Your adventure begins with a Pre-trip orientation with your guides, on the afternoon before launch day. We will communicate and coordinate in advance with all guests the time and location for a comfortable outside meeting at a convenient location in town. At this orientation session, our guides will explain the trip in more detail, and answer any questions you may have. Afterward, you are free to explore Loreto for a place to get dinner—the guides will be happy to provide some recommendations!

Depending on the weather forecast for the week, we may go today to Magdalena Bay, located on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula. We board our panga, and for the next 2-3 hours watch mother gray whales and their young swimming together under the guidance of our boat captain and guide. The whales often get close enough to touch you, or look you in the eye. Lunch at a local restaurant in the fishing village of Puerto Lopez Mateo is included, and afterwards we head back to the Sea of Cortez to begin our kayak adventure.

When you first wake up to the sound of the waves lapping the shore, and the sight of the sun piercing the horizon, you’ll know your trip has truly begun. On the average, guides allocate 3 to 4 hours a day to traveling by kayak, typically a couple of hours before lunch, and often 1-2 more after lunch, leaving you the rest of the day to explore each campsite. Day 1 will usually be slightly shorter. You can hike the arroyos and desert hillsides discovering the rich flora of the Sonoran desert, take your snorkel gear and marvel at the abundant and exotic marine life in the waters, or learn more about all the area has to offer from the complete natural history library we bring along on every trip. Feel free to ask our guides about Baja’s weather, geography, natural history, or anything else. As locals, they know a lot about the area, and are happy to share their knowledge. They are also good at getting you out of camp and into the water early in the day, when the water tends to be calmer and the paddling more pleasant.

After a day or two exploring the coves, bays and beaches of the islands, we'll cross back over to the shores of the peninsula.  The coastal route, with the majestic Giganta mountain range over our right shoulder offers among other attractions, longer hiking trails that reveal the inland wilderness. Your guides, who know the route well, can show you the hidden secrets of the peninsula, including many areas worth exploring by fin, foot, or paddle.

There’s time for one early morning paddle into the sunrise, and by mid-morning it’s time to load up and head back. Our van arrives at the take-out to bring everyone back to town. We'll experience a beautiful rugged and dramatic drive up from the coast into and through the majestic Giganta mountain range, as we work our way back north towards Loreto.  If your guides have not provided a whale-watching excursion yet, this is the day they will try to do so. While it’s possible that at this time of year you will encounter whales in the natural course of your week of paddling, the fact of mating season and the special excursion will make it nearly a certainty that you get to see whales during your trip. If we head over to Magdalena Bay this morning, you will be dropped off at the hotel of your choice in Loreto, and reunited with your personal luggage in the afternoon.  You'll have the evening in town to enjoy the soft culture of Loreto and a nice local meal, your head filled with the past week’s experiences and your heart looking forward to your next adventure.

This morning you'll enjoy exploring our warm and magical pueblo of Loreto on your own time. Perhaps a delicious breakfast of Huevos Rancheros, and fresh local fruit juices at one of the many outside cafes, and then don't miss visiting the 300+ year old Mision Nuestra Senora de Loreto and her museum right off the central Plaza. Most flights home are mid day or later, so you'll have plenty of time for discoveries and creating a list of things to see and do on your next visit.

For now, it is not goodbye...but rather Hasta Pronto!