Expedition Guide

Going to see Whales!

Woke up at 3:30 am for a 4:30 ride to the airport, 7 am flight to LAX. SeaTac was modestly busy. We had to check in at the counter due to the passport check. Weird travel learning: the RFID pouch forLeia mais
LA LA Land

Minor delay as there was a vehicle collision behind our plane. Surprising number of people traveling.
Villa de Palmar Resort - Loreto BCS

Made it through the very random customs at Loreto and south 33 miles. We’ll have to figure out a way back to Loreto on Saturday. For now, it’s margaritas and vino blanco and ceviche.
Hike and a Dip

A short hike to a viewpoint. The mountains are spectacular. The range to the West is the Sierra Gigante. Clear air and impressive vistas. Tried out my new Benoit Blanc bathing suit. There’s a lot ofLeia mais
Loreto

Made it to Hotel Mission in Loreto, a 30 minute drive for $60 US. Very animated driver. There’s a béisbol estadio here and even a hospital. Didn’t see the ship when we hit the melacon and turnedLeia mais
Watch out

We receive the briefing to always check your shoes before putting them on. The advice: if you feel something crawling on your face at night, hold still and go back to sleep as the people who areLeia mais
A brief stroll in the Town of Loreto

After lunch, margaritas, and a presentation by a serpentarium in La Paz, we take a brief 30 minute stroll in Loreto before boarding the bus to our ship in Escondido. Loreto was settled by the SpanishLeia mais
Boarding the National Geographic Venture

Overnight at Isla Danzante

We overnight at Isla Danzante. I got to watch the anchor come up and it was difficult to wrangle the heavy links of the anchor chain.
Light in the Sea of Cortez

Thar she blows!

We get to observe the Worlds’ largest inhabitant, the Blue Whale and more dolphins.
Blue Whales

After overnighting near Danzante Island (a sacred site for local indigenous shamen) we cruised into a rare sighting of grey and the slightly more common blue whales.
Dolphins galore

We cruised through pods of Pacific and Bottle nosed dolphin. When they notice the boat the more adventurous charge towards us to pick up our bow waves
More dolphins

Breakfast at sea

The food was plentiful and tasty. I had a lot of fish for dinner. Usually eggs and sausage and bacon. They had salsa ranchera in a big bottle! Not like the little can in the U.S. Coffee was very goodLeia mais
Sunrise!

The sunrise and sunset colors are spectacular
Sea Lions and we launch zodiacs

Your 60 minute tour of La Paz

Looking for a camera charger, the cathedral and a bathroom
Rancho San Lorenzo

After the touristy bustle of La Paz we are bused to a ranch for dinner including dancing horses, Folklorico, and Opera!
Off the coast of Los Cabos

A day on the water. Wind kicked up and the morning of snorkeling had to be cancelled, so we spent the day on the water looking for cetaceans…it was a good day. These pictures were taken using one ofLeia mais
Ok, so close you…

A beach far away

After returning to the Venture for lunch, we reposition and then launch zodiacs to cross the narrow sandy dunes to the longest stretch of uninhabited beach I have ever seen.
Only our fellow wanderers

Magdelena Bay

After the humpback whale breaches of Los Cabos, we entered the Pacific and hit a 4-5 foot swell, which led to seasickness for Loren and an early bedtime. Just made it back to the room in time and hadLeia mais