Mexico - Baja California Sur
Guerero Negro
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Travel the distance north from Loreto to Laguna Ojo de Liebre at Guerrero Negro, a journey that should take approximately five hours. Upon leaving Loreto, the road travels inland from the Sea of Cortez, cutting a path through desert forested by cacti and then a mountain canyon, which opens up on the other side to the gorgeous turquoise waters of Bahía Concepción, a huge bay protected by a long, jutting peninsula. During the winter, the beaches are lined with campers and trailers, since this is a paradise for northerners escaping the cold. Bahía Concepción is designated as a nature reserve, and you find here an amazing variety of marine life, birds, whales, dolphins, and shellfish. As you continue, Highway 1 goes through the town of Mulegé (approximately two hours from Loreto), which is just up the coast from Bahía Concepción. It is worth a stop to visit Misión Santa Rosalia de Mulegé, a simple, old stone mission crowning the hillside above a grove of palm trees. Note: Mulegé is also the departure point for visiting the prehistoric wall paintings and etchings, which we take you to later in this itinerary. Santa Rosalia, a copper-mining town and the departure point for ferries across the bay to Guaymas, is located another twenty minutes north of Mulegé. Soon after Santa Rosalia, the road turns inland and cuts a path through volcanic mountains. Past the volcanic peaks, the terrain levels, and the road is banded on either side by a vast expanse of flat desert colored only by cacti and tumbleweed, with the dramatic peaks of the Sierra San Francisco in the distance. San Ignacio is located 3 kilometers off this road, and it is perhaps worth the detour to see the small town square and its lovely old mission.
The drive between San Ignacio and Guerrero Negro is monotonous as you travel through dry, flat desert, and the scenery becomes even more desolate as you approach Guerrero Negro. If you want to include a whale-watching expedition this afternoon, before you reach Guerrero Negro, turn left on a road marked with a sign Laguna Ojo de Liebre and Whales. This dirt road goes for 27 kilometers through a 33,000-acre easement of land owned by the salt company, and you have to stop for registration soon after leaving the highway. As you approach the bay, there is another entry point where you are required to pay a 30 peso or $3 entrance fee. The skeleton of a large whale is on display in front of the only restaurant, which is also where you sign up for a whale-watching excursion ($25 per person). It was here we learned the sad story behind the name Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Eye of the Jack Rabbit)—apparently the bay looked like the red eye of a jack rabbit when its waters were stained with blood during the whale slaughter of the 1800s. Boats are tethered as close to the shore as possible, but how far you have to wade out depends on the tide. In any case, we recommend that you don waterproof shoes or go barefoot; as the sand is very sticky and claylike, and will destroy shoes. The boats (accommodating up to ten people) depart from 8 am to 4 pm and the trip lasts for about two hours.After the tour, return to the main road, and complete the short journey farther north to the town of Guerrero Negro. Soon after entering town, turn right into the parking area for the Malarrimo family operation. This is the headquarters for Malarrimo Eco Tours and also the Malarrimo hotel, restaurant, and gift shop. Check in with Enrique Achoy Jr. in the tour office (on the right side of the parking area) to secure your reservations and tickets for tomorrow’s whale-watching tour. Departures are at 8 am and 11 am. Although afternoon trips can provide an absolutely fantastic experience; in general, the mornings are considered the best for viewing whales, as the winds and tides are calmer and afford easier sighting through the waters. Catty-corner from the Malarrimo Eco Tours office, you find the hotel and restaurant. Elena, Enrique’s sister, is in charge of the gift shop and has a tempting selection of T-shirts, jewelry, and pottery. In addition to offering the best accommodations in Guerrero Negro, the simple Hotel Malarrimo is very convenient since it is the starting point for your whale-watching tour. You can enjoy a leisurely breakfast knowing that you are just steps from the bus, whose departure is announced by the courtyard bell.Your tour price for the whale-watching expedition includes a box lunch so there is no need to pack food or drink, but you most definitely want to wear sunscreen and dress in layers, as the winds can affect the temperature dramatically. The bus ride through the salt factory property to the boat launch takes about half an hour, passing by the bird sanctuary; where from the bus, you can spot herons, sandpipers, seagulls, egrets, and the dramatic osprey guarding their enormous nests perched on man-made pillars, constructed to facilitate their migration. It is quite fascinating to pass by piles of salt so huge that they look like mountains of snow. At the boat launch, you board a panga (motor boat), which then travels quickly for about 15 minutes, bouncing across the water to where the gray whales are most easily seen. There is no doubt that you will see whales—it is just a question of how many and how friendly they will be.Every whale-watching outing is different and one never knows how many whales will be seen. Tides and winds impact the situation dramatically. On our first trip (the 11 am departure), the boat slowed and lingered in what seemed a quiet location, and within minutes, we were literally surrounded by whales that kept diving under and around our boat—they truly seemed as curious about us as we were about them. It was endearing to see the mothers and calves swimming and diving side by side, and while whales seemed to come and go, a few of them (we could recognize them by their markings) stayed with us for more than an hour. They would spy hop (poke their heads out of the water), seemingly to better study us. Then they would playfully whip their tails right at the side of the boat (without question trying to splash us in fun), and would breach and blow spray just a few feet from the boat. A few particularly friendly whales rose right at the boat’s edge, lingering for us to touch them. It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our second excursion (the 8 am departure) was also exciting, and had we not had the experience of the day before, we would have been thrilled. Our boat captain motored to a number of locations, and at each, we would be visited by whales who would stay awhile and then move on—curious but seemingly not as friendly as the day before. One or two came right up to the boat to look us over, but did not stay long. Our captain explained the tides were strong and the whales were having trouble lingering at the boat’s edge.While our first experience was incredible, we saw lots of whales on both excursions, both at the boat and swimming in the distance, and loved seeing them leap completely out of the water—but always a great distance away. Be sure to pack lots of film—it seemed everyone underestimated how many photos they would take. Whereas when viewing whales in U.S. waters, boats by law may not get up close to the whales; in Mexico no such rules prevail. However, there is absolutely no fear that you are intruding upon their privacy. When the boats stop in the water, these gentle giants take the initiative and they seem to come up to the boats just to say hello. Other than the whale-watching tours and walking through the bird preserve, the town of Guerrero Negro has very little to offer the tourist. It is basically a simple, little town with one main street lined by basic, rather bland motels. The production of salt and whale-watching during season is the means of its existence. But since this is the most accessible town to outstanding whale-watching, and its lagoon, Laguna Ojo de Liebre, is considered one of the best two in Mexico for spotting these gentle giants, we recommend staying three nights in order to have two full days for whale-watching.
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