Point Reyes Outdoors - Braces and Recues Sea Kayaking Class, Tomales Bay, Point Reyes, Ca

Whale Watching Camp
in Laguna San Ignacio
with *Pancho Mayoral

SpyHop
Spend an extraordinary week camping and kayaking in
Baja's Laguna San Ignacio
the birthplace of the "friendly whale phenomenon.

In 1972 Pachico Mayrol was the first human to make physical contact with the gray whales of Laguna San Ignacio. At his father's side Pancho grew up as a whale watching guide learning from the best.

This year Pancho was granted the first permits to actually camp inside Laguna San Ignacio. The campsite is in a beautiful mangrove estuary adjacent to the laguna.

During our stay Pancho's father and fisher friends will pick us up at the campsite in their pangas (skiffs) and take us into the restricted, whale-viewing area for close encounters with the amazing gray whales of San Ignacio. They will share with us stories and facts that can only be learned through years of intimate encounters.

Between whale watching excursions, we will paddle adjacent to the viewing area and explore the rich, local mangrove wetlands where a stunning array of birds and wildlife await us. With any luck we may catch a glimpse of the local sea turtles.

This is an unique opportunity to experience a pristine and protected wilderness with outstanding qualified people that are intimately connected to the land and wild life that surround you.

* See the profile on Pancho in the Feb. 2006 issue of Sea Kayaker magazine along with the article
about paddling Baja's wild Pacific Coast.

Your Guides/Instructors

Roger Schumann, owner-operator of Eskape Sea Kayaking, is among a small cadre of ACA Instructor Trainer Educators nationwide (the ACA's highest level trainer). Roger is known for his regular articles in Sea Kayaker magazine, and he co-authored "Guide to Sea Kayaking Central and Northern California" and "Sea Kayak Rescue". He is trained as a Wilderness First Responder and has extensive experience teaching kayaking and guiding trips in Baja over the past 15 years.

Pancho Mayoral, grew up in San Ignacio Lagoon, and was literally born into being a whale watching guide under the legacy of his father's "first contact." He has also worked as a kayak instructor for 8 years, including working as the sea kayaking program coordinator for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) Baja. He, too, is a Wilderness First Responder. Please read the profile on Pancho in the Feb. '06 issue of Sea Kayaker magazine.

Ponch's Profile in Sea Kayaker

Trip Details

Features single & double kayaks, skills development, all necessary equipment, delicious cooked meals, and guaranteed close encounters with whales and the human who touched them first!

Includes: 5 days sea kayaking, 4 nights camping; all meals while kayaking, kayaks and gear, whale watching with English-speaking naturalist-guides.

Basic Package : $1200 - Includes all food, kayaking & camping gear, and transportation form Loreto to San Ignacio
(does not include airport transfers or hotel rooms in Loreto)
To make your own lodging arrangements: Info where to stay in Loreto

Deluxe Package Upgrade: $250; includes all of the above plus 2 nights hotel in Loreto and airport transfers
Single supplement: add $125

2008 Dates: San Ignacio Whale Camp
March 9-16
March 16-23 (FULL)
March 23-30

Basic Itinerary for Whale Camp
Day 1: fly in Loreto
Day 2: drive to whale camp inside San Ignacio Lagoon, possible whale watching.
Days 3-6: paddling, skills instruction, whale watching, hanging out!
Day 7: return to Loreto
Day 8: fly home

Travel information & Trip Details

Location, Location, Location!
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve

The Whale Watching camp is located on an unpopulated beach at southern end of the Vizcaíno Peninsula. Among the more remote regions in all of Baja, we'll be camped smack in the middle of El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Mexico's largest protected region.

In addition to some 6 million acres of unique and biologically important desert landscape and nearly 300 miles of rugged coastline, this reserve includes the gray whale sanctuaries of Ojo de Liebre (near Guerreo Negro) in the north and San Ignacio Bay in the south, both lagoons listed by UNESCO as Wetlands of International Importance.