Last updated on January 5th, 2025
A regular whale watching trip will never again seem quite as exciting after spending a few days petting whales in Mexico! But you won’t mind, as spending time with the friendly whales of Baja California is an incredible experience.

You can pet the grey whales in a few lagoons in Mexico!
Yes, Baja California whale watching trips can include petting whales, as well as more traditional (and distant) whale watching.
There are three lagoons where you can pet grey whales in Baja. However, it seems you’re most likely to get to pet whales (and pet more of them) at Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Eye of the Hare Lagoon) in Guerrero Negro, Baja Sur, Mexico.
Here’s my experience seeing (and petting) Baja’s gray whales and what you need to know if you want to pet grey whales in Mexico.
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Meet Baja’s gray whales
What Americans call “gray” whales are “grey” whales to the rest of the English-speaking world, “ballena gris” to Spanish speakers, and Eschrichtius robustus to scientists. But by any name, they are sleek, mid-sized whales. Adults can reach 50 feet in length and weigh over 40 tons, making them about the same length as the more familiar (but heavier) humpback.
But you won’t confuse them with a humpback, as gray whales lack a dorsal fin. Instead, they have a hump followed by a line of knobs that run down their tails. They look a bit like a dinosaur when they dive!

Gray whales look positively prehistoric as they dive deeper into the water.
As you might expect, their bodies are dark gray. However, adults usually have blotchy gray and white patterns. This is caused by barnacles and “whale lice” (both of which are crustaceans). Individual whales can be identified by this unique pattern of white splotches that develops when barnacles die and fall off.

This gray whale seems to be checking us out. We saw a lot of that on my whale watching trip.
The barnacles are a sign that a whale has been to Baja, as they don’t form in colder northern waters. Whales that only have immature barnacles are babies that haven’t yet made their first trip north.

Gray whales collect a lot of barnacles while they winter in Baja!
Whales start to accumulate barnacles almost as soon as they are born. That makes newborn calves easy to spot because they don’t have full-grown barnacles.

The lack of barnacles tells me this is a newborn calf.
Barnacles are freeloaders looking for an easy way to capture a meal from the water as it flows past. On the other hand, lice provide a bit of a service to their host by removing dead and damaged skin. The whales seem to find both itchy.

Whale lice and barnacles on a gray whale’s head.
Gray whales can get heavily infested with barnacles and lice. Some may be hauling hundreds of pounds of them around. (No wonder they seem to use the boats to scratch their heads and backs!)
Gray whales migrate to Baja for the winter
Two distinct populations of gray whales remain on the planet – both of which live in the Pacific Ocean. Eastern gray whales live along the coast of North America. Western gray whales live along the coast of Russia and Japan.
(The North Atlantic once had gray whales as well, but they were hunted to extinction in the 18th century. Whales in the Pacific only avoided that fate because the surviving population got so low that it was no longer profitable to hunt them.
Gray whales make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, with some traveling 14,000 miles in a single year!
The gray whales we see along the west coast of North America spend their summers feeding in the Arctic. As the water gets colder, they migrate south for the winter, with most heading to shallow lagoons along the Baja Mexico’s Pacific coast. Once there, those lagoons serve as a refuge where pregnant females give birth and nurse their calves far from predatory orcas. Meanwhile, males and fertile females focus on mating.
While gray whales are in these lagoons, they are the best place to see whales in Baja California. They may be the best place to see whales in the world.

Many gray whales come right up to the whale watching boats in Baja’s lagoons.
When I set out on my Baja whale watching tour in February, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew we’d see gray whales and I knew we’d probably get to touch a whale and at least see some babies. But the actual experience went way beyond my expectations, as the gray whales in Mexico seem absolutely delighted to interact with their human visitors.
You can only pet gray whales and only in three lagoons
ONLY gray whales can be touched and petted, and only in these three lagoons in Baja. Do not try to get close enough to pet a gray whale if you see one anywhere else! (Whalers feared gray whales for their spectacularly ferocious attacks.) Gray whales only allow human contact in these lagoons in Baja. They want nothing to do with humans once they leave the lagoons.
Baja has lots of whales, but the only whales you’ll see in these shallow lagoons are gray whales. You won’t see any other type of whale here, as the water is generally too shallow for other whales. That is why gray whales come here – their newborn calves are safe from orcas in the lagoons.
But you might see gray whales in other parts of Baja. You just won’t see babies anywhere else until spring when they migrate north.
On the water with the gray whales
As we head out into the bay on our first morning at the Baja Jones whale watching camp in Baja Mexico, I wonder what awaits.
I know gray whales at Laguna Ojo de Liebre (formerly called Scammon’s Lagoon), are said to come right up to whale watching boats and that some allow you to touch them and their calves. But, as I look across an expanse of water broken only by wavelets and passing birds, I wonder how often that really happens.

There’s a lot of water out here. But are there lots of whales?
While I have had a few decent whale watching experiences, I’ve also had a lot of whale watching trips where I saw nothing more than a dolphin or two (if that) and (maybe) a few distance spouts. My first few whale watching trips were so dismal I was almost convinced that whales were mythical beasts like unicorns!
So, as we zip along, I temper my expectations. We have three days of whale watching here. I’m sure we will see whales. I’m sure at some point we will get close to a whale. We probably will get to touch a whale. But that may not happen the first day – or at all.

At least there are birds to watch!
Right about then I notice a spout in the distance. And then another and another. They are visible in the distance all around us.
The other boat with our group takes off in another direction. Our captain throttles down the engine.
We sit for a few moments. Whales are clearly visible in the near distance, but moving parallel to or away from us. I remind myself that eventually we will get a good look at one.
The captain fires up the engine again and continues forward. And then he slows again, barely moving through the water. There are three whales ahead, crossing our path in the mid-distance.
As we slowly move forward they turn and start swimming directly toward us.
The captain idles the engine.
Whales and more whales
Soon three whales are swimming around and under our little boat.

Gray whales come over to say hi at Laguna Ojo de Liebre.
A few whales are close enough to touch, but only for a brief moment. Mostly they are just out of reach as they glide around and under the boat. (The boat’s sides are high enough to make it hard to touch the whales unless they raise their heads very high.) But they seem curious. It’s as if they are checking to see who has provided this handy tool for scratching their barnacle-encrusted hides!
It’s amazing to be so close to these enormous creatures. And maybe even more amazing to see how they move around and under our boat, ever so gently shifting it around as we peer over the sides reaching out to them. They could easily topple us (whalers knew gray whales as “devil fish” because they were capable of destroying a boat when harpooned or protecting a calf), but even when spy hopping right next to us, the boat hardly rocks.

A gray whale checks us out on our first morning whale watching trip!
Perhaps our captain has been talking to another captain, or maybe he just figures we’ve spent enough time with these whales and it is time to move on. (After all, we haven’t seen any babies yet.)
At any rate, we soon end up near another boat.
They’ve been interacting with a larger group of whales, including calves. We join them from a slight distance and the whales begin to move between the two boats.

The gray whales seem to hang around whatever boat gives them the most attention!
Laguna Ojo de Liebre and the other Mexican lagoons where gray whales spend the winter are part of both the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve and the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because of those designations, whale watching here is highly regulated. Boats are not allowed to approach the whales (the whales must come to you), whale watching is limited to 90 minutes per trip, and only a couple of boats can interact with the same group of whales at the same time. That requires captains to work together to ensure everyone gets to interact with particularly friendly whales.
In this case, it means the other boat soon leaves and we have a bunch of very friendly whales all to ourselves!

A peek over the side of the boat often revealed a whale (or two or more) gliding below us.
Too soon our morning whale watching time ends. We give the whales a few last pats to say goodbye and promise we’ll return to pet them some more very soon.
And so it went, with plenty of gray whale petting each day
My 10-day trip included three days of gray whale watching, with two trips each day. It also included a few days of watching blue whales and others in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) and a few travel days.
The gray whale part of the tour included two trips each day. So, after that first fabulous morning, I still had five more opportunities to commune with Mexico’s friendliest whales.
Each of those 90-minute whale watching trips was much like the first. I didn’t get to pet a whale every time, but I think at least one person in our boat got to pet a whale on each trip. I saw a lot of calves. And we had multiple whales right around our boat every time out. (Usually, we spent almost our entire 90 minutes surrounded by gray whales.)
It was amazing.

Gray whales come right up to the boats in Laguna Ojo de Liebre.

Gray whales gathering around our boat.

You really can pet the whales in Mexico!
(The longer you rub their heads, the longer they seem to stick around.)
We got to see (and pet) plenty of baby whales too.

An adventurous young gray whale glides under our boat.
We had an enormous mom (the biggest whale we saw) roll over to get her calf (which seemed to be nursing) up where we could get a good look at it. She then nudged the calf closer to the boat while she swam under and around us.

This mom seemed eager to give us a good look at her young calf.
She was absolutely huge, but so graceful as she rolled around and under our small boat.
We also got to look a few whales in the eye. (Their eyes are way back on their heads and usually remain underwater.)

We got to make eye contact with a few of the whales that stopped by to say “hi.”
And a couple of whales gave us a pretty good look at the baleen in their mouths.

A gray whale gives us a look at the baleen filters in its mouth.
(Gray whales don’t have teeth. Instead, they use baleen combs to filter their food. The baleen is keratin, like our fingernails.)
One even did a little dance for us!
Gray whales also breach. (Breaching is when a whale leaps out of the water and then falls back in on its back.) However, it isn’t as common as for gray whales as it is with humpbacks. Still, we saw a lot of breaching (in the distance) at Laguna Ojo de Liebre.

It’s pretty amazing to see how far whales can leap out of the water.
Breaching can be related to mating activity or it can be an attempt to get rid of some of the barnacles and lice they are accumulating in the lagoon. It’s impressive to see these giant creatures up in the air – and they make a tremendous splash when they fall back into the water.
Although gray whales have extremely powerful tails (the reason they can propel themselves out of the water to breach), they usually don’t show them as often as humpbacks. But, as with breaching, we saw quite a few tails during our three days on the lagoon.

This gray whale gave us a good splash with that tail!
That surprised me, because Laguna Ojo de Liebre is shallow, and I usually think of a raised tail as a sign that a whale is diving deep.
(Usually, we only saw tails in the distance, but this one decided to give us a very good look at its tail. Not surprisingly, we got wet!)
Life in the Baja Jones whale watching camp
My Baja California gray whale watching trip with Baja Jones Adventure Travel included transportation to the camp from San Diego, as well as lodging and meals in a seasonal whale watching camp right along Laguna Ojo de Liebre.

The Baja Jones camp is located right along the lagoon.
Although there are also a few campsites in this area, it feels pretty undisturbed and wild. We saw two osprey nests nearby, a variety of sea and shore birds, and some coyotes that were way too comfortable around humans.

A couple of coyotes kept a watchful eye on activities in camp.
While you don’t have the beach completely to yourself, you won’t run into very many other people. And at night it’s so quite you may even hear the whales out in the lagoon. (You’ll certainly hear the coyotes!)

Laguna Ojo de Liebre has marshes and a sandy shoreline.
Camp facilities along Laguna Ojo de Liebre
Because the lagoons used by gray whales in Baja use are protected natural areas, whale camps of this type are temporary. All structures are removed once the whale watching season ends in April. Then they go back up again in December or January for the next season.
Lodging
The temporary nature of these camps means everything must be portable. That used to mean canvas tents, but many camps, including the Baja Jones camp, now have wood structures that are either easy to move or to assemble and disassemble each year.

Every cabin at the Baja Jones camp has a view of the beach and sea beyond.
The wood “tents” also offer better protection from the wind, rain, and cold nights that may occur during whale watching season in this part of Baja. And, while moving around inside can be a little awkward, there is plenty of space to change clothes and store clothing and gear.

Nothing fancy, but enough space for what you need.
The beds were surprisingly comfortable. And each cabin included all linens, slippers for moving around inside (an attempt to restrict sand to the entryway), and heavy cotton bathrobes. (I wasn’t sure why I would need a bathrobe until I had to run to the toilet in the middle of a very cold night! Very handy.)
A very basic camping toilet can be rented if you want to avoid a trek outside in the middle of the night. And a couple family units are big enough to have a shower inside. Otherwise, running water is not available in (or even particularly near) most of the lodging.
There’s no electricity available in any of these cabins, but portable lighting is provided. Paths are lit by little solar-powered lights at night.
Heaters weren’t available yet either, but were coming. (We were the first group of the season, so a few things were still coming together.) But I was able to get an extra blanket, and that was all I needed to stay plenty warm even when it got quite cold at night.
Lodging is available in sizes suitable for singles, couples, and families.

A couple of larger cabins are available – and they have the best view of the lagoon.
Dining area
The dining tent is the social hub of the camp. It included a kitchen, bar, tables, the all-important battery and device charging stations, and a good supply of games and books.

The dining area and bar are the camp’s social hub.
Water, coffee, and hot water for tea and hot chocolate were also always available.
Bottled water is no longer provided (yay!), so there was always a good supply of water for filling our personal water bottles.
Toilets, sinks, and showers
Flush toilets were available near the dining tent. A couple of port-a-potties were located closer to the guest tents. Neither the flush toilets or portable toilets had water for washing your hands, just hand sanitizer.
While there were a couple of hot water showers available in a separate shelter, water for simply washing your hands and face was in short supply. As were sinks in general. There was one very tall sink behind the dining hall that had very cold running water, but it was the only one.
The lack of sinks and water for washing and brushing teeth were my only real complaints about the camp. Wearing contact lenses was really a challenge because there was no good way to get all the sunscreen and hand sanitizer off my hands. And spitting into the bushes when brushing your teeth is ok if you’re in an isolated place, but there were going to be others here for a couple months.
I suspect that the sink and wash water issue will be addressed in the future. However, if it’s important to be able to use actual soap to wash your hands and/or face occasionally, bring a small collapsible camping sink.
Electricity, phone service, and wifi
A massive collection of outlets, plug-ins, and charging devices was available throughout the day. (No power at night.) There were cords everywhere, but there was always some place you could plug in whatever battery or device needed charging.
Neither phone service or a wifi connection was available right in camp. However, decent free wifi was usually available at the bar/restaurant/office by the dock. Phone service was also available down the road from camp, but it would be a pretty good hike.
Food and drink
The camp served three meals a day. The current cook used to work at one of the better restaurants in the area and clearly knew what she was doing in the kitchen. Most dishes were Mexican or a Mexican take on American standards. Quantities were usually very generous. And she didn’t seem to have much trouble meeting special food requirements or preferences once she understood what was needed.
Every morning began with a prepared-to-order breakfast. Options included just about anything you would find on a standard American breakfast menu, along with a few Mexican items.
Lunch was served between whale watching trips, so was usually something quick to prepare and eat.
Happy hour snacks were served before dinner, and dinner itself included an entrée and some sort of side.
Water, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate were always available and included in the package price. There was a charge for soda, beer, wine, and various types of alcohol. Wine was available by the bottle and you had a choice of the red or the white. (If you are really into wine, bring your own.) Although the camp tries to maintain a full bar, they were missing or ran out of a few key items when I was there.
Daily routine at the Baja Jones whale watching camp
When the weather is good (little or no wind – which was every day when I visited), days went like this:
- Morning starts with a full breakfast in camp right around sunrise.
- Because only a few boats are allowed out at a time, a quick van ride got us to the ticket counter at the dock by 8 am.
- About 2 hours getting life jackets, boarding the boat, getting out to the whale watching area, whale watching and then returning to the dock.
- Back to the camp for an early lunch.
- Back out to the dock by about 1 pm for another round of whale watching.
- After whale watching we could hang out at the bar/restaurant by the dock to use the wifi and/or drink, head back to camp, or (if the wind hadn’t come up yet) book a third whale watching trip on their own.
- Beverages are available in the bar area at camp whenever you aren’t out whale watching.
- Happy hour snacks appear about 5:30 or whenever people start gathering, with dinner at 6:30.
Sunsets over the lagoon are gorgeous, but nights are very dark, so most of us didn’t stay up very late.

Sadly, you had to choose between sunset photos and dinner!
Weather can change this
I was on a longer trip and we left camp after one day of gray whale watching to go to Loreto (on the Sea of Cortez) for a few days of whale watching there before coming back for two more days on Laguna Ojo de Liebre. We had great weather the entire time.
However, another group was in camp at Laguna Ojo de Liebre while we were in Loreto – and they had some strong winds and exceptionally high tides. Boats don’t go out in strong winds. If that happens, Keith and his staff try to line up other activities, but there’s a limit on what you can do here when the weather is bad. And bad weather happens. It’s one reason the Baja Jones trips all include multiple days of whale watching – it increases your odds of getting at least one good day.
Nearby facilities
The park building (where you get your whale watching tickets) and Ejido Benito Juárez community dock are just down the road from the camp. There’s more infrastructure here than one might expect for a spot with just a few dry camping sites and a small all-inclusive whale watching camp.

Park facilities at the dock by our whale watching camp.
Park buildings include the ticket office, life vest storage, and a bar and restaurant with a few souvenirs for sale. Flush toilets are located outside in a couple of raised pavilions. There’s also a gray whale skeleton and information on both El Vizcaino park and grey whales in Baja. And there’s free wifi, making this a great place to hang out after whale watching if you need to catch up with the rest of the world.
I didn’t eat here, but the food is supposed to be good. The margaritas are very, very good, but also very, very strong. (After you’ve had one, stand up and walk around a bit before deciding to have another!)
On the dock
Boats are tied up at the end of a very long, very sturdy dock with an osprey nest on top of it. It’s still a little awkward, but the dock makes it relatively easy to get in and out of the boats.

Not every dock has its own osprey nest!
(The biggest impediment to getting in and out of the boat is getting past the resident osprey family to get to/from the boats. The parents give you the evil eye before flying off as you pass by!)

Giving us the evil eye before taking off and letting us pass by.
(She may decide to locate her nest somewhere more remote next year. Or maybe dealing with a few annoying, but harmless, humans is an acceptable trade-off for having a really sturdy nesting platform.)
The boats are open fishing-style boats. They aren’t very big – maybe 20 feet long – with basic bench seating. They all seem to be very well maintained. The whole operation is run by a local community collective and it was not uncommon to go out on your second trip and discover that your captain was the father or son of the captain you had earlier. Many of these families were fishing here for generations before turning to whale watching. They know the water and the whales very well.
Is Laguna Ojo de Liebre the best place to see gray whales?
The Baja Jones website describes Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon’s Lagoon) as the best place to see gray whales in Baja. Of course, when I booked my trip I figured that was mostly a sales pitch. (Especially since guide books and whale watching camps at San Ignacio Lagoon claim that it is the best spot because they have the friendliest whales.)
However, after whale watching in Guerrero Negro and doing more research, I’m convinced that Laguna Ojo de Liebre really does offer the best whale watching in Baja Mexico.
Why Guerrero Negro has the best whale watching in Baja
A combination of both gray whale behavior and the behavior of the people who come to see them make Laguna Ojo de Liebre the best place to see gray whales in Mexico.
Laguna Ojo de Liebre has the largest number of gray whales
As both the largest and the most northerly lagoon, most gray whales end their winter migration here. Although numbers can vary dramatically from year to year, winter can bring well over 1,000 adults to the lagoon and many hundreds of calves are born here each year. (Numbers were even higher a few years ago, before dropping. Now they seem to be increasing again.) It’s the largest concentration of gray whales in the world!!
San Ignacio usually has a few hundred adult whales and a similarly smaller number of calves. (Even fewer whales go all the way down to Magdalena Bay.)
More whales in the lagoon means you’re more likely to see whales, and see lots of them.
Laguna Ojo de Liebre is very sheltered
Although whale watching is allowed in several parts of the lagoon, the area I was in is adjacent to the innermost (fully protected) part of the lagoon where the whales give birth. That means lots of babies were perfecting their swimming right where we were whale watching!
You’ll have it (mostly) to yourself
Relatively few tourists come to see Guerrero Negro’s whales, and the number of boats allowed on the water at any one time is strictly regulated. that means you won’t be competing with many others to pet the friendliest whales in Mexico.
Why don’t more people visit Guerrero Negro’s whales?
While a whale watching trip to Laguna Ojo de Liebre gives you the best chance of petting whales in Baja California, this area is unlikely to be over-run with whale watchers any time soon.
- It’s not easy to get to Guerrero Negro.
- Lodging options and other services are limited – especially along the middle and inner lagoon where you’ll see the most calves.
- The whole area can be cold, damp, and windy. And that wind means most days you can only go whale watching through mid-afternoon. Farther south in Baja, odds are better that you can go out whale watching throughout the day.
To some extent, these are also factors at San Ignacio Lagoon, which is also pretty remote and subject to afternoon winds. However, it is easier to get there and it seems there are more whale camps and other services in the area.
Magdalena Bay is easier to visit
The easiest way to see gray whales is on a Baja Mexico cruise. Almost all Baja cruises include a day of whale watching and/or paddling in Magdalena Bay. (Mag Bay doesn’t have the same level of protection as Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio, so a wide variety of water-based activities are available to entertain cruisers.) It’s perfect for someone who’s just looking for a day of whale watching as part of a broader tour. They may not have as much interaction with the whales, but they are likely to see some as part of their winter vacation.
And Magdalena Bay is just a few hours’ drive from Loreto and only one more hour from La Paz, making it an easy trip to do on your own from either city. (It’s even possible to book a land-based whale watching trip from the popular Cabo San Lucas resort area. That’s a very long drive, but you can do it.)
Because the area lacks same environmental protections as the bays farther north, there are also more tourist activities, services, whale camps, etc. And the weather is a warmer and more predictable.
So, with fewer restrictions on activities, easy access, lots of cruise options, and generally good weather; Mag Bay is the best-known place to pet whales in Mexico. But that doesn’t make it the best place!
Is petting whales irresponsible?
Generally, petting whales (or wildlife of any type) is a bad idea. In many places it’s actually illegal.
Petting gray whales is legal in Mexico. (It’s illegal to touch a whale in the USA.) But should we?
Even if whales seem gentle, they are huge and unpredictable, which makes them dangerous to humans. (And gray whales have a reputation for being particularly dangerous. Whalers called them “devilfish” for their ability to destroy small whaling boats and kill whalers.) Nor is it a good for wildlife to get too comfortable around humans, as it greatly increases their own risk of injury or death.
But the gray whales in Baja’s lagoons seem to be a rare exception.
While there is always a possibility of injury to the whales or their human visitors, whale watching regulations and the whales’ behavior in the lagoons greatly reduce the likelihood.
Boats aren’t allowed to chase whales or move close to them: The whales need to come to you, you don’t get to go to the whales. Nor are boats allowed to move between groups of whales traveling together. And, once whales begin to approach, captains must idle the engine.
Whales have relatively delicate skin, but not so delicate that just rubbing them with your hand will hurt them. Theoretically, humans and whales can transfer diseases to each other, and some recommend that you don’t get close to the whales when you are sick. But transferring a disease to a whale through its skin doesn’t appear to be very likely.
The biggest risk to the whales is becoming too comfortable around humans. Coming up to boats in other conditions would be extremely dangerous for the whales. Fortunately, this behavior seems pretty much restricted to these lagoons. Once they’ve left the lagoons, gray whales generally appear to avoid boats and humans.
So, given what we know today, petting gray whales in Baja’s lagoons is an amazing experience that doesn’t pose much risk to you or the whales.
Plan your gray whale watching trip to Laguna Ojo de Liebre
Whether you plan to book a packaged whale watching tour or create a do-it-yourself trip, here are a few things you should know about whale watching at Laguna Ojo de Liebre.
Where is Laguna Ojo de Liebre?
Laguna Ojo de Liebre (formerly Scammon’s Lagoon, named for the whaler who established a whaling station here) is in the city of Guerrero Negro (apparently named for a whaling ship called the Black Warrior). It’s along the Pacific coast about halfway down Mexico’s Baja peninsula, just south of the border between Baja California and Baja California Sur.
While Laguna Ojo de Liebre is the best place to see gray whales in Baja, Guerrero Negro is better known for its enormous commercial salt works than for whale watching!
How do you get to Guerrero Negro?
Guerrero Negro is located right along Mexican Federal Highway 1. That’s the highway connecting Tijuana (in the north) to Cabo San Lucas (in the south). It’s the main route through Baja and parts are very scenic, but it’s generally NOT a very big road and there isn’t very much traffic (or anything else) along most of it. The section between Tijuana and Guerreo Negro is paved and generally in good condition. However, you’ll find long stretches with no services, so drivers need to be well-prepared before starting out.
Google claims Guerrero Negro is a 10-hour drive south of San Diego, but that’s rather optimistic. And doesn’t include however long it takes to cross the border. (The border crossing into the USA can take hours.) We had a great driver who got us through in a mere 40 minutes, so our entire drive from Guerrero Negro back across the border to San Diego took 15 hours with about an hour detour and stop for lunch.)
It’s at least a 12-hour drive coming north from Cabo San Lucas (likely more, as Google’s estimates for Baja seem a little optimistic), but at least you don’t have to add time to cross the US border.
Flying into Baja
The only scheduled air service into Guerrero Negro is via Aereo Servicios Guerrero. They do NOT fly to/from the USA. Currently, their only direct service from elsewhere on the Baja peninsula seems to be from Ensenada, which is how I got there. (Most Aereo Servicios Guerrero flights hop back and forth to cities in Baja from cities on the east coast of the Sea of Cortez that you likely won’t be flying into from the USA.)
It takes at least a couple of hours to drive to Ensenada from San Diego. However, once you get there, the flight between Ensenada and Guerrero is wonderful if the weather is clear.

Flying over the mountains of Baja California.
Various websites say you can also fly into Guerrero Negro from Loreto, La Paz, and Los Cabos, but I can’t find those flights. It’s worth checking though, as some may be seasonal or just aren’t showing up on searches from US IP addresses. (Use a VPN and connect to a server in Mexico if you want to know for certain what flights are available within Mexico.)
From the USA, it’s possible to fly to Loreto, La Paz, or Cabo – none of which are particularly close to Guerrero Negro. (The closest is Loreto, which Google very optimistically describes as a 5 ½ hour drive.) Be careful if you think you’ve found a flight into (relatively) nearby San Ignacio – it’s probably San Ignacio, Belize, NOT San Ignacio, Mexico!
Watch the time!
Baja California and Baja California Sur are in different time zones. At the border you shift between Pacific time and Mountain time. (Going south you lose an hour as you jump one hour ahead. Going north you gain an hour as the clock goes back an hour.)
Where do you go to see the whales?
Only some areas of Laguna Ojo de Liebre are open for whale watching. The rest of the lagoon, including the area where the calves are actually born, is closed to visitors. (As it should be.)
Babies are born in the innermost part of the lagoon. Whale watching is prohibited there. The park dock is near that area, and boats all move away from the birthing area into the middle of the lagoon as they leave the dock. This is the area where I did my whale watching and where you are most likely to see a lot of calves. There’s also a dock (and whale watching camp) farther up along the middle lagoon. Both docks seem to serve the same whale watching area.
Whale watching is also permitted in a portion of the outer lagoon right where it opens out to the sea. I did not get to this part of the lagoon, but in February I’d expect more wind and many fewer calves.
Is Baja Mexico safe?
Currently much of the media and social media is screaming that the State Department is telling Americans not to go to Baja California. The reality is much more nuanced – and far less concerning.
To get a better sense of what is really going on in Mexico, actually read the US State Department’s Travel Advisory. It has detailed information on each Mexican state – including where US government employees are and are not allowed to travel. It tells you a lot about which areas are generally safe and which are not.
Baja is generally safe
This can change at any time, but as I write this in March 2023, the US State Department’s website hasn’t changed its information on Baja since October. And, if you read it, you’ll see that vast majority of Baja is generally safe. Of course, like anywhere, that only applies if you don’t do something to put yourself in danger – passing out in bars or engaging in street fights will generally get you in trouble almost anywhere, and Baja is no exception!
Safety in the State of Baja California
The state of Baja California (the northern half of the Baja Peninsula) does have a “Reconsider Travel” warning. However, restrictions for US government employees are limited to travel in the Mexicali Valley. (That’s the area immediately south of the Arizona/California border.) And, even there, government employees are allowed to travel many major routes during the day. So, yeah, I probably wouldn’t start my Baja road trip in Yuma, although I’m sure plenty of people do.
US government employees are free to travel throughout the rest of Baja California, specifically including Tijuana and Ensenda. That seems to indicate most of Baja California falls into the “Exercise Increased Caution” category.
Safety in the state of Baja California Sur
The state of Baja California Sur (Guerrero Negro and south all the way to Cabo) is currently listed as “Exercise Increased Caution.” There are no restrictions on US government employee travel in Baja California Sur state.
The “Exercise Increased Caution” covers a lot of things that don’t keep travelers away from Europe and are at least as much (or more) of a risk in the USA. As I write this, other countries with the same risk classification include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. I don’t think that “Exercise Increased Caution” warning would make you reconsider your trip to Amsterdam or Barcelona. Why should it stop you from going to pet whales in Baja?!
Even though US State Department travel advisories tend to be extremely risk-adverse (and political), they are very much worth checking. If you want a second opinion, check travel advisories issued by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or any number of European countries. You’ll often find a wide variation in their assessment of traveler safety in any given destination. But you’ll also have a lot more information on how much of a risk you are likely to face.
Your idea of safe and mine may differ considerably, but I felt very safe in Baja. Of course, I was mostly traveling in a group and in just a small part of the peninsula. However, I would love to return and travel independently next winter! And I’d be much more worried about my vehicle breaking down than serious crime.
When is the best time to see gray whales in Baja?
In general, the best time to see whales in Baja California is winter. Many whales, including gray whales, only spend a few months in Mexico. That means the primary whale watching season in Baja is short – running from about mid-January through late March.
Gray whales begin arriving in late December and leave by the end of April. Exactly when they arrive, when calves are born, and when they head north again varies somewhat, but the best time to see grey whales in Baja California is usually from February through mid-March.
Gray whale watching in January
The best whale watching in January will be late in the month. While other whales are still arriving, most pregnant females are here and beginning to give birth. Those newborn calves probably won’t be venturing far from the nursery yet (so you won’t get to see many of them), but there should be a few around.
And you should see a lot of mating activity. This can involve an impressive number of whales leaping and rolling around together. (It’s a group activity.) Mating occurs out in the main part of the lagoon, away from the nursery area, so you’re likely to see some action while on the water.
Gray whale watching in February
February into early March is the best time for whale watching in Laguna de Ojo Liebre, as most of the year’s calves have been born and are getting starting to venture out of the nursery area to improve their swimming skills.

We saw (and got to pet) lots of baby whales on our February whale watching trip.
There’s also still some mating going on in February, so you’ll likely see breaching and some of the other antics I saw on my whale watching trip. It is also when the largest number of whales are in the lagoon. All those factors make February the best month for whale watching in Guerrero Negro.
I visited at the very beginning of February. This is usually considered a little too early to see many calves, but that was not the case in 2023. We saw calves pretty much every time we were on the water.
Gray whale watching in March
Early March usually brings lots of encounters with calves they become stronger and more comfortable around boats. But adults that don’t have calves start leaving in March, so there are fewer whales overall as the month progresses. That means whale watching is usually better in early March than later in the month.
Gray whale watching in April
By April most whales have left the lagoon and those that remain may not be interested in interacting with boats.
Although you should be able to find a boat to take you out in April, the whale watching season in both Laguna Ojo de Liebre and further south in San Ignacio is generally over by early April.
Weather
Guerrero Negro has a reputation for being foggy and windy. While we did see some fog overnight, it usually cleared by the time we were on the water. It did get cold, with overnight temperatures dropping into the 40s at least one night. But it warmed up quickly each day, with chilly mornings usually turning into tee-shirt weather by afternoon.
I was also lucky in that it wasn’t windy while I was there. We even had a couple of days where it was calm enough to go out for a late afternoon whale watching trip, which is unusual. However, there was a LOT of wind while I was in Loreto. And, if it is too windy, whale watching boats don’t go out.
In general, be prepared for both cold, damp, and windy weather and a few hot sunny days! (Bring layers.)
Whale camp or DIY?
Whale camps like the Baja Jones camp make whale watching easy. Most cover your transportation to/from the camp as well as between the camp and dock, park entrance fees, whale watching trips (you still need to tip the captain), most or all meals, and lodging. Guerrero Negro isn’t particularly easy to get to and convenient lodging near a dock is limited. So, a complete package like this makes everything much easier. But it isn’t cheap.
Whale watching package tours in Guerrero Negro
There are no truly luxury whale watching options at Laguna Ojo de Liebre. But there are a couple of options.
Baja Jones Adventure Travel
Baja Jones whale watching tours include travel to/from the camp from San Diego (usually partially by air, but sometimes entirely by highway), lodging, meals, and (weather permitting) two gray whale watching trips per day. The camp itself is located just west of the Laguna Ojo de Liebre campground and muelle (dock) identified on Google maps. You can walk between the camp and the dock if you’re up for a little hiking.
It’s not fancy, but it’s a pretty good deal for what you get – and it was much cheaper than many of the (albeit more luxurious) camps I looked at further south. Keith Jones is extremely knowledgeable, having spent decades with the whales in Guerrero Negro and with other wildlife around the world. He’s got a prime location along the lagoon and has a great staff. And, if you are traveling on your own, there’s no single supplement for solo travelers.
The downside? You need to be willing to travel without the option of a refund or credit toward a future trip if something goes wrong either before you leave or while in Mexico. (Have good travel insurance.)
Check Baja Jones Adventure Travel (Gray Whale.com) for more information and current tour options. He offers a few different options, including the combined gray and blue whale tour that I did. And you can send your questions directly to Keith. He is both super responsive and up-front about what to expect both when everything goes as planned and when it doesn’t.
Other package tours
There are other companies in the area that offer combination whale watching and lodging packages. (I have not used any of these companies, so can’t vouch for their services or quality.)
Whale Magic Tours offers both hotel-based tours and whale camp stays up a bit from where I was. (They are near the area identified as Punta Mariscal on Google maps.)
Baja Airventures offers a whale watching package that includes travel from San Diego and whale watching in Laguna Ojo de Liebre as part of a longer Baja California trip. In Guerrero Negro lodging is at a B & B or hotel. Daily whale watching trips leave from both the dock I was at and one that is way up in the outer lagoon.
DIY it
The trickiest thing about planning a DIY whale watching trip here is getting to Guerrero Negro. So, if you plan to drive to Guerrero Negro, your only real consideration is lodging: Are you set up to camp or not?
If you fly into Guerrero Negro you’ll not only have to find lodging, but decide whether you want to find your own way to the dock or book a tour that includes transport. Of course, if you fly into anywhere else in Baja, you’ll have to figure out both how you are getting to Guerrero Negro and the whales and where you will stay while here. (See Where is Guerrero Negro? above.)
Where will you stay in Guerrero Negro?
Aside from the whale camps and campgrounds, there isn’t much for lodging in the protected area around the lagoon.
Hotels
Most hotels are located in town, which puts the saltworks and a large port facility between you and the whale watching sites. Don’t expect to find anything fancy here, but there are a variety of lodging options you can book online. (I’m sure there are others available as well, but they would need to be booked directly.) A few units are also available through Airbnb.
You can check reviews, prices, and book a wide variety of hotels in and around Guerrero Negro on TripAdvisor, Booking.com, or Expedia.
You’ll see on the map there are a couple of hotels near where a spur breaks off of Highway 1. These are closer to the dock I was at, but you are probably still about 45 minutes away.
No matter where you stay, expect to travel through parts of the salt mine on dirt or salt roads to get to a dock.
Camping at Laguna Ojo de Liebre
The handiest option is to camp near the dock by the Baja Jones camp. Like the whale camp, all these campsites have views of the lagoons. They are also all well separated from each other – but this is an open area so there’s nothing to block sightlines or sound between sites.
This is a primitive, seasonal campground, with a few pit toilets and a few sites with palapas. But it’s cheap at about $5 USD for a site without a palapa and $10 for one that includes a palapa. (The palapas aren’t fancy, but can provide sun and wind protection.) Some sites may be high enough up the hill to almost get a phone signal, but don’t count on it. Campers can connect to the internet at the bar and restaurant by the dock. (Check ioverlander for up-to-date info on camping here.)
To get there, follow the whale camp signs to the park building. You’ll need to sign in at the salt mine gate and travel a dirt road.
This campground is only open during whale watching season.
There are also camp sites available a little farther up the lagoon at Punta Mariscal Eco-Tours.
Most campgrounds, including at least one with electrical hook-ups, are available right in and around town.
Booking a whale watching trip in Guerro Negro
Whether you book a local tour or guide to arrange your whale watching trip will depend largely on your transportation needs and comfort with the Spanish language.
Whale watching day trips
While it’s easy enough to go to the dock and buy a ticket on your own, you can book a day trip that will take you out whale watching for a few hours. Some offer tours that combine whale watching with a birding stop or other activities.
Here are a couple options, but there are more. (I haven’t used any of these, so do some research before you book.)
Punta Mariscal Eco-Tours offers four-hour whale watching trips that include lunch. They are located along the middle lagoon near the Whale Magic camp. A few campsites are also available here.
Mario’s Tours offers a variety of single day whale watching trips in the northern lagoon using their own boats. They also offer other sightseeing activities in the area.
Malarrimo Eco-Tours offers gray whale tours and excursions to see cave and rock paintings.
Just show up at the dock
You don’t need to book a tour unless you want transportation to the dock and/or an English-speaking guide. You can just show up at the ticket office at the dock, pay your park and boat fee, and head out to see the whales.
Several companies take boats out on the outer part of the lagoon. Services at the innermost dock where I was are run by the Ejido Benito Juárez community.
The total number of boats allowed in the whale watching areas on Laguna Ojo de Liebre at any given time is tightly regulated. They can’t just add a lot of extra boats on a busy day. That can mean you have to wait a bit to go out.
The 2023 whale watching fee Ejido Benito Juárez dock was $55 USD per person, with a small discount for children over age 5. The biosphere reserve fee is included in the ticket price, so there’s a 100-peso fee for children under age 5 to cover the park fee.
Keep in mind:
- Unless you speak Spanish, you probably won’t be able to communicate with your captain.
- Boats generally won’t go out with fewer than four passengers. If you are traveling solo or as a couple, you might need to make a few friends at the ticket booth to get a boat to take you out.
- Boats won’t go out if it’s too windy.
- Your whale watching time is limited to 90 minutes per trip.
Tips for watching gray whales in Guerrero Negro
While you really don’t need to do more than show up at the ticket office and book a trip, here are a few suggestions to make your trip more enjoyable.
Go out in the morning
Don’t sleep in, as the wind tends to get stronger as the day progresses. On a normal day, whale watching usually continues on Laguna Ojo de Liebre until 2-3 pm. Sometimes you can get one more late afternoon trip in, but it’s often too windy.
Boats don’t go out at all, at any time of day, if the wind is too strong.
Dress in layers
Mornings tend to be cool, but it warms quickly on a sunny day.
Sun protection is essential. You will be sitting in a light-colored boat on the water for a couple hours at a time. That may not sound like long, but you’ll be getting a lot of intense reflected light from all directions.
Life jackets are required
Life jackets are required, but there should be plenty available wherever you get your ticket.
Expect to get wet
It’s almost a guarantee that you will get wet. The only question is “how wet?”
While you may get splashed if a whale slaps its tail or breaches near your boat, you’ll definitely get sprayed when whales exhale near the boat. If you’re looking down watching them come up to the boat, you might get a face full of water. At this point, they haven’t eaten for a few months, so it’s basically just sea water. But you can get very wet.
Lightweight rain gear will help you stay dry, which will be nice on a cool morning. Rain pants are particularly handy, because seating in the boat will quickly get wet.
Keep shooting even when its wet
Your phone or camera can also get very wet. If you don’t have a waterproof phone or camera, think about how you are going to keep it reasonably dry.
Even if you do have a waterproof camera, a small bottle of eye glass cleaner (or even just drinking water) and a lens cloth will let you keep your lens clean (without scratching it) so you can keep taking pictures. Just be careful not to rub any debris that might be in the water into your lens. And be sure to use a clean damp cloth to wipe salt residue away once you are back on shore.
Of course, if you have a totally waterproof camera or camera housing, this is a great time to send it over the side to photograph the whales underwater. Just make sure that you have it well secured to either a selfie stick, monopod, or leash so you don’t lose it if the boat lurches unexpectedly when bumped by a whale or (more likely) fellow passengers trying to better see and touch a whale.
Watch where you put your hands!
Gray whales seem to love having their heads rubbed, but NEVER touch the fin or tail! Whales have incredibly strong muscles and a flip of a fin or tale could leave you with broken bones.
Other things to do in Guerrero Negro
Despite being the best place to pet whales in Baja, Guerrero Negro is better known as an industrial town with the world’s largest evaporative salt works. That means it isn’t a big tourist stop, although the salt works itself is a tourist stop. There is also good bird watching, impressive dunes, and a few cave paintings worth visiting while in the area.
Or so I’ve read.
Because my tour was completely focused on whale watching and the conditions for whale watching were excellent, I didn’t explore more of the area.
Here’s what I’ll check out on my next visit.
More than whales in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
Both the coastal Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio lagoons are part of the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaíno UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also part of the much larger El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve. Along with whale watching, there are plenty of opportunities for watching other marine creatures and birds.
The El Vizcaíno World Heritage Site is closely tied to Laguna Ojo de Liebre, San Igancio Lagoon, and the coastal areas between them. The larger biosphere reserve includes those coastal wetlands, marshes, and dunes, along with a large swath of the Sonoran Desert. Besides marine mammals and birds, the area is home to mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions (puma), coyotes, and two types of very rare pronghorns. The Biosphere Reserve area runs along the Pacific coast between the two lagoons and across to the Sea of Cortez from Santa Rosalía to the northern border of Baja Sur. It’s a huge area and I only saw a tiny bit of it.

Roadside scenery in the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve.
While there’s both a well-known birding area and a small pronghorn center in Guerrero Negro, there doesn’t seem to be many other developed trails or other facilities in the Biosphere Reserve for independent travelers.
Further afield, you can take tour to see caves painted 1000 years ago (and maybe much earlier). A few can be seen on a guided day trip from Guerrero Negro, including the Cueva del Carmen (Painted Cave of El Carmen) and Cueva del Ratón rock paintings.
Others sites, including most of those in the Sierra de San Francisco UNESCO World Heritage Site, can only be visited as part of a multi-day guided trek.
Valle de los Cirios Flora and Fauna Protection Area
Just to the north of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, the Valle de los Cirios Flora and Fauna Protection Area sprawls across the southern end of the state of Baja California. Much of this large area is even wilder and more remote than El Vizcaíno, but a portion just north of Guerrero Negro includes some dramatic coastlines and the incredible-looking Dunas de Soledad (Dunes of Solitude).

The Dunas de Soledad near Guerrero Negro.
The dunes end just a few miles north of Guerrero, so they are an easy stop while in the area.
Guerrero Negro Salt Mine
Yes, the world’s largest evaporative salt mine operates inside an internationally recognized biosphere reserve. While most of the area used by the salt works is not a pretty sight, a tour is a good way to learn how salt is produced, see some really big machinery at work, and check out some very surreal landscapes.
Of course, you can also see some pretty surreal spots right from area roads.

Salt pools along the road to Laguna Ojo de Libre.
If you subscribe to the ExplorationVacation newsletter, you can read about the rest of my Baja Mexico whale watching tour on the Member page. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Want to know more about the gray whales of Laguna Ojo de Liebre? Get a copy of Keith Jones’ book.
Check CindyCarlsson.com for more photos of gray whales and Laguna Ojo de Liebre in Mexico.