4-Night Stay on Magdalena Island
Witness the Friendly Gray Whale
See whales, dolphins and other pelagic creatures!
Magdalena Bay is one of the few places on earth where the gray whales feel safe to get close to boats and sometimes even interact with humans.
We will boat our way to the entrance of the bay where we will watch gray whales -Eschrichtius robustus-, during their mating rituals. Magbay is an important place for gray whale reproduction and one of their main feeding grounds.
For inquiries, please contact magbayexpedition@gmail.com
Highlights
Spot gray whales in their breeding grounds
Surrounded by whales and wildlife
Learn about whales biology, behavior, and even their feelings!
You will have encounters not only with gray whales, the ocean encounter will be a plus for the sightings and you may see other pelagic creatures!
Trip details
Trip Details
Departure time
Arranged upon booking
Meeting point
Pick up from your accommodation in Los Cabos, Todos Santos, or La Paz
Availability
January 31st – February 4th 2023 – SOLD OUT
Duration
5 days, 4 nights
Group size
8 ppl expedition
Participation requirements
- Must be 18 years or older
- Previous snorkeling experience
- Insurance (mandatory, to get yours visit: https://dan.org/)
- Each participant will be required to fill out a waiver before the expedition, the waiver can be found here.
Included
- Round trip transportation Cabo San Lucas – Puerto San Carlos
- Round trip transportation Puerto San Carlos – Magdalena Island
- 2 Half Day Gray Whale expeditions
- 1 Ocean encounter
- Half Day of mangroves and sand dunes
- Half Day of hiking or beach walk
- 4-night accommodation at Tavo’s House (link to Tavos House)
- Pictures and videos of the experience
- Lead weights
- 4 Breakfasts
- 4 Dinners
- 5 Box lunches
- Masks, snorkels and fins
* All the meals will be served at Chejo’s Restaurant in the island.
Not included
- Freediving equipment: dive/wetsuits (Full equipment upon request, $30 USD per day)
- Personal expenses
- Flights
- Tips
What to bring
Wetsuit (3-5mm highly recommended, available for rent upon request)
Mask, fins, snorkel (we will provide with basic gear)
Comfortable walking shoes
- Passport or INE
- Proof of dive and travel insurance ( we recommend World Nomads for travel insurance and DAN for dive insurance)
- Sunblock SPF 30+ (reef-friendly is mandatory)
- Spending money for personal expenses
- Insect repellent
- Hat, buff, and polarized sunglasses
- Layers of clothes (for the Pacific breeze)
- Rain jacket
- Bathing suit
- Dry bag
- Beach towel
- T-shirts and shorts
- Sweatshirt and long pants
- Warm, waterproof jacket
- Sandals or shoes that can get wet
- A canteen or water bottle
- Any special foods or medications (seasickness tablets, waterproof bandaids for fin sores, electrolytes)
About your guide
- Magbay guides and staff
Overview
During your 4-night stay at the island with us, you will have plenty of opportunities to see whales up close, being able to differentiate gray whales from one another and learn about their biology, behavior, and even their feelings!
Besides, you will have opportunity to encounter dolphins, other species of whales, mobulas or whatever the ocean delivers!
You will even have the opportunity to get to the sand dunes after crossing a path of mangroves; getting there will make you feel in another world.
Arrival day – Arrive one day before the first day of your expedition to be prepared to arrive at the meeting point (Expenses not included)
Day 1 of the expedition – Drive to Magdalena Bay. We will have a lunchbox in the car, then arrive to Magdalena Bay to have dinner at the local restaurant. We will do introductions, and a briefing on what to expect for the coming days.
Day 2 & 3 of the expedition – 2 days of ACTION! 7:30 am breakfast will be served. Everyone will be on the boat by 8:30 am to get an early jump on the search of Grey Whales. (We will be one of the only groups staying on the island giving us an advantage over every boat on the area).
After a full day of action and adventures, we will be back around 2:30 pm to take a break while we have some food.
The other half of the day (Day 2) we will have the opportunity to explore the hidden spots of Magdalena Bay, visit the unique sand dunes, cruise through the mangroves, look for some eagles and hopefully encounter the elusive wild coyotes of Magdalena Island.
For the evening of Day 3 we are going to enjoy a hiking at the island to the Pacific Ocean or a beach walk, depending the group conditions.
Day 4 – We will go out early morning to do an ocean safari and look for dolphins, mobulas, sea lions, any kind of whales and more! We will have a final get together to celebrate the experience, share photos, and have a farewell drink.
Last day – We will head back to San José del Cabo at 9:00 am to be back in the afternoon around 4:00 pm (San José del Cabo Time Zone)
** The order of the days might change, it depends on different conditions like weather.
Good to know
- You’ll be at Magdalena Island and there are no ATMs, pharmacies, stores, etc. so come prepared.
- Tavo’s house (where you’re going to stay) has a wifi connection.
- Magdalena Island is a beautiful place, full of wildlife so we recommend you take your camera to save all those memories.
