Los Islotos and La Paz , 1/18/2024, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Baja California
This morning we had the opportunity to swim with sea lions. They were so curious that some even jumped up onto the Zodiac. The island of Los Islotos is home to 16 sea lion colonies, called rafts. In the afternoon we made our way to La Paz. There we enjoyed dancing and singing, as well as a wonderful feast.
It was a day filled with culture and wildlife and everyone was thrilled.
Sierra Phillips is a United Nations Youth Delegate and National Geographic Educator who received a master's degree in Exploration Sciences. Her training includes extensive work in marine biology/ecology, nautical archaeology, marine mammal care, shar...
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We awoke to a gentle breeze as National Geographic Venture lifted anchor and set out to sea. As the sun crested the mountains, seabirds departed their roosts to feed on the morning’s bounty. In our time offshore, hundreds of dolphins paid us a visit while grey and humpback whales passed us by. For the afternoon, we set out to get up-close experiences with the marine life. Being in a small boat with our local Mexican guides was a great experience as they navigated the shallow waters of Bahia Almejas and provided us with amazing views of multiple gray whales. With a wonderful first day behind us, we look forward to what tomorrow brings.
Closing out our last day of this amazing voyage, we returned to Bahia Almejas for another session with the gray whales. Once again it did not disappoint, as we were surrounded by gorgeous spyhopping gray whales. After lunch our guests had the opportunity to enjoy kayaks and hikes at Punta Belcher. After our beach time we enjoyed the music of Los Coyotes, followed by our fiesta dinner, and finally the guest slide show to close out the week. An unbelievable journey!
At the break of dawn, National Geographic Venture weighed anchor at the northern end of Margarita Island and cruised south, enjoying an amazing sunrise. Today’s destination was Bahia Almejas, where after breakfast we boarded local pangas to get close views of gray whales showing off their spyhopping prowess. One whale even did a full spin for us, very close to our boat!! After getting up-close-and-personal with many whales, we changed course and headed to the sandy point and nearby mangroves; there we observed brown pelicans, double-crested and Brandt’s cormorants, and yellow-footed gulls. It was an epic whale watching and birding session, with many amazing pictures taken for our slideshow. Back on board we were treated to an interesting talk about coyote research from Adrian Cerda, and a fun trivia team challenge from our naturalist Luke. The day ended with cocktail hour, fun recaps, an amazing meal, and finally stories from Carlos Navarro about his 30 years of adventures in the Gulf of California. It was another epic Lindblad day!!
