This morning we arrived to El Barril in very good conditions. Guests enjoyed some kayaking and Zodiac tours, including a great experience exploring in the mangroves. After our morning explorations our local pilot arrived to National Geographic Sea Lion to take us through the Canal de la Soledad on our way to Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateo. During the trip through the Soledad Channel, our staff showed guests the wildlife that could be seen along the way. In Lopez Mateo we joined the local pangueros to look for gray whales in the area called La Boca. Once back on board, the guests enjoyed a Mexican party, with good music and food.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 01 Mar 2024
Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico, 3/1/2024, National Geographic Sea Lion
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion
- Baja California
Walter Pisco Limones, Naturalist
Walter Pisco's life has been intimately connected to the grandeur of nature since his days in the Galapagos Islands, a corner of the world that ignited his deep love and passion for the natural environment. At the age of 18, Walter decided to embark ...
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Wild Baja California Escape: The Whales of Magdalena Bay
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3/21/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Isla Magdalena, Hull Canal, and Boca la Soledad
What a full day of richness and birding galore! Our day started off with early morning hikes on Isla Magdalena, taking in the impressive desert plant life of this exotic terrane, filled with whale skeletons and osprey nests. A stunning midday journey through Hull Canal brought with it enough herons, egrets, terns, gulls, frigatebirds, cormorants, shorebirds, and camera shutter clicks to last a lifetime. After anchoring at Lopez Mateos, we boarded pangas for a late afternoon of wildlife watching and a lovely little beach landing. We found a bald eagle’s nest, some of the southernmost nesting bald eagles (!), and examined incredible shells and beautiful sand. To top off our wonderful day, we enjoyed live music from Los Coyotes and dancing from The Desert Flowers! It was another spectacular day here in Baja California Sur.
3/20/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Puerto Magdalena
We weighed anchor shortly after breakfast and traveled to Puerto Magdalena, a small fishing village (population 85) and the only inhabited area of Isla Magdalena. Enroute, presentations by naturalists were offered in the lounge in addition to wildlife watching from the bow. After anchoring, we embarked on a late morning hike through a desert harboring several plant species unique to Isla Magdalena and along a mangrove forest between the desert and adjacent Bahia Magdalena. After lunch, some guests toured a part of the island on fat-tire bikes then joined the rest of us for a mid-afternoon tour of Puerto Magdalena and the all-important desalination plant. As there is virtually no potable water on the island, drinking water must be brought over by panga from the mainland. Water used for other purposes is obtained from the desalination plant, which produces ~1000 liters per hour for up to 40 hours of operation per week. After the tour we relaxed at Chejos’s, a classic open-air cantina. We enjoyed light beverages and avocado tostados, listening to Chejos’s oral rendition of the village’s history, and playing fetch with Lola, a beloved ‘guardian’ dog at Chejos. The day concluded with an after-dinner assembly on the sundeck for constellation identification and viewing.