Baja kayaking and whale watching holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

We seek to provide people with slow adventure travel itineraries consisting of walking, kayaking, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, and more. Kayaking is a minimal-impact activity and offered for half of this itinerary with the other half consisting of whale watching. Additionally, the other activities on this tour include hiking, snorkeling, and whale talks. Slow travel and human powered activities not only gives a more intimate experience with the land, but it doesn't harm the sea creatures we treasure.

When we are at camp we have vegetarian and vegan options available for travelers with a variety of dietary needs. From the minute you inquire about one of our tours we discuss what your dietary needs are and do our absolute best to ensure you are well fed, energized, and satiated throughout your adventure travels with us. Dietary restrictions are always communicated from our office staff to our guides on the ground to ensure our guests are well taken care of.

On this tour we also use shared local transportation. We carpool all guests into one van to be transported from the Gulf of California side of Baja, to the Pacific Coast where we begin the whale watching portion of the tour. This happens on the first or fourth day of this tour and carpooling all guests together at once greatly reduces our carbon footprint on the Baja peninsula.

We recommend all guests stay at hotels in Loreto that are environmentally conscious. Hotel Oasis as noted in this itinerary creates their own compost with food waste for their nearby garden, separates and recycles all aluminum, cardboard, plastics, and glass, and uses biodegradable detergents. They additionally use a drip irrigation system to save water and provide a salt water pool for guests to avoid using chlorinated chemicals.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

The islands we visit remain untouched and undeveloped due to the protections of the National Park & UNESCO World Heritage Site designations. We further this in our commitment to sustainability in our tours by strictly adhering to Leave No Trace camping policies. We pack in and pack out all of any garbage, carefully separating compostable material from other garbage. Guests are encouraged to limit their own impact in packing for the tours, including taking precautions like using biodegradable soap and covering up with clothing instead of using sunscreen in these water-focused activities. Human waste is also removed from the islands with a custom-built porta potty that fits into the hatch of a kayak. Toilet paper is carefully burned per the Park Service's policy. Garbage found on shore (i.e. plastics that end up in the ocean) is always removed.

We are also members of the World Cetacean Alliance, an honor that we take very seriously. Part of our ongoing case study is to hold a gray whale summit and better enforce protections and whale watching practices on a local, grassroots level by establishing a culture of respectful whale watching. Guides accompany all of our guests in the whale watching boats (we use local operators) and we are quite strict about procedures and proper behavior toward the whales. We always turn off boat motors when whales begin to approach our boats, we never crowd more than four boats near a whale, and we never follow or harass the whales we encounter.

Wildlife is such an important part of this tour that we include natural history information and lectures for our guests to better learn about how to preserve and understand this ecoscape. Many of our guides are marine biologists, fully versed in conservation of their chosen species and the Baja peninsula. We also support local environmental groups and wildlife conservation efforts, including sea turtle initiatives. We also carry a small library of books available to guests at all times on their tour to learn about the wildlife and sealife and flora and fauna native to the area.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Our entire guiding and support staff are native Mexicans, many of whom call Baja home. These intrepid people are bilingual and worked their way through the highest international standards of wilderness first aid and sea kayaking certifications. Some are marine biologists, while others come from fishing families with generations of experience on the Sea of Cortez. Their pride in their homeland and enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge adds a priceless element to the tour. We pay living wages well above the standard, and offer educational and training opportunities for higher certifications.

We utilize locally owned hotels and transport services, and patronize local restaurants, to keep operating costs benefiting the economies in which we operate. After 20+ years of operation and living in this area, we value the relationships with our local vendors and look forward to sending our guests to their caring services. We know the best people to recommend for any need, and have enjoyed years of happy guests and happy vendors.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of our guides leading our tours are from Mexico, with the majority being from La Paz and Loreto, Baja California Sur. We operate tours in both Loreto and La Paz and understand that those local to the area can share the best information on the history, culture, environment, and conservation efforts going on in the area. Our local guides provide a more meaningful and intimate experience in the destination they are visiting.

We work to create income generating opportunities for our staff all over the word. Our guides in Baja work half the year putting on tours throughout the Baja Peninsula, but we seek to offer working opportunities doing office work and logistic coordinating to keep our guides employed year round. In addition, we provide our Baja guides opportunities to submit a visa application to continue sea kayak guiding for the rest of the year up north in British Columbia. We help provide resources to take their skills to new places to stay employed.

This tour is able to accommodate people with physical limitations, disabilities and medical conditions; please speak with our team ahead of time if you think you will require any additional assistance while on the trip.

This group tour is LGBTQ+ friendly. Everyone is welcome on the adventure regardless of identity.