San Ignacio Lagoon Gray Whale Watching

The most amazing thing happens every winter and spring at the gray whale birthing lagoon halfway up Baja. This is an experience not to be missed. It's phenomenal, extraordinary, mind shattering. These whales will steal your heart when they look you in the eye and swim over to interact. The lagoon and surrounding desert are beautiful, and these trips are done in style, offering glamping and luxury villages, with direct 1 hour 50 minute fly-in flights from Cabo San Lucas. The gray whales arrive in late December, and camps open mid-January. Every winter, Eastern pacific gray whales migrate home to Baja, Mexico. Males cruise in and out of every bay, harbour, and lagoon in central Baja looking for females. Females do the same. San Ignacio is whale central, with 5,000 to 6,000 whales visiting the lagoon between December and May. Our incredible good fortune began in 1972 when the gray whales started actively participating in more and more "human watching and interaction" in one of the deep water channels in the lagoon. Picture this, 40-ft whales swimming up to our idling pangas and communicating very clearly that they want us to stroke, caress, and even kiss them. It's truly an astonishing experience.

Trip Details

Total Reviews

219

Average Rating

4.8 ★

Overall

4.9

Whale Interaction

4.7

Cuisine

4.6

Crew

4.9

Camp

4.8

Guest Reviews

Kimberly Ramsey

San Ignacio Glamping

March 27, 2026

Review

I absolutely LOVED the night presentations. They were so educational and interesting.

Brianna Monson

San Ignacio Glamping

March 24, 2026

Review

very impressed!! Loved it!

Staff standout

andrea! and Paulina, and Lilian! And Naomi and Hugo!!

Katarzyna Pierzga

San Ignacio Luxury

March 20, 2026

Review

Thank you! <3

Staff standout

Honestly every single person supporting the tour was wonderful. We also went to the fishing village to participate in gathering data on the sea turtles they had caught earlier, and that family was so warm and welcoming and generous in sharing their knowledge. The whole trip has been wonderful.

John Eggers

San Ignacio Luxury

March 20, 2026

Review

THANKS!!

Staff standout

The food was excellent. Appreciated the low key spices and no onions!
Really appreciated the professionalism with a pleasant demeanor of all the staff. They held up well even when people were being somewhat unpleasant. The pangas were very clean and the captains were extraordinary in accommodating all the desires of the passengers. The rooms were cleaned very well on a daily basis. Many thanks to all who help keep this place running so well.

Ashley DeVore

San Ignacio Luxury

March 14, 2026

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation here, what a wonderful magical place you have! I learned so much about whales their behaviours and habitats they are my new favorite animals for sure
My group was really fun and we all were adventurers and travelers who had fun stories to share with each other in camp and while bonding in the panga in search of awesome whale encounters, gracias!

Staff standout

Luis was very professional and approachable with his gentle, friendly manner.
Anna was very enthusiastic and her awesome positivity was very contagious!
Namsi was very efficient and observed every little detail in the dining room and took care of any little problem right away.

Andrew Behr

San Ignacio Luxury

March 11, 2026

Review

This is our first time on a trip like this. Everything was "as-advertised" or better. Truly enjoyed the entire experience.

Staff standout

Isabel was a charming and knowledgeable naturalist and guide. We absolutely loved our conversations at camp and whale watching with her. Luis was always engaging and hospitable as a host. Really, the entire staff was kind, enthusiastic and professional, and helpful. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Claudia Williams

San Ignacio Glamping

March 3, 2026

Review

Chris was MORE than excellent!

Staff standout

All were excellent!

Kelsey Broll

San Ignacio Glamping

March 3, 2026

Review

Muchas gracias for an incredible experience!

Kerry Hoppe

San Ignacio Luxury

March 2, 2026

Review

Our bed was a bit hard and the shower stall should be painted or replaced. Everything else was amazing and we thought the food was very delicious!! We were pleasantly surprised since we were camping.

I would suggest the naturalist and captains announce their names at the start of each outing in the pengas. The camp manager could have explained the $35 cash park fee and tipping for the captains on the first day so we were all prepared. We tipped our captains after each outing but no one else was doing so and we worried they were not going to get paid by everyone. Other guests noticed we were tipping and then some others started to do so.

We LOVED this trip and will highly recommend it to friends and family as such a unique experience. Thank you to Mike and all the team. What a wonderful set up and experience.

Staff standout

Anna and Luis are gems! We loved chatting with them and their friendliness and kindness. Anna also arranged a birthday cake for me! Tico, David and Isa were also great out on the boats.

Christine Brower-Farmer

San Ignacio Glamping

February 25, 2026

Review

Great trip, well organized and educational.

Staff standout

All crew members were fabulous, friendly and helpful.

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