The whale reached out of the water right next to us!

As I reflect on my time at San Ignacio Lagoon, I am still overwhelmed by the joy and excitement seeing these grey whales in person. There is a special connection you feel to these animals when they look you right in the eye. It is an indescribable feeling being so close to such a beautiful, gentle, and massive animal.

What an incredible experience. We were able to go out whale watching three times per day, and each time we had encounters with whales!  On our first time out, we had a momma whale pop up right in front of us as we were floating in our panga. It was amazing! Later, we saw multiple whales including calves. I couldn’t believe how friendly and curious these calves were.

The momma’s stayed close, as the calves came right up to the pangas for attention. They swam right up to our pangas and would often reach out of the water toward us, similarly to how a dog reaches its head out for scratches! It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Sometimes both momma and baby were right next to us reaching out of the water, as if they were asking to be pet. 

The local guides said that this is typical behaviour, and as the calves get older the mothers encourage them to be friendly! This was clear by their behaviour, as the mommas would nudge their calf toward us and then sit back and watch. We were lucky to also have very friendly mommas who wanted to interact with us too! One poked her head up, level with our panga, and my brother kissed her on the “nose.” She hung around for a while, bouncing between us and another panga.

We also saw whales breaching in the distance, and one time it looked like a momma teaching her calf how to do it! They alternated, each breaching about 3 times. It was incredible to watch.

The camp itself is also excellent. The camps are set up as little villages, and we didn’t have to walk too far to get to the common spaces. There is a dining tent and a bar/entertainment tent, which were fun places to interact and hangout with the other guests. I stayed in the Luxury camp, the tent was great and nothing beats waking up to that view! The food was amazing. Everyone from the chef, the hosts, the guides, to the cleaning staff, and everyone in between, truly made this trip so special. All of the staff and crew were so lovely and welcoming. 

I cannot wait to go back and see the whales!!! Truly the best experience my life. 

– Emily 

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