Laguna Ojo de Liebre, near Guerrero Negro, is the largest calving lagoon and holds the greatest number of whales. Trips leave from a shoreline launch and reach the whale areas quickly, making this the most practical option for a short visit.

Laguna San Ignacio is the one with the reputation for friendly whales. Mothers bring calves alongside the pangas and hold them there, apparently deliberately, close enough to touch when the whale offers. Camps on the lagoon shore let you go out morning and afternoon across several days, which is what turns a good trip into an extraordinary one.

The desert around the lagoons is worth its own morning: this is Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, with pronghorn, coyote, osprey nesting on the salt flats and a long list of shorebirds on the tidal margins.

The salt works at Guerrero Negro, improbably, are among the best birding in Baja, with tens of thousands of waders and wildfowl on the evaporation ponds.

The season runs from roughly January to April, peaking in February and March when calves are numerous and the friendly behaviour is most frequent. Outside those months the whales are simply not there.

Practicalities

Whale watching in the lagoons is regulated: only permitted operators may take boats out, numbers on the water at any time are limited, and boats must let whales make the approach rather than pursue them. Book with a licensed operator rather than negotiating on a beach.

Guerrero Negro is roughly ten hours' drive south of Tijuana or a short flight; San Ignacio's camps are more remote and are usually booked as multi-day packages that include transfers, meals and daily boat time.