WHO DOESN’T LOVE A LUXURY CRUISE? Top-end travel is undeniably fabulous and lolling around a swanky stateroom gives you that “I’m royalty” vibe. But the truth is, I’ll trade every opulent touch for one really great wilderness experience. I’m wild about the wild. And UnCruise Adventures offers everything a wilderness lover could want.
The Safari Voyager could have accommodated 70 guests but had just 35 during our week aboard our cruise exploring Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Compact cabins featured large windows that offered a continuous ocean view – not that we spent much time there. We were always out on the deck, communing with the sea and the sun.
Our group quickly gelled and we deliberately mixed up the seating at meals so we all got to know one another. Each day in the Gulf of California, aka the Sea of Cortez, which separates the Peninsula from the Mexican mainland, was a different adventure designed to show us what famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once referred to as the “aquarium of the world.”
While kayaking with UnCruise in the Sea of Cortez, guests get front-row seats to nature’s air show — pelicans diving with precision just feet away! Photo: Uncruise
To make excursions happen smoothly, the UnCruise crew had a well-organized system. On boarding, each guest was given a mask, fins and snorkel, all in a mesh bag labelled by room number. Individually sized and numbered wetsuits were also provided on corresponding hangers. When it was time to suit up and hit the Zodiacs, there was no scrambling. You just grabbed your gear and went.
Newbie snorkelers were given patient instruction in everything from peeling in and out of those snug wetsuits, clearing a mask lens and breathing air, not seawater, through a snorkel. Soon, even the most timid were happily exploring a shallow water reef and ready to move to the deeps. There, we were immersed in an explosion of neon-coloured fish, sea stars, anemones and even camo-green Moray eels who slithered out of underwater caves, stretching their sea-monster mouths. (Yes, you can scream into a snorkel!)
Every day was a new excursion into this very different part of “California,” travelling by small boat, on foot, in flippers or a kayak, or on horseback. Beautiful, remote Baja is filled with creatures we’d never have found in Beverly Hills. We started with a frolic with sea lion pups. “They’ll nibble your fins and butt you with their heads,” our expedition guide explained as we slid over the side of the Zodiac. “They’re puppies and they’re playing.”
Don’t make eye contact with the big males! the guide called as we swam toward the colony. “And don’t go near their rocks. Males couldn’t care less about the pups or the females, but the rocks … they’re very territorial and you don’t want to make them angry.”
In the Sea of Cortez, sea lions aren’t just sunbathers — they’re underwater acrobats! These playful pups can dive over 600 feet deep and twist through the water like torpedoes. Photo: Uncruise
Giving the giant, roaring males a wealth of rock room, we were soon surrounded by slippery, graceful pups who popped up to peer curiously into our masks. The size of Labrador retrievers but far more graceful in the water, sea lion puppies don’t worry about personal space – the closer they can get to you, the better. In moments, it felt as if we’d crossed the normal species barriers and had become puppies ourselves. When we were finally called back to the boat, it was like saying goodbye to friends.
If we’d seen nothing more, that experience would have made the whole Baja Cali Sur (south) experience worth the flights and the cruise price, but our wild adventures had just begun.
One sunny morning we met a horse rancher and his family who led us on a ride along a rocky pathway through tumbleweeds and cacti, past a small, beautiful and completely unexpected oasis in the desert brush. Though some parts of the trail were steep and rocky, our sure-footed mounts had everything under control. Another day, we did a low tide tour of the shoreline, where we found a spikey orangey-brown octopus and tiny, silver puffer fish playing in the shallow pools. Later, we hiked high ridge lines to rugged peaks where sweeping views of the sapphire ocean below rewarded us for the climb.
A fleet of double kayaks made it possible for us to paddle to a blue-footed booby colony one sunny afternoon, where our ornithologist guide explained that the sexiest birds have the brightest feet. Watching the females surround the lucky male made us wonder: maybe a pair of bright blue kicks is in order?
The Safari Voyager was welcoming and the meals, delicious and well-presented. There was no need to change for dinner, or hurry to catch a glitzy theatrical performance. Instead, our evening entertainment was provided by the staff who shared their extensive knowledge of the area, the historical significance of the places we visited and, of course, the wildlife. A favourite topic was whale sightings.
Whale watching in the Sea of Cortez is nothing short of magical — from majestic gray whales in Magdalena Bay to surprise visits by blues, humpbacks, and even orcas, every season brings new giants to the surface. Photo: Uncruise
Early spring in the Pacific is whale prime time so one morning we boarded sturdy pangas (open fishing boats) captained by local pangueros (fishermen/drivers) and headed out with high hopes. Seeing a single whale, even at a distance is breath-taking, but seeing more than a dozen grey whales blowing, breeching and raising their glorious tail-flukes high into the air was mind blowing. The parade of giants stunned us into awed silence, as they heaved themselves into the waves, bringing a new meaning to rolling in the deeps. For two surreal hours we watched for blows and breeches, never chasing or harassing the whales but simply gazing in amazement.
Many joyful hours later, we gathered in a local restaurant to toast the wonderment. Raising her glass, one guest put it simply: “These are life moments that need to be cherished and celebrated.”
And she was absolutely right.
Author’s note:
We flew in and out of, and sailed round trip from La Paz, Mexico, with stops for hiking on Isla San Francisco, a mule/horse ride in Bahia Agua Verde, hiking Volcan Coronado, exploring Honeymoon Cove on Isla Danzante, swimming with sea lions at Los Islotes, kayaking at Isla Parida Park and whale watching off the coast of Puerto Alopez Mateos. The order of stops changes for each cruise, based on the weather and the whim of the captain.
