Sea of Cortez, Mexico – A Galapagos-like Adventure, Closer to Home

Last Updated on March 21, 2023

The Sea of Cortez, called the “aquarium of the world” by Jacques Cousteau, offers a Galapagos-like adventure much cheaper and closer to home…

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

By Jim Ferri

Those who have taken a Baja cruise in the Sea of Cortez, love it. It has similarities to cruises in the Galapagos, only much closer to home.

The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The Sea of Cortez is on our doorstep in the Baja, one of the top 10 places in Mexico.

I’ve been to both and can vouch that the Galapagos are beautiful but they’re also costly. An upscale Galapagos cruise on a comfortable, medium-size 90-100 passenger ship, the best way to see the islands, can range from $5,000 to more than $10,000 per person.

And the islands can also be a bit difficult to reach. You must fly to Ecuador, and then usually overnight before taking another flight the following day.

When you combine the price of airfare, hotel, the cruise and various other incidentals, the cost can quickly escalate out of the budget-range of many travelers. (You can see a photo essay of the Galapagos Islands here).

A Baja Cruise – A Less-Costly Alternative to the Galapagos

A Sea of Cortez cruise in the Baja, also in a beautiful area of the world, is a less costly alternative. It’s also exceptionally interesting, and much closer to home. Un-Cruise Adventure’s Cousteau’s Aquarium of the World cruise (now Mexico – The Sea of Cortes) in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez — the sea that Jacques Cousteau named “The aquarium of the world” – or its Baja’s Bounty! Whale Sharks, Whales & Mobulas cruise provide exceptional experiences in this aquarium.

Both follow nearly identical itineraries. The only difference being the wildlife you see, which is dependent on the time of year you travel.

They’re upscale cruises that depart from Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, about a two-hour flight from Los Angeles, a bit under three from Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Like the Galapagos, much of Sea of Cortez in Baja, California is also a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is still relatively untouched by mass tourism. And it’s a place where you can also see blue-footed boobies and frigate birds, cavort with sea lions and have encounters with whales and whale sharks (depending on the season).

Better yet, the cost of an all-inclusive Un-Cruise aboard the 232-foot, 84-passenger Safari Endeavor, including gourmet meals, good wines and beer, and top-shelf liquors, ranges from $2995 to $4,695 pp, depending upon the stateroom chosen. Each stateroom contains an iPod docking station, a DVD player and a flat screen TV, plus a bathrobe, hairdryer, etc.

Since you don’t have any television reception on this Baja cruise, the TVs are only used to provide information about the ship and your itinerary or allow you to see a DVD borrowed from the ship’s library.

Un-Cruise Adventures on the Sea of Cortez

Un-Cruise Adventures is an alternative to mainstream cruising. You’re not going to find midnight buffets, rock-climbing walls or pools (although there were two popular hot tubs on board). And you don’t make port stops to visit tourist shops.

In fact, the only towns we visited were the pretty historic town of Loreto and the little village of Puerto Adolfo Lopez where we stopped for a seafood lunch after we had gone whale watching.

I sailed aboard Un-Cruise Adventures’ Safari Endeavor and found that the company’s motto – “unrushed, uncrowded and unbelievable” – pretty well summed up the overall experience. There were no set ports of call on this Baja cruise. And while we did have an itinerary mapped out, it remained flexible and dependent upon the weather and wildlife sightings.

My fellow passengers on our Sea of Cortez sailing, were predominately American. But they also included Canadians, British, Swiss, Germans, a couple from Wales and an Australian. Several of them had cruised with Un-Cruise before, mostly on their Alaskan Itineraries, for which they are probably best known.

On our Baja cruise we had free run of the ship, including an open-bridge policy. All of the crew were exceptionally accessible and friendly. Most knew every passenger by name from the very first day and we could chat with them anytime about anything in their areas of expertise.

Off-ship we were accompanied by knowledgeable guide/naturalists. That’s much the same as I had experienced on a Galapagos cruise a few years ago. Every evening after dinner one would give a short talk about things we’d be seeing the following day.

Off-board Adventures on Our Baja Cruise

Un-Cruises are more about wildlife than nightlife, and its small ships allow quite a bit of flexibility. We could, for example, change our cruise itinerary and drop anchor at a different Baja island if weather conditions made it a better choice for water activities (which we once did).

All of us could snorkel, kayak or paddle board (and be taught how if we were inexperienced). There was also time to relax on a pristine beach lapped by turquoise water and devoid of any other people. Or you could stay aboard ship.

There was also a burro ride out into the desert and several opportunities to join skiff tours to look at bird-life. The latter included blue-footed booby’s, herons, egrets, magnificent frigate birds, ospreys and many others) and have geologic formations explained to us, both which I unexpectedly found quite interesting.

Isla Espiritu Santo

We also had the opportunity to take guided walks on Sea of Cortez islands. Like the entire Baja, they are deserts where often mountains tumble down to the sea. The desert had never really interested me but our short walks with our naturalist-guides gave me a new understanding of the immensity of life on them. It was all quite fascinating.

On a walk on Isla Espiritu Santo (Island of the Holy Ghost), for example, as we weaved through the sparse vegetation and bushes we stopped every few minutes to listen to our guide tell us about the vegetation, or show us animal tracks and scat, explaining what was living in the area.

It was a hike of only an hour and when we returned to the beach he asked us if we’d like to go over and see the tidal pools that had formed from the receding tide. It turned to be an adventure that provided an unexpected dividend.

Looking in the little tidal pools we found a baby octopus  on one of the rocks. It was about as large as a thumbnail and J.P., our guide, allowed us only to put our fingers down alongside it so it would attach its suckers to us, but not disturb it in any way.

After a few minutes, however, it moved around to the other side of the rock and squirted its black ink for several yards through the water. A few days later on another island he pointed out a red diamondback rattlesnake to us.

Up-Close with Whales in the Sea of Cortez

Many of us had booked this Baja cruise since we were interested in whale watching. We all wanted the opportunity to see up-close the great Gray Whales, thought to be extinct just 60 years ago.

I learned that the Grays remain one of the great mysteries of our planet. No one knows whey they annually travel 13,000 miles from the Bering Sea to Mexico’s Magdalena Bay in the Sea of Cortez. It is there they give birth to their young in this shallow bay off the Pacific coast.

After docking in Puerto Escondido we took a 2½-hour ride in mini-vans across the peninsula to the bay. There we boarded several pangas, small sturdy boats used by fishermen, for the trip about the bay.

Since we were early in the season we only encountered five female whales. Four were accompanied by their 15-foot long, one-ton calves. In mid-February there are usually hundreds of them birthing in the shallow bay. Some are apt to stick their heads out of the water close to a boat for a peek or head-scratch.

But at this time they were more protective of their newborn and we kept our distance. Nevertheless, we could follow alongside the great mammoths, watching as they broke water and spouted. Sometimes they were as close as 20 yards away, with their calves doing the same thing right next to mama. It was a phenomenal sight, especially when one breached nearby.

A Fascinating Week

Un-Cruise Adventures, as seen on this Baja cruise, is really designed for the adventurous traveler. Also one who wants to be pampered a bit and enjoy exceptional experiences. Although it’s not wheelchair accessible, those who have mobility issues (such as having had a hip replacement, as one of our fellow travelers had), won’t have any trouble moving about the ship, and embarking and disembarking.

My experience was that Un-Cruise delivers quality over quantity. The Sea of Cortez cruise combined comfort and soft-adventure. It also gave me the opportunity to experience things I had not in the past.

My only regret being was that we missed the opportunity to snorkel among sea lions since the crew deemed it too unsafe due to rough seas that day.

That will remain another adventure for another day.

---

You may also enjoy: The Top 10 Places in Mexico / A Guide to A Galapagos Cruise Vacation / Things to Do in Oaxaca, Mexico’s Magical City

If You Go:

Un-Cruise Adventures
3826 18^th Ave W
Seattle, WA 98119
Tel: 888-862-8881

In addition to its Baja cruise to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, Un-Cruise Adventures currently offers a variety of cruises in Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, along Coastal Washington and British Columbia and on the Columbia, Snake and Willamette Rivers (Washington, Oregon and Idaho). There are also cruises in the Galapagos, Panama and Costa Rica.