Blue whale watching

Loreto Bay is one of the few places where the largest animal that has ever lived turns up with any regularity. Blue whales move into the Gulf of California for a short window in late winter, and February and March are the surest weeks; some years they come in December, some not until mid-February. Fin whales are often out there too.

You cannot go on your own. The national park only allows licensed boats, so the trip is a small panga with a captain and guide, leaving early from the Loreto marina or, if the whales are in the south of the bay, from Puerto Escondido. Mornings are calmer with fewer boats. It takes patience: a blue dives for five to twenty minutes and stays up for a few minutes of blowing, usually alone, with none of the breaching that humpbacks do. Half-day trips with lunch get back early in the afternoon. A paper park bracelet is required and normally included.