With its pristine coastlines and vivid sea life, Baja California offers spectacular untamed wilderness. Sail aboard our nimble fleet into the biodiverse waters of the Gulf of California, home to more than a third of the world’s marine life. Enjoy thrilling opportunities for up-close encounters with gray whales and their curious calves on panga excursions in birthing lagoons. Spend days discovering vibrant marine life as you snorkel among playful sea lions or watch a pod of dolphins zip by your Zodiac. Then head ashore to hike amid shifting sand dunes and fascinating flora, from lush mesquite trees to monumental cardón cacti. Discover this awe-inspiring region—blissfully remote yet close to home.
Gray whales have the longest migration of any mammal, traveling 6,000 miles to and from Baja California where we encounter them in their birthing lagoons on the outer coast.
Baja California Holiday Voyage: A Living Sea and Desert Isles
Duration
8 days
Dec
From
$7,553
Top Highlights
Spend your holiday season in search of large pods of dolphins, blue and humpback whales, and other marine mammals including sea lions and leaping mobula rays
Explore the sculpted desert shoreline by kayak, hike uninhabited beaches, and snorkel among fish and acrobatic sea lions
Take in the stunning hues of a Baja California sunset at a festive, holiday-themed beach barbecue
Experience pristine desert landscapes and abundant wildlife
Board local pangas to get up-close views of gray whale mothers and their growing calves as they prepare for their journey back to Arctic feeding grounds
Kayak clear blue waters to search for wildlife, including magnificent frigatebirds, and investigate the intricacies of the shoreline
Board local pangas to encounter California gray whales and their newborn calves up close in lagoons, and witness breaching humpbacks from the bow of our ship, or on Zodiac excursions
Hike desert islands and sculpted sand dunes, and look for a variety of wildlife
Snorkel with sea lions (conditions permitting) and search for superpods of dolphins amid the pristine coral reefs of Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park
Sail among pristine islands in search of rare endemic creatures. Encounter whales, possibly up close, for an experience that will never leave you. Snorkel with playful sea lions. Hike up arroyos blooming with life and discover medicinal plants. Get a slice of life in rural Baja towns. Kayak, hike, stand-up paddleboard, snorkel, and actively explore this incredible playground of wildness.
One of the most rewarding sights on an expedition is witnessing the gleam of discovery in a child’s eyes, whether they’re hiking desert islands or snorkeling with sea lions. Moments like these are abundant in Baja California—and they’re especially meaningful when complemented with the learning opportunities offered through our exclusive National Geographic Global Explorers Program for kids and teens 18 and under.
Henry David Thoreau called it the "tonic of wildness." It’s what Baja California, with its beauty and wildness intact, gives you—a spirit lift. To compound this healthful effect, add the luxury of comfort to the privilege of being here—with a quality of shipboard life and a philosophy of wellness designed to relax and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.
This Epic Baja Cruise Includes Ocean Kayaking, Beach Biking, and Whale Watching
Watching grey whales is an experience of a lifetime—and one of the best places to see them is off the coast of Baja California Sur. Read Travel + Leisure magazine's report from National Geographic Sea Bird in Baja California.
Exploring the Sea of Cortez by water alone would make for an incomplete trip. On land, an equally spectacular sort of enchantment awaits if one knows where to look.
The planet’s largest creatures, whales spend the better part of their lives deeply submersed in their private watery world. But in Baja California, it’s a different story. There, in the warm protected lagoons, gray whales are equally curious about us as we are of them.
Thrilling Encounters: Wild Life in the Sea of Cortez
Lindblad has been taking guests to Baja California, a UNESCO World Heritage Marine Site that Jacques Cousteau called “the world’s aquarium,” for 40 years. Naturalists have deep knowledge of wildlife habits and ship captains have the freedom to position vessels to maximize wildlife viewing.
As one whale spouts in the distance, another spyhops up to take a look around, and yet another might breathe right behind you. You are afraid to turn in another direction because you might miss something. It is immensely exciting because there is so much going on!
See, do, and learn more by going with engaging experts who have been exploring this region for decades. Go with an expedition leader, naturalists, and more.
Expedition Leader
Veteran expedition leaders are the orchestrators of your experience. Many have advanced degrees and have conducted research or taught for years. They have achieved expedition leader status because they possess the skills, the experience, and the depth of knowledge necessary to continually craft the best expedition possible for our guests.
Naturalist
Our naturalists, passionate about the geographies they explore (and return to regularly), illuminate each facet through their enthusiasm and knowledge. Our guests consistently cite the expertise and engaging company of our staff as key reasons to repeatedly travel with us.
Undersea Specialist
Undersea specialists are your eyes on the world that lies beneath the waves. Using an array of tools, including a high-definition camera, our Cousteau-like undersea specialist dives frequently during the voyage to show you strikingly clear images of the seldom-seen world beneath the ship.
Certified Photo Instructor
Every expedition aboard a ship in our National Geographic-flagged fleet offers an exclusive service—a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic certified photo instructor. This naturalist is specially trained to offer assistance with camera settings, the basics of composition, and more tools and tips to help you become a better, more confident photographer.
The whale sightings were fantastic. Touching the gray whales was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Connie C.
Making a Difference
Lindblad Expeditions supports stewardship efforts in the places we explore, and one way we do that is through the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund. Traveler contributions to the LEX-NG Fund in Baja California currently support the Gulf of California Conservation Fund in its efforts to facilitate conservation and research projects across the region.
Our final day of this remarkable journey in Baja California was spent at Isla Coronado, in El Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto. Today was also the last day of Lindblad Expeditions’ 2023-2024 Baja California season. Heading north tomorrow!
It’s difficult to capture in just a paragraph all of the fun of our jam-packed day here in the Gulf of California. We were treated to a windless ocean from dawn to dusk. We began the day snorkeling with hundreds of inquisitive Guadalupe fur seals, at a colony on Isla Las Animas that was only discovered in 2019; this was the first such visit for a Lindblad Expedition. The water was relatively warm and clear, making for a fabulous experience in the ocean. En route to our afternoon landing at Ensenada Puerto Gato the ship was accompanied by a superpod of common dolphins that were actively feeding in the productive waters of the Gulf. Hikes, swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding were all on offer at our afternoon beach landing, in the setting of a beautifully rich red sandstone landscape. Phew, what a day!
Today we visited the southernmost Jesuit Mission site, San Jose del Cabo. Established in 1730 by father Nicola Tamaral, this picturesque town is now the capital of the municipality and offers an array of cultural and culinary options to our guests. We began with a visit to the Estero de Las Palmas, one of the most important refuges for migratory and resident birds, including three endemic species. Afterwards, we had the chance to explore downtown, enjoying some local delicacies as well as the company of the always-friendly local inhabitants. After returning to the ship, we continued sailing in search of wildlife.
This morning we were awakened by the sweet voice of Expedition Leader Paula Tagle announcing that we had bottlenose dolphins off the bow of National Geographic Venture. The dolphins were mesmerizing and stayed with us until just before breakfast. After breakfast we snorkeled inside the national park, swimming with horse-eyed jacks, a curious hawksbill turtle, and a myriad of colorful reef fish on one of the northernmost coral reefs in the northern hemisphere. Throughout the morning humpback whales came and went, offering us looks at their lives here in their breeding and calving grounds. Our afternoon was spent looking for even more humpback whales off Gorda Banks. Several animals gave us distant breaches, but the humpback crowd was relatively quiet this afternoon. Just as the sun was setting a large pod of bottlenose dolphins came to the bow and showed off for us in the last rays of sunshine. We both started and ended our daylight hours in the presence of bottlenose dolphins, fitting tribute to the marine mammals here in the Sea of Cortez.
Isla San Jose’s lowlands have a thick cardon cactus forest and many animals, as evident by the scat we found just above the beach from burros, sheep, and rabbits. The beach itself had many interesting items to examine and the water was clear and cool for swimming. Isla San Francisco is distinguished by its massive salt flat in the middle of two pink and olive green striped rocky headlands. The salt flat has manmade trenches that capture water at high tide and allows for salt formation. This is then collected and used by a small community nearby.
Baja California is arguably the best place in the world to see whales in good conditions—humpback, gray, fin, blue, pilot—to name the most likely.
