Pacific Sea Fari®Tours
Baja Expedition Itineraries

Pacific Sea Fari®Tours
Trip Information


Experience has shown over the past years that each trip has its own special features. We hope that the accompanying descriptions of occurrences most likely to happen during a certain time of the season will help you choose your preferred trip date.
Apart from the highlights described here, each trip offers daily encounters with dolphins and a variety of land, sea and shore birds. Regular stops provide great opportunities to explore Baja's Islands and seacoasts. Guests set their own pace and choose the activities in which they wish to participate.

Spirit of Adventure - Itinerary A
11 Day Fly home from Cabo San Lucas

Trip 1 - January 25, 2012 - February 5 2012

Route: San Diego- Todos Santos Island - San Benito Island - San Ignacio Lagoon - Magdelena Bay - Los Frailes -Island hopping in the Sea Of Cortez - Cabo San Lucas-
The highlight of this itinerary is the large variety of whales and other marine mammals that spend winter in this region, plus bird watching, snorkeling and nature walks on Baja's desert islands. We will travel among the Gray Whales on their southbound migration. En route we visit islands where large elephant seal bulls battle, breed and cows nurse their pups.

At San Ignacio Lagoon we watch Gray Whales from small skiffs. At this time of year we expect to see cow and calf pairs and courting groups of adults. The animals are very surface active, breaching, spy hopping, tail and flipper slapping are some of the common sights during whale courting season. On our southbound journey between San Ignacio and the Cape, we may see our first Humpback and Blue whales. Continuing around the tip of the Baja Peninsula we enter the Sea Of Cortez, one of the youngest and richest seas in the world. Here we search for Blue, Humpback, Fin Sperm and Killer whales. Daily encounters with large schools of dolphins are a special treat. A highlight is snorkeling among curious sea lions. We visit different islands with opportunities for beach combing, hiking, and skiff excursions. Our transition from temperate to tropical waters makes this an extraordinarily rich and varied expedition.


Spirit of Adventure - Itinerary B
11 Day Fly home from Cabo San Lucas

Trip 2: February 09 - February 20, 2012
Trip 3: February 23 - March 07, 2012
Trip 4: March 11 - March 22, 2012
Trip 5: March 26 - April 6, 2012
Trip 6: April 10, 2011 - April 21, 2012

Route: San Diego - Todos Santos Island - San Benito Island - San Ignacio Lagoon - Magdelena Bay - Los Frailes - Island hopping in the Sea of Cortez - Cabo San Lucas
On the first day of our trip we will visit Todos Santos Island with its harbor seals and variety of shore and sea birds. On our way south towards San Benito Island we will look for migrating Gray whales and dolphins. Most of the second day will be spent on San Benito, which is known for its large elephant seal colonies and numerous osprey nesting sites. The elephant seals can be observed at close range. On trip #3 there is a good chance of seeing mating behavior among the elephant seals. On trip #5 passengers will get a good look at the weaned pups; the adult animals will have left the island by mid March. In San Ignacio Lagoon, February is a good time to see "a little bit of everything". While there is still a chance of seeing mating behavior among Gray whales, there will already be quite a few cow/calf pairs in the lower part of the lagoon where we will be anchoring. Cow/calf pairs sometimes approach our skiffs, much to the delight of our passengers. In late March, the adult males have left the lagoon. There will be fewer Gray whales than on our earlier trips, but at this time of the season, "friendly" behavior is at its peak. On our journey south between San Ignacio and the Cape, we might see the first Blue and Humpback whales. The days in the Sea Of Cortez are truly magic at this time of the year. Whale watching is usually excellent. Past sightings have included Blue, Humpback, Fin, Sperm, Brydes and Killer whales. Daily encounters with large schools of dolphins are a special treat. Other highlights include swimming and snorkeling, early morning and evening hikes and shore walks on various islands, each with its unique bird and plant life.


Horizon - Itinerary
8 Day Expedition

Trip 1H: 

Route: San Diego - San Benito Island - San Ignacio Lagoon
Cedros Island - San Martin Island - San Diego
  Board the boat from 6 to 8 PM. Buffet is served. Safety Orientation and naturalist introduction. Depart San Diego at 11 PM
  6 AM Clear Mexican customs. Depart for San Benitos Islands watching for dolphins, whales and birds enroute.
  Morning at anchor at San Benitos Islands. Explore tide pools, plant life. Visit "pinniped" rookeries, hike to old lighthouse. Skiff among sea lions.
  Enter San Ignacio Lagoon. Anchor in the Gray Whale breeding grounds. Local Mexican pangas arrive for passengers. Close skiff approach to whales - possible contact. Bird watching along mangroves. Dune and nature studies ashore. Departure with the high tide by early afternoon on Wednesday.
  Morning arrival at Cedros Island. We will be observing elephant seals and sea lions from skiffs. Explore the island with its unique vegetation and tide pools. Depart late afternoon.
  Early morning walk on San Martin Island. Skiff trips for seaside viewing. Departure before noon for Ensenada where we clear customs in the evening. Evening departure for San Diego.
  Arrive in San Diego early morning for US customs clearance. Continental breakfast. Return to H&M Landing between 9 AM and 12 noon.
This itinerary will be followed loosely to allow us to take advantage of the opportunities that arise and respond to weather if necessary in order to maximize the experience. We recommend that airline reservations for your return flight not be made before 6 PM on Monday to allow for any delays that we might encounter.

Guests will set their own pace and choose the activities in which they wish to participate. For guests that choose to participate in island exploration, there can be considerable hiking and appropriate shoes and clothing are encouraged. But again, all activities are optional.


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2803 Emerson Street,
San Diego 92106
email: hmmail@hmlanding.com
For more information and reservations call:

Pacific Sea Fari® Tours
(619) 226-8224

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