Information
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
When to Visit – Season Overview
We usually have the first whale in the Lagoon between the second to third week of December.
They usually come in and out of the lagoon and/or keep moving south.
By early January pregnant cows stay. From there on, whale numbers keep increasing by the day. By the end of January during an average year, we may have close to 100 whales in the Lagoon and we might have already a few calves.
By the end of February we usually reach the peak number of whales, which averages between 200-250 individuals (some years we’ve had less than 200; the lagoon record is 519). During this period, we see a lot of mating activity as well as cows with their calves.
By the first week of March most of the single adults start their northbound migration and whale numbers begin to decrease. Cow and calf pairs are more relaxed as there are less adult males in the lagoon and friendly encounters are more frequent.
We usually have whales until the end of April in smaller numbers. In the last few seasons however, their migration patterns have shifted a bit. The whales have been leaving earlier, and as a result we cannot guarantee how many whales will be in the lagoon in April (or if there will be any at all).
We have some “friendly” or “close” whale encounters usually starting in January. As the season progresses the number of “friendly” encounters increases.
About 85% of friendly behavior throughout the season comes from cows and calves. The older the calf gets, the more confidence they display towards boats. The later into the season we are, the more calves there will be.
Please understand that “friendly encounters” are never a guarantee! It is the whale’s decision to interact with the boat/humans, so we suggest staying for at least 48 hours (4 tours) to increase your chances for an encounter. We also have to take into account the possibility of a day with inclement weather.
WHAT TO WEAR? WHAT TO BRING?
The weather on the boat at the camp and in the desert all vary. So it’s important to be prepared for sun, wind and rain.
- Dress in layers that you can peel off or put on.
- Temperatures can vary throughout the day depending on the sun, clouds, wind, and waves. Temperatures can range from low 50’s to mid 80’s F.
- Wear a raincoat (you may get sprayed during the boat ride), sun protection (hat, sunglasses, reef-safe/biodegradable sunscreen) and protective waterproof footwear for walking to and from the boat (or you can borrow our stylish white rubber boots).
- Please don’t walk barefoot—there are very sharp shells and rocks.
Please bring your own reusable water bottle (to minimize the single use plastic bottles). We have containers of purified water to refill your bottle at our camp and on the boats.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT I WILL TOUCH A WHALE?
Chances are always 50/50 because it is up to the whale to display “friendly” behavior. Of course the chances are higher by going out in a boat than not. What we sell you is to get you to the area where it might happen.
How Rough are the Seas in San Ignacio Lagoon?
This is a protected Lagoon, we don’t experience much of the open ocean swell, but we do get wind waves that at times prevent us from going out. If it is deem to be unsafe, we will not go out.
DO THE WHALES EVER FLIP OVER A BOAT?
Not since the “whaling era”, so if you have no harpoon in hand, you shoudl not be worry. We (Pachico’s team) have been working with gray whales since 1972 and never had such an incident, all our boatdrivers are very experienced boatdrivers and have gone through substantial training to recognize whale behavior and how to work with and around them.
WILL I GET WET?
CAN I SWIM WITH THE WHALES?
It is not allowed for safety reasons. However is that is one of your dreams, our sister company Legacy Whale Tours.com offers that opportunity in the south pacific (highly recommend it).
DO WHALES LIKE TO INTERACT MORE IN THE MORNING OR AFTERNOON?
These are wild animals in their own element, they do not follow the daily times or calendars that humans use in order to display any kind of behavior. We have not notice a preference for them to behave in a certain way at different times of the day.
CAN I HAVE A BOAT JUST FOR ME?
Why Are the Whales Friendly?
That actually will be a question for them. What we understand from history into the present is that how we treat them, is how they treat us.
Back in the day when they were attacked and hunted (by humans), they crashed boats and people (they attacked back).
Now that humans no longer hunt them and drive boats slower and nicer around them, they decided to come and check us out, and forgive us for the past aggressiveness from us, since human drove them almost to extinction.
What's your cancellation or refund policy?
We do appreciate you choosing Pachico’s Ecotours for your whale experience. Now to complete your reservation
Payment is required. Our cancellation policy is as follows:
If you cancel,
At any time for any reason, greater than six weeks before your arrival date, we will keep 10% of your total quoted
price for office processing expenses and refund you the difference. Or we can offer you a full credit towards a
future reservation.
Four to six weeks before your arrival date, we will keep 20% of your total quoted price and refund you the
difference. Or we can offer you a 90% credit towards a future reservation.
Two to four weeks before your arrival date, we will keep 50% of your total quoted price since there is no
guarantee that we will fill your spot within that short time. Or we can offer you 70% credit towards future
reservation.
Within two weeks from tour date there is no refund, since the chances to fill those spots saved for you are very
slim.
If WE have to cancel the trip for reasons not under our control (health concerns such as a world pandemic,
government travel restrictions, earthquake, tsunami or any other natural event), we will keep 30% of your total
quoted price for office processing expenses and refund you the difference.
Weather plays a role more commonly than we would like, if we are prevented from going out to the whale
observation area, we still will be offering side tours for you to explore the area and experience the natural
surrounding of San Ignacio Lagoon.
If WE cancel the trip for our own internal company reasons, we will refund you the full amount deposited or we
will try to arrange for you to receive the reserved services with another local trusted company
Why to choose Pachico's Ecotours?
Pachico’s Ecotours is the pioneer of whale watching in Baja since the first friendly encounter that Pachico Mayoral experienced in 1972.
We are the smallest whale company in the Lagoon and plan to keep it that way. We are not aiming for bigger crowds, we prefer to work with smaller groups where we can give better attention and therefore visitors have a greater experience visiting the whales with us.
1. Small family business that treat you as if you were family.
2. We share not only whales but the local & mexican culture.
3. Several alternative tours to add to your experience like: desert walks, birdwatching, participation in turtle tagging research program, tortillas making class and more.
4. Even when we have 12 passenger boats, we only take 8 passengers per boat, for more comfort and better experience when whales decide to approach and play.
5. Our boat will only do two tours a day, so you will not be rushed to camp in wavy conditions to pick up more people.
6. Every boat will have a naturalist guide going out with you.
In general this are the qualities that set us apart from other outfitters. We love the whales and we are excited to share the experience with you at the same time that we practice the respect and appreciation for this gentle giants of the ocean. Come see for your self!
What's the customary tip amount and how are they handled?
It’s customary to tip between 15%-20% depending on your level of satisfaction with the service received.At the end of your trip in the main facility a tip collection box will be presented. You can leave your tips there. The tips will then be equally distributed amongst our staff. You might leave tips in cash or electronically.
A great tip for us too is when you leave us feeback about your experience, what worked good for you and also what we can do better in the future.