islands. The sandy barrier islands protect the lagoons from oceanic currents, creating a fascinating environment of twisting mangrove-lined estuaries, chaotic sand dunes and blooming desert plants. January through March, hundreds of gray whales mate and bear their young in these protected waters after traveling over 5000 miles from the Bering Strait. 

You can watch gray whales and their newly born calves up close from the safety of motorized skiffs in the deeper parts of the bay, where friendly whales swim up to the skiffs for a head rub!  Breaching, spy-hopping and fluking, the whales will captivate your attention with their behavior and we guarantee whale sightings.

You have the option of either a one-day whale watching excursion  from a motorboat or staying three days at our exclusive whale camp located at a remote beach on a barrier island in the heart of gray whale activity.  In addition to whales, the lagoon is home to dolphins, sea lions, pelicans, and thousands of shorebirds. Your guides will introduce you to the desert plants, birds and other wildlife of Mag Bay on our Baja whale watching tour.

Then head back over to Loreto for three- to five-days of Baja sea kayaking and camping on remote islands in Loreto Bay National Marine Park, where the surrounding water is a sanctuary for blue-footed boobies, fin and blue whales, dolphins and sea lions.  The Sea of Cortez is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers the perfect blend of Baja kayaking, hiking and snorkeling. Abundant wildlife, massive whales, sunny weather and warm, crystalline waters make the Sea of Cortez in Loreto Bay National Marine Park one of the best winter adventure destinations in North America and Mexico.

With each of these tours, your first and last nights will be hotel-based in Loreto with an extra hotel night between kayaking and whale watching.  All activities are led by naturalist guides, who dish out tasty chile relleno and margaritas in tented beach camps at days end.  You'll bring home a lifetime of memories.

Click here to read an article about this trip.  Click here to view a video of kayaking in the Sea of Cortez and whale watching in Magdalena Bay.  Click here to view a video of a close encounter with a mother gray whale and calf. Click here to view a slide show of kayaking in the Sea of Cortez.  Click here to view a slide show of whale watching in Magdalena Bay.

In February 2009 while most of the US was freezing, we were enjoying a sea kayaking and whale watching adventure complete with warm breezes, desert scenery, crystal clear waters, whales, hiking, snorkeling, a heaven full of stars, great food, private campsites, competent guides and new friends. SKA’s Sea of Cortez/Mag Bay Combo delivered it all. From the minute we landed in Loreto until the final farewell dinner the adventure exceeded ALL our expectations. SKA offered the BEST vacation ever.
Ben and Karen Little - Sea of Cortez/Mag Bay Combo

This kayak tour begins and ends in Loreto, Baja. Loreto is easily accessed via a direct flight from Los Angeles, or through other transportation methods on the peninsula.

A complete guide to traveling to Loreto may be found here [.pdf download]

Please call our office at 1-800-616-1943 or 1-208-765-3116 if you have any questions about flights or travel, as we have decades of experience in ensuring our guests have smooth transit to their destinations.  We cannot book flights for you, but a recommendation for a travel agent is located in the guide above.

Please review our FAQ section for general questions and details about our Baja kayak tours. See below for specific questions relating to this particular tour.

When is the best time to go & see whales?
Our Combo tours are offered late January through mid-March, when the gray whales are present in Magdalena Bay to calve. We GUARANTEE gray whale sightings on our combo tours! This time of year in Baja can have cooler days (75-80*F/23-27*C) and a chance of wind, with temperatures rising in late February and March. As an added bonus to spring trips, the islands of Loreto National Marine Park, located in the Sea of Cortez (where you will kayak), are home for 6 different species of whales including Blue, Fin, Sei, Humpback, Bryde's and Pilot whales. They swim up into the Sea of Cortez from late January through April. There are few other places that harbor such a concentration and diversity of whales.

Eight-Day, Ten-Day, and 3x3 Combo Itineraries Below

Eight-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival date. You'll be greeted at the Loreto airport by our ground service and transported to the tour hotel. Check into pre-assigned rooms (included in trip cost). Pre-trip meeting at the hotel later in evening.

Day 2: Please eat breakfast and be packed by the meeting time.  We'll board a van and drive to the put-in site.  After loading the boats, we'll teach you the basics of paddling and thoroughly review safety procedures.  We won't leave shore until all participants feel comfortable in the boats.  Kayak to our first night's campsite. We’ll be making 50-minute, 2 to 3-mile crossings to the off-shore islands of Carmen and Danzante in Loreto Bay National Marine Park.

Day 3-5: Our days begin with spectacular sunrises and end with delightfully cool evenings enjoying sunsets, stars, moonrise, and even bioluminescence.  We'll spend our time paddling and exploring the scenic cliffs and coves of Danzante and Carmen.  We'll be camping on sandy beaches allowing for superb snorkeling, swimming, tide pooling, and strolling.  During the trip there will be three or four different camps on the islands with one or two layover days (ie we paddle out and back from the same camp).  We’ll generally paddle 4 hours per day (with breaks).  We'll sleep in comfortable and roomy dome tents, although with Baja's lack of insects you may be tempted to sleep out under the stars.  Several campsites have a desert arroyo hike which will give us spectacular views as well as a great opportunity to explore some of the desert flora unique to Baja.

Day 6: After a final breakfast, we break camp and paddle to our take-out site around 2 PM.  At the take-out, we unpack and proceed to our hotel in Loreto to (ah showers!) clean up.  In the evening we go to a favorite local restaurant for a fun dinner (no-host; ie not included in trip price).  Here we toast our new found kayaking skills and friends.

Day 7: Whale-watching day excursion to Magdalena Bay on the Baja California peninsula's west coast - wintering grounds of the California gray whale.  Seafood lunch is included.  Dinner is on your own. PLEASE NOTE that sometimes, this day tour may be switched to Day 2 of the combo trip.

Day 8: You are on your own for transportation to the airport for your flight homeward. You can use C&C English-speaking, air conditioned van transport for $8 each, or taxis (Spanish-speaking) are easily found, approximately $5-6/person; BUT depart for the airport no later than 2 hours before flight.

* Note on Itinerary: We will do our best to adhere to the schedule listed above. However, the itinerary may change due to reasons beyond our control such as wind, waves or inclement weather.

Ten-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival date. You'll be greeted at the Loreto airport by our ground service and transported to the tour hotel. Check into pre-assigned rooms (included in trip cost). Pre-trip meeting at the hotel later in evening.

Day 2: Please eat breakfast and be packed by the meeting time.  We'll board a van and drive to the put-in site.  After loading the boats, we'll teach you the basics of paddling and thoroughly review safety procedures.  We won't leave shore until all participants feel comfortable in the boats.  Kayak to our first night's campsite. We’ll be making 50-minute, 2 to 3-mile crossings to the off-shore islands of Carmen and Danzante in Loreto Bay National Marine Park.

Day 3-5: Our days begin with spectacular sunrises and end with delightfully cool evenings enjoying sunsets, stars, moonrise, and even bioluminescence.  We'll spend our time paddling and exploring the scenic cliffs and coves of Danzante and Carmen.  We'll be camping on sandy beaches allowing for superb snorkeling, swimming, tide pooling, and strolling.  During the trip there will be three or four different camps on the islands with one or two layover days (ie we paddle out and back from the same camp).  We’ll generally paddle 4 hours per day (with breaks).  We'll sleep in comfortable and roomy dome tents, although with Baja's lack of insects you may be tempted to sleep out under the stars.  Several campsites have a desert arroyo hike which will give us spectacular views as well as a great opportunity to explore some of the desert flora unique to Baja.

Day 6: After a final breakfast, we break camp and paddle to our take-out site around 2 PM.  At the take-out, we unpack and proceed to our hotel in Loreto to (ah showers!) clean up.  In the evening we go to a favorite local restaurant for a fun dinner (no-host; ie not included in trip price).  Here we toast our new found kayaking skills and friends.  Hotel included.

Day 7-9: We head to Magdalena Bay on the Baja California peninsula's west coast - wintering grounds of the California gray whale for two nights camping and three days of whale watching.  Meals, camping gear and daily skiff whale watching sessions, marine biologist guides included.  Day 9 hotel included; dinner is on your own.  PLEASE NOTE that sometimes, the gray whale tour may preceed the Sea of Cortez portion.

Day 10: You are on your own for transportation to the airport for your flight homeward. You can use C&C English-speaking, air conditioned van transport for $8 each, or taxis (Spanish-speaking) are easily found, approximately $5-6/person; BUT depart for the airport no later than 2 hours before flight.

* Note on Itinerary: We will do our best to adhere to the schedule listed above. However, the itinerary may change due to reasons beyond our control such as wind, waves or inclement weather.

3x3 Whale-Watching/Kayaking Combo Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival date. You'll be greeted at the Loreto airport by our ground service and transported to the tour hotel. Check into pre-assigned rooms (included in trip cost). Pre-trip meeting at the hotel later in evening.

Day 2: Breakfast on your own. Pack and meet promptly to board a van and drive to the kayak put-in site. After loading the boats, we'll teach you the basics of paddling and thoroughly review safety procedures.  We won't leave shore until all participants feel comfortable in the boats.  Kayak to our first night's campsite. We’ll be making 50-minute, 2 to 3-mile crossings to the off-shore islands of Carmen and Danzante in Loreto Bay National Park (also a unique UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Day 3: Our day begins with spectacular sunrise and ends with delightfully cool evening enjoying sunsets, stars, moonrise, and even bioluminescence.  We'll spend our time paddling and exploring the scenic cliffs and coves of Danzante and Carmen.  We'll be camping on sandy beaches allowing for superb snorkeling, swimming, tide pooling, and strolling.  During the trip there will be one or two different camps on the islands.  We’ll generally paddle 4 hours per day (broken up by lunch stop).  We'll sleep in comfortable and roomy dome tents, although with Baja's lack of insects you may be tempted to sleep out under the stars.  Several campsites have a desert arroyo hike which will give us spectacular views as well as a great opportunity to explore some of the desert flora unique to Baja.

Day 4: After a final breakfast, we break camp and paddle to our take-out site around 2 PM.  At the take-out, we unpack and proceed to our hotel in Loreto to (ah showers!) clean up.  In the evening we go to a favorite local restaurant for a fun dinner (no-host; ie not included in trip price).  Here we toast our new found kayaking skills and friends, and meet our Gray Whales of Magdalena Bay tour guides.

Day 5: Please eat breakfast and be packed by the meeting time.  We'll board a van and drive 2 hours west to Puerto Lopez Mateos in Magdalena Bay and board skiffs for whale watching and transport to our exclusive beach base camp in heart of typical whale congregation.  This is the furthest south of the three lagoons which are the wintering/calving grounds of the California gray whale.  Beach combing, dune exploration and swimming are also activities that can be enjoyed at camp while your naturalist guides whip up fantastic meals and describe the life cycle of the gray whale.

Day 6: Please be prompt for the morning skiff whale watching session, as it is strictly a 2 hour session.  The afternoon we do a long hike over dunes along the Pacific Coast. Or you can elect to buy additional boat time (the boat costs $200 for 2 hours, from 1-6 guests for that same price).  Another sumptuous dinner, amazing stargazing and listening for whales breathing caps off an exquisite day.

Day 7: Another 2-hour whale watching session provided, plus return by boat to our waiting van for transport back to Loreto for a fond farewell no-host dinner and cozy hotel night.  PLEASE NOTE that sometimes, we visit Magdalena Bay before the kayaking portion.

Day 8: Departure date. Say good-bye to lovely Loreto and head back to the airport to fly home, or Sea Kayak Adventures can arrange to extend your vacation at the tour hotel in this charming village (at our preferred rates). Day tour and add-on options available.