We were lucky enough to be one of the first guests on Baja Expeditions’ new glamping and ocean safari multi-day tour on the beautiful Isla Cerralvo in Baja California Sur. Three days of cruising the sea that Jacques Cousteau called the aquarium of the world, searching for wildlife, with some once-in-a-lifetime underwater encounters and sleeping under the stars at a fully off-grid glamping camp on the uninhabited Isla Cerralvo. If you’re thinking about taking this tour but want a personal review from someone who’s done it, here it is!
This post is divided into two parts: practical information about the tour, island and ocean safaris, and secondly, a diary-style recount day-by-day of our experience. Use the table of contents to skip to your desired section.
This article may contain affiliate / compensated links, that may earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. For full information, please see our disclaimer here. While all efforts have been taken to ensure the information included in this post is correct and current, travel information such as opening hours, business operations and prices change frequently. If you find anything in this post that is incorrect or outdated please let me know in the comments so I can update it for other readers.
About Baja Expeditions
I think the most relevant place to start is with the company we took this experience with, Baja Expeditions. Together with their sister company Nautilus Liveaboards, Baja Expeditions is one of the leaders in ecotourism experiences on the Baja California Peninsula.
Operating since 1974, they have been offering adventures in the most rugged and beautiful parts of the peninsula, on land and sea. Glamping on remote islands, liveaboards in the Sea of Cortez, getting up close with the grey whales in San Ignacio Lagoon or being amongst the chaos of the sardine run, if there’s an ocean encounter you want to have in Baja, I guarantee Baja Expeditions offers it.
Conservation and sustainability are at the heart of their operations, and all tours are run with the lightest touch. The camp we stayed at on Isla Cerralvo was totally off-grid and had to be completely packed down with nothing remaining after we left. The pack-up crew was actually bobbing in a boat offshore, waiting for us to leave on our final day, to remove every trace of our presence on the island! I know every other tour is managed with the same leave no trace ethos.
Their sister company, Nautilus Liveaboards, offers a similar range of ocean expeditions around the peninsula, and they cross-collaborate on many tours with Nautilus boats used for all the liveaboards. It’s a little confusing, but Nautilus Liveaboards offers scuba diving, and Baja Expeditions does not.
Tour details
This is a brand new tour being offered by Baja Expeditions and the first time they have done a glamping experience on Isla Cerralvo. Ocean safaris are their bread and butter and finding and ethically interacting with the magical marine life in the Sea of Cortez (aka Gulf of California) is their specialty!
Before I dive into a recount of our experience on the tour, I wanted to briefly include some of the tour details so you’ve got a background of what to expect and what I’m talking about.
You can find far more detailed information on the Baja Expeditions’ website, with the latest dates and prices too, but as a quick overview…
- ⏳ Duration: 4 nights, 5 days (2 nights La Paz hotel on night 1 and 4, plus 2 nights Isla Cerralvo glamping)
- 📍Departing from: La Paz (with complimentary transfers to and from Los Cabos)
- 📍Returning to: La Paz (with complimentary transfers to and from Los Cabos)
- 🗓️ Dates: April & May departures
- 💰 Prices: from $1,995 USD (please check their website for the latest prices and deals)
- 📋 Inclusions: all accommodation, meals, ocean safaris, transfers, camp activities, etc., basically EVERYTHING except alcohol, port fee ($35 USD cash), tips for the crew, massages and access to the Starlink internet
- 🚢 Ocean safari: at least one, if not two, ocean safari boat expeditions on days 2, 3 and 4
⛺️ Find out more about the Isla Cerralvo Glamping + Ocean Safari Tour with Baja Expeditions
About Isla Cerralvo
In my mind, Isla Cerralvo is La Ventana’s island and Isla Espíritu Santo is La Paz’s island. They aren’t too far from each other and both share a rugged, desert interior and a rich marine diversity below the surface.
Isla Cerralvo’s official name is Isla Jacques Cousteau or Jacques Cousteau Island, after the Mexican Government changed it in 2009 to honour the French oceanographer who labelled the Sea of Cortez ‘the world’s aquarium’. However, in practice, the locals still use the island’s historic name, Isla Cerralvo.
The island sits off the coast of the twin towns of La Ventana and El Sargento in the La Paz Municipality of Baja California Sur. It’s a looming presence over the towns, with its mountainous curves and ridges hiding the rising sun in the mornings, and reflecting the sun’s final rays in the evening.
The island is roughly 136.5 km² (52.7 sq mi), and I was surprised how much bigger it is than neighbouring Isla Espiritu Santo at 80.76 km² (31.18 sq mi). It’s entirely undeveloped and uninhabited, bar a few camping permits issued to operators like Baja Expeditions, which means you get the rare magic of having an entire desert island completely to yourself once the day-trip boats go back to shore!
In front of the island, between the mainland, is a deep channel known as the Cerralvo Channel. Dropping down hundreds of metres, with underwater canyons and converging currents, this is part of the reason why so many large pelagic species congregate in this area. Dolphins, whales, rays, orcas, sea lions and more, the water is nutrient-rich and full of life.
It also helps that Isla Cerralvo is the most southern island in the Sea of Cortez, closest to the convergence with the Pacific Ocean. Marine life cruises into the sea from the open ocean, with everything passing by the island en route to their final destination!
Ocean safari Baja California
Okay, I’ve talked about Baja Expeditions, I’ve talked about the island, but you might still be wondering what the heck is an ocean safari?
If you’ve done any travel in Baja California before, or other trips with Baja Expeditions or Nautilus Liveaboards, the term may be familiar.
An ocean safari is exactly like a safari on land, just in the ocean! Basically, it’s a boat tour where you go out into the ocean and look for marine life. It differs from whale watching in Baja California, where you’re going out with the sole purpose of looking for a single species of whale (with anything extra a bonus). You are simply cruising around to see what the ocean delivers that day, and in the Sea of Cortez, your odds are always good!
Most ocean safaris include the chance to snorkel or freedive with particular species if the conditions are right and safe. You will gear up and jump off the side of the boat, and climb back in via a ladder or back deck when the encounter has ended and the animal has swum away.
It is NOT legal to swim with baleen whales (the suborder mysticetes), which include humpback whales, blue whales, grey whales, etc.
Ocean safaris are not scuba diving experiences. It’s just swimming, snorkelling and/or freediving where possible, but also a lot of observation from the boat, such as in the instance you see a baleen whale.
Like any activity involving wild animals, what you see on an ocean safari is entirely unpredictable, and a lot of it is down to luck. Experienced operators like Baja Expeditions are intimately familiar with the ocean, its seasons and migration patterns of its residents, so they’ve got a pretty good idea of what you might see, but no one can guarantee it!
The more time you spend on the ocean, the more chances you’ll have to encounter marine life. That’s why doing a tour like this one, with multiple days of ocean safari, is the best way to maximise your chances. One day on the water can be extremely successful, and other days can be slow.
The Isla Cerralvo Glamping + Ocean Safari tour is run during the spring months, which typically means mobula rays and MAYBE orcas.
I suppose you could say these are the target species of ocean safaris at this time of year, but the Sea of Cortez has so much life year-round, whether you see these species or not, you won’t be disappointed and it’s important you don’t pin all your hopes on seeing these animals.
Whale season is wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean you won’t spot a few late departures! Year-round residents like dolphins and sea lions are a pretty reliable sighting, as well as turtles and a mind-boggling variety of fish.
Mobula rays
This time of year is known for the mobula ray aggregations, where thousands of mobula munkiana aka Munk’s devil ray, meet in the Sea of Cortez.
The rays are present around the coast of the Baja California Peninsula year-round, but between April – July (peak usually from May – June), they meet by the tens of thousands to feed and mate.
Known by the locals as flying tortillas, these hilarious rays launch themselves more than a metre out of the water, flapping their ‘wings’ before splatting back on the water’s surface like a tortilla hitting the comal. Below the surface, they effortlessly glide in groups ranging in size from a dozen to a hundred to over 10,000.
The first time we saw this from the beach in Baja, we were blown away. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s such a spectacle to see dozens of rays leaping from the water in a group together.
Given the sheer number of rays in the area, operators like Baja Expeditions can pretty confidently say that there is a good chance you will encounter them, and trips are sold for the ‘mobula ray migration’.
BUT, like any other wildlife encounter, sightings are never guaranteed. Every year the peak period for the biggest fevers is changing. Currents, water temperatures, and climate change are just some of the many factors impacting the rays, so it’s impossible to say when and where they will be, and on what scale.
We actually didn’t have much luck with the mobulas during our tour. We found one small group but they were very deep, the visibility was not great and they dove deep almost as soon as we entered the water. We thought seeing rays was a ‘sure thing’ but an unusually hot winter affected currents and food sources, so the rays weren’t behaving as expected.
That’s nature!
Orcas
Swimming with orcas in Baja is becoming an extremely popular and desirable activity for visitors. Isla Cerralvo is one of only two places in the world where humans can swim with orcas, the other being in Norway.
Experienced operators like Baja Expeditions will never, ever promise you an encounter with an orca. These apex predators are opportunists who don’t generally stick to a regular migration pattern like baleen whales and they cannot be tracked or reliably found.
We do know that mobulas are a great food source, and the mobulas DO reliably aggregate at certain times of the year, in certain locations, so seeing an orca is within the realm of possibility but never, ever guaranteed and if anyone sells you an ‘orca tour’, RUN!
In 2025, the Mexican Government introduced a first-of-its-kind legal framework for swimming with orcas in La Ventana.
Introducing tighter regulations and a management plan to control the experience, it was designed to control the untapped growth and popularity in the area, which saw dozens of boats crowding one pod, cowboy operators promising encounters to their tourists and doing nearly everything in their power to deliver, at the cost of the orcas.
This new plan requires captains and their boats to be ‘orca certified’ after undergoing training on how to responsibly interact with the orcas. There is a very small number of certified captains, mostly locals from La Ventana, and most larger tour companies will be contracting ‘orca-approved’ captains and pangas to deliver tours, which is wonderful as it means you are getting the expertise and experience of someone local.
For our tour, we were on an orca-approved panga with a local captain named Beto. We were with him on every ocean safari, which meant we were ready and able to capitalize on any opportunity if we saw orcas. Beto was EXCELLENT, you could immediately tell how familiar he was with the ocean here, and his spotting abilities were second to none.
Boats must also have certified guides, and the framework implements restrictions on the number of boats in the area, time with the orcas, number swimmers in the water and very strict requirements on when swimmers can enter the water with the orcas. It’s similar to the regulations in place for swimming with whale sharks in La Paz.
If I were to dive into the ethics of swimming with orcas and dig into the details of the management framework, this post would be 20,000 words, so I’m going to instead refer you to this article, which talks in more detail about the new regulations and the pros and cons of humans interacting with orcas in this way.
Seeing how these regulations played out in practice on our tour was incredibly reassuring. I never felt that Beto threatened or chased any of the wildlife we encountered. He perfectly balanced our expectations and desires to swim with the orcas with their well-being.
Not only could he spot things miles away, but he positioned the boat perfectly every time. He got the timing exactly right on when we should jump, when we should hang back, and when we needed to speed off fast. When it was time to get in, we always jumped to the side of the orcas, never directly in their path, giving them the space to move naturally.
Getting to swim with an orca in Baja is a beautiful privilege, and one that we were incredibly lucky to have on our first ocean safari with Baja Expeditions. I’ll talk in more detail about our experience below, but I just wanted to introduce a little bit of information about the legalities of swimming with orcas and to help set your expectations.
Our guides Paulina and David described our experience as ‘the luckiest day of our lives’, so please do not go into your tour expecting the encounter that we had.
And to add to that, the magical experience of swimming with orcas was the pinnacle of our ocean safari and I wouldn’t change it for the world. BUT, I think it is in part why we didn’t see many mobula rays or other marine life. Orcas are the apex predators of the ocean and if the other animals know they’re around, they’re going to skedaddle pretty fast to protect themselves. So seeing orcas is wonderful but it sometimes can be at the cost of seeing other marine life.
Baja Expeditions glamping camp setup
The camp set up and where we would be sleeping, eating and most importantly – going to the toilet – was my main question before we went on the tour. The island is remote and uninhabited so there is an element of ‘roughing it’, but Baja Expeditions set up an incredibly comfortable and well-equipped camp. Definitely more glamping than camping.
Our camp was set up in a sheltered cove on the southwestern side of Isla Cerralvo, just wide enough for eight bell tents, the main “camp HQ” tent, and the massage tent.
We were sandwiched between a sandy spit and a wide arroyo coming down from the mountains in the centre of the island to the left, and to the right was a rocky cape.
Because the island is a protected natural area with strict regulations, Baja Expeditions kept the camp as minimal as possible, and most of the crew were based out of the “mothership”, the 55-foot Nautilus Westerly liveaboard boat anchored just offshore.
We were oriented with a view back towards the mainland, looking towards La Ventana and El Sargento. Because the camp sits behind the mountains, there was no sunrise view, but we got a gorgeous sunset each night.
Inside our glamping tents
Our accommodation was spacious bell tents, completely set up and ready for us on arrival.
You have the option for two singles or a double camp cot, and I regretfully selected a double. I don’t know what possessed me, having your own bed when you’re camping and hot is SO much better, so opt for two singles even if you’re a couple. The beds were surprisingly comfy though, with honestly the nicest linens and pillows we’d had for months!
It was extremely hot when we visited, which is something you should realistically expect in May and June. Fortunately, there were two battery-operated fans in our tent which were a godsend, and they made all the difference for sleeping. The temperature definitely does cool down at night, and the tents are rigged with a sun shade over the top to block the worst of the daytime heat.
Inside, there was a partitioned bathroom area with a private porta-potty. Of all the ways to go to the toilet in an off-grid camp, this is by far the best! You don’t have to share with anyone else, and they were proper Thetford chemical toilets, so they were easy to use, perfectly clean, and didn’t smell at all. We even had a sink equipped with a little foot pump.
For storage, there were two small tables plus two shelving units with four fabric cubes, which was a lifesaver for keeping our clothes and camera gear organised and away from the inevitably sandy floor! We also had a doormat at the entrance, and every time we returned from a safari, the staff had cleaned the sand off and laid it out nicely for us again.
Outside our tent we had two camp chairs which was a nice spot to relax and read a book if you needed a bit of downtime away from the main hub and group. A lot of us carried our chairs right into the shallows and read with our feet in the water, which was the perfect temperature regulator!
At night, solar-powered lights lit up the front of all the tents for easy navigation, and there were gorgeous fairy lights wrapped around the center pole inside the bell tent, making it super lovely and romantic. The staff even turned them on for us while we were having dinner, which was such a sweet and thoughtful touch!
Camp showers
The showers were shared, camp-style setups (the classic big bag with a tube and shower head attached) housed in two private cubicles. They weren’t the “stand in there and wash your hair” kind of showers, but the water got SO hot throughout the day and there was an ample supply to have a nice rinse-off after a safari, washing off the salt and sand before changing into clean clothes.
If we ever wanted a proper, longer shower, we could ask at any time to be taken out to the “mothership” to use the facilities on board. We honestly never felt the need, though. The rinse off in the camp showers was more than enough to keep us feeling fresh and clean in the evening, and we were straight back out on the water getting salty again the next morning anyway (I will say, however, that the shower back at the hotel in La Paz was an absolute dream when we returned!).
Food and drinks
The true hive of activity at camp was the dining tent, which was set up with a bar, a food serving area, and two big tables to seat our group of 12. Three meals a day were included, all eaten at camp, not on the boat.
All dietary requirements can be catered for if you give advance notice. We eat everything, so the meals we had were the standard menu, but others in our group had alternative options.
The food was seriously impressive, especially considering it was all prepared on the mothership by the chef and ferried over via zodiac boat.
For breakfast, we started with fresh fruit and yoghurt, followed by hot options like English muffins with bacon and mini omelettes, or incredibly good chilaquiles with salsa verde. Oh and I shouldn’t forget to mention coffee, which arrived bright and early at 6:30 am.
Lunches were fresh and filling to keep us fueled for the day, with dishes like a refreshing watermelon and feta salad, and chicken and rice served with a side lentil salad.
Dinners were a highlight and felt like a total treat after a long day on the water. Our first night was taco night with chicken, beef, and all the trimmings, while another night we were served a huge fillet of tender steak with Caesar salad and mashed potatoes, which was so unexpected for an off-grid camp! They also nailed the desserts, serving up yummy berries and crema or a delicious tres leches cake.
Non-alcoholic drinks are also included. We mostly stuck to mineral water, Coca-Cola, or a new drink we were introduced to on the trip by two Mexican guests: a suero, which is my new favorite thing! It’s like a virgin margarita and is super hydrating, made with salt, lime juice, soda water, and a salted rim, it was so refreshing.
You could purchase alcoholic drinks for an extra cost. They didn’t state the exact prices upfront, but it turned out that mezcalitas were only $4 USD (60 pesos). If I had known that, I definitely would have had some! Brayden had one each night, but we were pretty tired from a whole day on the water, so I stuck to the sueros. They had wine, cocktails, and beers available, and Naye the bartender was amazing and shook up some excellent drinks at the bar. Plus, every time we returned from an ocean safari, the crew would be waiting on the shore with a welcome drink, serving everything from horchata to tamarindo and naranjada.
Activities at camp
When we weren’t out on expeditions, there were kayaks and a paddleboard we could use. It was also possible to go for a hike, as the camp is situated right next to a huge arroyo coming down from the mountains. It’s a great place to explore the desert interior of the island, with lots of beautifully coloured rocks and even a roaming population of wild goats that were brought to the island by fishermen decades ago.
One 45-minute massage was included free in our tour (this was a first-season special, massages will be an add-on for future departures). We reserved a time with Lilian when we arrived, at 6:00 am and 6:45 am, which was the perfect way to start the day. You could choose a traditional massage on the table or a unique water massage technique called Janzu. I don’t love cold water, so I opted for the traditional massage. With just 45 minutes, Lily asked us to choose one area to focus on, so I asked for the back and shoulder area. It was blissful, she was amazing and used scents and sounds throughout, too. This was an unexpected luxury we did NOT expect to have included!
Power and connectivity
There are no generators on the island, only solar power. There was a charging table set up with tons of outlets that was on during daylight hours so we could charge phones, power banks, and camera batteries. I came with everything charged, a full power bank, and spare batteries, so I didn’t need to recharge at all, but it was available.
At night, solar lights all around the camp lit up the front of our tents and the dining tent, which was sufficient for ambient, low-impact lighting. A phone torch was totally fine to get around, but if you have a head torch, it doesn’t hurt to pack it!
As for staying connected, there was limited and patchy phone service from the mainland. It kind of worked but mostly didn’t, so I just put my phone on aeroplane mode for the whole trip. The mothership had a Starlink connection that you could pick up from the shore, but again, it was patchy from the distance and the number of people using it. I opted not to connect just to unplug for a few days and enjoy the moment, but it is there if you need it.
What to pack
Another thing I was wondering about beforehand was what we needed to bring. Because we were already in Baja on a longer road trip, with a rental car and our stuff spread across multiple bags, we needed to reduce! We stored most of our luggage at the hotel in La Paz and just brought one big shared backpack between us, plus a day bag/dry bag each.
If you’re coming to Baja specifically for this tour, you’ll probably only have one smaller bag anyway. But if you’re on a broader trip like we were, definitely narrow it down. Everything needs to be carried on and off the boat by the crew and stored in your tent, which is spacious, but you wouldn’t want a massive hard-case suitcase taking up your floor space.
The weather forecast for our tour was hot and dry, pretty typical of May. We did have a couple of exceptionally hot days (above 35°C / 95°F) that I would say are not unlikely but not necessarily normal, as the temps dropped substantially the week after our tour.
CLOTHES 👙
- Swimwear: multiple pairs so we had dry stuff each day, although things did dry very quickly on the line strung up at camp.
- Rash top / springsuit / wetsuit: 5mm wetsuits are provided by Baja Expeditions, but if you have your own swimming gear that you’d prefer to use, bring it. Water temp varies by year, it was very warm during our trip (26 – 28°C / 78 – 82°F), but there were jellyfish around, so wetsuits were more for stings rather than warmth!
- Sarong: most of the women wore bathers and sarongs around camp during the day
- Long sleeve top / shirt: to cover up from the sun on the boat.
- Light cargo pants: same reason.
- Rain jacket: I often like wearing this on the boat in the morning when it’s windy or after I’ve gotten wet. This particular trip was SO hot I didn’t need it but the temperature was a little higher than usual I think, so I’d still bring this if you’re prone to being a bit chilly!
- Shorts: quick dry material is best not essential (fashion trumps practicality on this one for me, cotton all the way)
- Singlets / t-shirts: as with shorts.
- Dress(es): casual, comfy, loose for hot nights.
- Underwear: not quite as essential as usual when you’re wearing bathers all day but still.
- Light pyjamas: it was hot enough to sleep in nothing but don’t forget your neighbours!
- Sandals: something that you’re comfortable getting wet, for me, it’s my plastic Birkenstocks.
- Runners: I’ll admit, I didn’t hike on the island as it was SO hot, but if you want to go for a little walk, make sure you’ve got the right shoes and socks.
- Sunglasses: durable ones that can handle a bit of salt.
- Hat: that won’t fly off on the boat.
TOILETRIES 🧴
- Toiletry bag: your usual toiletries but I trimmed mine down a bit. I could survive 2 days without washing my hair, I just packed the basics (toothbrush, deodorant, hairbrush, moisturiser etc.).
- Reef-safe sunscreen: there is some available on board the boat, but it was pretty thick zinc stuff. If you’ve got a brand you like using, bring it.
- Insect repellent: we didn’t personally need it or have any issue with bugs, but you are camping on an uninhabited island.
- Medicines: whatever regular medicines you take, if any, plus the usual things you might need (pain relief, nausea, diarrhoea, etc. I use this little pill organiser). Don’t forget you’re on a remote island with no easy access to a pharmacy!
- Sea sickness tablets: the Sea of Cortez is generally not rough, but it is a pretty long ride from the port in La Paz to the island (~2 hours). If you’re prone to seasickness, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
TRAVEL GEAR 🤿
- Snorkel gear: mask, snorkel and fins are included in the tour but if you’ve got your own, bring it! Your own gear is always the most comfortable and won’t have issues with fogging or leaking. We have Cressi masks and love them.
- Towel: bath towels were provided in the tent but we brought our beach towels for the boat. Make sure they’re a nice quick dry one, we swear by Dock and Bay.
- Dry bags: probably more than one depending on your gear set-up. Make sure you’ve got a good dry bag to store your things in on the boat. The pangas are not dive boats and while there is some dry storage, there aren’t tons and things did get wet. We’ve got a mix of different-sized Sea to Summit dry bags that work well.
- Reusable water bottle: there is purified water available at camp to fill your bottles. They did unfortunately offer single-use plastic bottles on the boat, but if you’re prepared with your bottle you can get it filled at camp each day. You can’t go wrong with a Yeti bottle.
- Cash: you will need cash to tip the crew at the end of your tour (Baja Expeditions recommends $150 – $250 USD per person, or equivalent in pesos), plus to pay the port fee of $35 USD (or equivalent in pesos).
- Headtorch: not essential, but if you travel with a headtorch, you may as well bring it. We love our BioLite ones.
- Book: we are massive Kindle fans so I want to put this in electronics, but if you’re a paper book kinda person, here it is. Bring a book! There is ample time for reading outside of the ocean safaris.
ELECTRONICS 📸
- Camera and/or phone: for above the surface photos. I have a Sony a7iii, and it is my baby! Pre-charge all your batteries and clear your memory cards.
- Phone lanyard: this is a must for me on boat trips. I’m always juggling my phone, my camera, possibly an underwater camera too and when you’re moving fast on a boat and bobbing all over the place, the possibility of dropping my phone in the ocean is too real. I always have a neck lanyard attached on boats!
- Underwater camera: we’ve recently upgraded to the Osmo Action 6 and it is SO much better than our old GoPro. As above, come with all batteries charged and memory card clear. Alternatively, a waterproof cover for your phone if you don’t have a dedicated underwater camera, you will want to capture all the amazing life you see.
- Drone: I was already in Baja travelling with my drone (DJI Mini 3 Pro) so I brought it with me. It is not permitted to fly in the orca zone, but I was able to fly it from the island away from other guests.
- Powerbank: there is a solar-powered charging station in the camp HQ tent that runs during the day, but I still brought my powerbank. I charged my phone in the tent at night, and then left the powerbank charging during the day while we were out.
- Charging cables: for your phone and cameras, with an adaptor (if you’re not American).
Some people brought laptops and/or iPads to look at their footage each day. I’m a big advocate of being present and enjoying the moment and spending time AFTER the trip diving into your photos and videos, instead of mindlessly staring at a screen for hours in the evening instead of looking up at the stars! That’s why I’m about 2 years behind on writing content… You make your own call about this.
🎒 Find out exactly what’s in our backpacks! I’ve listed all our travel gear on my Amazon shopfront
Our experience: A day-by-day diary
This is my day-by-day diary of our time glamping on Isla Cerralvo and heading out on ocean safaris with Baja Expeditions. If you’re thinking about booking this tour but are still unsure of what the itinerary actually looks like, what you’ll be doing, and what to realistically expect, I hope this firsthand look helps!
A quick disclaimer: each tour will be completely different. This is wild nature that doesn’t perform on cue, so our marine life encounters will most likely not be the same as yours. But to give you an authentic idea of what the rhythm of this experience is really like, here is exactly how our trip played out.
Day 1: Meeting in La Paz
The first day of the tour was arrival day. Most people were flying into Baja California Sur specifically for the tour, either arriving in Los Cabos (the busier airport) and taking the included transfer, or directly to La Paz.
Since Brayden and I were already in Baja, we had a pretty relaxing day! We took full advantage of the lovely pre-trip hotel, Hotel Catedral, and we were able to check in early and enjoyed an afternoon lazing by the rooftop pool. A little splurge for us on our long-term, mid-range budget trip!
The first official trip activity was a meeting in the hotel lobby at 6:30 pm to fill out paperwork and try on our rental gear (wetsuit and fins, plus mask and snorkel if you didn’t have your own). A little later that evening, after everyone had arrived from Cabo, the whole group met for a short briefing in the hotel. We were introduced to one of our lovely guides, Paulina, and she gave us a quick run-through of what to expect over the next few days (with a cheeky welcome margarita!).
Afterwards, we went downstairs for dinner in the hotel. An entree, main and non-alcoholic drink were included. The guacamole and chicharron were so delicious, and Brayden bonded with one of our trip mates, Youssef, over how much guac they ate! We were a group of 12, with a great mix of nationalities, ages and travel companions, and this dinner was the first chance to get to know one another.
It ended up being quite late by the time we finished eating, and we went straight to bed to get some rest before our early start and the first official day on the water.
Day 2: Heading to camp and first ocean safari (with orcas!)
We had a 6:45 am meeting time, and the hotel thankfully had breakfast ready early so we could tuck into a quick plate of chilaquiles and coffee before departing. Before the tour, I mistakenly assumed we would drive by land to La Ventana and catch a boat from there, but we actually departed straight from the Pichilingue Port in La Paz. After a 30-minute van ride to the port, our group divided across two pangas and hit the water.
The boat ride to the island is long, taking just over two hours, but we spotted a pod of dolphins along the way and the views of the mountainous coastline, beaches and Isla Espíritu Santo were spectacular.
Camp eventually came into view as a tiny dot on the massive coastline of Isla Cerralvo. As we approached, the water turned a brilliant turquoise and we could see our bell tents lined up along the sand in a sheltered cove. It felt like we had a whole desert island completely to ourselves.
After meeting the shore crew and our second guide, David, we were assigned our tents and quickly dumped our gear. We gathered in the dining tent for a quick brunch before heading back out for our first official ocean safari.
This is when we met our local, orca-certified captain, Beto. As we boarded the panga, Paulina was being incredibly tight-lipped, not wanting to get our hopes up, but she mentioned they had received a report of something, but she wouldn’t say what!
We cruised north for a long time, well past the tip of the island. Paulina and Beto still didn’t give much away, but it was clear they had a destination in mind. We constantly scanned the horizon for any sign of life, but the water was dead calm. Were we totally unlucky, or was this a sign of something incredibly lucky?
Almost an hour and a half after we left camp, the first shout came, I can’t even remember from who, ‘ORCAS!’. We had found a pod, five adults and two BABIES. We honestly could not believe our luck. It was a frantic few minutes of sheer joy and excitement as we watched them cruise by from the boat. I could not get over how massive and powerful their dorsal fins are, and seeing those iconic white eye patches in the flesh was indescribable. Everyone was cheering, our guide David the loudest of all, which told us just how rare and lucky this sighting was.
Despite the excited chaos, our captain Beto kept a cool head. While we were enjoying the show and pinching ourselves, he was carefully tracking the pod’s movements, reading their behaviour to determine if it was safe for us to get in the water with them.
We didn’t jump in the first time we encountered them. Beto let us enjoy watching from above the surface and waited until the initial surprise subsided and cooler heads prevailed. The orcas continued cruising at their slow pace and we lost them for a while. We got geared up while Beto was looking for the orcas, and after spotting them again, he positioned the panga to drop us well to the side of the pod, ensuring we didn’t disrupt their path.
We slipped in as gently and as calmly as we could. Even though the orcas seemed to be gliding slowly from the surface, these enormous creatures move incredibly fast underwater, and that first encounter was a surreal blur. By the time I’d cleared my snorkel and oriented myself underwater, I was looking around and thought I’d missed them, but then I looked straight down and the whole pod was right below me. One of the babies was swimming right under the mum, stuck to her belly like glue, it was the most special sight. I honestly couldn’t process what I was seeing. As they glided out of sight, we all surfaced, spat out our snorkels, and immediately started shouting over one another in pure disbelief.
Over the next two hours, we were able to get into the water with the orcas six more times. We were so beyond blessed that there were only ever two other boats in the area, which allowed us to respectfully take turns so everyone could experience the orcas without crowding or stressing them, but still have so many chances to interact with them.
After we got back into the boat, Beto would start looking for the pod again and see if they were still hanging around and exhibiting the right behaviours for us to swim with them again. I think we were actually driving in circles most of the time. We weren’t chasing them out of the area or getting any further away from the island, they were hanging around and resurfacing in the same general area, which I suppose indicated to Beto that we weren’t seriously disturbing them.
After each swim, Beto would wait for the pod to resurface to evaluate their behaviour before attempting another drop. Because the orcas were voluntarily hanging around and resurfacing in the same general area rather than diving deep, it seemed like we weren’t causing them distress.
Sometimes it would take 20 – 30 minutes to find them again. We were never chasing them, just scanning the horizon, checking if there were other boats in front of us and waiting for the orcas to surface, so we could see where they were. When the timing and positioning were right, we would jump in again, watch the pod cruise past, then do it all over again.
Any human interaction with wildlife has an impact, that’s undeniable and I have A LOT of thoughts about the ethics of swimming with orcas that really need their own dedicated post (on my to-do list). But what I will say about this experience is that it felt like it was on the orcas’ terms. It would have been VERY easy for the pod to flick their tails, dive deep and be miles away from us within seconds if they wanted to be. I discussed this at length with our guide, Paulina, a marine biologist, and this was her sentiment too.
Another boat arrived in the area, and Beto called time. We had been beyond blessed to have so many opportunities in the water with the orcas, with barely any other boats around. But it was time to head back to the island and let another boat have its turn.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of disbelief. Our entire group was riding the high of an encounter we had all secretly been hoping for but never actually expected to happen. After a quick rinse in the camp showers and some clean clothes, nature treated us AGAIN to the most spectacular sunset over the water. As the glow faded from the sky, we tucked into taco night and relived our encounters again and again before hitting the hay ready for another big day on the water tomorrow.
Day 3: All day on the water
Can you think of a better way to start the day than a massage on the beach of a remote desert island at 6:00 am? Yeah, me neither. Lilian is an incredible masseuse and the 45 minutes went by in a blink of beautiful scents, sound therapy, crashing waves and a great massage.
After coffee and a very yummy breakfast (chilaquiles are my life!), we were out on the water with Beto much earlier today. Obviously nobody would say no to seeing orcas again, but we weren’t greedy! My hopes were pinned on finding a massive fever of mobulas.
It was a pretty slow morning without too much activity. We eventually spotted a small group of mobulas, which gave themselves away by leaping out of the water. Paulina jumped in first to assess their behaviour, but it was a fairly small group and they were swimming quite deep. We did get two chances to slip into the water with them, and we all saw them, but it wasn’t exactly the close encounter we had hoped for.
It’s hard not to feel a little disappointed in the moment, but before too long, two humpback whales surfaced nearby. That is the magic of being on the water in Baja! They weren’t being overly acrobatic, but they hung around for a while, giving us a couple of loud puffs and some great tail action as they dove back down.
After another dry spell cruising around and searching, we came across a massive pod of common dolphins putting on a show! These guys were serious acrobats, leaping out of the water, flipping, slapping and even launching themselves straight up vertically! They were loving our boat, crossing directly under the hull and cruising right next to us. It was a really special experience. When we eventually lost the dolphins, Beto dropped us off on a reef to do some snorkelling. I was blown away by how vibrant the reef and corals were and the huge diversity of fish species.
We refuelled with lunch back at camp, and Paulina and David gave us the option to go out again for a shorter afternoon safari or relax back at camp. The wind was really picking up and it was getting quite choppy, meaning we wouldn’t be on the orca panga with Beto, but rather out with Captain Tony on the camp boat. The idea of relaxing with a book was tempting, but the fomo of possibly missing out on mobulas was enough to get us on board!
We headed south this time to a snorkel spot at the very tip of the island. There was a tiny sea lion colony there, and while we could hear them barking, they were mostly sleeping on the rocks and not too interested in us. The reef was unexpectedly beautiful, with a surprising number of corals, big schools of fish, and bait balls. There were huge towering rocks and deep canyons that Brayden loved free diving through.
We got back to camp in time to enjoy another stunning sunset that went on forever, the sky was on fire. Dinner tonight was not what I expected to eat on a remote, uninhabited island. We each had a huge, tender fillet of steak, Caesar salad, and mashed potatoes. My plate looked like something you would be dished up at a high-end restaurant, and it was absolutely delicious.
While we had noticed how bright the stars were the night before, we had been way too tired to actually enjoy them. Tonight we changed that! David led us on a little astronomy session, where we all walked up to a dark section of the beach, lay down on the sand and looked up. We talked about the night sky, the constellations, the planets and the moon (I have never seen a rabbit on the moon, I think it’s a northern hemisphere thing!). We debated the moon landing and contemplated the universe.
It was one of those truly special moments where you have to zoom out, take a minute to recognise and appreciate exactly where you are and what you’re doing. Looking at the stars from a desert island, with friends who were strangers just mere days before. A memory to lock away forever.
Day 4: Morning ocean safari and back to La Paz
Without an early massage booked in, we got to enjoy a slow morning around camp. I sat outside our tent and watched the crew deliver first coffee, and then breakfast via the zodiac from the mothership. I couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone and that we were already heading back to La Paz this afternoon.
We had one more ocean safari planned before lunch back at camp, packing up and checking out. I think the presence of the orcas from our first day was still keeping the other species well-hidden, as we didn’t spot much out in the channel for a while. Instead, we headed over to La Reina, a small rock islet known for its resident sea lion colony. We jumped in to snorkel around the rocks, watching dozens of sea lions lazily bobbing in the water with their fins sticking out to regulate their temperature. Two of them were doing what appeared to be a beautiful underwater dance, completely intertwined like yin and yang. It was also super cool to watch the cormorant birds diving deep to nibble on the rocks and corals.
We jumped back in the boat and had one final search for any other species. We did find a small pod of bottlenose dolphins and tried to jump in with the pod, but we only caught a very brief glimpse before they dove down deep, clearly not too interested in playing today.
I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to experience those massive, thousands-strong fevers of mobula rays, but no one can control nature. And honestly, how could I be upset when we had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a pod of orcas? When it comes to wildlife experiences, you have to be grateful for what you did see, not upset about what you didn’t.
After a final lunch at camp, we all dragged ourselves out of the crystal clear waters to pack our bags and get ready to head back to La Paz. Nobody wanted to leave. The boat ride back was uneventful, and our van was waiting at Pichilingue Port to take us straight back to the hotel.
The showers at Hotel Catedral were genuinely the best we’d experienced in months, and standing under that strong, hot rainwater shower and washing off days of salt and sand was truly bliss!
We met downstairs for our final dinner at the hotel. The vibe was totally different to just a few days earlier, when we were still strangers. Conversation flowed easily, and dinner turned into an evening stroll along La Paz’s beautiful malecon and an ice cream from the famous La Fuente.
Day 5: Departure
We had said most of our goodbyes the previous night, as we were all heading off in different directions at different times, but we managed to catch a few stragglers for one final breakfast together, marking the end of a very special few days shared together.
Glamping and ocean safari on Isla Cerralvo
We had a truly incredible few days on Isla Cerralvo. We’ve visited La Ventana on multiple occasions, and to finally be ON the island, instead of just looking at it across the channel, was amazing. We could have done a single-day ocean safari, or even consecutive day trips, but the experience of being on the island at night, totally isolated and off-grid under the stars, was so worth a bit of ‘roughing it’ (if you can even call it that, Baja Expeditions sets up a pretty comfy camp!).
Our orca encounter was something I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams. While we didn’t get to swim amongst thousands of mobula rays, I am so so grateful for the experiences and encounters we did have.
I hope reading our day-by-day diary and the practical info helped you figure out if this is the right tour for you. It’s definitely a big investment, but if you love wild nature, don’t mind a bit of desert heat, and want a comfortable way to completely unplug on an uninhabited island, it is an incredible experience. We couldn’t fault Baja Expeditions and highly, highly recommend this tour.
If there are any questions I’ve left unanswered, feel free to drop them in the comments. If you’re ready to book this incredible adventure, then head to the Baja Expeditions website.
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