Baja California– Where desert and ocean meet

Baja California

The diversity of wildlife and wilderness thatthese 12 days offer is unparalleled anywhereon Earth.

Cruising with a hundred whales and manyhundred dolphins. Snorkeling with sea lions.Hiking among endemic cacti and lizards onuninhabited protected island reserves. Loungingwith Elephant Seals. Enjoying close encounterswith the mightiest of cetaceans and tinyhummingbirds. Watching the sun set in pink andrise again in orange – perhaps with a greenflash. Spotting sea turtles, rays, marlin – andmaybe a Whale Shark. Watching BrownPelicans dive, Magnificent Frigatebirds chase,albatrosses soar and whales breach. Searchingfor the endemic Santa Catalina Rattle-lessRattlesnake. Staring down on bow-ridingdolphins. Listening to the silence of the nightand watching the stars where no backgroundlight pollutes the air. Enjoying on board meals,laid back friendliness, and the odd educationallecture. Comparing photos, looking up endemicsin the library books, eating the grand meals andenjoying a glass of wine. And who knows, withonly a little luck, even being touched by a GrayWhale.

This is indeed the World’s best whale-watching trip– and it is so much more too!

Tour DescriptionDates: January 23 – February 3, 2019.

Group size: 22 & 3 guides

Transportation: 95-foot M/V “Searcher”, aluminum skiffs &glass-fiber pangas.

Accommodation: 14 bunk cabins- 12 double occupancy, 2 triple occupancy.

Price: US $5,995.

Payment schedule: 20% upon booking, further 40% by April2018, final 40% by October 2018.

Discounts: US$ 300,- if booked before Oct 2017, and US$ 300,-for repeat customers. OR 10% for anyone who had booked thepostponed 2017 tour.

Conservation: For each booking made before Oct 2017, wepledge a US$ 500,- contribution to Vaquita conservation efforts..

Included:* Three meals and snacks daily January 24 to February 2

plus breakfast February 3.* Coffee/tea/chocolate, soft drinks, beer and wine.* 11 nights of accommodation on board.* Mexican visa.* Biosphere reserve, national park, marine reserve & island

reserve entrance permits.* Panga services in Laguna San Ignacio.* All guide services such as briefings, lectures and shore-side

interpretations.* All excursions by aluminum skiff for cruising or landing.* All hikes and snorkels/swims (minus whale shark swim).* Magnificent scenery and wonderful wildlife encounters.* Great company, safe and friendly travel, a trip of a lifetime.

Excluded: Any pre- or post-cruise expenses including flightsand transfers, dinner on January 23, optional Whale Sharkswimming, customary tips for crew & for panga drivers,mandatory insurance, items of a personal nature, and anythingelse not specified as included.

Additionally, NozoMojo Tour Special Gifts include:A copy of “Whales, Dolphins & Seals” by Hadoram Shirihai

A copy of “The Vaquita: The Biology of an Endangered Porpoise” by Aidan Bodeo-LomickyA NozoMojo Searcher experience t-shirt or cap

A printed species check list to use while on boardA NozoMojo log-book / tour report to be sent to you after the voyage.

What to expect

• Weather of a gentle nature, with mostly mildwinds, a soft rolling sea mostly from behind,sunny or part overcast conditions, daytimetemperatures around 20-25C/70-80F and watertemperatures around 18C/65F.

• Sunrises and sunsets of an often veryspectacular nature on a daily basis.

• Long days and early nights, beginning before orat dawn and continuing until after sunset, withnear constant wildlife and wildernessopportunities of an ever changing nature.

• Ocean view dining, not infrequently withcetaceans right outside.

• An informal but highly professional atmosphere.

• Close contact with friends you haven’t met yet.

• Sightings of 12-14 species of cetacean, 4 seal species, perhaps 150 or more bird species, and numerous fishes, reptiles and plants.Endemic or near-endemic species may include almost a dozen birds, as many lizards, a few snakes and many cacti and other plants.Near endemic is Guadalupe Fur Seal.

• Whether it be with Blue, Humpback, Sperm, Short-finned Pilot, Bryde’s or Fin Whale, or with Long- or Short-beaked Common orBottlenose Dolphins, there is a high chance to have VERY close encounters with some of these animals.

• With the Gray Whales, there is a high likelihood of something even more spectacular than a VERY close encounter. It could be a VERYVERY close encounter. So close, that if you reach out, you will feel the softness of the whale’s skin!

Rough itinerary:

On January 23rd, you will be on board the“Searcher” before 8 pm, which is whenthe introductions take place. Your CaptainArt Taylor and his wife Celia will describethe outlay of the boat, including its safetyfeatures. As tempting as it might be tostay up this first evening, it isrecommended to head for the cabinsearly, as the show begins early the nextday.

After clearing Mexican customs andimmigration during breakfast, the“Searcher” heads south, past Isla EspirituSantu, with a quick look at the seals andbirds there, before it is all about sea-watching the rest of the day. Some of thelikely species of this day, species that arenear the southern limit of the distributionand which we therefore might not seelater, include Pacific White-sided Dolphinand Laysan and Black-footed Albatross.

On this first day, we might also see thefirst large pods of Common Dolphins,both long-beaked and short-beakedbeing possible, and we are almostcertain to see some large baleen whales– will it be Gray, will it be Blue, will it beHumpback or Fin – or maybe a mix?

There are often whales around alreadyfrom sunrise as the boat approaches theSan Benitos Islands. After breakfast, wehead ashore to spend a morning onuninhabited ground, with options tospend the entire time with the pinnipedsthere, or to hike across the island for agood leg-stretch and some great views.Two seal species compete to steal theshow here – the Northern ElephantSeals are at this time of year very busyon the breeding beaches, with hugebulls fighting, females pupping, andgenerally lots of action. Less noisy andless smelly, but just as fascinating, arethe Guadalupe Fur Seals, back from thebrink of extinction some 120 years ago.The afternoon is spent cruising furthersouth again, passing through waterswith numerous opportunities to see morewhales, dolphins as well as new birdspecies. If we are going to see therecently split Scripp’s Murrelet, it willprobably be today. Look out also forBlack-vented Shearwaters and Leastand Black Storm-petrels.

In the early hours of our third full day on board, we enter into Laguna San Ignacio. Just how very special this is will have been highlighted inadvance, but you will also see for yourselves. The shallow and relatively warm waters of the lagoon are one of the most important calving andnursing grounds of the migratory Gray Whale, arriving here from the Arctic anytime between December and now, and departing again betweennow and May. The “Searcher” is one of only 2 or 3 commercial vessels allowed to enter into the lagoon itself. The lagoon is a World HeritageSite, part of Latin America’s largest wildlife sanctuary (El Vizcaìno Biosphere Reserve), and it will be our base for the next 2 days.

While in the lagoon, we shall be offering up to 4 daily excursions to interact with the Gray Whales. In three local glass-fiber boats, calledpangas, with comfortable space for everyone, we shall be venturing out with local whale-watch operators who have many years of experiencein finding the best whales for us. Each outing will be of about 1,5 hours’ duration, during which we will see Gray Whales surfacing, breaching,spyhopping, lobtailing, mating – it is very busy in all directions! There will be new-born calves, and their mothers often allow them to approachthe pangas. Sometimes the young, or even an adult, poke their heads out of the water to be touched. The panga drivers are veryknowledgeable about how to maneuver around the whales, and they communicate between the pangas to ensure that everyone gets anunforgettable experience.

Apart from the Gray Whales, the lagoon offers views of Bottlenose Dolphins, a wide range of coastal bird life, and often a glimpse of a sea turtleor two.

Depending on winds and tides, alternative excursions will include a panga ride into a nearby mangrove, for close-up encounters there withnumerous species of heron, egret, ibis, shorebird and more – including the local Mangrove Warbler, a race of Yellow Warbler. Another option isa beach landing on a remote and desolate, wonderful sand beach for some time away from everyone else.

We will head out again in the afternoon of the fifth full day on board.

The following day is spent on board,traveling towards the tip of the Bajapeninsula. We are now getting intowarmer climes, and on this day weoften run into the first of moresouthern species – it could beMasked or Nazca Booby, it could beRed-tailed Tropicbird, or somethingelse. In addition, there is a very highlikelihood of great encounters withgreat whales – whether they beHumpback, Blue, Fin, Sei or Sperm– as well as pods of dolphins.

In the morning of the following day,we will be on the Gorda banks, anarea frequented by numerousHumpback Whales. Other speciescan be seen, but the focus will nodoubt be on the cavortingHumpbacks, often very active andproviding great displays as they slapthe water surface or jump right outof it. In the afternoon, we expect tomake a landing for the possibility ofa shore walk to look for birds and/ora snorkel among boulders near thebeach. The endemic Xantus’Hummingbird and Grey Thrasherare usually both found here, as wellas numerous other desert birdssuch as Greater Roadrunner, Gilaand Ladderbacked Woodpeckers,Cactus Wren, and many more. Thefirst snorkel opportunity of thevoyage should provide views of awide array of tropical fish.

We now have 3 full days remaining,all of which will be spent in the Gulfof California. Exactly what we dowill depend on weather conditions,but the range of opportunities isvast. Inside the gulf, the cetaceanswe expect to see include Blue, Fin,Bryde’s and Humpback Whalesamong the baleen, and Sperm,Dwarf Sperm and Short-finned Pilotamong the Toothed. There will beCommon Dolphins (possibly bothspecies), sometimes in podsnumbering several thousandindividuals - as well as BottlenoseDolphins, and there is always apossibility for the more unusual – apod of Orca perhaps? Blue-footedand Brown Boobies will be dailyalong with Magnificent Frigatebirds,Brown Pelicans, a variety of ternsand gulls (including the endemicYellow-footed Gull), and we shouldalso see the very local Craveri’sMurrelet. On shore walks, mostlyon human-void islands, we willenjoy more birds, and we will findendemic reptiles on just aboutevery island we visit. The cacti ofSanta Catalina are a scoop inthemselves, worth perhaps anextended visit. Towards the end ofour days in the gulf, we will visit arocky outcrop called Los Islotes,where we are allowed to snorkelwith the quite habituated CaliforniaSea Lions – a very special treat!

The weather is very often calm, allowing for very efficient whale searching. We will make sure we maximize the opportunities to havegreat views of and encounters with the local cetaceans, while also allowing ourselves to indulge in the islands and their very uniquehabitats and inhabitants. The dawns and sunsets are often spectacular, and we will be up and active to enjoy them. If conditions allow,we will have a spotlight over the side one night, so we can see the swarming krill and what comes after it. If conditions are right, wemight see bioluminescence in the night. If we are lucky, we will run into a large school of Mobula Rays, enjoying their strange habit ofleaping out of the water. And so on and so on. The list of special moments that always occur on these trips is actually endless.

If conditions are suitable, a very special treat that has been added in recent years to this already amazing journey is the possibility of anoptional snorkel with Whale Sharks (if weather permits – ca. US$ 75,- extra per person). Together with local, licensed operators, theSearcher Captain and the Expedition Leader will determine whether we do this, or we spend an extra half-day whale-watching.

In the early morning of February the 3rd, we will disembark the “Searcher” at Cabo San Lucas. Everyone will be briefed on the eveningbefore regarding the arranged transfers.

Booking and inquiry:NozoMojo@gmail.com