San Ignacio lagoon lies on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, about seventy kilometres by dirt road from the town of San Ignacio, and it is famous for a rare event: the grey whales that come here every winter to give birth sometimes approach small boats and let people touch them. The behaviour began in the 1970s and is still a mystery, but whales and calves come alongside, roll and look up, which has moved many a hardened traveller to tears.
The town of San Ignacio is a surprise in the desert. A spring-fed river runs through it, and a lush palm oasis of date palms, citrus and figs surrounds a quiet plaza, with a church at its head. The mission, founded by Jesuits in 1728, was completed by Dominicans in 1786 in thick lava stone, with a facade of carved saints. The Sierra de San Francisco, to the north, holds rock paintings, huge red and black figures of humans and animals on cliff walls, painted by an unknown people many centuries ago, and reached with guides on mule trails.
The road to the lagoon is rough, a graded track through salt flats and low scrub that can wash out after rain, and the final stretch is soft. It is not for heavily loaded road bikes. Many visitors go by vehicle with a tour company, camping at simple camps run by local families under a cooperative. Whale season runs from about January to March, with the best encounters often in February. Wind from the sea is cold, and the sun is strong.
Services are minimal. San Ignacio has fuel, small hotels and restaurants serving shrimp tacos and date sweets, and these are the last reliable supplies before the lagoon. Carry water, food and a spare tyre kit, and let someone know your plan. Respect park rules and the guidance of local guides, since the whales set the terms. It is one of the great wild-animal encounters, and worth the dust.