The Sound of Whales: A Journey to the Grey Whale Sanctuary of Baja, Mexico

This is no ordinary excursion. There will be travel. There will be excellent company. There will be celebration. And mostly, there will be remembering. Whale Medicine holds the key to very deep connection to higher self~ the archives of our Yes are available for access in ways that are especially accessible. I know from experience. This will be my fifth journey to the whales of this lineage. And everytime, I have witnessed great opening to my own self and the activation of many others.

We will bring the offering of original sound with us. Several gongs will be our ambassadors. Sedna, the patroness of water, whales and the Akashic Records. Freyja, the Goddess of Love and Sacred Boundaries that invites self-realization, and an ancient Nordic Rune Gong that guides voyages of water and spirit. Whale is breath and sound and opening. We will come adequately provisioned.

We will travel like gypsies, overnighting near the ocean, in a fishing village, within a sleepy oasis mission town, and near always, to the Gray Whales that will become part of your very heart.

There will be three opportunties to convene with the birth mothers and their new calves (who approach the boat for communion on their own!). Intimate, astonishing, and indescribably otherworldly. We will play, and then relax into an interspecies sound healing experience that amplifies the field of wonder and heart expansion, right there, with the whales and on and within the water.

You will come curious and open-hearted. And in return, you will receive a sacred piece of your infinite majesty that will never be forgotten.

FEATURES INCLUDED • Comfortable private transportation from San Diego • Hotel accommodations for six nights • Most meals with one drink each. Meals are chosen according to local specialty • Snacks and drinking water throughout the trip • All visits and excursions mentioned in the itinerary. • THREE whale-watching excursions in two different lagoons on three different days • Permit to enter Mexico • Expert local Guide • Taxes and tips of included meals and hotels • Creative learning experiences during driving time • Andiamo’s personalized attention
ALSO: Morning Yoga and Meditation, Integration Circles, Gong Sound Healing with the Whales

FEATURES NOT INCLUDED • Two dinners • Additional beverages • Tips to Guide, Drivers and special excursions staff • Personal expenses

Itineray:
DAY 1. SAN DIEGO – SAN QUINTIN ACROSS THE BORDER / SCENIC ROAD Gather in San Diego in the morning. Meet your Group Leader fellow travelers and depart for Mexico. Brief stop at the colorful, lively Tijuana market to see, touch, smell local delights. Then begin the road south along Highway One, the guideline to the peninsula. The scenic portion to Ensenada along the Pacific Ocean offers breathtaking views. A melting pot of adventurers seeking fortunes in nearby mines established the city of Ensenada on the shores of beautiful Todos Santos Bay. Today it is a pleasant city offering a Mediterranean climate, friendly people and a historical ambiance. Stop for lunch and continue to San Vicente to visit a small Community Museum. Cross one of the peninsula’s most important agricultural areas to reach San Quintin. The hotel for the night fronts a wide-open beach.

DAY 2. SAN QUINTIN- GUERRERO NEGRO THE MAGNIFICENT DESERT The day is dedicated to admiring the wonders of the desert and the striking landscape. The mountainous peninsula is covered by innumerable species of flora, many of which are endemic. A large part of the drive crosses the Valle de los Cirios Nature Reserve (Valley of the Boojum Tree Reserve) established mainly to protect the unique boojum tree, Baja’s signature plant and a most important contribution to the world of unusual flora. Among the many other plants sighted are the giant cardons, the world’s most massive cactus reaching a height of over 60 feet, and the aromatic contorted elephant trees. Stops are made for nature walks to recognize the variety of flora and to visit to a small cave with simple rock art. Lunch is in stunning Cataviña. At Parallel 28, the state of Baja California Sur begins with the city of Guerrero Negro, home of the largest salt plant in the world and one of the gray whale sanctuaries.

DAY 3. GUERRERO NEGRO – SCAMMON’S (OJO DE LIEBRE) LAGOON – SAN IGNACIO. WHALES UP CLOSE / BAJA’S BIRDS Get up-close and personal with the magnificent Gray whales in Scammon’s Lagoon. Embrace the sanctuary to view these enormous mammals at arm’s length, some even let themselves be petted! Each year, gray whales travel thousands of miles from the Arctic Ocean to the warm waters of Baja California’s wildlife refuges to court, mate, give birth and care for their young. Enter the sanctuary by driving through La Exportadora de Sal, one of the largest salt plants in the world and learn about its activities. At Scammon’s Lagoon, board small pangas (fishing boats) for a memorable encounter among whales. Guerrero Negro in also home to an enormous salt marsh where birds migrate from Russia, Canada, and other latitudes. Ospreys are particularly numerous nesting on telephone poles, on posts, and even on the ground. Continue to San Ignacio, a charming town that developed around its famous 18th century mission in the midst of a lush, tranquil palm oasis surrounded by volcanic rock. Enjoy this small colonial town and its wellpreserved Mission.

DAY 4. SAN IGNACIO – LAGUNA DE SAN IGNACIO – SAN IGNACIO GRAY WHALES CONTINUED After breakfast, board local vans for the one-hour ride partly on a graded road that connects the town to the secluded San Ignacio Lagoon. The road crosses a stretch of desolate desert sprinkled with diverse vegetation, then skirts the shores of the lagoon lined by small fishing settlements. At an eco-camp, board pangas for another adventuresome ride among whales. Each outing is different offering new experiences. Migrating birds and a large number of resident ospreys can be spotted along the shore. A hot meal is served in a palapa (thatched-roof) restaurant at the lagoon. Back in San Ignacio, enjoy a relaxed evening getting into the small-town atmosphere and its slow pace of life. Visit the mission, enter a home to make tortillas and join the local people on the plaza. Dinner is on your own to choose what you like.

DAY 5. SAN IGNACIO FREE DAY

DAY 6. SAN IGNACIO- SCAMMON’S (OJO DE LIEBRE) LAGOON – BAHÍA DE LOS ANGELES ADIOS TO THE WHALES / DESERT GARDEN The journey back north begins. First stop returns to Guerrero Negro for a third excursion among whales in Scammon’s Lagoon wishing farewell to the gentle giants. Take the road along the Sea of  Cortes for the return drive to San Diego. Cross the peninsula for the overnight in Bahía de Los Angeles, a tranquil bay noted for its deep blue waters dotted with islands. Settle in the seaside hotel. A farewell dinner follows.

DAY 7. BAHÍA DE LOS ANGELES – SAN DIEGO. IMPRESSIVE DESOLATE LANDSCAPES / FAREWELL TO BAJA Enjoy breakfast. The return drive to San Diego offers stunning scenery as it crosses the driest and most desolate region of the peninsula yet with a particular fascination. Due to the abrupt coastline north of L.A Bay, the road returns inland before reaching anew the coast of the Sea of Cortes at Bahía Gonzaga, a calm sandy bay, a favorite destination for RV travelers. Continuing north, the scenic rocky coastline offers magnificent views. Lunch is in a fish and seafood restaurant in the fishing-resort town of San Felipe, then continue to marvel at the colors of the land and the mountains of the stark San Felipe desert. In Mexicali, the road heads west toward the Pacific Ocean, past the Laguna Salada, to reach the Rumorosa, a spectacular rocky downgrade which ascends approximately 4,000 ft. in the 25 miles of scenic switchbacks and granite boulders. At the top of the high plateau is the small Mexican town of Tecate located at the foothills of the Kuchamaa peak, a sacred mountain for the Kumeyaay Indigenous people. Finally the road reaches Tijuana and the border, cross back into the US and on to San Diego ending the trip where it began.

Your Guides:

Tara Matthews, L.Ac is a KRI Kundalini Yoga teacher trainer and the owner of Soul Body Ojai yoga studio and healing center in Ojai, California. She is an accomplished sacred journey facilitator,  yoga teacher and sound healing practitioner of over 25 years and a Practitioner of Chinese Medicine.

Pricing Prior to December 31st (Click on $ amount to Register)
Doubles: $2295/per person
Single: $2695

Deposit (Remainder due by December 31) $500

$100 additional after December 31st.
$100 discont for previous travelers will be refunded after registration.