The gray whales that migrate every year to the warm and calm waters of Mexico are curious and playful. We knew it and yet! They offered us an unforgettable show we've never dared to dream about. Emotions and great thrill: here is our encounter with the gray whale.
Thursday, January 12nd, 2023
Everything comes to an end. After 4 perfect days at Bahia de Los Angeles, we hit the road again to go to Guerrero Negro, a village on the shore of the Sea of Cortes. We join our friends there. We set up camp near the bay and spend the evening playing Skyjo. We all have a new passion for this game! We also find out that we changed time. It's now 1 hour earlier! It's dark when we go back to the Jeep. Everybody gets inside the vans and we cook and eat outside. Some coyotes come to visit us. Their howls sound very close from us and we can see their eyes shine in the darkness around the camp.
Friday, January 13rd
We spend the morning in town taking a hot shower in the gas station, getting some information about whale watching tours and doing laundry. The weather is nice and warm today. At noon, we spot a food truck on the side of the road. We all eat fish tacos and tacos de camaron (shrimps)! We all agree: it's so delicious that we'll come back tomorrow!
We then go and explore the surroundings. The lighthouse is clearly out of service, but the oyster farm is still open! We also try to go and see the salines, but we can't go without a guided tour. We find nevertheless a trail which leads near a saline for some quick photos.
In the evening, we sleep at the same place as the day before. We enjoy a private viewing of the latest Youtube video of Bob le van T3. It's quite weird to see ourselves on the screen!
Saturday, January 14th
In Guerrero Negro, the whale "season" runs from mid-December to mid-April. We are a little early in the season, but our guide told us we would see plenty of whales. They come here to enjoy the warm and calm waters of the lagoon and to give birth to their babies, before going back North to spend the summer. Together with our 6 friends, we sit in a minibus that drive us (crazily) to Ojo de Liebre. To embark on the boat, no need to get our feet wet! We all jump in the back of a pick-up, which takes us straight to the boat. Mexican way! We love it! The boat rushes towards the open sea, and we can already see the jets of water coming from the whales 🐋 They are everywhere. We see jets of water to the right, then to the left, then straight ahead and behind us! We are all super excited.
Quickly enough, we encounter a gray whale and its cute baby. The mother is around 14 meters long! The captain turns the engine off and she comes closer to the boat. We are all amazed. Never we would have dreamed of seeing a whale so close. It comes so close that Max even manages to briefly caress the calf! Crazy!! When they swim right under the boat, we can see every detail of them: the little eyes that seem to stare at us, the calf that sticks very close to its mother, their powerful breath, the huge tail. The moment is incredible! Exceptional. Magical. It's very impressive to see its immense shadow swimming under the boat.
While the boat speeds through the water in search of other whales, one of them suddenly offers us one of the most beautiful moments of our trip: a spectacular jump a few meters away from the boat. Simply incredible. Then another jump! The captain tells us that she likes the noise of the engine... The captain speeds up and the whale jumps again in front of us. And again! In total, we saw four spectacular jumps. The moment is unforgettable. The emotion is intense.
What a chance and what a privilege to have been able to admire whales from so close. It was breathless. This moment will undoubtedly remain as one of the most beautiful of our trip and will remain forever engraved in our memories. In spite of the sandwich we ate after returning from the excursion, we return to the food truck to eat tacos. Did we say how delicious they are? 😋
Sunday, January 15th
Today, we travel in convoy of 4 vehicles. Bob le van T3 goes first and damn it goes fast! We go last and slower. Fortunately, it’s much harder for the T3 to go up a hill or on the trail when the road is closed. We arrive in San Ignacio in the afternoon. We stay in the campground.
We stay in the campground all afternoon and go to San Ignacio in the evening. The city center is very cute with the square, the stores and restaurants and the mission.
We settle down on a terrace to drink a Margarita. Then two. Then three. When the restaurant closes, they "offer" us tequila shots. Then a second round. And a third one. We return to the campground and we are not walking very straight 🤪
Monday, January 16th
Resting at the campsite. It rains all day long. The shower is almost cold. We eat tacos. We sit under the pergola to work, but the WiFi is bad. The rain finally stops in the afternoon and we can play Möllky, then Skyjo all evening.
Tomorrow, we will be back on the road!
3 commentaires
Wouahhhh !!! Wouahhhhouhhh ! Que dire de plus ?
Irréelle cette rencontre avec les baleines, magique ! Je suis contente d’avoir participé à offrir à ce spectacle. Encore une belle rencontre qui restera gravée dans vos souvenirs et votre coeur.
Encore merci pour ce beau cadeau !!! On ne pensait pas que ce serait si incroyable !