Gray whale watching at San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California, Mexico

Every year gray whales migrate more than 10,000 miles between their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic and the coastal lagoons of the southern Baja peninsula. Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California Sur, Mexico is one of 3 lagoons on the southwest coast of Baja that are the winter home of the gray whale. The whales use these protected, shallow, warm waters as calving nurseries.

San Ignacio is the only lagoon that remains undeveloped and pristine. Here the gray whales spend the months of December to April mating (quite the spectacle to behold), giving birth and feeding their young calves. San Ignacio Lagoon is within the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, designated a Biosphere Reserve / World Heritage Site by the Mexican government in 1988.

Whale watching with Baja Discovery

We hope to welcome you to the very best camp for watching gray whales in Baja California, Mexico. Location DOES matter!

Whale watching photo gallery!

Our Rocky Point (Punta Piedra) Camp is situated on a low bluff overlooking the observation area where all the action is, and offers incredible opportunities to view these gentle giants 24 hours a day.

Permitted by the Mexican government, our low-impact, sustainable “safari style" tent camp lies on a low shoreline bluff adjacent to the largest concentration of whales in San Ignacio Lagoon. You can actually watch the whales from your tent door!

Enjoy the whale's mysterious spy-hops and majestic breaches from shore, and venture out among them with our naturalist guides in the comfort of sturdy 22-foot Mexican fishing pangas, piloted by our experienced local boatmen.

In camp, you'll enjoy roomy sleeping tents and comfortable cots, "state-of-the art" bathroom facilities and solar showers. All meals, which include plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood, are served from our kitchen inside a large dining and activity tent.

In addition to whale-watching, this fragile and very special ecosystem offers many other sights and sounds..unspoiled shell-strewn beaches, waterfowl-rich estuaries, fossil-laden shores, spectacular birdwatching and night skies filled with stars.

For THE quality whale watch experience... Join us!

See videos by our guests!

When not on the water, enjoy spyhopping, breaching and basking whales right outside your tent door! Our five-day program offers a charter flight to and from San Ignacio. For the quality whale-watch experience...join us!

Read what our guests have said...

Itinerary for 5-day whale watching trip

Day 1: SAN DIEGO--SAN IGNACIO We will meet you at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, located in San Diego's Old Town for an 8:00 AM departure. We will transfer across the border in our comfortable motor coach for a short drive to the Tijuana Airport. Your private charter flight will depart at about 1:00 PM and arrive in San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico, in time for a short excursion of the inner lagoon area, before boarding the boats for the 20-minute ride to our base camp on Rocky Point. Following camp orientation, relax and watch the whales bask offshore. Then enjoy your first camp dinner and hopefully one of those perfect lagoon sunsets.

Days 2, 3, & 4: WHALE-WATCHING CAMP You have now joined the gray whales at their winter calving and mating grounds. Our boats await each day, just steps from our camp, to take you out among the whales, which are often just offshore. We'll explore the various and unique lagoon ecosystems... a striking stage for the spectacle of whale-watching. While on the point, walk the shoreline and beaches... tidepool... photograph the birdlife… kayak in the mangroves… or just sit back and absorb the ancient unbroken rhythms of the lagoon and its splendid wildlife. After watching the sunsets fill the lagoon with colors...enjoy good food, camp comforts, and amiable conversation. Natural history discussions and programs, led by our naturalists, are also a part of each day. Starry nights invite sleep to the sound of whales...a sound you'll never forget.

Day 5: WHALE-WATCHING CAMP--SAN DIEGO After a hearty camp breakfast and a final walk and farewell to the whales, we'll board the boats and travel back to the inner lagoon, for the mid-morning charter flight to Tijuana. We will then transfer across the border by bus and return to the hotel mid- to late-afternoon.

Features Included: bus transfer between San Diego and Tijuana; roundtrip charter air between Tijuana and San Ignacio; all Baja ground transportation and transfers; all boating excursions; four nights accommodations at our tent Whale Camp; all meals and beverages at Whale Camp (11); lunches enroute (2); all Mexican taxes, fees and permits [Vizcaino Biosphere fee (“Conservation Passport”), Mexico tourist card, airport taxes]; experienced Baja hosts and guides; small groups to assure personalized experience.

Features not Included: tips to camp staff, personal items, trip / travel insurance, hotel in San Diego.

2020 Baja whale watching trip schedule

5-day whale watch programs in 2020:


February 6—10 - sold out (waitlist available)
February 10—14 - OPEN
February 14–18 - sold out (waitlist available)
February 18—22 - OPEN
February 22—26 - sold out (waitlist available)
February 26—March 1 – sold out (private group)
March 1–5 - sold out (waitlist available)
March 5—9 - sold out (waitlist available)
March 9—13 - sold out (waitlist available)
March 13—17 - sold out (private group)
March 17—21 - OPEN
March 21–25 - sold out (private group)
March 25—29 - OPEN
March 29—April 2 - OPEN
April 2–6 - OPEN

(List updated 21 Jan 2020)

Cost 5-day whale watching trip

COST: $3,320 per person double occupancy ($3,250 discount price for check or cash)

Single supplement: $150

NOTE: $500 deposit required with booking.

Additional departure and trip information will be made available upon receipt of deposit.

Itineraries and price subject to change.


Call us for more information.

Home | About us | Whale watching | Custom trips | News | Sitemap