Laguna San Ignacio 2010 Whale Tour:

5-Day Tour Package with Charter Air travel from San Diego - $2295
Includes 5-Days, 4 nights at Whale Camp; Whale Tours every day; guided kayaking and birding tours in the mangroves; comfortable camp accommodations with
showers and Great Meals.
Dates: see schedule

Our Laguna San Ignacio Tours include:
• Whale Tours Every Day
• Extensive Kayaking in the Mangrove Estuaries of the Laguna
(exclusive to our company)
• Comfortable YURT Base Camp (the only YURT camp in
the Laguna)
• Whale Expert & Kayak Guide Pancho Mayoral
• Large Domes for Whale Library & Evening Programs

Activities include whale-watching, kayaking, birding
and hiking, all led by our experienced naturalist guides.
Be prepared for the wildlife encounter thrills of a lifetime!

Here is where it all began ... History of a Family Legacy

Francisco Mayoral Pachico, a small-scale coastal fisherman, was the first person to experience a friendly encounter with a gray whale. On a crisp winter day in 1972, while fishing in San Ignacio Lagoon on Baja’s Pacific coast, a gray whale approached his little 18 foot wooden “panga” (a typical Baja skiff). At the time there was no knowledge of any prior whale-human contact without one or the other ending up dead. Hunted to the brink of extinction, the Gray Whale was known to local fishermen as the dangerous “Devil Fish”. Frightened, Pachico tried to move away from the whale, but every time he did, the whale surfaced next to the “panga” again and again, until it got itself right under it, giving Pachico no other option but to remain still. To his surprise, the whale wasn’t aggressive, but in fact appeared friendly, gently rubbing itself against his panga, and raising its head out of the water right where Pachico was sitting. Pachico timidly reached his hand out and touched the whale. Amazingly the whale didn’t move, but instead got closer to him, as if it liked being petted. Having discovered the friendliness of the famed “devil fish,” Baja’s whale watching was born. Pachico Mayoral began taking friends out and that is how he started the whale watching activity in Baja.

Your Guide - Pancho Mayoral
After working for many years with his father, Pancho is now partnering with Blue Waters Kayaking, offering Whale Tours on his native San Ignacio Lagoon.

Pancho grew up in the whale watching industry in Baja. He started as a boat driver in 1988, and in 1995 graduated as a nature guide from the RARE Guide Training Program. He is a sea kayak instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and has taught sea kayaking courses in Baja and Alaska. He leads sea kayaking expeditions in the Sea of Cortez, and also runs kayak surfing base camps in the Pacific coast. He still gets excited about taking people whale watching, which is one of his biggest passions. He believes in outdoor activities as a way to educate people about preserving nature.

Our Laguna San Ignacio camp is at an ideal location, adjacent to a pristine and extensive mangroveestuary. This presents unique opportunities for birding and kayaking. You can see the whales blowing and surfacing from the shores of our camp.

Our guides are all skilled naturalists and will share their knowledge of the area's natural history, marine biology, birds and local flora. Through their humor and skill, they will give you a rich, deep, and intimate experience of this place. Our Mexican chef, Lala, will prepare delicious and authentic home-cooked meals for you each day.

"This trip was worth every penny. Your guide was fantastic. Personable and knowledgeable and just a downright treat to be with. I learned lots of good stuff... To say nothing of the food prepared by Lala. We’re glad we found Blue Waters. This might have been the most enjoyable trip of this genre that I’ve taken." - Tom Waters, Blue Waters Whale Camp, February 2008

At this comfortable base camp, you will feel at peace, far from the stresses ofmodern life as you become immersed in the wisdom of "The Ancients of the Sea."

Our camp now features YURT accommodations. Yurts are a round Mongolian style wall tent that holds up extremely well in the wind. Our 12' diameter YURTS provide ample room for double occupancy sleeping on comfortable cots and all your gear. If you have never slept in a YURT before, you are in for a treat!

This is a vacation you will remember and treasure for a lifetime. Many of our guests return year after year, bringing friends and family ... even their grandkids! Children as young as seven are welcome. Come and join us for this season of whale watching, as we honor the life-cycle of the largest mammals on Earth!