CUSTOM BAJA EXPEDITIONS
A private ocean experience in Baja California Sur designed around you and the season.
Some of the most extraordinary ocean experiences happen when it is just you, or you and someone close to you, with a marine biologist who has spent years exploring these waters and knows every corner of them intimately.
Custom Baja Expeditions are private experiences designed for one or two people. Before you arrive we build your itinerary together, shaped around your dates, your interests, wether you are a certified diver or not, and what the Sea of Cortez has to offer that particular time of the year. From scuba diving to snorkeling at hidden sports, ocean safaris, hikes, and mountain biking, you choose from a range of experiences below and we put together the right combination for you.
You stay at Casa Chulo, a private guest casita on my personal property Villa Perras Saladas in El Sargento, with a king size bed and complete privacy.
Custom Baja Expeditions ara available almost year round. the only period we do not operates August and September due to hurricane season. Everything else is fair game.
HOW IT WORKS
STEP 1: FILL OUT THE BOOKING FORM
Have a look at the experiences below to get a feel for what is possible. Then fill out the booking form and tell us when you want to come, how many days you are thinking, whether you are a certified diver or not, and what excites you the most. The more you share the better we can shape the experience around you.
STEP 2: WE BUILD YOUR ITINERARY
Based on everything you tell us we put together a custom itinerary and a clear all-inclusive price. We go back and forth until it feels exactly right.
STEP 3: YOU SHOW UP
Everything is planned and ready before you arrive. You just land, settle into Casa Chulo, and we get started.
CHOOSE YOUR EXPERIENCES
RASTA BEACH SNORKEL
Our local reef, right around the corner from Casa Chulo. Pocillopora coral heads dominate the sea bed, surrounded by schools of fish and plenty of life close to shore. Shallow, easy, and always a wonderful way to ease into the water for the first time. I love doing this one early in the morning and it is usually the first experience I recommend to start the expedition right.
EL SALTITO SNORKEL
El Saltito is one of my personal favourites because it’s a hidden gem that most visitors to Baja never discover. A beautiful beach, shallow coral heads close to shore, and an 800 metre swim out to a dramatic rock formation where Californian sea lions like to hang out. Hard corals, soft corals and fish everywhere.
PUNTA ARENA SNORKEL
Punta Arena is one of the best reefs in the area to snorkel and free dive. The underwater landscape here is defined by dramatic rock formations, natural crevices, overhangs and swim throughs that make every snorkel feel like an exploration. The fish life is extraordinary. This is one of the spots I visit more often and it never gets old.
PUNTA GORDA HIKE AND SNORKEL
A six kilometre round trip walk through the desert right along the water, with stunning views of Isla Cerralvo the whole way. The destination is Punta Gorda, where we get in the water for a snorkel that always has a surprise in store.
A sloping rocky reef leads to an Andy bottom with an extraordinary amount of fish life. I have encountered green sea turtles, hawksbill turtles, eagle rays, mobula rays, big snappers, and plenty of trevafllies. You never quite know what is going to show up and that is exactly what makes it special.
ISLA CERRALVO | OCEAN SAFARI
Full day on the water in the Cerralvo Channel, one of the most extraordinary stretches of ocean in the Sea of Cortez. The channel is rich with marine life year round and every safari is different depending on the season.
During whale season (from January until May) the channel comes alive with humpback whales, fin whales, blue whales, and false killer whales. Dolphins are a constant presence throughout the year (common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and spinner dolphins are all regular sightings). Orcas make appearances during mobula ray season, which brings its own spectacle as we search the enormous aggregations of mobula rays that gather in these waters.
Along the way we stop at some of my favourite snorkeling spots on the island, hidden gems with extraordinary marine life. It’s a full day of adventure on the open ocean.
SCUBA DIVING IN CABO PULMO
Two dives in one of the most successful marine reserves in the world. Cabo Pulmo is widely regarded as one of the greatest conservation success stories the history of marine protected areas, and the diving here reflects that. The reef is thriving, the fish life is extraordinary, and the sheer abundance of marine life is mind blowing.
Cabo Pulmo operates under a strict management plan with a carrying capacity system for each dive site. Dive site assignments are determined by lottery on the day, which means we cannot guarantee specific sites or specific encounters. What we can tell you is that Cabo Pulmo always delivers something remarkable.
The park is well known for bull sharks and enormous schools of big eye trevallies. Whether or not we encounter them depends entirely on the dive site we are assigned on the day. Either way is always worth the trip.
Certified divers only.
SCUBA DIVING ESPIRITU SANTO
A full day diving at Isla Espíritu Santo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its extraordinary ecological significance and is a National Park protected under Mexican law.
Our first dice is normally at Los Islotes, home to one of the largest Californian sea lion colonies in the area. The females and juveniles are curious and playful and the interaction with them underwater is genuinely one of the most memorable experiences in the Sea of Cortez. Four our second dive we explore the reefs around the island, with conditions and site selection depending on the day.
Please note that Los Islotes is closed during mating season in June and July. During those months we dive La reina instead, which is well known for its encounters with oceanic manta rays and is equally spectacular in its own right.
Certified divers only.
SCUBA DIVING IN LA REINA
La Reina is a small rocky islet at the northern tip of Isla Cerralvo with a small resident sea lion colony hauled out on the rocks above and an extraordinary underwater world below. The visibility here is exceptional, often reaching 20 to 30 metres, and the soft corals covering the rock formations make it even more visually striking.
This is a premier site in the Sea of Cortez for encounters with giant Pacific manta rays. From June through October oceanic mantas come to La reina, drawn by the cleaning stations and the rich currents that flow through the channel. Diving with them here is one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences in all of Baja. Around the rocks and formations you will also find schools of sardines, sea lions feeding in the blue water, large schools of fish, moray eels, and a ship wreck adding an extra layer of exploration to the dive.
The seafloor drops into a deep submarine canyon on the channel side creating the conditions that attract pelagic life year round. Manta ray encounters are never guaranteed but from June to October the probability is as high as anywhere in the Sea of Cortez.
Certified divers only.
MOUNTAIN BIKING | CARDON FOREST
An easy two to three hour adventure through the south trails of La Ventana, winding through one of the most beautiful stretches of Cardon cactus forest in the region. The Cardon is the tallest living cactus species on earth and riding through a forest of them feels like cycling through a botanical garden.
The trails are flat and straightforward and if you can ride a bike you will be perfectly comfortable here. A wonderful way to connect with the desert landscape of the Baja.
MOUNTAIN BIKING | NORTH TRAILS
Some of the best mountain biking trails in all Baja California Sur. The north trails are a proper network of single track with green, blue, and black runs, so there is something for a range of abilities. You start with a climb through a single track green run that leads into multiple fast and flowy descents that are genuinely a lot of fun.
You do not need to be an expert but you do need to be comfortable on a mountain bile. If you are, this is a really, really fun way to spend a morning or an afternoon in Baja.
EL SARGENTO LOOP HIKE
A five hour hike through the same trail network as the north mountain biking trails, following the longest loop through the desert above El Sargento. Stunning panoramic vies of Isla Cerralvo, Punta Arena, and La Ventana Bay open up throughout the whole route. A moderate hike that takes you deep into the raw Baja landscape with extraordinary views at every turn. If you love being on foot in wild places this one is not to be missed.
BALANDRA HIKE & HANG
Balandra is one of the most beautiful bays in Mexico and ranked among the most stunning beaches in the world. We hike along the ridges that form the bay, with incredible views of the whole of Balandra opening up below as you walk. Then we come down, find a favourite spot on the beach, and just enjoy it.
This is not a snorkeling spot. it is simply one of the most gorgeous places in Baja California Sur and a perfect way to end an expedition. I love finishing here because it is such a beautiful and relaxed send-off to the whole experience.
WHERE YOU STAY
Casa Chulo is a beautifully designed modern casita built in 2022 on my personal property Villa Perras Saladas in El Sargento, Baja California Sur. It is a five star rated Airbnb when not reserved for expeditions and it shows in every detail.
The casita has a fully equipped kitchen, air conditioning, rooftop terrace with gorgeous views, there’s also an outdoor kitchen and dining area, and an outdoor shower. It is a genuinely lovely space that feels both stylish and relaxed, exactly the kind of place you want to come back to after a day on the water.
Rasta beach is 500 metres away on foot.
The casita has a king size bed ad is designed for one person travelling solo or two people sharing.