• Duration: 9 days (arrival and departure day included)
• Intensity: Beginner-Intermediate
• Paddling time: Approximately 2-4 hours a day with longer days possible.
• Trip Style: Choice of Fully Catered and Co-operatively Catered.
• Season: January and February
• Minimum age: Age 12 (6 on Fully Catered)
• Wildlife: Californian Sea-lions, Gray whales (seasonal), Whale Sharks, turtles, dolphins, Pelicans, Ibis, Herons and Egrets.
• Includes: Certified, bi-lingual naturalist guide(s). Singles and/or double kayaks, all kayaking gear, camping equipment, transportation to and from your La Paz hotel to Magdalena Bay.One session swimming with whale-sharks and another session snorkeling with sea-lion pups together with snorkel kit and shorty wet suit. Whale-watching trip by motor skiff (3 hours). All food and beverages during expedition including, happy hour and wine with evening meal. 4 hotel nights and 4 nights camping on sand dunes. Farewell Dinner in La Paz restaurant.
• Does not include:Airport taxi transfer and flights.
• Available for rent: Sleeping bags.

This is an exceptional adventure that encompasses some of the great wonders in the Sea of Cortes followed by a sea-kayaking expedition in a truly remote and spectacular part of Baja virtually untouched by human impact. Whale-sharks, Whales and friendly sea-lion pups: the marine encounters speak for themselves while the kayak trip will take us on a journey in a little touched paradise in the Pacific Lagoons. Sand dunes situated on the island provide a contrast to the labyrinth of mangroves along the Baja coastline and our wonderful campsites each night. Nesting amongst the thick groves are prolific numbers of exotic birds. The La Florida estuary and a maze of other channels offer a view into another vibrant ecosystem. The bay is also the winter home of Gray whales who migrate 6000 miles to mate and give birth in these protected waters. Paddling the narrow waterways is interspersed with beach-combing the Pacific, jumping off sand dunes and the usual natural history education. After 25 years this remains a unique expedition exclusively offered by Baja Outdoor Activities.

• Day 1: Please arrive early so that you have a chance to visit the quaint town of La Paz. Then bring your enthusiasm to our 9:00 p.m. expedition orientation meeting.
• Day 2: We will gear up with snorkel equipment and take a fast motor boat out to the National Park Island of Espiritu Santo. Located on the north end of the island is a sea-lion rookery and the site where we can snorkel with friendly sea-lion pups. Following this unique experience we will have lunch on Espiritu Santo before returning to La Paz and a warm shower and dinner together in a traditional restaurant. Hotel night.
• Day 3:: This morning we take a boat ride in search of the largest fish in the world – whale-sharks. With a little luck we will spend time swimming alongside these gentle plankton feeders marveling at their immensity and placid nature. Then returning to La Paz and following a quick warm shower (optional!) and lunch we will journey across the Baja desert, through the agricultural town of Constitución until we reach the Pacific coastal town of Lopez Mateos. Here we check into our hotel for the night and dine in the fishing village.
• Day 4: Our marine encounters are complimented with yet another boat ride to view up close the majestic Gray Whales in their natural habitat. 3 hours will give us ample time to view the cetaceans and quite possible have them pass along-side our boat at a breath-taking finger tip distance! Then return to Lopez for a quick lunch and begin our kayak expedition. A short paddle will bring us to our first night’s camp under the stars.
• Day 5: We begin our day with a stroll across Isla Magdalena to beach-comb along the surf of the Pacific Ocean. Then we continue to kayak south. We might see whale calves training against the current for their 6000 mile migration north to their summer home in the Bering Sea. Dolphins and sea lions also visit the region and may provide additional entertainment along the way. Our camp spot has a convenient hill to watch the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.
• Day 6: Today we will begin with a paddle through the narrowing Curva Del Diablo. The day is further highlighted by the opportunity to venture through a labyrinth of mangrove thickets. This amazing ecosystem is home to an exciting variety of marine and bird life. It is also fun to paddle in a place so narrow that few but kayakers can access them. The sand dune campsite across the bay contrasts with its semi-desert conditions as far as the eye can see.
• Day 7: The expedition continues along the channel taking us to our final and most spectacular campsite. We are presented with a beautiful backdrop of mile upon mile of sand dunes leading to the mountains of cape San Lázaro.
• Day 8:Our final morning’s paddle will take us to the town of Puerto San Carlos, just shy of where Magdalena Bay empties into the Pacific Ocean. That night in La Paz, after soaking away all traces of the pacific coast, we will celebrate our adventure with a farewell group dinner. We leave with magnificent memories and fantastic photographs.
• Day 9: You are free to go! Hasta luego until our next adventure together.

Note: In the interest of safety BOA reserve the right as with all their expeditions to deviate from the above route plan. Consequently we may see fit to snorkel in the Sea of Cortes after the Pacific Lagoons rather than at the beginning of the expedition.

This trip includes both sides of the Baja Peninsula. We visit the Sea of Cortes near La Paz for snorkeling while our kayak trip and whale-watching is over on the west coast of Baja Sur. We kayak a section of mangrove fringed lagoon between two Pacific coastal villages: Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos and Puerto San Carlos. The trip weaves its way through a channel that forms part of the Bay of Magdalena. It provides us with calm waters protected from the turbulent Pacific Ocean thanks to the barrier island effect of Isla Magdalena. If you have only ever paddled in the Sea of Cortes (in Baja) then this trip is a 'must-do Adventure!'