Sea of Cortez Snorkeling Safari + Gray Whales

La Paz, Mexico

GE
191 reviews
Mar 10 - 17, 2020
Group size: 6 - 10
Sea of Cortez Snorkeling Safari + Gray Whales
La Paz, Mexico

191 reviews

Mar 10 - 17, 2020
Group size: 6 - 10

About this trip

Join us on an epic adventure that is close to home in La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico. This snorkeling safari and wildlife adventure is the perfect combination of R&R and guided activities. You will snorkel with sea lions, whale sharks and have amazing up-close encounters with gray whales in Magdalena Bay. 


Spend four unforgettable nights glamping on Ensenada Grande beach — a billion-star resort, of which The Travel Magazine has dubbed as “absurdly beautiful” and swimming in its water is like “swimming in a bottle of Curacao.” Far from roughing it, think if the camp as a tent resort. Enjoy chef-prepared meals with fresh ingredients brought in daily, a variety of beverages, and the support of a full crew.


From our camp on Ensenada Bay, we have quick access to the best of Espiritu Santo Island.  Each day is filled with fun outdoor adventures including snorkeling with sea lions at Los Islotes, hiking through pristine desert, and sea kayaking along towering volcanic arches.  On our way back to La Paz, we stop in the Bay of La Paz to get gill-to-snorkel with the largest fish in the world, - the whale shark!


Have you ever looked a whale in the eye? One night and two days will be spent in Puerto Lopez Mateos,  gateway to Magdalena Bay. We will meet Gray Whales up-close and personal. Baby gray whales are like puppies. They come right up to the boat to check you out. 


Trip Highlights:

  • Learn to snorkel & free-dive in a place Jacque Cousteau named, “The Word’s Aquarium.”
  • Glamp on one of the world’s most beautiful bays – it’s not roughing it at all.
  • Guided snorkeling trips in small groups to explore coral reefs, rocky reefs, and sandy bays.
  • Sea kayak along volcanic rocks, sea caves, and arches to get up close to shore birds and sea lions.
  • Spend a day having close encounters with Gray whales at Magdalena Bay.
  • Plunge in and play with 400 wild and friendly sea lions.
  • Taste tequila! This tequila talk will introduce you to different types of tequila and the tequila making process.
  • Informal evening presentations about ecology and conservation.
  • Snorkel with whale sharks!! These gentle giants are the largest fish on Earth. 

 Open to men and women ages 18+.  All skill levels welcome. No experience necessary.   


If you can swim, you can do any activity on this adventure. We’ll help you become comfortable with snorkeling and kayaking through personalized instruction, proper gear fitting and education about the surrounding environment so you can focus on taking in the sites, soaking up the experience, and capturing your moments with photos and videos. – Your friends will not believe your pictures.

To Reserve your space

 A non-refundable $695 deposit per person is due to reserve your space.  This trip has reached critical mass and  is confirmed.

Cancellation Policy

All cancellation requests need to be sent in writing; emails can be sent to contact@greenedventures.com 


All payments are non-refundable. Your deposit is a commitment to signing up for this trip. Subsequent payments are used to help Green Edventures reserve lodging, guides, activities, and other aspects of your trip long in advance of the tour date.


If a registered participant misses 2 or more consecutive installments, this will be considered an automatic withdrawal from the trip, and her spot on the trip will be cancelled without refund.

Other considerations

 Please note: The activities, lodging, guides, and schedule may change without notice as practical considerations arise during program development or onsite. 

What’s included

  • All scheduled activities
    Including snorkeling, kayaking, hikes, and gray whale watching trip.
  • 7 nights of lodging.
    combo 3 star & 2 star hotels plus 4 nights glamping.
  • Group ground transport
    from San Jose del Cab Airport (SJD)
  • Meals
  • Onsite Support
    Provided by a Green Edventures Program Manager

What’s not included

  • Personal spending money
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Gratuity
    $170 per person
  • Special Travel
  • Airfare to Los Cabos Air
  • Optional SCUBA diving

Available Packages

Trip Price
$2,495
Deposit:$695

Itinerary

Day 1:
Welcome to La Paz, Gateway to the Sea of the Cortez

Flights arrive to San Jose del Cabo which is the airport that services Cabo San Lucas. Participants are transported via 15-passenger air conditioned vans to La Paz. Trip duration is about 3 hours with a stop halfway for bathrooms. Overnight at Hyatt Place, La Paz. Dinner in La Paz.

Your Organizer


GE
Green Edventures Ecotours & Expeditions
191 reviews
Fun, active, and educational nature-based group eco-adventures for people to connect with wild places and animals in extraordinary environments. Specializing in women's adventure travel groups, and teacher-led student groups. Inquire about custom and co-ed trips.

Reviews

Overall, this trip is great. Tracey is outstanding. Americo and Guido are incredible. We couldn't have had three better people. Smart, caring, attendant, engaged, and funny. Killa Travel: Super treatment. Change needed for departures: Travelers should not be dropped at CUS more than two hours before domestic flights. You cannot check in until two hours before, and toilets are the only amenities offered. Sitting physically outside of the airport for hours (chair outside) with no access to food or WIFI (safety) was tricky. Killa would know the two-hour limit; whereas, travelers would not. Yes, we could have taken a taxi somewhere, but we would have had no idea of a destination, so we couldn't really leave. Consequently, other than a couple of mini protein bars, I had nothing to eat after breakfast until 15.30 - and that was a only a protein drink only because the Cusco airport only has candy, coffee, and snacks. The first proper meal Melanie and I had was 12 hours after breakfast at at the Lima - far too long for anyone to go without access to non-trail/junk food. Recommendation: Killa could/should return us to their offices from the Ollantaytambo ride, say "shop/eat lunch/whatever till X time, return to the office, and we will put you in a taxi to the airport." ***The point is not to "strand" folks at the airport before they can go through security at the two-hr mark.*** Food: We wasted a lot of the sack lunches/breakfasts packed for us either because it was just too much food for us or we were (varyingly) too ill to eat. I hated throwing out food. I do not know what the recommendation should be; I just hate throwing out food. Shaman day: On the one hand, I loved this day. On the other hand, I would have preferred it to be about two hours shorter (the shaman part, not the lunch part). We had a lot of down time where we didn't know what he was doing and were simply sitting around chatting (albeit we were in a gorgeous spot to be sitting around). That mountain lunch was one of my fav experiences. Cusco: I would like to have had more time in Cusco beyond the evenings when we were exhausted. If nothing else, a city tour by Guido before we headed to wherever. I would love to have gone to the Machu Picchu museum and the chocolate museum. , but we didn't learn much about the city itself except in bits and bobs. Granted, had I not been so sick upon arrival, perhaps I could have done some of that on my own. But, the itinerary could/should mention that to do on your own, so we could plan. On the Zoom call, Tracey and Tara really discouraged us from doing anything on the days we first arrived, though, so it is a bit tricky. I just know I would like to have seen/known about a bit more of Cusco. (Then again, maybe we did see everything worth seeing? I don't know.) Salt mine: LOVED this stop. Loved the two history/heritage days. Machu Picchu: 1. Don't give us an option for when to get the bus to the entrance (do it at 7/7.30/8am, painful as it is). 2. Book the latest train possible back to Ollantaytambo. Because we had to wait so long for the bus and because of our train time, we were at a slow sprint thru the ruins. Since I had to opt out of the Inca Trail hike and since we lost so much time because of the bus line, I feel I missed out on the whole point of my trip because I spent fewer than 2 hours at MP. I still loved it, but I am disappointed that I did not get to just stand and be quiet and let it all sink in for a nice chunk of time. Granted, the trail part is my own problem from being sick, but an earlier bus might have meant fewer people/less time in line and more time inside the park. Rainbow mountain day: Tracey and I talked about this, and no easy answer exists. That 8+ hours in the van is *tough* and makes a hard day harder. Maybe an upgraded (fancier/cushiony-er) van for that day (if such a thing exists in Cusco)? Aguas Calientes: The butterfly garden was super. You don't need much time there (an hour?). The baths, not so much. I would skip. It was really, really crowded when we visited and not the relaxing hot spring experience your N American customers might be used to. You cannot take a hotel towel, and the spa does not provide them. You rent them for 5 soles at several stalls right at the entrance to the baths. It wasn't a bad time, but before you go with another group, I would check it out yourself. You 100% need someone to sit with people's belongings while others are in the baths. The lockers were full, and it would not be worth assuming you'd have any available should you return. The baths had a bar on the second floor. It looked entertaining, but we did not go up to it. As we left, a load of school kids came in. That right there would turn me off. I wish we had got to do the waterfall hike, but it rained. Tracey took such good care of me - of all of us. She is fantastic. Other trips I have been on I can guarantee that I would not have been helped so much with feeling rotten. I cannot thank her enough. I will say to Tara what I said to Nyra about Guido and Americo: Pay Tracey whatever she asks for!
By Kristi N for Peru 2024: Women's Machu Picchu Inca Trail + Optional Lares Trek on Oct 10, 2024
Wonderful trip! As always Green Edventures has gone above and beyond to provide a once in a lifetime trip. Great guides, great leader, great experiences. I travelled solo but definitely not alone on this adventure and they made it very easy to do so.
By Melanie T for Peru 2024: Women's Machu Picchu Inca Trail + Optional Lares Trek on Oct 06, 2024
Five stars are not enough to rate this trip. The planning was perfect, the details spot-on. The local guide was knowledgeable and warm. She invited us into her home and life, even making us a traditional local meal in her kitchen. The addition of a local designer who is also a poet/philosopher added another dimension of local connection. This is a first-rate trip for anyone interested in learning about Iceland and the country’s history and current connection to textiles. This is not an adventure trip, but the trip is a fantastic adventure.
By Mary Ellen K for Iceland 2024: Magic Yarn Knitting & Northern Lights on Sep 19, 2024
Quality trip full of learning, adventure and creativity. The lodging, food and our guides were top notch. This trip is highly unique in that local flavor was the focus: tour guide and designer traveling with our group of amazing ladies, artisans and crafters from an Icelandic area most tourists don't roam and community sheep roundup. Priceless!
By Jana S for Iceland 2024: Magic Yarn Knitting & Northern Lights on Sep 18, 2024
CR
It was a sensational trip with 15 strong, capable and soul-searching women! Phenomenal outdoor experience in pristine wilderness that challenges your senses and creates an ethereal experience and bond with nature and great people. Highly recommend!
By Cyndi R for Idaho 2024: Main Salmon River Women’s River Rafting Trip on Sep 09, 2024
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References

I went on an amazing trip with Tara to Baja, Mexico in 2020. This was a dream trip for me being a wildlife lover. It was incredible to be able to swim with whale sharks and sea lions and get up close with gray whales. Camping on the beach was amazing. We had a great group of women and everyone vibed well and all of the tour guides including Tara, Alex and Chabello were so fun, friendly and helpful every step of the way. The food was great at the campsite and at the restaurants we got to try. When our trip plans initially got derailed waiting on a negative Covid test and we had to get a different flight, Tara did everything in her power to accommodate us and make sure we got to enjoy every part of the trip, including setting us up with another whale shark swimming tour after we had missed the initial one with the group, and she spent time waiting for us to finish before leaving for the airport. I definitely recommend Green Edventures, especially the Baja Mexico trip!
By Katie M on 14 Feb, 2022
I just returned from the Wisconsin Women's Tour and couldn't have asked for a better trip! For me, the amount and type of activity were perfect. Who know there was so much to discover practically in my own backyard?
By Cynthia Casey W on 22 Oct, 2020