FAQ’s

We offer a variety of boat tours, including wildlife watching, snorkeling trips and ocean safari, off shore adventures, and private charters.

You can never go wrong doing a trip for Snorkeling and Seafari boat trip from La Ventana! Or feel free to visit our Day Tours section to find what suits you the best according the season you are visiting us!

Absolutely! However there a few things to consider.

First of all, the minimum age we recommend to come on a boat is 10 years old. Regardless, we know that sometimes you might have a younger person in your family that you want to introduce to the wonders of the ocean! And we love having little explorers join us and showing them the good practices from early ages!

Therefore we made a little guide to ensure that everyone has a good time, big or small.

• We have some kids' life jackets and equipment, but we might not have the exact size your child needs. We recommend bringing their own gear if possible.

• If the child wants to snorkel, they must stay close to their parent or guardian at all times.

• If the child prefers to stay on the boat during snorkeling sessions, a parent or guardian must stay with them.

• While our guide is there to look after everyone, we are not specialized in child care - we love kids and have experience with them, but the guide’s primary responsibility is the entire group, especially if others are on the tour.

• On shared tours, please keep in mind that the trip lasts from 7 am to 1-2 pm. This might be a long time for some children, and we cannot shorten the tour or return early if a child is uncomfortable. To avoid any issues, we recommend booking a Private Boat Tour, where we can tailor the experience to your family’s needs!

Our day trips last from 7:00 in the morning to 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon.
But, we are flexible. If we have a great wild life encounter like whales, orcas or dolphins towards the end of the trip, we can always stay a bit longer to enjoy them before heading back to the beach. In this case the trip can last one or two hours more.

We have amazing wildlife all year round! But here is a little summary of the seasons and what you can expect to see. Remember that animals can pop up randomly, even when it’s not the season!! Its important to note that although we are in a very diverse area, there are no guarantees for any sightings.

Whales.
· Humpback, Blue, Fin: December - Early May
· Gray: February - March
· Brydes: July to Sept. Prefer warmer water
· Sperm: June to November, but pop up randomly throughout the year

Mobula Rays.
· Main season: April to June
· Sub Season: November to January

· Giant Oceanic Manta. June to October.

· Dolphins, sea lions, and elusive Orca All year around.

· Sharks May to July

In general we recommend a boat tour to bring the following items:

• Reef-safe sunscreen, you can also find mineral sunscreen to don't damage the fish and corals of the ocean.

• Waterproof jacket (the boat ride can get wet and windy in the months from January to April).

• Towel

• A hat

• Reusable water bottle to refill.

• Wetsuit (available for rent at 200 pesos each, please notify us 24 hours in advance if needed).
  

We support local captains and use their fishing “Panga” boats. They are sturdy boats with shade from the sun and dry storage to keep your belongings safe. There’s space for up to 10 people, although generally we keep it to 6-8 people per trip unless more are requested.

The marine life is our number one priority, therefore if at ANY point of the trip we feel that the animals do not want to interact with us, we will leave them alone. We are a conscious company and do not want to disrupt the animals. We want to make your experience as fun as possible and give you the best interactions with animals, but never at the expense of any wildlife.

Gray Whales.

No, it is prohibited to swim with whales in the Mexico, the whole trip will be from inside the boat. However if the Whales decide to come close enough and present you the opportunity at their own will to pet them then you can touch them with the guidance of our expert nature guide.

Whales (Humpback, Blue, Fin, Sperm).

As mentioned, it is prohibited to swim with Whales in Mexico. However, there are special occasions when we are scuba diving or swimming with other marine life that we are allowed to swim with (for example, the Bait Balls and Marlins down in Magdalena Bay) and a whale comes along, then it is accepted, as we would not be deliberately jumping to swim with them.

Dolphins, Sea Lions, Mantas, Mobula Rays, Marlin, Turtles, Sharks & all Fish.

Yes, absolutely! Often they will be looking to interact with us humans. Our expert wildlife guide will brief you in the correct way to interact back with them! We follow best practices to respect the marine life and not disrupt them with the boat and entering the water. This gives a better interaction with the animals and also protects them.

We have some species that you can luckily spot thorough the whole year in the Sea of Cortez, however, the best time to see more type of whales in La Ventana is from January to May for the Humpback Whales and sporadical Blue Whales!

If you are interested in seeing the most whales possible and maybe get to pet one, we invite you to check our expeditions for Gray Whales in Baja, or our ultimate Baja Great whales, where you can see Gray, Blue and Humpback whales in one week! During the months of February and March in the Sea of Cortez!

At Baja Wild Encounters we do our very best not to harm any animals. We don’t harass marine life, we use techniques to make the marine life feel comfortable enough to approach us.
If at any point the animals do not want to interact with us then we will leave them alone and look for others to interact with.

Yes. The beauty of our expeditions is that they bring many surprises! Although the animals in the titles may be the stars of the show, it’s not rare to see other marine life.
Baja has 8 of the 10 largest whales in the world, it is home to many species of Dolphins, Orcas, Sharks and many different birds.
If your goal is to see as much whales as possible, take a look to our Baja Great Whales Expedition, where you will have the chance to see at least 3 different species of whales in one week!

Definitely! We know that sometimes you may have specific wildlife sighting interests that you want to focus on, or just a different schedule and you need us to move the boat trip time. We have the option to hire a Private Boat charter for our Daily Ocean Seafari and Snorkeling tour, that you can tailor to your group of family and friends. Click on the link to see more details or Contact us through WhatsApp!

Depending on your tour yes! Many of the day trips have breaks on land where you can explore, learn about the fauna and flora of Baja, relax on the beach and more! Baja is home to many different mammals, reptiles and insects, so let’s find them too!

We also like to bring as much Baja culture into our expeditions as possible too, by creating an immersive experience with the local people.

Boat tours where it is prohibited to swim.

There is a high chance that you will get wet. During the Winter/Spring months there can be wind, and with the boat splashing the wind can spray the water on you, it is advised to bring waterproof clothing.

For Snorkel Tours

Yes! That is one of the only guarantees we have ;)

We do not have any restrictions to come in any of our tours! However, while most tours are suitable for all ages, certain activities like snorkeling may have age or health restrictions for safety reasons. Please inquire about specific tours when booking.

Cash is always best for us - as we pay our local captains with cash. But, for upfront payments we accept:

• Card payment through WeTravel our booking system (+/- 3% fee)

• Wise.com transfer

• Mexican Bank Transfer

For Excursions of more than 1 day trips:

• Within 30 days before the trip, Your deposit or payment is non refundable.

• Within 31-60 days before the trip, you will be refunded 50% of your deposit/payment.

• Within 60+ days before the trip, you will be refunded 100% of your deposit/payment.

For Single day trips:

• More than 48 hours before the tour start time, we will return 50% of your payment.

• Within 48 hours of the tour start time, your payment is non refundable.

Sometimes mother nature’s plans may not align with ours and the conditions out at sea are too rough to risk your safety. If this happens and WE say that it’s too rough to go out, the following steps will be taken:

For single-day trips: We will make every effort to arrange an alternative date for your activity within the duration of your trip. If rescheduling proves unfeasible, you have the option to apply your deposit towards an upcoming trip, or you may request a refund.

For multi-day expeditions: Often this is out of our control and as we pay for a package ahead of time we cannot offer you a partial refund for the missed boat trips. We will always look for an alternative activity that we can do instead of the missed boat trip.

If you choose not to go on the boat because of the conditions, but we think it's safe, kindly note that no refund will be given.