Mexico
Whales, Seas & Desert: Stunning Baja California Peninsula
Program No. 24399RJ
Get a local’s look at Mexico’s incredible Baja Peninsula, known for its pristine desert landscapes and idyllic lagoons, whale migrations, artist communities and fascinating culture.
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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
800-454-5768
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DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Jan 31 - Feb 8, 2025
Starting at
3,959Feb 7 - Feb 15, 2025
Starting at
3,959Feb 21 - Mar 1, 2025
Starting at
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9 days
8 nights
21 meals
8B 7L 6D
1
Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
San Jose del Cabo, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur
2
Los Cabos Arch, Colonial Mining Village, La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur
3
Lecture, Peaceful City, Desert & Coast Drive, Loreto
Loreto, Baja California Sur
4
Coronado Island, Explore Loreto
Loreto, Baja California Sur
5
Sea of Cortes Bays, Palm-Lined River, French Mining Town,
San Ignacio, Baja California Sur
6
Gray Whales I, Lagoon and Town Exploration
San Ignacio, Baja California Sur
7
Gray Whales II, Nature Reserve, Desert Walks
Catavina, Baja California
8
Desert Walks, San Quintín Bay, Ensenada Farewell Dinner
Ensenada, Baja California
9
Scenic Highway, Across the Border, Program Concludes
San Diego, California
At a Glance
The biodiversity and diverse landscapes of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula are some of the most impressive in the world, while its warm artist communities and historic towns just wait to be explored. Discover the very best of Baja on a learning adventure that begins in San Jose del Cabo and leads through the towns of Loreto, San Ignacio, Catavina and Ensenada. Thrill in the animal life that inhabits the Sea of Cortez — the “aquarium of the world” — and board small boats to explore lagoons where gray whales migrate and give birth to their young. Contrast these regions with explorations of desert and volcanic landscapes that were once home to historic mining towns and ranches. Embrace these warm, friendly communities as you explore art galleries, sample local cuisine and take in the rich history that can only be found in Baja.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking short distances on varied terrain with an optional steep hike. Boarding small fishing boats from the beach. May encounter rough seas on boats. Driving time on bus from 1.0 - 5.5 hours most days. Elevations up to 3,500 feet (900 m.).
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Board a panga — a small outboard motor boat — for an exploration of the lagoons where gray whales migrate and give birth to their young.
- Visit El Triunfo, a historic colonial mining village, where silver and gold were discovered in 1862, and walk along the well know boardwalk of La Paz.
- Search for blue-footed boobies, sea lions and dolphins as you explore Loreto Bay Marine Park Reserve, and marvel in the desert landscapes of the Tres Virgenes volcanic region.
General Notes
Road Scholar cannot offer air for this program. Participants have to arrange their own flights as well as transportation to the first hotel in San Jose del Cabo. All participants will be transported to the San Diego Airport at the end of the program. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Fermin Reygadas
Fermin Reygadas is a professor and researcher at the social sciences division at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, at La Paz, Mexico. He is widely acknowledged as an authority on Baja California, with over 30 years of experience in the field. He has written extensively on subjects ranging from Cape Region archaeology to settlement patterns and diet among Pericue Native Indians. In recent years he has dedicated his efforts to experimental archeology.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Fermin Reygadas
View biography
Fermin Reygadas is a professor and researcher at the social sciences division at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, at La Paz, Mexico. He is widely acknowledged as an authority on Baja California, with over 30 years of experience in the field. He has written extensively on subjects ranging from Cape Region archaeology to settlement patterns and diet among Pericue Native Indians. In recent years he has dedicated his efforts to experimental archeology.
Isabel Sanchez
View biography
Isabel Sanchez was born in Ensenada Baja California, Mexico. She began working as a group leader at a young age in the mid 1980s in her hometown. In 1998, she moved to Southern California where she continued her career as a successful group leader specializing in the Sonoran Desert as well as the Mojave Desert. In the fall of 2004, Isabel began leading groups through San Diego, Calif., the peninsula of Baja California, and the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Suggested Reading List
(12 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Whales, Seas & Desert: Stunning Baja California Peninsula
Program Number: 24399
Field Guide to the Gray Whale Paperback
This handy 50-page booklet is the first and only practical guide to viewing the biannual migration of gray whales along the Pacific Coast. It includes fascinating information about the natural history and habits of the gray whale as well as maps and directions to whale watching sites from Alaska to Baja. Proceeds of this book help support the Oceanic Society.
Baja California Plant Field Guide
Best available summary with color illustrations and descriptions of Baja vegetation.
Eye of the Whale : Epic Passage from Baja to Siberia
Eye of the Whale focuses on one great whale in particular the coastal-traveling California gray whale. Gray whales make the longest migration of any mammal - from the lagoons of Baja California to the feeding grounds of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia (nearly 6,000 miles). That the gray whale exists today is nothing short of miraculous. Whaling fleets twice massacred the species to near extinction - first during the nineteenth century and again during the early part of the twentieth century.
Mexico Field Guide, Baja California Sea and Shore Birds
The Whales Know, Travels Along the Baja California Peninsula
A humorous and humble travelogue by writer-explorer Cacucci. He travels the length of Baja California revisiting sites seen by John Steinbeck, but becomes enamored with all things whale.
Roadside Geology and Biology of Baja California
Provides good information about Baja California’s geology and botany.
Baja California Map
Waterproof • Tear-Resistant • Travel Map National Geographic Adventure Baja Map Pack
The Log from the Sea of Cortez
The classic account of a collecting trip to the Sea of Cortez with marine biologist Ed Ricketts, first published in 1941. Subtitled "A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research," this much-loved book captures the wonders of the Gulf of California and the joys of discovery.
The Girl of the Sea of Cortez
A heartwarming, eco-conscious novel about a young woman and her sixth-sense for ocean wildlife. Benchley’s protagonist, Paloma, discovers a secret ocean animal in a sea full of beauty, danger and adventure. First published in 1983.
Into a Desert Place
One day the spectacularly ill-equipped Mackintosh set out to walk around Baja California, with $150 in his pocket and a gallon jug of water in each hand. This is the vastly entertaining and typically British story of his 3,000-mile lark around the Peninsula.
Baja, Sea of Cortez Marine Mammal Guide
A double-sided, laminated field guide illustrating the whales, dolphins and other marine mammals of the Sea of Cortez and Pacific coast of Baja.
Almost an Island: travels in Baja California
Chronicles of the author’s three-decade love affair with the peninsula.
Program No.
24399
Duration
9 days
Program Begins
San Jose del Cabo, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur
Program Concludes
San Diego, California
Group Type
Small Group
Activity Level
At a Glance
The biodiversity and diverse landscapes of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula are some of the most impressive in the world, while its warm artist communities and historic towns just wait to be explored. Discover the very best of Baja on a learning adventure that begins in San Jose del Cabo and leads through the towns of Loreto, San Ignacio, Catavina and Ensenada. Thrill in the animal life that inhabits the Sea of Cortez — the “aquarium of the world” — and board small boats to explore lagoons where gray whales migrate and give birth to their young. Contrast these regions with explorations of desert and volcanic landscapes that were once home to historic mining towns and ranches. Embrace these warm, friendly communities as you explore art galleries, sample local cuisine and take in the rich history that can only be found in Baja.
Best of all, you'll...
- Board a panga — a small outboard motor boat — for an exploration of the lagoons where gray whales migrate and give birth to their young.
- Visit El Triunfo, a historic colonial mining village, where silver and gold were discovered in 1862, and walk along the well know boardwalk of La Paz.
- Search for blue-footed boobies, sea lions and dolphins as you explore Loreto Bay Marine Park Reserve, and marvel in the desert landscapes of the Tres Virgenes volcanic region.
General Notes
Road Scholar cannot offer air for this program. Participants have to arrange their own flights as well as transportation to the first hotel in San Jose del Cabo. All participants will be transported to the San Diego Airport at the end of the program. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
Fermin Reygadas
Fermin Reygadas is a professor and researcher at the social sciences division at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, at La Paz, Mexico. He is widely acknowledged as an authority on Baja California, with over 30 years of experience in the field. He has written extensively on subjects ranging from Cape Region archaeology to settlement patterns and diet among Pericue Native Indians. In recent years he has dedicated his efforts to experimental archeology.
Please Note:
This expert may not be available for every date of the program
Isabel Sanchez
Isabel Sanchez was born in Ensenada Baja California, Mexico. She began working as a group leader at a young age in the mid 1980s in her hometown. In 1998, she moved to Southern California where she continued her career as a successful group leader specializing in the Sonoran Desert as well as the Mojave Desert. In the fall of 2004, Isabel began leading groups through San Diego, Calif., the peninsula of Baja California, and the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking short distances on varied terrain with an optional steep hike. Boarding small fishing boats from the beach. May encounter rough seas on boats. Driving time on bus from 1.0 - 5.5 hours most days. Elevations up to 3,500 feet (900 m.).
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Suggested Reading List
View Full List: 12 Books
You can also find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?
We can help. Give us a call, and we can answer all of your questions!
Call
800-454-5768
