April 2022

Preeti and her family have just returned from a unique adventure featuring grey whales in Baja, Mexico with Baja Expeditions, a company that has been offering eco-adventures with a focus on conservation since 1974. Their Gray Whale Encounters take place from mid-January to mid-April in the San Ignacio Lagoon, one of three birthing and breeding gray whale lagoons in the world, all of which are located in Baja. "Baja is the only place in the world where gray whales swim up to skiffs to be stroked, petted, kissed, and even hugged. These interactions are entirely on the whales’ terms." 

Q. So what was your Gray Whale experience in San Ignacio like? 
A. It was so exciting, my husband and I had been on whale watching trips before, but the usual, from a distance from a large boat. We had never actually gotten close enough to touch them. We have never interacted with the whales before. Basically, it is the whale experience most of the time. There are other activities, you can do: kayaking and other water sports, like diving. Or you can do mountain biking. 

We wanted a different experience with whales, we also wanted to experience staying in a tent... glamping. And when Amy suggested this to us, we were so excited. We had a private tent, it was a bit cold and windy on the beach. But it was warm and cozy inside the tent. 

To start, we stayed in a resort in Cabo for a night, then we got a small private plane to Baja for three nights. And then we went back to the resort again for one night in Cabo. This was so we could experience the beach and pool and take in some sightseeing before we went back home to the Bay area.

The whale boats are big enough for 2 families, plus the guide and the captain, and it’s just 2 people to take care of the boat and us. Not a big crew or anything. It was a good experience, there was another couple along with us. We had a good time chatting with them, they were friendly.

Our son went with us, he’s 14. He preferred to stay at home. (laughs) For one or two days he was fine, but then he got a bit bored after that, watching the whales. Internet access was mediocre; we could check our emails but not much else, and he was bored. My husband and I liked it. It was a nice experience. We could also see dolphins from a distance, they didn’t come near the boat. And there were birds fishing, like pelicans and seagulls. We also saw sharks. 

Q. Does the guide actually go out in search of the whales? 

A. The guide was so dedicated, he was with us all three days, and he really made it interesting for us. He had 40 years of experience and he entertained us. He talked to us about the whales and encouraged us on how to bring the whales closer to the boat. It’s a friendly gesture, an invitation... to splash water on them. It encourages the whales, like the babies, to come closer to the boat. No food was involved, he didn’t feed them to get them to come closer. 

Q. So you actually got to touch them? What does that feel like? 

A. Yes, we got a chance to touch them, it feels like touching soft rubber. Some of them didn’t come near the boat, the mom actually didn’t come near the boat. Her baby did, but not the mom. Some of the whales were friendly. They came up and we could see that they were actually saying good morning to us and greeting us. The way they rose up from the ocean and breached, we could tell they were interested in coming close to us. 

Q. Does nature play a big part in all or most of your vacations? 

A. We like wildlife and nature and activities in nature, like hikes. We went to South Africa in 2019 and we did the Galapagos in 2017, of course, all organized by Amy for us. Without Amy, this trip wouldn’t be possible. We don’t have spare time to do any kind of research or look at brochures or think about hotels or what might be interesting for us. Only because of her, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our trips to the fullest. She’s patient enough to ask questions and listen to us. We’re vegetarians, so we need vegetarian meals and we’ve never had to worry about food on our trips. She’s been our travel agent for 10 years.

As travel resumes, we are revisiting some of the best images from years past.  Please #planethoppers your Instagram photos so we may follow all your future journeys!