Our Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp Review

An honest review of Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp: glamping on Isla Magdalena.

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Discover everything you need to know about meeting Baja California Sur’s friendly grey whales in Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur’s most accessible lagoon, with the original whale watching company Magdalena Bay Whales. In this complete guide, we give you a rundown of what to expect at Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp, including the accommodation, logistics, facilities, activities, hikes, and meals. This review contains our honest opinions on everything we experienced, from the glamping site to the whale watching tours, to help you plan your trip.

Baja California Sur is home to several species of whale, making the peninsula a popular filming location for broadcasters like BBC and National Geographic. On the west coast of Baja California Sur sit 3 lagoons, which provide sheltered birthing and breeding grounds for grey whales. Here, between the months of December and April, whales can be found in abundance as they migrate from the cooler waters of the Arctic to the warm waters off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

The most accessible lagoon, Magdalena Bay, lies a 3-hour drive from the peninsula’s capital La Paz and a 2.5-hour drive from the popular vacation town of Loreto. By far the best and most intimate Magdalena Bay whale watching tour includes staying in the Magdalena Bay island glamping camp. Here’s what you need to know before you go.

About Magdalena Bay Grey Whales

Magdalena Bay Whales (also known as Magdalena Bay Whale Watching & Marlin Snorkelling Adventures) is the original Magdalena Bay whale watching tour company with over 45 years of experience operating in the bay.

A local company, they operate out of Puerto San Carlos, where they have a hotel and office. They offer single and multi-day whale watching tours, as well as sport fishing, birdwatching, and snorkel tours with striped marlin, sea lions and bait balls. Accommodation, meals, and transportation can also be included, with packages being completely customisable to you and your interests.

What makes Magdalena Bay Whales unique is that they are the only company with a static campsite set on Isla Magdalena, right out in the middle of the bay. This remote island camp boasts panoramic views of the lagoon and you can see whales right from your tent. Its unrivalled location makes it the perfect base for grey whale watching in Magdalena Bay with tours offered from the island.

All the boat captains are local fishermen, who work as guides during whale season. As a small, locally-owned company, Magdalena Bay Whales really cares for the protection and conservation of grey whales and runs responsible tours that are led by the whales.

Magdalena Bay Whales Map

Use the filter function on the left-hand side of this Magdalena Bay map to see highlights and attractions.

Hotel Isabela, Puerto San Carlos

For most people, a trip to Magdalena Island Whale Camp starts at Hotel Isabela. Situated in the small town of Puerto San Carlos, Hotel Isabela is a small but charming hotel with a traditional Mexican style.

There’s not much to do in San Carlos, it’s a tiny town full of dusty roads, stray doggies, vibrant whale-themed art and not much else. There’s a small beach which is nice for a walk. Otherwise, the hotel’s palapa-style restaurant is a lovely place to relax with a glass of wine or tequila and the food is delicious.

The rooms are fairly basic but the bed is one of the comfiest we’ve ever slept in, so you can get a good night’s sleep before an early morning boat ride to the island (unless you make friends with other visitors who buy you too much tequila for your birthday and therefore stay up far too late, like we did – thanks Greg and Sheila!).

Magdalena Bay Whales have their office located within the hotel so you’ll likely stop here to meet the team before you head out to the island. It is possible to skip the first night in the hotel and head straight to camp. Just mention this in your communication with Magdalena Bay Whales and they’ll tailor your itinerary to suit you.

The package we arranged with Magdalena Bay Whales included transportation from La Paz, two nights in the island camp (with meals and two 6-hour whale watching tours included), followed by onward transportation to Loreto.

The day before our tour, we were contacted and informed that our boat transfer out to Isla Magdalena had been pushed back a day due to bad weather. Not wanting to lose a night in the island camp, we arranged to shift our visit by a day, paying for our first night in Hotel Isabela and then continuing with our two nights in camp as planned. We’d recommend leaving room in your itinerary for events like this.

The Magdalena Bay Whale Camp

Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp is situated on Isla Magdalena – the outer island of Magdalena Bay, which lies on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur. The bay is a popular breeding and birthing spot for grey whales, who come here every year between January and March.

The camp itself is set into the hillside and built around a big palapa-style restaurant, ‘El Mar y Tu’, where your all-inclusive meals are served. The restaurant features a fire oven, which is the perfect spot to warm up at night with a hot chocolate, as well as lots of seating areas and traditional Mexican blankets. This is the beating heart of the camp.

Its position at the base of the camp gives you the perfect view of the sea for whale and dolphin spotting while you eat. There’s also a bar in the restaurant offering local beers and wines (which can be paid for when back on the mainland).

The main toilet block (with flushing toilets) is situated just behind the restaurant. The WiFi in the palapa is excellent and there are lots of charging ports for all your tech so you can go out on the water every day with full camera batteries.

Our second day started with a 6:00 AM transfer by minibus from the hotel to the boat dock. At 6:15 AM, we were on the boat to Isla Magdalena and were treated to a MAGNIFICENT sunrise – we literally watched the sun appear on the horizon.

The journey was about 30 minutes long and it was choppy due to the winds from the bad weather the day before. As we approached the island, we could make out the camo nestled in the hillside against dusty mountains.

We docked slightly down the coast from the camp at the tiny Purto Magdlanea community and got in cars that were waiting to drive up to the camp. In better weather, we believe the boats dock right at the camp.

The Glamping Tents in Magdalena Bay Whale Camp

There are two types of glamping tents in the camp, some with wooden decks and some situated right on the beach.

Each canvas tent has rocking chairs, a camp shower (bag of water heated by the sun), an emergency toilet and some tents have sun loungers too. One of our favourite things to do in camp was sit on our deck watching whales in the bay.

Inside the tents, you’ll find two beds (either two doubles or a double and a single) and a table with a map of Baja California Sur. We also had antibacterial gel, spray, and a bin provided.

We’d highly recommend getting up early each morning and watching the sunrise from your deck. If you’re lucky you may be greeted with a pod of dolphins or the odd whale too!

The beds are kitted out with the fluffiest blankets and are super comfy. The temperatures at Isla Magdalena drop considerably at night but you won’t notice because you’ll be snug as a bug in a rug.

If you don’t fancy emerging first thing in the morning, you can unzip the window flap and watch the waves lapping at the shore from the comfort of your bed.

When you first arrive, you’ll be met by staff who will take your bags. The transfer is arranged so you can head straight into the restaurant for breakfast.

Although we had just arrived, it wasn’t long before the whales made themselves known. One swam right by the shore, blowing a big plume of mist, right as we were in the middle of breakfast!

After breakfast, we were able to check into our tent. We got lucky with one up the top of the hill with epic views of the bay. We sat out on the deck for most of the day watching whales through the binoculars (we saw about 10 over the course of the day) and basking in the sunshine. It was still windy which made it a bit chilly so we were grateful for the blankets. By the next day, the wind died down and the bay became as still as glass for the rest of the trip.

Exploring Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp

If you’ve got no tours arranged on the first day in camp, this is a great time to explore the surrounding area. We enjoyed wandering around the camp, orienting ourselves on the island, and walking along the beach.

There are two washed-up grey whale skeletons in the camp, which have been reassembled, demonstrating the sheer size of a grey whale. During our visit, an osprey couple had chosen one skeleton to be their nest and they had 2 babies, which we enjoyed watching from our deck too. Don’t forget to bring a pair of binoculars and a zoom lens for your camera as these can give you a much better view of the local wildlife!

The Food in Magdalena Bay Whale Camp

All 3 meals a day are served in the restaurant.

You’re provided with a menu at breakfast and dinner and can order whatever you want to eat – it’s all included in the price of camp! And it’s all delicious so you can be assured you’ll be well fed. It’s all super authentic Mexican cuisine, with dishes like tacos, enchiladas, empanadas, and aguachile.

At lunchtime, snacks are put out in the buffet area so if you fancy something lighter you can help yourself to totopos, salsa, and fresh ceviche.

There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu too and the staff are nothing but helpful if you have any specific requests.

We’d recommend getting chilaquiles for breakfast, totopos, and ceviche for lunch, and fish tacos for dinner.

The Sunsets and Sunrises at Magdalena Bay Whale Camp

Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp offered us some of the best sunrises we’ve ever seen. The one pictured below was like waking up to the sky being on fire – we’ve never seen anything like it!

In February, when we visited, the sun rose at about 6:50 AM and set about 6:30 PM. We’d recommend getting up about half an hour before sunrise, sitting out on the deck with some blankets and taking it all in. You could even pop down to the restaurant for a cup of tea or coffee to warm up while you watch the sun appear over the horizon.

Sunsets are just as spectacular. And, after dark, we’d encourage you to go outside and stare up at the night sky. Having no light pollution, you get an incredible view of the night sky and can do some really great stargazing.

When it’s time for bed, you’ll be treated to the experience of falling asleep to the sound of the ocean – pure bliss. The earlier nightfall in winter works perfectly as you can get an early bed and be up early for a day of whale watching the next day.

Sunrise and sunset are also the best times for wildlife watching, as this is when most animals are active, and is the time you’ll most likely see dolphins in the bay. We saw a pod of dolphins from our tent on both of our mornings in camp.

The Magdalena Bay Whale Watching Trips

Ok, it’s time to talk about the highlight of staying in the Magdalena Bay Whales’ Camp – the whale watching tours.

On each day of camp, you get a private whale watching tour. You’ll be assigned a captain who takes you out into Magdalena Bay to watch the grey whales for about 6 hours at a time. You can choose to go out any time in the morning, but the earlier the better in our opinion.

The boats that take you out are small fishing vessels, known as pangas. Some are smaller than others. If you prefer comfort, you can request one with a covered roof and seats. If you want to be close to the action, you could ask for a smaller boat, which sits closer to the surface – perfect for an encounter.

Whale behaviours

We visited in the peak of the season and there were roughly 60-70 whales in the bay. Due to how still the water was, you could see them blow from miles away.

If you’re lucky you’ll also witness behaviours like spy-hopping (bobbing head out of the water), breaching (jumping from the water), tail slapping, fluking (showing tail as the whale dives) and logging (sleeping) at the surface. Over our two tours, we saw a variety of these, although they’re not super common.

It’s also possible to see other species of whale within Magdalena Bay and around the area where the bay meets the sea. We twice saw humpbacks in Magdalena Bay, including a mother with a small calf.

Whales are a bit like buses. There’ll be nothing to see and then a few come along at once! Most of the time, you’ll simply be observing the whales, cruising alongside them, or cutting the engines and floating in the lagoon hoping you’ve found a ‘friendly’ that is interested in approaching you.

Much of whale watching relies on luck. We saw far more whales on our first day than on the second. Having multiple chances to get out on the water really increases your chances of witnessing unique behaviours.

Touching grey whales

Baja California Sur is the only place in the world where you can actually touch grey whales, due to their friendly nature and unusually curious behaviour. For unknown reasons, grey whales are some of the friendliest cetaceans on earth.

Usually, touching animals in the wild is a big no. It can disrupt them, stress them out, transfer harmful bacteria and put you at risk of injury. But the grey whales are an exception (and we researched this endlessly to be extra sure it was ethical). Some grey whales are super curious and will rub against boats, display playful behaviour, pop their heads out of the water and actually enjoy human contact. It’s for this reason that tourists flock from all over the world for the chance to touch and kiss a grey whale.

Not every whale is like this and you have to wait until an interested whale approaches your boat. There was nothing more exciting than watching a whale slowly make its way towards your boat, wondering if it wanted to play. Grey whales respond to noise and will be more likely to check you out if you splash the water, whistle, or sing.

Encounters can last a few minutes to a few hours. The boat isn’t allowed to drive off until the whale has exited the approach zone so how long it lasts is completely up to them.

The grey whales in Magdalena Bay (nicknamed ‘friendlies’ may actually approach boats, seeking human interaction. It’s said that the whales forged a special relationship with the local fisherman, coming to recognise and trust humans. The whales became so comfortable that they would come up to the boats and even introduce their young to visitors.

While we weren’t approached by a ‘friendly’, we did have whales come right up to our boat, swimming underneath the boat, spy-hopping, and showing playful behaviour like tail flicking. We managed to capture some underwater shots on our Go Pro, which you can see below.

Boat traffic

To experience relaxed behaviours and have a good chance of interacting with a whale, you need to find a quiet spot in the bay where the whales feel safe, which is why choosing a licensed company with respectful captains is very important. A wildlife experience built on trust, respect and consent will be better for tourists and whales alike.

As other whale watching tours leave from the mainland, the bay gets busier as the day goes on. Most companies are well-behaved but heavier boat traffic can scare timid whales away and it did get frustrating when a friendly whale that was rubbing against our boat dived and swam off when we were joined by other boats.

This may be a disadvantage of visiting in peak season – while there are more whales about, there are also more boats out too.

The Magdalena Bay Whale Camp Guides

Magdalena Bay Whales’ guides are local fishermen who know the bay like the back of their hand. Our guide was great. He was super knowledgeable, having been one of the first 3 licensed whale watching operators in Magdalena Bay, and had great English. We learned so much from him, not just about the whales, but about the regulations on whale watching and the history of the bay itself.

What we appreciated most was our guide’s obvious care for the whales. He would drive slowly towards a spot where a whale had blown, turn off the propeller and use the oar when around a whale, so as not to bombard it with sound. He would never join a group of other boats or crowd the whales.

We learned he served as the Director of Tourism and Ecology for 3 years and still regularly attends meetings about protecting the grey whales. When we noticed boats that were unlicensed or displaying unethical practices (like driving too fast or crowding around a whale), he would film and take photos to report back to the government. These reports hopefully put pressure on the government to regulate the bay better or tighten the restrictions further.

Wildlife watching

There are lots of other species which you’ll probably see when out on the boat in the lagoon. Other animals you may see include dolphins, sea lions, birds, turtles, and pelagic fish like marlin.

As if grey whale watching couldn’t get any better, on our final day we came across a massive pod of common dolphins on our way back to camp. It was difficult to count how many there were, but we think at least 100. We actually tried to take trips out to see common dolphins in the UK twice prior but both trips were cancelled due to bad weather. So we count this as third time lucky!

We loved watching the cheeky California sea lions in the bay. Having swum with sea lions in La Paz, we’ve become fond of their cheeky natures. We spotted a couple of sea lions trying to keep up with the dolphins, frolicking in the waves.

Sea lions hang around Magdalena Bay in clusters (colonies). They’re very curious creatures and enjoy playing in the wake of a boat. When they are not playing, they are generally lazy and enjoy sunbathing on the surface of the water.

Birdwatching is popular in Magdalena Bay. At the end of your tour, you can swing by Isla de Patos (Duck Island), a bird sanctuary. A small, uninhabited sand island, you can stop amidst thousands of seabirds.

There are plenty of pelicans in the bay too. While they may not be exciting to some, they’re not native in the UK and we always love seeing them. The pelicans here are Brown Pelicans, the smallest of the 8 kinds of pelicans. They feed by diving head-first into the water and eat small fish. You can tell the one pictured below is a juvenile due to its plain brown colour. As it grows it will develop a white and yellow neck and head as well as red on its pouch and beak. The different colours indicate whether the bird is a nonbreeding, pre-breeding or breeding adult. They can be found all over Mexico in coastal areas.

What is there to do in and around Magdalena Bay Whale Camp?

There’s plenty to do in and around camp when you’re not whale watching.

There are kayaks and paddleboards for use in the bay. Hiking offers you the chance to visit the Pacific side of the island or tackle the 12-mile round trip along an old road to the southern end of Isla Magdalena and the beach at Punta Arena or the 6-mile roundtrip route to the northern Bahía Santa Maria.

You can walk up the beach and visit Puerto Magdalena. This little village is only home to around 70 people and all the residents earn an income through fishing in the bay. There’s a little shop (more of a shed with a few products) if you get caught short, a bar, and a restaurant (Chejo’s Team).

You can also explore the sand dunes and mangroves that lie around Magdalena Bay, many of which are home to some of the 100+ species of birds that call the bay and the surrounding area their home. Your captain will be able to take you out on the boat if you wish to do any of these activities.

Hiking to the Pacific Ocean from Magdalena Bay Whale Camp

We’d also recommend making time to hike to the Pacific Ocean. The trail can be found 5 minutes from camp and is marked with a small sign (pictured below). The hike takes about half an hour each way and follows a dried-up river bed. Wear sensible shoes and take lots of water because it’s a little rocky in places and can get very hot. The path is an easy-moderate hike and is uphill on the way there and downhill on the way back.

At the Pacific, you’ll be met with stunning panoramic views. You can take the steep path down to the ocean where you’ll find a little rocky beach. Keep a look out towards the sea as we also spotted a whale swimming past the headland when we were there.

How does the Magdalena Bay Whale Camp work?

Every Magdalena Bay Whales itinerary is adjustable and fully personalised to you. You can contact Magdalena Bay Whales via email or phone and work out a plan to suit your needs and interests. We had transport included, different pickup and drop off locations and could specify how many nights we wanted in camp. You also get a 6-hour private whale watching tour on each day with a knowledgeable captain so you can get up close and personal with the friendly whales.

Magdalena Bay Whales Contact Details

You can book your stay at Magdalena Bay Whale Camp by contacting them directly:

Website: https://www.magdalenabaywhales.com/

Email: cmarco@magdalenabaywhales.com

Mexico phone number: (613) 117 7045

Toll-free phone number within U.S. & Canada: 1 855 594 2537

Read next:

An Essential Guide to Magdalena Bay

Should You Touch a Grey Whale in Baja California Sur?

The Ultimate Guide to Whale Watching in Baja California

How to Go Humpback Whale Watching in Cabo

How to Go Blue Whale Watching in Loreto

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