From beginning to end it was a fabulous week being looked after by Captain Marco and his friendly, kind staff. I was met at the airport. The hotel was simple, delicious food and in a nice little village. Excellent bird watching. Then onto the island. I had a bed and proper mattress in my tent. All tents were nicely spaced out. A little outside shower with water heated by the sun - not very hot, but I asked in the kitchen for some added hot water - nothing was ever too much trouble! The central community area had super clean loos and a roaring fire in the evening. The food was delicious and freely available at any time of the day. Everything included in the initial cost except alcoholic drinks. On the days when I was not out whale watching went on long and lovely walks. Lots of birds and wild flowers and very varied scenery. The little fishing village is about half a mile away. The whale watching was spectacular. We were in small boats, as were other whale watchers from the mainland, so it never seemed overcrowded. Long may that atmosphere last as large boats full of shouting tourists would ruin the place and disturb the whales. The numerous whales were extremely friendly and seemed to love to interact with humans, even though in the not too distant past they had been hunted. The boat captains were very careful about not disturbing the whales and yet knew exactly how to get the boats close to them. I cannot recommend this holiday more highly.

We were lucky enough to experience a wonderful 3N/4D trip with Magdalena Bay Whales right before COVID19 shut everything down. This had been a HUGE bucket list trip for me and the experience with the whales and at the eco camp in Mag Bay did not disappoint in the slightest.

On our way out into the bay the first morning it was super foggy, could barely see the end of the boat... but then just as the fog started to clear, all of a sudden a gray whales breached mere feet from the boat and it was all magic from there on out! We loved that we had a boat/captain to ourselves as part of our package, as it gave us the flexibility to move around as we wanted. Captain Miguel was fantastic, and I really appreciated how respectful he was of the whales. He gave us the opportunity for some great interactions, while making sure the whales were not overwhelmed, and always made sure other boats had their share of time. We has so many amazing, spontaneous encounters with the gray whales--even getting to touch and kiss a few!--that it is hard to put into words. What was really special was that over the course of the three days, you really got the sense that the whales were choosing to interact with us. It never felt forced, because as soon as they were done, they swam away silently.

The most magical experiences we had were on our last day on the water, twice we were off on our own in the boat with no sign of whales around us and then all of a sudden, one appeared, and started playing around our boat, scratching, and choosing to interact with us, which meant we got to interact with the whales just us for a while before the other boats arrived. It also meant that we really got to appreciate how the whales are choosing to approach us, rather than humans harrassing them. I can not say enough amazing things about Miguel and the whale experience we had.

Similarly, we had a fantastic time at the eco-camp in Mag Bay--the beds (real beds!) in the tents are SO comfortable and the views over the bay from your tent deck are to die for. It does get cold overnight (though we were very comfortable in evenings and mornings) so bring warm clothes to sleep in and dont be afraid to ask for more blankets. The food was absolutely delicious, all included, and as much as we could eat. Everyone was so kind, and we loved getting to know everyone that was working there and all the other travellers.

The only points for improvement were that we had a bit of confusion about pickup and drop off, which had been included in our package--despite emailing about our specific pickup point about a week in advance, we had not heard anything back to confirm, and I ended up having to call them, with the person I received on the line appearing confused and struggling to find our information. Similarly at the other end, we had been told we had a transfer to Cabo included, but there was a bit of confusion about that as we hadnt heard or been told anything about the logistics. In the end, everything worked out great, and for more laid back people than I, would not have been a problem haha. But just something to keep in mind to make sure people know whats happening from point A to point B! Also, the welcome at Hotel Isabela the first night was a bit spotty, and we were left confused about where we were supposed to go/meetings times etc while other guests got full briefings so just seemed a bit inconsistent. A bit more consistency in communication on the ground from the mainland team would go a long way!

Overall a fantastic trip and we cannot wait to go back again once we can travel :) Thanks Mag Bay whales!

My wife and I decided to go Gray whale watching in Magdalena Bay for our 20 year anniversary. She had gone on a whale trip 30 years ago in Magdalena Bay with a small US company that she worked for at that time. Her experiences from that trip were so special and noteworthy that she had been wanting a return experience for many years.

I researched the available tour operators and decided to schedule our trip with Magdalena Bay Whales. It turned out to be a great decision. From my first contact with them they were responsive, courteous and helpful. We scheduled our trip for the first week of February and opted to stay in their lodging in San Carlo on the night of our arrival and two nights at the whale camp.

We couldn't have imagined a more perfect whale watching experience. We not only saw dozens of whales up close but rubbed on and even kissed one whale. Very salty.! We had the boat all to ourselves and our captain, Miguel was wonderful. Whale camp was clean and comfortable with the entire staff ready and willing to make our time with them special. The food was good and the beds comfortable. We explored the dunes, hiked the trail to the Pacific, met other guests from around the world and had a truly wonderful and memorable experience.

I can't guarantee up close and personal encounters with whales like we had but I can't imagine another tour operator that will be more helpful, responsive and desirous of creating a wonderful and memorable whate watching experience for you also.