Sea Turtle Monitoring and Kayaking Expedition, Mexico

Save Sea Turtles on a Baja adventure. By choosing RED Sustainable Travel and Sea Kayak Adventures, you will not only be participating in vital conservation work, you will also be supporting the growth and development of local businesses that are based on environmental sustainability and stewardship, an important step towards guaranteeing the long term conservation of the region's natural resources.

You will spend the first part of the trip kayaking and camping on remote islands in Loreto Bay National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Highlights include paddling below towering cliffs, snorkeling reefs teeming with marine life, and hiking desert arroyos.  The last days are spent camping on a remote island in beautiful Magdalena Bay where you will participate in hands-on sea turtle research with members of Grupo Tortugero and the Magdalena Bay Waterkeeper.

Recognized around the world as a model for community-based sea turtle conservation, the Grupo Tortuguero's Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtle Monitoring Program has helped to turn the tide for this once critically endangered species.

Grab a pair of waders and boots and climb aboard the panga to help monitor green turtle populations with local fishermen. From your island base in our tent camp, you will collect data and release turtles - maybe you'll get to name one! In your down time, tour the dunes and mangrove canals by panga to view migratory and local bird species, or visit with local fishermen to learn traditional fishing techniques.

About RED Sustainable Travel

RED Sustainable Travel is a network of community-based tour operators dedicated to providing world class conservation adventures along the Baja California peninsula. RED has over 15 years of conservation work in coastal communities offering travelers unique experiences which link conservation and local culture to unique ecotourism experiences.

RED builds capacity in local communities to create and operate sustainable tourism businesses along the Baja California Peninsula through:

• Helping to incubate and launch small community businesses focused on sustainable tourism.

• Training guides and crew in English, natural history, wilderness first aid, campsite cuisine, and trip management, to ensure world class service.

• Providing sales and marketing support to the network

• Providing ongoing monitoring and evaluation of sustainable business and conservation practices, RED accompanies small community businesses and service providers throughout this process to help them reach their full potential, and to ensure that the economic benefits stay in the local communities with a long term vision.

Baja Sea Turtle photo by Elizabeth Moreno.

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.

What do I need to know about this trip?
This is a new trip and it will not be 100% operated by Sea Kayak Adventures. The first part of the trip is our standard Sea of Cortez kayaking trip and operated by us.  The second half of the trip is part of an eco-tourism and sea turtle monitoring program operated by RED Sustainable Tourism - a network of community-based tour operators providing world-class conservation adventures. A SKA guide will be present during the whole trip. Supporting and participating in this trip means more than just traveling: You will be participating in community-based conservation and sea turtle scientific research project. This is a very unique opportunity for those who are flexible and enjoy volunteer activities.

What skills do I need to enjoy this trip?
You need to have a sense of adventure and a willingness to be part of a new community and conservation trip. Be open and willing to support this initiative and actively participate in it. The sea turtle monitoring takes place 24 hours a day during the second half of the trip and your participation is voluntary.

Eight-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Loreto by air.  At the Loreto airport, you'll be greeted by our ground service and transported to our hotel in Loreto.  Check into pre-assigned rooms (included in trip cost).  You're on your own for sightseeing or shopping until eve pre-trip meeting (6 or 8 pm) in the hotel lobby, where we'll answer questions and let you know the meeting time for the next day.  Dinner is on your own.

Day 2: Loreto Bay National Marine Park. In the morning we'll meet after breakfast then you'll board our van and ride to the launch site. We'll teach you the basics of paddling and thoroughly review safety setting out procedures before launching kayaks. Paddle to our first night's campsite on Isla Danzante.

Day 3: Isla Danzante, Loreto Bay National Marine Park. Our day begins with a spectacular sunrise as guides serve fresh-brewed coffee. We'll spend the day exploring the waters surrounding Isla Danzante by kayak, allowing plenty of time to snorkel, hike, swim or relax with a good book. Evenings find us feasting on delicious fresh food and enjoying margaritas as the sun sets over the Sea of Cortez.

Day 4: Return to Loreto. After breakfast, we break camp and paddle to our favorite snorkel spot to savor the last moments of this incredible getaway.  We return to Loreto after lunch and check into the hotel.

Day 5: Loreto to Magdalena Bay Turtle Monitoring. After breakfast, travel across the peninsula to the fishing village of Puerto San Carlos on Magdalena Bay, and make a brief stop by the Magdalena Baykeeper office, the local conservation group working to protect the area’s green turtles, for an orientation to the research they are conducting.  Head out by panga to Conchalito, a tiny shell island that will serve as your campsite, as well as the sea turtle monitoring base for the next 3 days. Enjoy lunch as you are introduced to your guides and afterwards, settle into camp. In the afternoon, you will receive an orientation to hands-on sea turtle monitoring with Grupo Tortuguero.

Put your marine biologist hat on, because now is your chance to accompany the team on the water to capture and collect data on foraging sea turtles before releasing them back into the wild. The monitoring teams will work through the night, with rotations, checking the nets every two hours, but you can participate as much as you like; they can always use a helping hand, or enjoy a complete night's rest. The time is yours.

Day 6:  Isla Conchalito, Magdalena Bay. Monitoring continues with checking the nets. Enjoy an early coffee and take in the birds, marine mammals and other natural wonders that surround your island. Or, sleep in until breakfast and then grab your clipboard and head down to the beach to measure and weigh the captured sea turtles. This data provides vital information to sea turtle biologists who study the health and growth rates of these creatures, as well as their movement throughout the region. After lunch, we leave on the boats for a trip to the sand dunes of Santa Maria Bay to explore by foot its deserted beaches and dunes before returning to camp as the sun sets.

Day 7:  Magdalena Bay to Loreto. Enjoy an early breakfast before heading out in the pangas to visit with local fishermen to see what they are catching and learn about local/traditional fishing techniques. Continue on and navigate through narrow mangrove canals to arrive back at Puerto San Carlos. Meet your taxi driver at the Baykeeper office before heading back to Loreto for a free afternoon shopping or exploring the town.  Overnight at hotel in Loreto.

Day 8:  Departure Day. Return home with wonderful memories of kayaking in the Sea of Cortez and of helping save endangered sea turtles. 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.