Guide Report: San Ignacio Lagoon

Campo Cortez Blog  -- 2016

By Norma Lira

February 02, 2016

Another exciting season of the great Gray Whale migration has begun, and Campo Cortez is one of the few places in the world that provide an opportunity to get up close and personal with friendly 50 ton Gray Whales and their new calves.  January and February are an exciting time to witness these incredible leviathans in action, including their newborn “pickle” calves learning how to maneuver as best they can with their floppy tails. 

The journey to the lagoon is also filled with the beautiful sights of the majestic desert peninsula.  Under the bright, blue skies you will find flora, including collapsing cactus, new thriving cardon, and blooms of the tobacco flowers and ocotillo.  The picturesque Laguna (lagoon) and entire surrounding area make for a unique and wonderful experience. 

The opening of camp went smoothly, and even when some high winds showed up, we were able to go out on a side excursion to witness migrating White Pelicans, as well as exchange previous travel stories from our group that included people from Italy, Germany, England, and from all over the United States.  New friendships were forged, and many new travel stories were created.

In our trips out into the lagoon, we had numerous opportunities to witness the whales’ amazing breaching and spy hopping behaviors, and there were often times when there were so many whales around our boat that they could be seen in every direction at once.

I hope you will find time this season to make it to the camp.  March is known as our “friendly” month for the sheer number of whale close-encounters, as the mother whales encourage their calves into touching (and even kissing) distance of the boats.   And even though we call a trip to Campo Cortez a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we do have many guests that make a point to return.