A Typical Day at Campo Cortez Ecolodge
While whale watching is undoubtedly the highlight of your visit, each day at Campo Cortez offers a blend of relaxation, nature, and unforgettable experiences. Here’s a look at what a typical day looks like at our Ecolodge.
Mornings
Wake up, rested in your private cabin and take in the sunrise over the lagoon. Starting at 6:30 AM, coffee, tea, fresh fruit, yogurt and cereal are available in the palapa. A full, hearty breakfast is served at 8:00 AM.
From the palapa or even your cabin porch, you can watch the tidal zone come to life each morning. You might spot coyotes on the hunt or birds such as Brandt’s Geese, Great Blue and White Herons, Reddish Egrets, and Ospreys fishing in the shallows.
Around 9:00 AM, it’s time for your first whale-watching adventure of the day. After a short 10-minute boat ride, you’ll enter the whale-watching zone to witness the awe-inspiring sight of gray whale mothers and their calves up close as well as many other behaviors.
Afternoons
After returning from the morning excursion around 11:00 AM, there are a few hours before the next whale watch. Lunch is served around midday, followed by a bit of downtime—perfect for a nap, reading, or a short hike to the nearby mangroves.
Depending on the tides, we’ll head out again for an afternoon whale-watching trip between 1:45 and 2:00 PM.
Our boat captains are graduates of a naturalist training program (RARE) and they are all residents of the lagoon with decades of experience as captains. Each boat has one of our camp naturalists onboard to assist and educate about the whales and their behaviors. When friendly whales approach the boat, our naturalists and captains ensure safe encounters without harming or antagonizing the whales. And it's important to remember, our boat captains have lived and worked amongst the whales ALL OF THEIR LIVES. Both our captains and the whales have a very thoughtful bond of respect. Our boat captains can recognize whales that have been to the lagoon for many years … and we suspect the whales recognize them based on their behavior and trust as they approach our boats.
After returning from the afternoon excursion, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy at your own pace. We have no hectic schedules here. Choose from a variety of activities:
- Visit the on-site whale bone yard
- Join a guided tide pool walk to discover octopuses and other marine life
- Stroll the beach and birdwatch
- Go on a photography outing
- Or simply relax and soak up the peace and quiet from your cabin
Day's End
After returning to camp you’ll have time to yourself to wander the shell-strewn beaches, watch whales from the shore, browse our Baja library, relax beachside or simply enjoy the peace and quiet of your cabin with a view of the lagoon. You’ll enjoy a peaceful, go at your own pace atmosphere. We have no hectic schedules here.
Happy Hour and Dinner
As the sun begins to set over the dunes, it’s time to unwind. Grab a drink and a snack during our informal Happy Hour—coffee, margaritas, jamaica, beer, are served with chips and homemade salsa and guacamole.
Dinner follows shortly after: authentic Mexican meals crafted with fresh ingredients, including homemade tortillas, rice, beans, local vegetables, and other specialties. Meals are enjoyed family-style, with plenty of laughter, stories, and the day’s highlights shared among new friends.
After dinner the naturalists have short presentations that are entertaining and informative designed to deepen your knowledge of the Gray Whales and our local ecology.
When you return to your cabin, you’ll fall asleep to the soothing sounds of the lagoon—whales breathing in the distance, the rustle of the wind, and perhaps the call of coyotes under the star filled sky.
Your Time, Your Pace
There’s no strict schedule at Campo Cortez Ecolodge—just the rhythm of the tides, the call of wildlife, and the quiet magic of being fully immersed in nature.
