Baja California & Sea of Cortez Traveller Reviews

Whale watching off Baja California and the Sea of Cortez. We saw blue, sperm and humpback whales, in large numbers and very active, dolphins and many species of birds. The crew of the Searcher ( our home for 12 days) were experienced, professional. very friendly and included first rate chefs.

Naturetrek offer interesting and exciting holidays, with excellent tour leaders, and partner with first class local tour companies. The office staff are responsive and helpful

whale watching in Baja, crew aboard The Searcher ensured we had our expectations met, saw Humpback Whales in abundance - we didn't know where to look, they were fin slapping, breaching and generally having 'fun'. also saw Fin Whales, and Blue Whales. Had wonderful close encounters with gray whales and their calves.

Naturetrek from initial contact to booking the holiday were brilliant. i had problems re booking airline seat on line - phoned tour operator and within minutes had sorted things out. Their tour guide was excellent, always around, never intrusive but always there if needed

This was a whale watching trip on the Searcher, from San Diego down the Baja peninsula and into the Sea of Cortez. The crew were extremely skilled, very courteous and took great care to make sure we saw as much as possible. Whales every day. with extra dolphins, turtles, elephant seals, whale sharks and all kinds of bird life. It was amazing. We saw many kinds of cetaceans, including the rarely spotted Couvier's Beaked Whale and a sighting of three blues.We were treated to tail lobbing and flipper flapping displays from humpbacks and enticed by the baby greys in the San Ignacio lagoon into tickling them. Whales feel, it seems, like bristly wellie boots. I cannot recommend this enough - such care of us, our safety, the environment. Amazing

I have travelled with Naturetrek a few times now and have always been impressed by the attention to detail and the way in which they work with local, often not for profit, people and organisations. More than happy to travel with them again and to recommend them to others. This is quality wild life experience.

I booked the holiday at the last minute and as per usual Naturetrek was on the ball and had everything organised straight away. They are a very efficient company. I had to make my own flight bookings and hotel booking in San Diego{ to enable me to join the trip with the least fuss Naturetrek arranged & booked for me to stay at the same hotel as the other participants. Once I had made contact with the tour leader everything was taken care of. This was a Whale,Dolphin & hopefully snorkelling with Whale Sharks. The boat we used " The Searcher " was very comfortable albeit smallish cabins but as we were only using them to sleep in perfectly fitted the bill. The Captain and crew were exceedingly helpful to me as I have a slight disability with walking. The tour guide Duncan was very considerate and helpful when I needed his help and was again " nothing was too great to deal with " The trip and food were well organised and when we left the boat on Skiffs the Searcher crew were very considerate of our safety and well being. Luckily the weather was very good and on occasion there was a small swell. For the participants the Whale Shark experience was able to take place as the weather was good and everyone who snorkelled had excellent views of the sharks, albeit I nearly brained one by jumping in the water with it's head only about a foot beneath me.

I have used Naturetrek many times and have found them to be very knowledgeable on each of the holidays I have undertaken in suggesting ideas of how to improve the holiday where necessary. The staff are always very friendly and always greet you as an individual when I see them at the Bird Fair and Travel shows. One does not feel as if you are a number. The tour leaders are well chosen and seem to have a very good understanding of the area being visited and of the local Flora & Fauna. I have a slight difficulty in walking especially on rough ground and have had no trouble as the leader and any local guides always make sure that I am safe and get to see the particular bird, animal or Cetation that is on view. If I have found that I am unable to get to the particular area the leader always seems to find a way for me to see the bird/animal so I never feel like a burden or extra baggage on the trip. I cannot recommend Nature trek enough for their organisation and care of clients.

We traveled to San Diego and Baja California with Naturetrek. The itinerary was designed to give us the best opportunities to view the wildlife of the area, both at sea and on land.

The trip was run very smoothly, and it was clear that our guides were passionate about the wildlife we were seeing. We wished to add a couple of days onto our stay in San Diego, and Naturetrek were very accommodating, arranging this all for us. The information sent before and after the trip was comprehensive, the Naturetrek support staff are extremely responsive and professional, and I would not hesitate to recommend this holiday to anyone.

We were told that whale sighting was 100% guaranteed on this trip down the Pacific coast of Mexico and on into the Sea of Cortez .we lived on a wonderful boat ,stopping most days to walk on deserted desert islands and all the time observing the whales ,,,when we arrived in Laguna San Ignacio it was there that we had our most memorable experience of making contact with the grey whales ,,,,otherwise called Friendly Whales .They desire contact with us humans . A really stunning holiday ,,,I could write on for ever !!!

Naturetrek was brilliant ,,specialist of wild life and nature holidays with wonderful specialists .very friendly and very professional.

The Naturetrek holiday was perfectly organised, used a well run and staffed boat and employed 2 exceptional naturalists. The Searcher, the boat, was comfortable, safe and staffed by an engaging staff for whom nothing was too much trouble. The chef managed to produce a wide variety of tasty food for every meal. Maintaining safety was an obvious concern for the staff and never once did we feel unsafe or uncared for. The naturalists were a source of endless information about everything that we encountered and made our holiday interesting from start to finish. The skill of the skipper meant that we saw all our hoped for animals many times and at close quarters. All in all an excellent holiday

Naturetrek are consistently excellent, we've travelled with them many times, professional, considerate, obliging - everything a wildlife lover wants from a wildlife watching holiday. Naturetrek are so good that we always say we can relax the moment our luggage is checked in at the airport....after that all the organisation has been done and every eventuality prepared for.

This was a trip in the MV Searcher from San Diego down the Mexican coast (Baja California) and eventually around the bottom into the Sea of Cortez. The main focus was on whales but the naturalists on board and indeed the whole crew of the Searcher were alert to the whole of nature: we went ashore for walks on uninhabited islands with interesting flora and fabulous birdlife, we swam and snorkelled in wonderful places and while travelling on Searcher we spotted whales (5 different varieties up close!). The Searcher was well managed by an experienced and very engaged crew, the two naturalists accompanying us were outstanding and our fellow passengers were enthusiastic and committed. The food was excellent!

Naturetrek organised the trip. They were very efficient from first contact to the end of the trip. I will certainly travel with them again - delightful people to deal with.

We were aboard the Searcher, a mahogany hulled ketch, normally used for sport fishing, but which takes 4 or 5 wildlife trips every year as well. The captain was hugely committed to the wildlife, and the crew (7 in all) were knowledgeable and worked extraordinarily hard to make sure we had all the opportunities we wanted to see the whales, swim with the shark, interact with the grey whales, go snorkelling safely and so on. The Natjretrek guide was just excellent. it was fun.

Naturetrek runs wildlife holidays for groups, not too large, and only when the wildlife you want to see will actually be there (e.g. grey whales at the time they are breeding, grizzly bears during the salmon season). Their guides are extremely knowledgable, often involved in their own research into the subject. There need be no wasted time. If there is a gap between flights, for example, they will organise a brief birding tour of the area close by.

If you want to see whales, this is definitely the trip for you. Soon after we boarded the boat in San Diego we began to see a few whales. But when we reached San Ignacio Lagoon we were able to get really close to dozens of grey whales and after that it never stopped! Pods of pilot whales, mother and calf Sperm whales, Humpbacks doing all sorts of acrobatics and the biggest Blue Whales you ever did see. Add to that elephant seals, bow-wave riding bottlenose dolphins and a mega-pod of a 1000-plus common dolphins and we were quite exhausted with all the marine activity. The whole trip from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas was so well-organised and carried out by Naturetrek and the crew of the Searcher that I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in cetaceans.

The whole tour was very well-arranged and the Naturetrek guide and the naturalist they provided were tireless in spotting wildlife and giving us heaps of information about everything we saw and the places we visited. Brilliant!