W E L C O M E
DESTINATION MEXICO
A premier Destination Management Company in Mexico since 1988
Our Offices: Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun & Los Cabos
Email: info@destination-mexico.com
W E L C O M E
DESTINATION MEXICO
A premier Destination Management Company in Mexico since 1988
Our Offices: Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun & Los Cabos
Email: info@destination-mexico.com
Gray, blue, and humpback whales can be spotted on their journey in coastal waters from
Baja California to Oaxaca. Whale-watching dates for the upcoming season were published
in the government’s official gazette on Oct. 19, as well as rules that apply to observation
spots and restricted zones in eight states on the western coast of Mexico: Baja California,
Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Sonora, Oaxaca, and Guerrero.
The whale-watching season will go from mid-December to April in most states, though in
Baja California, the whales can be observed as late as mid-May, while in Guerrero the
season ends as early as March.
Every year, as the northern ice pushes southward, whales migrate from the cold Bering
and Chukchi seas near Alaska to Mexico’s warm Pacific coastal waters to breed, attracting
a great number of tourists to watch the migration. According to the International Whaling
Commission, Mexico is now the most popular whale-watching destination outside of the
United States.
Whale-watchers can spot gray, blue, and humpback whales on their journey along most of
Mexico’s Pacific coastline. In accordance with current Mexican environmental laws and in
order to protect the natural habitat of the whales, the Ministry of the Environment and
Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has restricted access to certain areas.
In the Baja Peninsula, whale-watching is banned in a 2-kilometer zone around the Arch of
Cabo San Lucas, as well as offshore from Punta Ballenas, in order to prevent the excessive
conglomeration of boats. For the same reason, the Bahía de Acapulco and the Bahía de
Puerto Marqués – both in the municipality of Acapulco de Juárez – have also been
designated as off-limits. And, to prevent disturbing whales with newborn calves, an area
from Punta Mita to the mouth of the Ameca River has been made a restricted zone.