Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Baja California Sur: Loreto, Grey Whales, La Paz and Todos Santos
7 days from Loreto to Los Cabos: Isla Coronado and the San Javier mission, the grey whales of Magdalena Bay, Espiritu Santo by boat from La Paz and a last night in Todos Santos.
7 days · Loreto to Los Cabos · up to 12 guests
Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, the usual lunch beach on the Espiritu Santo day Photo: Traveljournalist at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ensenada_Grande.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Loreto to Los Cabos
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Four boat days of 1 to 7 hours in open pangas or small boats, getting on and off from beaches and piers, sometimes with wet feet; optional snorkelling in cool water with a wetsuit. Walking is easy: up to about 4 km a day on beaches, sand paths and town streets. One long road day on day 3: about 6 hours of driving in two legs, broken by the whale boat and lunch. Anyone can stay on the boat or on the beach instead of snorkelling.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches
- Room of your own
- + CAD 645 (estimated price)
- Season
- October to May (grey whales from about mid-January to March)
Highlights
Why this trip
- A panga among the grey whales of Magdalena Bay, which come here to calve from about January to March
- A morning boat across Loreto Bay National Park to the white beach of Isla Coronado
- The stone mission of San Javier in the Sierra de la Giganta in late-afternoon light
- A full day around Espiritu Santo from La Paz, with a snorkel near the sea lions of Los Islotes
- Balandra Beach soon after opening, before the crowds arrive
- Todos Santos on foot, with sunset on the Pacific dunes
- A boat to the Arch at Land's End in Cabo San Lucas on the way to the airport
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 645 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Loreto
Loreto International Airport to your hotel in Loreto
- Welcome dinner in Loreto
- Stay in Loreto
Fly into Loreto International Airport (LTO), a few minutes from town, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall. Loreto is a small, low-rise town on the Sea of Cortez with the Sierra de la Giganta rising straight behind it, and it is quieter than anywhere else on this trip.
Afternoon
Settle in and walk the malecon, the seafront promenade, in the afternoon.
Evening
Before dinner your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the historic centre for a short walk and a briefing on the week. We start at the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto, founded in 1697 by the Jesuit Juan Maria de Salvatierra as the first permanent mission in the Californias; Loreto was the capital of the Californias until 1777. The mission museum next door tells that story if you arrive early. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of local seafood. Plan to land by mid-afternoon; we confirm the latest arrival time with your final itinerary.
Included
- Pick-up at Loreto International Airport (LTO)
- Evening walk to the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto with your guide
- Welcome briefing and welcome dinner
Optional experiences
- Museo de las Misiones next to the mission, if you arrive early
Free time: Free until the evening walk
Isla Coronado and the San Javier mission
Loreto by boat to Isla Coronado and back, then up into the Sierra de la Giganta to San Javier
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Loreto
- Drive about 1.5 h
We are on the water by about 8 am, when the bay is usually at its calmest; in winter the northerly wind tends to rise later in the day. A panga crosses Loreto Bay National Park, protected since 1996 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site for the islands of the Gulf of California, to Isla Coronado, a volcanic island with a long white beach. On the way we watch for dolphins, sea lions on the rocks, pelicans, frigatebirds and cormorants, though nothing is promised.
Afternoon
On the island you can snorkel from the beach, paddle a kayak or sit in the shade, and lunch is served on the sand. We are back in Loreto by early afternoon for a rest. At about 3:30 pm we drive 45 minutes to an hour up a paved road into the mountains to San Javier, where the stone church of the San Francisco Javier mission, finished in 1758, glows in the late sun.
Evening
Walk to the old mission orchard and its olive tree before driving back down at dusk. Dinner tonight is your choice in Loreto.
Included
- Morning panga to Isla Coronado in Loreto Bay National Park, park fee included
- Snorkel gear and wetsuits
- Lunch on the beach on Isla Coronado
- The San Francisco Javier mission at San Javier in the late afternoon
Easier option: Stay on the beach at Isla Coronado instead of snorkelling, or skip San Javier and keep the afternoon free in Loreto.
More active option: Paddle a kayak along the shore of Isla Coronado while the others snorkel.
Free time: Early afternoon and evening free
Activity: Getting in and out of the panga from the beach can mean wet feet. The boat ride is about 30 to 40 minutes each way.
The grey whales of Magdalena Bay
Loreto over the Sierra de la Giganta to Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, then south to La Paz
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in La Paz
- Drive about 6 h
The one long road day, worth it for the whales.
Morning
We leave Loreto at 8 am and cross the Sierra de la Giganta by Ciudad Insurgentes to Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos on Magdalena Bay, about 160 km and 2 h 20 min; the whale boats run through the middle of the day, so no dawn start is needed. From about January to March grey whales come into the bay to give birth and nurse their calves, and permitted local pangas take us out among them for about two and a half hours. Some come close, some keep their distance; nothing is promised.
Afternoon
Lunch is fresh fish in Lopez Mateos. Then about 270 km and 3 h 45 min south through Ciudad Constitucion to La Paz, with a coffee stop, reaching the malecon by about 6:30 pm. That is about 6 hours of driving, well over our 4-hour cap: Loreto to La Paz has to be driven once, and the whales add only about 75 km and under 2 hours to it. From October to December and in April and May we drive straight to La Paz, about 360 km and a little over 4 hours, with lunch on the way.
Included
- Grey whale watching by panga at Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Magdalena Bay (about mid-January to March)
- Seafood lunch in Lopez Mateos
- Drive to La Paz with your guide
Free time: Evening free in La Paz
Activity: Dress in layers with a windproof jacket for the panga; spray is likely. Outside whale season the day is a direct drive of about 360 km and a little over 4 hours.
Espiritu Santo by boat
La Paz by boat to Isla Espiritu Santo, Isla Partida and Los Islotes, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in La Paz
- By boat
A full day on the water from about 8 am. The boat runs north from La Paz along the cliffs of Isla Espiritu Santo, an uninhabited desert island and national park that is part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site as Loreto Bay. At its northern tip are Los Islotes, rocks where California sea lions live all year. When the sea allows, we snorkel near the colony with wetsuits on; the young sea lions are often curious, but they choose how close they come. Anyone who prefers can watch from the boat.
Afternoon
Lunch is on a white beach in one of the island's bays, usually Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, with time to swim, walk or kayak. On the way back we look into the coves on the island's west side, where the red rock meets turquoise water.
Evening
We are back in La Paz by late afternoon, and the evening is free for the malecon at sunset and dinner where you like.
Included
- Full-day boat trip to Isla Espiritu Santo, Isla Partida and Los Islotes
- Espiritu Santo national park bracelet
- Snorkelling near the Los Islotes sea lion colony, gear and wetsuit included
- Lunch on the beach
Easier option: Stay on the boat at Los Islotes and watch the sea lions from the deck, then rest on the beach at lunch.
More active option: Take a kayak out from the lunch beach along the island shore.
Free time: Evening free in La Paz
Activity: If the wind closes the sea, we swap days 4 and 5. The water is cool in winter, about 20 C; the wetsuits help.
Balandra early, La Paz at your pace
La Paz to Balandra Beach and back
- Breakfast
- Stay in La Paz
- Drive about 1 h
We drive about half an hour north to Balandra, a protected bay of shallow turquoise water and pale sand, leaving at 8 am so we arrive soon after it opens, while the beach is still quiet; visitor numbers here are limited, and we confirm the opening hours with your dates. Wade across the lagoon, which is knee deep at low tide, and walk up to the viewpoint over the bay. The balanced rock called El Hongo, the mushroom, stands at the edge of the beach.
Afternoon
We are back in La Paz before lunch and the rest of the day is yours. Walk the malecon and its sculptures, visit the cathedral and the regional anthropology museum, or simply sit in a cafe. In season, a licensed boat takes small groups to swim with whale sharks in the bay; we book it for you if you want it. This day is also our spare day: if wind stopped the Espiritu Santo boat yesterday, we go today instead.
Included
- Balandra Beach soon after opening, with your guide
- Short walk to the Balandra viewpoint
Optional experiences
- Swim with whale sharks in the Bay of La Paz with a licensed operator, in season when it is open (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay at the beach instead of climbing to the viewpoint.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in La Paz
Activity: Balandra limits visitor numbers and has a weekly closing day, which we confirm when we set your dates; if day 5 falls on it we go to El Tecolote beach next door instead.
Todos Santos and the Pacific
La Paz across the peninsula to Todos Santos
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Todos Santos
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
We leave after breakfast and cross the peninsula on Highway 19, about an hour and a quarter, from the Sea of Cortez to the Pacific. Todos Santos is a small farming and fishing town turned artists' town, with adobe and brick houses, palm groves and galleries, and it is one of Mexico's Pueblos Magicos. Your guide walks you through the historic centre: the mission church of Nuestra Senora del Pilar, on the site of a mission founded in the 1730s, the old Teatro Cine and the galleries and workshops around the plaza.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in town.
Evening
In the late afternoon we walk out to Punta Lobos, the beach where the fishermen bring their pangas in through the surf, and then to the dunes for sunset over the Pacific. The Pacific beaches here have strong currents, so we look rather than swim. The evening is free to eat in town.
Included
- Drive from La Paz to Todos Santos
- Walk of the historic centre with your guide: the mission church, the Teatro Cine, the galleries
- Sit-down lunch in Todos Santos
- Punta Lobos fishermen's beach and sunset on the dunes
Optional experiences
- A sea turtle hatchling release with a local conservation group, when one is running (in winter; never promised)
Free time: Evening free in Todos Santos
Activity: Swimming is not advised on the Pacific beaches near Todos Santos because of strong currents.
The Arch at Land's End, and home
Todos Santos to Cabo San Lucas, by boat to the Arch, then Los Cabos International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
A slow breakfast, then about an hour south along the Pacific coast to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the peninsula. From the marina a small boat takes us out to Land's End for about 45 minutes: El Arco, the rock arch where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific, Lover's Beach beside it and the sea lions that often lie on the rocks nearby. It is the classic Cabo view, and from the water it takes an hour rather than a day.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice at the marina, then we drive about 45 minutes along the coast road to Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), arriving mid-afternoon. Your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 4 pm; for an earlier flight we skip the boat and drive straight to the airport.
Included
- Boat from the Cabo San Lucas marina to El Arco and Land's End
- Drop-off at Los Cabos International Airport (SJD)
Easier option: If your flight leaves before about 4 pm, we drive from Todos Santos straight to the airport.
Free time: Lunch free at the Cabo San Lucas marina
Activity: Book a flight leaving Los Cabos after about 4 pm to include the boat to the Arch.
- Loreto2 nights
- La Paz3 nights
- Todos Santos1 night
- Los Cabosend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Grey whales are in Magdalena Bay from about mid-January to March; in October to December and in April and May day 3 becomes a direct drive. Winter brings cool water and occasional northerly winds that can cancel boats, so day 5 is the backup day. Hurricane risk runs about June to November, highest from August to October.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the grey whales without a week of coach days
- People who like boats, beaches and wildlife more than big cities
- Small towns, missions and quiet evenings on a seafront
- A winter escape from Canada or the northern US with time outdoors
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who gets badly seasick: four days include boats, some in open pangas
- Travellers who want a resort or nightlife holiday in Cabo
- The Guadalupe Valley wine country, which is in northern Baja and not on this route
- Step-free access: boarding from beaches means sand and wet feet
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Loreto2 nights
- La Paz3 nights
- Todos Santos1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 2 in Loreto near the mission and the malecon, 3 in La Paz on or near the malecon, 1 in Todos Santos in the historic centre
- Central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Loreto International Airport (LTO)
- Drop-off at Los Cabos International Airport (SJD)
- Our own air-conditioned van and driver for the group for the whole trip, sized so every guest has a full seat and room for luggage
- Panga to Isla Coronado
- Grey whale panga at Magdalena Bay (about mid-January to March)
- Full-day boat to Espiritu Santo
- Boat to the Arch at Cabo San Lucas
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- Local boat crews and naturalist guides on the boat days
Activities
- Loreto: the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto
- Loreto Bay National Park: Isla Coronado, park fee included
- San Javier: the San Francisco Javier mission
- Magdalena Bay: grey whale watching from Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, in season
- La Paz: Espiritu Santo, Isla Partida and the Los Islotes sea lion colony, park bracelet included
- La Paz: Balandra Beach soon after opening
- Todos Santos: guided walk of the historic centre, Punta Lobos and the dunes at sunset
- Cabo San Lucas: El Arco and Land's End by boat
- Snorkel gear and wetsuits on the boat days
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6)
- 4 lunches: Isla Coronado beach, Lopez Mateos, Espiritu Santo beach and Todos Santos
- Welcome dinner in Loreto
Not included
- International flights into Loreto and out of Los Cabos
- Travel insurance
- Visas, if your nationality needs one
- Meals not listed
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the whale shark swim in La Paz
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 645 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, four lunches and a welcome dinner, airport transfers at Loreto and Los Cabos, our own van and driver, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, the grey whale panga in season, the Isla Coronado, Espiritu Santo and Cabo Arch boats, park fees, snorkel gear and wetsuits, and every visit in the day plan.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, so the whole group fits in one or two pangas at the whales and around one table at lunch. A private departure for your party only is also available.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Loreto arrivals hall to the Los Cabos airport. On the boat days, licensed local crews and naturalist guides run the boats, as the marine parks require, and your guide comes along.
Will we definitely see grey whales?
No one can promise it. Grey whales usually fill Magdalena Bay from about mid-January to March, and most panga trips then see several, sometimes close to the boat. Outside that window there are no whales in the bay, so day 3 becomes a direct drive to La Paz.
When is the best time to go?
Mid-January to March if the grey whales are the reason you are going. October to December and April to May are warmer, with calmer seas and warmer water for snorkelling, but no whale day. Summer is very hot and June to November is hurricane season.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very. Walking is easy, up to about 4 km a day. You need to step in and out of small boats, sometimes from a beach with wet feet. Snorkelling and kayaking are optional; you can stay on the boat or the beach instead.
How long are the drives?
Most days are under two hours. Day 3, Loreto to La Paz via the whales, is about 430 km and 6 hours of driving in two legs, broken by about two and a half hours on the water and a seafood lunch. It is over our usual cap because that road has to be driven once, and the whales add under 2 hours to it.
I am travelling solo. What will it cost?
You pay the same trip price as everyone else, plus a single supplement from CAD 645 for a room of your own. The supplement is shown up front when you request to book, and solo guests are treated exactly like everyone else. If you would rather share a room, ask us; we tell you whether a share is possible.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 6,830 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently, send us an enquiry and we quote the same hotels, boats and drivers for your dates.
Do I need a visa for Mexico?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist stay in Mexico; you need a passport valid for the whole trip and you complete the entry form on arrival. Other nationalities should check. We confirm current rules with your final documents.
How does booking work?
Pick a date and style and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and nothing is charged until then. The small group starts from CAD 3,795 per person sharing, taxes included; prices are indicative until confirmed.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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