The Itinerary
Instead of a traditional mega cruise 1,300-mile loop that includes port calls at Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Loreto, and La Paz, UnCruise follows a small ship Sea of Cortez cruise route from La Paz to Loreto and back. At first glance, it might seem like you’re not doing as much on a boutique cruise, but just because you travel farther doesn’t mean you see as much.
The Safari Voyager is a discrete and stealthy ship that can weave in and out of the islands, islets, and coastal areas containing 39% of the world’s total marine mammal species and a third of the world’s total number of marine cetacean (whales and dolphin) species. Jacques Cousteau calls this region the ‘aquarium of the world,’ and UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site based on its biodiversity.
The ‘ideal’ itinerary is a 400-mile loop to Loreto and back, but more often than not, the captain reads the weather and uses their discretion to find the calmest water and sheltered bays.
There are three cornerstone activities that almost always anchor the UnCruise Baja itinerary: whale shark/ gray whale tours, swimming with baby sea lions, and mule rides on Agua Verde with the Romero Family.
Baja whale watching is extraordinary because you can see gray whales up close in their winter birthing lagoons. How close? Close enough to kiss. Now, these lagoons are on the Pacific side, but you can reach them with a 2-hour bus ride. On the Gulf side, you can see blue and humpback whales. We watched one dance by the ship for almost 10 minutes one night. Gray whales are winter visitors, so UnCruise shifts this activity to whale shark tours during summer sails.
Snorkeling with baby sea lions was amazing because they were like playful puppies of the ocean. I wasn’t sure about the mule rides, but UnCruise partners with a local ranchero family who treats their animals with absolute respect. The experience of interacting with the rancher’s family and the views from the ridge made this one of my favorite activities.
When comparing UnCruise to traditional cruises, the itinerary is vastly different. You’ll experience more of the Baja and Gulf of California sailing through 400 miles of littoral waters than 1,300 miles of open ocean interrupted by the occasional port-of-call, especially when over half that distance isn’t even in the Gulf of California and 40% of the ports aren’t in Baja at all. Plus, think of all that fuel you’ll be saving!