Our second day in Bahia Magdalena started right after breakfast, with a landing on the sand dunes on Isla Magdalena. Guests got the opportunity to explore this vast area with one of the naturalists on several different choices of hikes to Sand Dollar Beach, or on a birding walk along the inner shore to a mangrove area. After repositioning to Bahia Almejas after lunch, two rounds of whale watching were offered to the very south end of Bahia Magdalena for close encounters with the amazing gray whales that winter in this protected bay! It was a full and fabulous day in this very special place on the west coast of the Baja Peninsula!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 24 Jan 2025
Sand Dollar Beach, Bahia Almejas, 1/24/2025, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Baja California
Rich Kirchner, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Rich Kirchner has worked as a naturalist in Antarctica, Alaska, the Bering Sea, Baja and the High Arctic, including Svalbard, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic and Iceland, along with other destinations. His 33 years as a professional wildlife photograp...
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Baja California: Among the Great Whales
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Magdalena Bay
Today we woke with the shining stars and took Zodiacs ashore to meet our coaches for a trip to Chale, a small town on the shores of Magdalena Bay. The goal was to find some wintering gray whales, magnificent leviathans which frequent this coast to give birth before the long migration back to their Arctic feeding grounds. These whales did not disappoint! Spyhopping, breaching, and even a bit of tail flukes. As a result, there were lots of smiles and laughter all around! We returned to the town for lunch and then headed back out on the local boats for a second round. As we returned to the ship, the sun set over La Paz, with glassy waters of gold in the harbor, and pink clouds above. The constellations of Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades shone over our Zodiacs on our way back to dinner aboard National Geographic Venture .