Every year thousands of California gray whales migrate 6,000 miles from the cold waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas to the warm waters of Baja California's central Pacific coast. From mid-December through March, Scammon's Lagoon is the destination of the largest number of these magnificent mammals, approximately 1,500 (including newborn calves) every year.

To view the California gray whales as they blow, sound, mate and calve in their natural habitat is an awe-inspiring experience that will never be forgotten!

More than 20 species of cetaceans spend time around Baja. Grays breed and calve in the lagoons along the Pacific. Bahia Magdalena is a center for gray whale observation. Humpbacks and blues breed in the Sea of Cortez; Bahia de los Angeles is the center there. If you're the kind of person who prefers to remain on shore, the Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip is a good spot to observe passing whales and have your feet firmly planted on the ground.

The Sonoran desert and clear blue waters surrounding La Unica near Bahia de Los Angeles (Bay of the Angels) offer a wide variety of diverse habitats and abundant food supply. You'll participate in one of the most spectacular collection of plants, marine mammals and birds found anywhere in the world. 23 species of whales and dolphins, including the largest whales in the world, the Blue and Fin whales have been sighted in Canal de Los Baenes (whale canal), just east of La Unica. 120 species of cactus, 800 species of fish and the largest concentration of seabirds found anywhere in the Sea of Cortez are yours to discover.

Venture into the winter vacation home of the Pacific Gray Whales. San Ignacio Lagoon is the perfect place for whale watchers to observe these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. Gray whales have gathered in San Ignacio for centuries to calve, cavort and relax before heading north to their Arctic feeding grounds.

See first hand how these beautiful cetaceans have touched the hearts of millions. With a short skiff ride out into the lagoon prepare to experience a Gray Whale surfacing just a few feet from your skiff. You will be amazed by the urge to reach out and touch this extraordinary animal.

By the turn of the century, only 2,000 California gray whales were in existence. But as a result of international treaties and the extensive efforts of the Mexican government, the worldwide California gray whale population is now estimated at over 20,000.

Magdalena Bay.
Sheltered by low barrier islands, the waters of Magdalena Bay provide a perfect and peaceful winter home to hundreds of California Gray Whales. These magnanimous creatures allow us to watch them roll, breach and tend to their young, an experience both exhilarating and humbling.

400 mile voyage around the tip of Baja and witness the mysterious, languorous movements of Blue, Finback, California Gray and Humpback Whales - all of which flock to Baja's waters each winter.

Along the west coast of the Baja Peninsula, three lagoons provide the California Gray Whale with protected waters at the end of their annual migration from the Arctic. The surreal landscape of the ever changing sand dunes provides a dramatic background for Baja's most celebrated and magnificent visitors, the gray whales.

What you might see there: Gray whales, humpbacks, blues, fins, Bryde's whales, seis, minkes
When to go: All year
Viewing options: Shoreline, boat