Baja

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Join us for a spectacular sea kayaking vacation to Baja, Mexico. Just off shore from La Paz, in south Baja on the Sea of Cortez, lies one of the finest warm-water sea kayaking destinations in the world…Isla Espiritu Santo! Pristine white sand beaches, crystal clear water, deeply indented bays protected by intriguing rock formations, abundant marine life and numerous neighboring islets…these are some of the characteristics that bring many of our guests back to this enchanting island year after year. Choose a four-day quick escape or seven-day circumnavigation kayaking along Isla Espiritu Santo. The seven day trips circumnavigate the entire island while four days is a perfect time-frame to paddle the length of the island one way. Group sizes range from four to fourteen guests. Guide to guest ratio is one to six. In January and February, you may choose to join one of our trips that combine kayaking along Espiritu Santo with a visit to the famous

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pacific lagoons which are teeming with grey whales. Your guides are bilingual, knowledgeable, extremely safety conscious, environmentally aware, friendly and fun to be with…we feel they are the finest, most qualified kayak guides in Baja.


Two different trip styles are offered: 1) cooperative expeditions and 2) fully catered, motor-skiff supported expeditions. 1) Cooperative trips are styled after a true expedition and involve guests in all aspects of the trip, including packing gear into their kayaks, setting and breaking camp and helping the guides with meal preparation and clean-up. 2) Fully catered trips allow for gear and coolers to be carried in a panga (motor skiff) which travels ahead of the group. The panga driver prepares fabulous meals, takes care of all kitchen duties and is able to keep cold beverages throughout the trip. Typically we paddle two to four hours in the mornings and fill our afternoons snorkeling and hiking or just relaxing and soaking up the glorious Baja sun. Every day is different and there is always a surprise around the next headland; perhaps a huge manta ray leaping out of the water or dolphin and whale sightings! Each trip allows for the unforgettable experience of swimming with sea lion pups at Los Islotes – a small islet harboring a huge population of sea lions. Quality sea kayaks, camping gear and all meals are provided during the expedition. Our guests just need to bring their own sleeping bag and personal items. The sea is quite warm in the spring and fall (low 80’s) but dips down to about 70 degrees in mid winter – this is a comfortable swimming temperature, however a bit chilly for extended snorkeling. Therefore, shorty wetsuits are recommended December – March. Wetsuits and snorkel gear may be rented. Daily flights are available directly to La Paz or you may fly into Los Cabos. Buses depart once an hour between San Jose Del Cabo and La Paz (three hours), as well there is a small airport shuttle from San Jose Airport to La Paz several times a day.

Espiritu Santo Quick Escape – 4 days/3 nights

October – May. We’ll explore about half of the island, paddling to a new camp each day. There is plenty of time to hike, snorkel, and relax at camp. We will also visit Los Islotes to swim with sea lion pups and snorkel amongst thousands of tropical fish. You will marvel at one of the worlds most diverse natural aquariums. All meals during the expedition are included in the trip price.  Accommodations in La Paz are not included in the trip price, however we are happy to make your reservations locally or recommend several options.

Espiritu Santo Circumnavigated – 7 days/8 nights

October – May. Paddling in paradise – seven days kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, and relaxing on one of the most beautiful islands in the entire Sea of Cortez. We’ll circumnavigate the island, exploring the rugged shoreline, off-shore islands, headlands and deeply indented bays, making each day a new adventure. The west coast of Espiritu Santo is studded with some of the most spectacular white, sandy bays you can imagine while the east coast has enormous towering cliffs, bizarre rock formations and alluring sea caves. We’ll visit Los Islotes to swim with sea lion pups and tropical fish. There is an excellent chance that we’ll encounter dolphins and perhaps see cruising whales and giant manta rays breaching from the sea. Halfway through our journey, a panga (motor skiff) will visit one of our camps, bringing fresh supplies and cold beverages for the second half of the trip. Accommodations in La Paz the first and last night, along with all meals during the expedition and a farewell dinner in La Paz are included in the trip price.

Espiritu Santo/Magdalena Bay Whalewatch Combo – 7 days/8 nights

January – February. This trip combines the four day “Quick Escape”, kayaking along Espiritu Santo as described above, with a two day excursion across the peninsula to Magdalena Bay where we will encounter the world’s most prolific breeding grounds for gray whales. Our two days at Magdalena Bay will be hotel based in the small fishing village of Lopez Mateos. Each day we’ll venture out in pangas to tranquil lagoons teeming with gray whales. There is no description that can portray the experience of being so close to so many of the sea’s most magnificent creatures. Included in the trip price are accommodations in La Paz the first night, the transition day, and the last night, as well as two nights accommodations in Lopez Mateos, all meals while camping and a farewell dinner in La Paz.

Pacific Lagoons and the Aquarium of the World – 7 days/8 nights

January – February. This is an exceptional adventure that encompasses some of the great wonders in the Sea of Cortez followed by a sea-kayaking expedition in a truly remote and spectacular part of Baja virtually untouched by human impact. Snorkel with Whale-Sharks and friendly Sea-lion pups and experience up close encounters with Gray Whales to start the trip. The second part of the trip you will kayak in the little touched paradise of the Pacific Lagoons. Sand dunes situated on the island provide a contrast to the labyrinth of mangroves along the Baja coastline. Nesting among the thick groves are prolific numbers of exotic birds.  Paddling the narrow waterways is interspersed with beach-combing the Pacific, jumping off sand dunes and natural history education.   Trip cost includes all food and beverages during the expedition, 4 hotel nights and 4 nights camping on sand dunes and farewell dinner in La Paz.

San Jose Archipelago – 6 days/7 nights

(for intermediate to advanced paddlers)

Fall/Spring Trips This expedition is for intermediate to advanced paddlers who have previous experience with multi-day expeditions and have undertaken open water crossings of 3+ miles or more.  The San Jose Archipelago is some 60 miles north of La Paz and the next set of islands north of Isla Espiritu Santo. It’s a unique journey to several islands with remote camping beaches, exceptional snorkeling, mangrove forests, dolphin pods and a variety of birds.

Loreto – La Paz 10 Day Coastal Epic – 10 days/11 nights 

(for intermediate to advanced paddlers)

Fall/Spring Trip.This expedition explores some of Baja’s finest coastal scenery between La Paz and Loreto in Baja California Sur. Throughout our 10 day paddle we are overlooked by a spectacular mountain range, the Sierra de la Giganta. In many places, sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high plunge directly into the Sea of Cortez. The beaches are stunningly beautiful and many have canyons behind them which we can explore on foot. For a hundred miles there are but a few fishing hamlets so the corresponding coast has very little human presence. There are some awesome snorkeling spots and we are likely to see dolphins, perhaps even whales spouting in the distance. 

Isla Espiritu Santo Overnight Excursion – 2 days/1 night

This trip offers the perfect opportunity for those guests wanting to experience what an Espiritu Santo kayaking expedition is all about but just don’t have the time for an extended trip. You will have time to kayak, snorkel, hike, and of course enjoy a beautiful Espiritu Santo sunset.

2024 Schedule

Key: cc = cooperative; fc = fully catered; circ = 7 days paddling, 6 nights camping, 2 nights hotel accommodation; quick escape = 4 days paddling, 3 nights camping Pricing is based on double occupancy for  trips which include hotel accommodations. Single person supplement varies based on the trip.

January 2024
1/3-6Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$800
1/6-14Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationcc$990
1/7-10Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$680
1/10-13Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$680
1/13-16Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$790
1/20-28Pacific Lagoons and the Aquarium of the Worldfc$1500
February 2024
2/3-11Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1500
2/10-18Pacific Lagoons and the Aquarium of the Worldfc$1500
2/24-3/3Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationcc$990
March 2024
3/9-17Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationcc$1060
3/10-13Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$720
3/13-16Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$720
3/15-23Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1500
3/16-24Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationcc$1060
3/17-20Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$720
3/20-23Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$720
3/24-31San Jose Archipelago – multi-island expeditionfc$1550
3/30-4/7Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1500
3/31-4/3Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
April 2024
4/3-6Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
4/6-14Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1500
4/7-10Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
4/8-1910 Day Epic – Loreto to La Pazcc$1800
4/10-13Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
4/20-28San Jose Archipelago – multi-island expeditionfc$1550
4/26-5/710 Day Epic – Loreto to La Pazcc$1800
4/27-5/5Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1500
4/28-5/1Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
May 2024
5/1-4Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
5/4-12Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1500
5/5-8Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
5/8-11Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$880
June 2024 Private trips only during the month of June.
July/August
August
OFF SEASON – Too Hot For Kayaking
October 2024
10/19-27Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1450
10/20-23Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
10/23-26Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
10/24-11/410 Day Epic – Loreto to La Pazcc$1850
10/27-30Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
November 2024
11/2-9San Jose Archipelago – multi-island expeditioncc$1100
11/10-2110 Day Epic – Loreto to La Pazcc$1850
11/16-24Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1460
11/17-20Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
11/20-23Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
11/23-12/1Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1460
11/24-27Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
11/27-30Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
11/30-12/8Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationcc$1050
December 2024
12/1-4Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$700
12/4-7Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapecc$700
12/7-15Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1400
12/8-11Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$800
12/11-14Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$800
12/14-22Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1400
12/15-18Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$800
12/18-21Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$800
12/22-30Sea Kayak Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – circumnavigationfc$1460
12/23-26Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850
12/26-29Sea Kayaking Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja – quick escapefc$850