Gray Whale Watching In Puerto Chale, Baja, Mexico
Our Baja California road trip brought us face-to-face with majestic gray whales in the small town of Puerto Chale. After releasing baby sea turtles in our last adventure, we made the three hour drive from La Paz to check out this magical whale watching experience for ourselves.
Whale Watching in Puerto Chale
After getting up early (4:00 AM!) to drive from La Paz to Puerto Chale, we were pretty excited to see what this adventure had in store for us. This whale watching experience was the main reason we traveled to Baja, and we knew it wasn’t going to disappoint! As we arrived at the little marina in town, we quickly found Camacho Tours. They got us loaded on to our boat and headed out right away.
Once we got out into the bay, we almost immediately started to spot gray whales. These gentle giants come to this area of Baja to mate and have their calves. The food sources here are abundant and the adult whales can safely teach their young everything they need to know to survive their long trek back to the northern Pacific. The gray whales stay here from around December to April, and we were here in February.
The whales in this area are very curious and will swim right up to the boat. (Boats are not allowed to chase the whales or even have their engines running within a certain distance.) For most of the tour you can see the whales spouting and breaching from a distance - and everywhere we looked we saw whales! They will swim by the boats, spout near the boats, and even swim close enough to be touched. A few snuck up behind us just to spout and give us a glimpse of them so close up! Some whales push their calves up to the surface to make eye contact with the humans on board. It is truly a surreal experience.
We saw so many whales on this day that we lost count pretty quickly. The bay is serene and quiet - so hearing them spouting was not difficult and they were easy to spot! Being surrounded by them in such a magical place made us feel an instant connection to the whales and their amazing ability to survive.
Puerto Chale feels like more than just a whale watching destination - it’s a window into the incredible relationship between humans and wildlife. Don’t miss this experience if you are traveling to Baja!
Whale watching in Puerto Chale.
Tips for Whale Watching in Puerto Chale
Timing is everything - whales arrive in December, and start migrating north again in April.
Get there early - our tour started at 8:00 AM and we were one of the only boats in the bay for quite some time.
Pack smart - dress in layers, bring your sunscreen and water, and make sure you have your camera.
Go local - book with a local guide to support the community and get the best experience.
Ready to see for yourself? Watch our full experience in the video below!
