Blogs from San Ignacio , Baja California Sur, Mexico, North America

At Ensenada we have a think about our next destination. The LP has little (read no) information about places down the coast south of Ensenada until Guerrero Negro which is about 10 hours by bus. It seems to be mainly a destination for whale watching so St Ignacio a couple of hours further on seems like a better destination and there is an overnight ABC bus at 6pm which should give us a good arrival time. St Ignacio is a small oasis town set close to some stunning country close to the Sierra de San Francisco. It doubles as a centre for whale watching and as a trailhead for trips to see the Baja cave painting and petroglyphs. We get off the bus at 7am after a moderately comfortable ride, only to find the town itself ... read more

They have been hunted to near extinction by the whalers in the nineteenth century. Many hunts were carried out in the lagoons of Baja Mexico where the whales would come during the winter to give birth. Pregnant mothers and new mothers in the lagoons were an easy target in the shallow waters of the lagoons. By the middle of twentieth century, these whales have been given protection under international law that has restored their population to a healthy level. They are no longer considered endangered. They still come to the same lagoons in Baja California for mating and giving birth. The gray whale, that had been nicknamed the Devilfish by the whalers due to its ferocious attacks on the whaling boats then, is now a friendly whale that seems to seek some connection with the humans! ... read more