Every winter, gray whales enter the bays on the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula to breed and rear young.  The warm water is high saline and shallow enough that an adult whale can often touch bottom with their tails with their heads above the surface.  Like giant hot tubs, these blue lagoons are perfect for adult whales to meet up and mate.  Like a kiddie pool, these nurseries are perfect for babies to practice holding their breath, to open their eyes underwater and to learn to swim.  And like top rated world heritage sites, these bays—named after a Spanish explorer—are perfect for tourists to experience the best whale watching in the world, with a sizable concentration of gray whales including babies, accessible from nearby beaches in small boats, with up close encounters, even touching.  

The northeast Pacific population of gray whales has been decreasing in recent years, but there are still hundreds counted here every winter.  I visited in February, choosing the Ojo de Liebre (hare’s eye) lagoon.  I drove from California and booked my own hotel for 2 nights, but most whale watchers book package tours including hotel accommodation in Guerrero Negro.  Some stay in seasonal camps on the beach for days and go out on the water multiple times.  I went out once and fortunately it was a good day with the whales.  

Within 30 minutes, we boarded our small boat, motored out into the lagoon found some friendly whales and let them come up to see us.  Almost immediately, one female came up and touched my hand.  In a couple hours, we saw dozens of whales, including at least half a dozen right next to our little boat, and observed all the classic whale behaviors like the spy hop, pectoral fin wave, rolling over and breaching.  

Before some self-proclaimed marine wildlife expert criticizes me for touching a whale, I repeat that the whale came up and touched my hand slowly, gently and on purpose, and she came back with a friend who swung her nose along everyone else’s hand a few minutes later.  Watch the video on my website.  The lagoons are restricted, tours are licensed and time on the water is limited.  The guides and captains are experienced, dedicated to the whales and have spent much more time with them than you have.  Gray whales are sometimes curious about humans, especially when people are squealing and laughing with joy to see them.  And when the whales weren’t interested in interacting, we left them alone.  

Some of the lagoons also have nesting sea turtles and there are plenty of other sights to see in the large Vizcaíno biosphere.  The only way to see the whales (other than from the beach) is to book a tour.  There aren’t enough stars to recommend highly enough.  What are you waiting for?