Pricing
Departures:
Aquarium of the World departs January through April 2012.
Baja's Bounty departs November & December 2012; January through April 2013.
Price:
Aquarium of the World cruise from $3,995 per person sharing cabin; Baja's Bounty from $2,995 per person sharing cabin
Special Offer: Book a cruise on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez with us by 29 February 2012 for travel by 14 April 2012, and here’s how we’ll sweeten the deal. Fly into and out of Los Cabos instead of La Paz (there are many more flights to and from Los Cabos during the winter and spring), and we cover the cost of a night at Casa Natalia, a boutique hotel in San José del Cabo. We also take care of your transfers to and from La Paz, where your Sea of Cortez cruise begins and ends.
Charter Pricing:
Aquarium of the World aboard the Safari Quest: from $99,995 for the entire yacht
Baja's Bounty aboard the Safari Endeavour: from $321,595 for the entire yacht
To speak to an R. Crusoe & Son tour specialist, please call us at 800-585-8555.
Local Flavor
In the spring of 1940, John Steinbeck and his pal, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, stepped aboard a rickety, 75-foot sardine boat, the Western Flyer, for a journey around Mexico's Sea of Cortez. Despite a less-than-reliable outboard motor and some dicey negotiations with customs officials, Steinbeck and Ricketts had the time of their lives.
It would prove to be a life-changing experience.
Now it's your turn. What draws us here is the same thing that attracted Steinbeck: this narrow body of water is home to a rich and unique ecosystem. Whales, dolphins, porpoises, sharks, and other creatures call the sea home. But unlike Steinbeck and Ricketts, we cruise in style aboard one of two luxurious yachts, the 22-passenger Safari Quest or the 86-passenger Safari Endeavour.
Sea of Cortez Rediscovered. Aboard the Safari Quest & the Safari Endeavour. 8 Days.
It isn't called "the world's aquarium" for nothing. The Sea of Cortez, that narrow body of water wedged between Mexico's Baja California and the Mexican mainland, is a unique, life-filled ecosystem. There are more whale species here than you can imagine—blue, sei, fin, orca, sperm. And a wonderful assortment of dolphins and porpoises, including the rare vaquita marina, a diminutive porpoise that looks to be wearing a black ninja mask like your six-year-old son's.
Book passage on the delightful 22-passenger Safari Quest for our eight-day Aquarium of the World journey around the most spectacular regions of the Sea of Cortez. A sister yacht, the 86-passenger Safari Endeavour, takes a slightly different, but no less extraordinary, path around the Sea of Cortez on our eight-day Baja's Bounty cruise.
A look at the Aquarium of the World cruise: From historic La Paz, on Mexico's Baja California Sur, head for Ensenada Grande, a cove on Isla Partida with a lovely crescent beach at its head. Swim, snorkel (the yacht comes equipped with snorkel gear), kayak, hike among the world's largest cacti species. Get comfortable with your newfound freedom from schedules and your chance to enjoy wide-open space.
Next, two glorious days of wildlife viewing. Whales, dolphins, sharks, and such swim about beneath the sea's surface. Sea lions lallygag on the rocks. Boobies, pelicans, gulls, and cormorants take to the skies overhead.
Isla Carmen's waters are home to abundant fin whale and blue whale pods. The bird life here is rich, too. Ospreys nest on the headlands, brown pelicans congregate on partially submerged reefs.
Then the green waters of Bahía Agua Verde, where we take a mule ride along a footpath into the arroyos. Chat with locals rancheros. Explore the canyons. The scenery is something else.
Step onshore at Isla Coyote, the only permanently inhabited island in the Sea of Cortez. Population? Twenty—and all are members of the same family. Stroll through the whale bone yard. Get to know the family. Hike through a cactus forest.
Hike "the hook," a beautiful bay on Isla San Francisco. Kayak. Snorkel. Swim the untouched white-sand beaches. Then on to Los Islotes, a rocky outcrop that supports a large sea lion colony. Get a close look—or an even closer look, if you don a wetsuit and snorkel and swim with these incredible beasts.
Take a guided hike around Isla Espíritu Santo, perhaps the region's most diverse environments. Think tidal pools, beaches, deserts, cacti forests, and more. Keep your binoculars handy for the myriad bird species that live here.
We wrap up the cruise with a farewell dinner. Then disembark back in La Paz. No one said leaving would be easy...
A look at the Baja's Bounty journey: Here, too, we begin in La Paz, Mexico. Follow up with a day poking around a Sea of Cortez island (the captain's choice). Then to Los Islotes, a steep rocky outcropping and favorite hangout of a large sea lion colony. Snokel with the population, if you like.
On Isla San Francisco, take a guided hike among the cordón cacti. Then spend a relaxing day whale-watching.
Bahia Agua Verde is next, where a beachside barbecue rounds out the day.
Explore Loreto, the original Baja California Sur settlement, founded in 1697 by the Spanish. Head for Magdalena Bay, if whales are around. They are known to migrate and calf here.
On Isla Coyote, meet the resident family, and learn about life on this tiny spit of land. Then back to La Paz and home.
To request a detailed itinerary for these journeys (and others), click here.