Paddling the pristine waters of the ‘Aquarium of the World’!
When it comes to sea kayaking, the place to go is the Sea of Cortez! This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to 39% of the world’s total number of marine mammal species, accounts for a third of the world’s marine cetacean species, and has 891 fish species. The remarkable scenery is formed by a rugged shoreline, desert islands and white sandy beaches where you can admire the contrast and reflection of the desert with turquoise waters.
This paddle includes a trip around La Gaviota, an active Blue-footed Booby rookery, where it’s possible to see many of our azure-footed friends enjoying the sunshine. The next stop is San Rafaelito, a permanent sea lion colony where we’ll have the chance to snorkel and engage with the joyous sea lions pups. We wrap up the day with a delicious home made lunch on a secluded beach. A perfect Baja day!
We depart Todos Santos for La Paz, get our gear, hop in the boats, then it’s off to the unbelievable joy of swimming and playing with the sea lion puppies at the permanent sea lion colony of Los Islotes.
These fun-loving marine mammals love playing and interacting with humans, and are always disappointed that we can never keep up a game of tag as long as they can. Getting to the sea lion colony is half the fun of the day, as we regularly see dolphins, whales, mantas, sea turtles, coastal birds and more on the way there and back.
We cap off this wonderful day with a delicious picnic lunch at one of the gorgeous beaches on the incomparable Isla Espiritu Santo. It’s an absolutely fabulous day!
Each year the magnificent gray whales migrate 6,000 miles south from the Bering Sea to mate and give birth in the warm water lagoons of the Baja peninsula. From Todos Santos we have the wonderful opportunity to spend a day in Puerto Chale on Magdalena Bay, connecting with these amazing fellow mammals and travelers. Things that often happen to us when we visit the gray whales:
Gray whale
Mothers bring their babies up to the boat to say hello
Gray whale babies present themselves for a good rub or a pat
Gray whale males sidle along the boat and spout water on us –they clearly think it’s very funny
Gray whale couples roll languidly by, completely ignoring us as they enjoy some Baja romance
Gray whales of all types bring their huge heads out of the water and look us straight in the eye
And that’s just to give you an idea! The connections possible with our fellow mammals in the lagoons of Magdalena Bay are absolutely wondrous and should be at the top of any bucket list you may be creating.
How a guide exchange is deepening perspective, connection, and conservation from Namibia to Baja.
It started as a “what if” conversation—what if a guide from the Namib Desert could spend time in Baja’s marine world, and vice versa? What could they learn, not just about wildlife, but about people, place, and perspective?
That idea, first imagined by Bryan Jaurequi, has since taken on a life of its own within the Kusini Collection. Guide exchanges between Todos Santos Eco Adventures, Ultimate Safaris in Namibia, Imvelo Safari Lodges in Zimbabwe, and beyond have created meaningful connections across continents—rooted in shared values of conservation, culture, and community.
In the following article, published in the Namibia Economist, Peter Nuugonya reflects on his time in Baja, offering a perspective that feels both deeply personal and universally familiar: the awe of seeing a place—and your own work—through entirely new eyes. //
Ultimate guide Nuugonya splashed out by immersive experience in Mexican marine tourism
Ultimate Safaris’ best guide, Peter Nuugonya has just returned from Mexico after a three-week sojourn where he rubbed shoulders with the guides working for Todos Santos Eco Adventures.
Hailing from Ondangwa, Peter’s career in tourism started as a barman at the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge but it was here that he realised he enjoyed the outdoors far more than the bar counter. This is when he joined Ultimate Safaris where his childhood bush knowledge qualified him to take visitors on informative excursions. Last year, he won the company’s “Ultimate Guide of the Year” award with the main prize a sponsored trip to Mexico.
Ultimate Safaris Managing Director, Tristan Cowley, said “the guide exchange is a learning experience and a great opportunity for interaction between people on different sides of the world who may have differinnt geographies, wildlife and weather but who share the same dedication to conservation and community.”
Peter said his journey from the Namibian desert to Mexico’s vibrant marine ecosystems was nothing short of transformative. From snorkelling and scuba diving to whale watching and cooking classes, he embraced new experiences — both professionally and personally. This being his first major international travel, he shared that ending up on the other side of the world and being hosted by amazing people, helped him understand how Ultimate Safaris’ guests must feel, saying “it was a humbling and once in a lifetime experience.”
While the cultural experience in meeting locals was the highlight of his journey and something that reminded him how important local culture and cuisine are to any traveller, his ‘mind blowing’ encounter with whales and other marine life made him realise why people travel across the world, and that similar experiences are why visitors come to Namibia.
Later this year, a Mexican guide will travel to Namibia for the next chapter of this growing partnership between Ultimate Safaris and Todos Santos Eco Adventures which represents a model for global collaboration in eco-tourism.
Let us handle the details so you can relax in Baja this Thanksgiving holiday!
We just opened up 4 new casitas at Los Colibris Casitas! To celebrate, we’re offering this last minute Thanksgiving special to our repeat guests from Los Colibris and Todos Santos Eco Adventures.
2 nights at Camp Cecil de la Isla with all the adventures, meals, and happy hour. The adventures include so many of the things we’re thankful for in Baja: swimming with sea lions, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, birding, stargazing and hiking.
Welcome to Magdalena Bay and our luxury tent camp Camp Cecil de la Bahia! The camp is located on a sliver of land with the Bay and the gray whales on one side, and a protected estuary with mangroves, abundant birdlife, dolphins and more on the other. Each year the gray whales migrate 6,000 miles from arctic waters to the Pacific lagoons of the Baja peninsula to mate, give birth, and enjoy a warm winter respite. Magdalena Bay is one of the most important of these lagoons, and Camp Cecil de la Bahia is one of the best whale watching spots in all of Baja. Whales are simply everywhere!
The tents of Camp Cecil de la Bahia are beautifully appointed walk-in safari-style tents with gorgeous beds, seating areas, rugs, chandeliers, and ensuite bathrooms. The camp chef prepares three beautiful meals a day and daily happy hour.
We’ll spend the days out on the water interacting with the amazing gray whale mothers, babies and sporting males, and when not with the whales we can explore the incredible birdlife of the mangrove estuary. It is a dreamy, wild and remote spot, completely ensconced in nature, enhanced by delights of great food and comfortable lodging.
PLEASE NOTE LIMITED AVAILABILITY DURING THE GRAY WHALE SEASON JANUARY 25 – MARCH 15 EACH YEAR
The Most Luxurious Part of Glamping Is a Near-Total Immersion In Nature
Todos Santos Eco Adventures makes it easy to experience the best of Baja California Sur in a way that puts the area’s stunning landscapes front and centre.
When I was a kid, my dad shirked family camping trips because he said he liked to sleep in a bed. While we disagreed on many things, around creature comforts I thought he had a point. I like rugged and I like adventure, but for me the best way to enjoy both is after a good night’s sleep. So when I learnt that Todos Santos Eco Adventures offers two glamping experiences-one in the mountains of Mexico’s Baja California Sur and one on a deserted island (both entirely solar powered)-I was sold.
For our week-long experience co-owner Bryan Jauregui curated a three-part adventure. We would spend our first two nights glamping in the mountains of the Sierra Laguna Biosphere Reserve; our last three nights on Isla Espiritu Santo, an island in a national marine park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Sea of Cortez; and the middle two nights at the charming Los Colibris Casitas, a boutique hotel just outside the town of Todos Santos.
From the airport in San Jose del Cabo we drove about 75 minutes, the last half hour on windy roads through the desert and then into the mountains. Eventually, we turned off in a clearing and discovered an open-air palapa with comfy sofas and a long table where-minutes later-a delicious grilled chicken lunch appeared. Bryan had told me, “A lot of people don’t even know that Baja has mountains, nor that it has a strong ranch culture, with ranchers that are great, great grandpas of the American cowboy.” Admittedly, this mountain ranchero experience was also new for me to discover. Following lunch, we were shown to our tents. Ours was nestled between rock with the long spiky arms of the cardon cactus and two rocking chairs in front, a compost toilet behind and cozy beds with solar-powered bedside lamps inside.
Over the next two days we had a guided nature walk, a morning hike and then later, a swim in a small crystal clear swimming hole sunken into the rocks. On our last afternoon, we did workshops to make leather bracelets and then tortillas with the ranchero couple who owned the property.
We then drove to Los Colibris Casitas, a place that Bryan and her husband and partner Sergio loved so much that they decided to live there, as well as build a hotel. Of the 11 rooms and suites, our two-storey villa, Casa Colina, is one of the most luxurious with three terraces, two bedrooms, a full kitchen and colourfully painted walls adorned with local artwork. With unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean from my upstairs bedroom, I drifted off to sleep each night with only the sound of waves lulling me to sleep. One day we sat around the pool and then later did a cooking class with their hilarious lawyer-turned-chef, Iker Algorri, who had us dancing with spatulas and dipping tortillas in hot oil and then shaking them out to the rhythm of KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Shake! Shake! Shake” blaring from speakers. We also learnt secrets to making the best guacamole and margaritas-which of course we had to sample.
Another day, we enjoyed a taco tour with Sergio to three local taco joints in the town of Todos Santos about a five-minute drive away. Then he gave us a detailed historical tour of the village, an artist’s colony filled with galleries and shops showcasing its pottery, silver jewellery and clothing, as well as funky restaurants. Our final adventure and grand finale was glamping on Isla Espiritu Santo, an hour’s boat ride from La Paz on the eastern side of the peninsula. I didn’t know what to expect, having heard that new park rules require any campsites to move every two to three days. But any potential logistical nightmares were not at all apparent. As we approached land, we saw green tents lining the beach and a dining tent with a long communal table next to the kitchen where we were to experience amazing meals cooked entirely on a three-burner stove!
Over the next three days we hiked, kayaked and snorkelled, including-and this was my favourite-swimming with sea lions. As we snorkelled, the pups frolicked and dove in and out of the water, grabbing onto our snorkels and pulling on a rope hanging from the guide’s buoy, like a new prizewinning toy. A mother nursed her wee pup on the shore, while hundreds of others barked as they lay sunbathing on the rock. On the last day, heading back to camp, as the big waves hit the bow of my solo kayak, I couldn’t help feeling grateful-for the warmth of the sun, the cool wind at my face, the cozy bed and delicious dinner that awaited me on shore and the fact that-while big waves and paddling solo might another time have felt intimidating-here and now I felt like I could do anything.
From the airport in San Jose del Cabo we drove about 75 minutes, the last half hour on windy roads through the desert and then into the mountains. Eventually, we turned off in a clearing and discovered an open-air palapa with comfy sofas and a long table where-minutes later-a delicious grilled chicken lunch appeared. Bryan had told me, “A lot of people don’t even know that Baja has mountains, nor that it has a strong ranch culture, with ranchers that are great, great grandpas of the American cowboy.” Admittedly, this mountain ranchero experience was also new for me to discover. Following lunch, we were shown to our tents. Ours was nestled between rock with the long spiky arms of the cardon cactus and two rocking chairs in front, a compost toilet behind and cozy beds with solar-powered bedside lamps inside.
Another day, we enjoyed a taco tour with Sergio to three local taco joints in the town of Todos Santos about a five-minute drive away. Then he gave us a detailed historical tour of the village, an artist’s colony filled with galleries and shops showcasing its pottery, silver jewellery and clothing, as well as funky restaurants. Our final adventure and grand finale was glamping on Isla Espiritu Santo, an hour’s boat ride from La Paz on the eastern side of the peninsula. I didn’t know what to expect, having heard that new park rules require any campsites to move every two to three days. But any potential logistical nightmares were not at all apparent. As we approached land, we saw green tents lining the beach and a dining tent with a long communal table next to the kitchen where we were to experience amazing meals cooked entirely on a three-burner stove!