If it weren’t for the direction of the only highway through the Baja we would have missed the gray whales.
The natural next stop on our journey from Bahia de Los Angeles is the dusty west coast city of Gurerra Negro. Our travels are guided by our National Geographic maps, iOverlander and personal recommendations from our fellow campers – in the opposite order as listed. Greg from Colorado went ahead of us, and messaged us to confirm that we should NOT miss the grey whales here. And so we stopped.
Gurerra Negro
The RV park in town was a sorry parking lot with trailers jammed side by side. If that was to be our home for the night we’d just move on. We filled up with supplies and did just that. My iOverlander showed us a rustic camp spot about 20 k off the beaten path, through salt flats on a sandy dirt road. Looks promising. Off we went to Ojo de Liebre, arriving just as the sun was setting. No driving at night, so we’re here regardless.
Ojo de Liebre
For 100 pesos ($7 CAD) we chose a palapa. There are pit toilets, a rustic little restaurant and wildlife. If you’re lucky you could see the whales from shore, hear them spouting even. Birds abound in the low tide, diving and feasting. Coyotes howl all around us all night long and well into the morning. Tucker, and all the other dogs here are relegated to a leash for the first time in Mexico.
A fellow drives by at dusk with wood for sale – 200 pesos a bundle.
The Whales
In the morning we do what everyone else does, we hire a small fishing boat to take us closer to the whales. $55 US pp is the fee. Its a short 10 minute boat ride to the main event.
The grey whales migrate to this spot every year from approximately December to March for calving. We are surrounded by these huge beasts immediately.
Grey whales can weigh over 40,000 kilograms and can be over 15 metres long. When our driver cuts the engine, they come to visit. These huge beasts swim under our boat, rubbing themselves on the underside. If they wanted they could tip us in a heartbeat, but they don’t. They want to look at us, let us pet them even. They come up and spray us playfully. We look eye to eye with each other. It’s a two hour experience I will never forget.
By noon we were back on the road, heading south. It’s hard to believe what Baja California has to offer. We are now looking for that ultimate boon-docking beach for a little R&R.
