Whale Watching Season in Cabo

If you’re fortunate to be visiting Los Cabos in the months of January through March, it’s likely that at some point during your stay you’ll be treated to the sight of whales spouting off shore.

Many whales that feed in northern waters migrate south each year. Gray whales and Humpback whales are the species most often seen in Cabo San Lucas, as they migrate along the Baja California Coast of Mexico to calve. Sperm whales, Blue Whales, Orcas and Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins are also know to pay Cabo a visit during whale watching season.

During the season, it’s easy to spot a gray or humpback whale around Los Cabos without even trying. Each October, as the northern winter ice forms, small groups of gray whales in the eastern Pacific set out on a two to three-month journey to Cabo San Lucas, travelling up 7000 miles. Beginning in the frigid northern seas and ending in the warm-water of Mexico’s Baja California Sur, they travel along the west coast of Canada, the United States and finally arrive in Cabo.

By late December to early January, they begin to arrive in Cabo. These first whales to arrive are usually pregnant mothers ready to bear their calves, along with single females seeking mates. By mid-February to mid-March, the bulk of the population has arrived in Cabo, providing visitors an opportunity to encounter these magnificent creatures.

The first to leave the lagoons are males and females without new calves. Pregnant females and nursing mothers with their newborns are the last to depart, leaving only when their calves are ready for the journey, which is usually from late March to mid-April. Often a few mothers linger with their young calves well into May, but the best viewing times are through early March. If you’re coming to Cabo San Lucas between December and March, you will likely be treated to seeing some of these gentle giants.