![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYsPo-YaJZsYXU-De6W7kwrgRVtXVSjQ__zZIvcJVH3lvDUqetXheCzadPVNc_LWsdmmivwYNUokc2MywCwgDY_VrhXUXVikEl0G9hXffNsNS5tuGtIk9b7QBl67M1-VoE5hUbwEH6JxpMeC_goKs46Ea-kUAh08-PHyP9-i5foSMOw3Yqg/w640-h480/3F14C0A0-7847-49F8-BE74-1740E1E2A6A4.jpeg) |
The National Geographic Venture was our home for one week in Baja California last week on a Lindblad Expedition. We traveled down the east coast and up the west coast of Baja. |
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At sunrise, many passengers enjoy the light show from the bow of the ship. |
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At sunset in a beautiful anchorage one day, a local musical group performed on the sun deck. One of the naturalist staff enjoys accompanying them. |
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In the ship’s dining room once, we had dinner with two naturalists, Carlos and Adrian, who are both very knowledgeable about the wildlife and the history of Mexico. |
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The back of the ship, seen from the dock. The orange boat is a life boat. The second balcony from the back belonged to our cabin. |
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Enjoying the sun on our balcony. |
The view from the ship
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Looking towards Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja California peninsula. |
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The full moon was setting on our first morning onboard. |
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Late one afternoon, a very acrobatic whale was breaching off the end of the ship. We spent quite a lot of time whale watching from the bow of the ship. |
Zodiac excursions from the ship
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After putting on a life vest and checking off our names on the On/Off Board, we and the other passengers would walk down the stairway to the Zodiac boats to go to beaches or to cruise around and see wildlife. |
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On a Zodiac cruise. |
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A Zodiac tethered just below our balcony. |
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On one Zodiac cruise, we could see the Venture through a natural arch. |
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From the Zodiacs, we viewed a sea lion colony. Much of the coast of Baja is a protected nature reserve. Thus, the Zodiac stays a safe distance to avoid disturbing the animals. |
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“Wet Landings” mean you wade to or from the Zodiac. Better roll up your pant legs! |
Cruising on special whale-watching boats called “pangas”
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In the two lagoons where breeding grey whales spend the winter months, the Mexican government allows only a small number of boats to take passengers to see these extraordinarily friendly animals. |
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There is a theory that the whales are especially attracted to the sound of certain brands of outboard motor. |
On the dock
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One of our two days watching the breeding grounds of the whales was a two hour bus ride from the ship. This is the dock where we took these small boats — the pangas. |
Blog post © 2023 by mae sander
11 comments:
Absolutely stunning photos!!
Hello,
Looks like a great cruise, I would enjoy the sea lions, whale sightings and all the birds. Pelicans are one of my many favorites. Pretty scenic views, I like the natural arch and the pretty sunrise captures. Happy Valentine's Day, have a great day!
That looks like a fun trip. One day.....
What an amazing experience, like discovering a whole new world. These are beautiful pictures, too. Thanks for posting them.
This is about as big a cruise boat as I'd go on, and it looks like you had some fun sailing and boating adventures. hugs-Erika
I am surprised you got so close to the whales. That must have been quite some experience. The sun rises were stunning, but the moon setting to me is wonderful :)
This looks like a brilliant trip Mae. So many wonderful sights - the whales, the sunrise and sunset and all the rest. Marvellous!
Wonderful pictures! The peninsula seems quite mountainous, is that right?
What a fantastic vacation and I love seeing all the photos of the ship, the whales, the activities, and more. I somehow missed that you were there on a National Geographic trip, that's fantastic.
Ces photos de baleines sont absolument impresionnantes. vous étiez vraiment près.
Gorgeous photos! Thanks for sharing them.
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