posted by Travel Cat on Feb 22
Described below are the best times and places to see some of the wildlife and habitats that Mexico has to offer the traveller.
I find that planning what you want to see before you book is great, That way you pay the least for internal travel and you don’t regret missing something that you were too far away from when you got there! More importantly, you come back with photos and memories of what you wanted to see the most, and have the best time doing it!
As there is so much to cover I have split this into 2 parts. Part 1 below, details specific species that you may wish to see, whereas Part 2 looks at whole environments, where you can see a number of different species including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and insects.
So here we go - starting with the largest!
1) Whales
Baja California- From January to March in the Reserva de la Biosfera Vizcaino (a 25,000 sq km reserve - Latin America’s largest) there is a major Gray Whale calving site. You can book 3 hour excursions locally, with Laguna San Ignacio and Laguna Ojo de Liebre being popular locations.
Bahia de Banderas(near Puerta Vallarta) - You can see whales all year round here (if you look hard enough). Humpback whales come here between December and March to give birth to last years calf, and then to breed again, so there is plenty of display to watch as well as seeing the mothers swimming with their calves. Bride Whales are here all year, but are much rarer, as are Grey Whales who have also been seen here, but only occasionally.
2) Dolphins
Bahia de Banderas(near Puerta Vallarta) - This huge bay (the 7th largest in the world apparently) is home all year to pods of dolphins. Due to this community there are allegedly no sharks here at all, and groups of dolphins are regularly seen ‘patrolling’ the edges of the bay to ward off any marauding sharks!
I have stayed on the bays edge (in Bucerais) and found that on most mornings you will be greeted by leaping dolphins. People from the nearby resorts grab the complimentary kayaks and paddle out to the centre of the groups while they play. The dolphins are so used to this that they are not scared off and just carry on with whatever they were doing. You can also see where they are feeding out in the bay, as they attract great flocks of giant Frigate birds and gulls who circle the area, then dive straight into the swirling mass of fish from above - an amazing site.
3) Turtles
Isla Mujeres(south of Cancun) - This quiet island off the Cancun Coast in the Gulf of Mexico is where 6 of the 8 sea turtle species in the world come to nest. You will find Kemps Ridley, Olive Ridley, Black, Green, Leatherback and Hawksbill here throughout the year, with June to September being the best time to see several species in one visit. There is also a turtle farm here to help with breeding as the locals have always found turtles and their eggs a delicacy. Kemps Ridley also nest in La Pesca from March to July, Black Turtles in Bahia de Maruata and Olive Ridley on Playa Escobilla between March and July, with up to 700,000 coming to shore in a season!
Cabo San Lucas(Baja California) - This trendy resort is also a great place to see many turtle species with the 7th species found in Mexico - the giant Leatherback. These can reach 3 metres in length and a ton in weight, although are very rarely sighted. If you get a photo of an adult one of these you are very lucky indeed! (Mazunte in Oaxaca is also a great place to see these turtles).
4) Elephant Seals and Sea Lions
Baja California- These aquatic mammals are only really found in one small area of Mexico and often in close proximity to each other. The best spots are Islas San Benito and Isla Cedros where you will often see them sprawled out on the beaches and playing around the coast. You will need to hire boats for this trip, which you can do all year round.
5) Butterflies
Santuario de Mariposas El Rosario(west of Mexico City) - This sanctuary for Monarch Butterflies with astound you. Even if you haven’t really an interest in insects, the sheer numbers of these creatures with have you gob smacked! They travel from the U.S. to Mexico arriving in late October thru November, and are all gone by March, all 400 million of them. They cover every tree in the sanctuary in the mornings, turning them bright orange and you will be mesmerised by them as they move about you and land elsewhere during the warmth of the day.
Laguna Miramar- Apparently the jungle surrounding this huge lake contains 44% of all butterflies found in Mexico! You’ll easy fin Swallowtails and Cattlehearts flying around the jungle and lagoon itself without really trying, however, avoid coming here between June and October as most of the areas rainfall occurs then, and this jungle gets a lot of rain!!
Part 2 is coming up next…..
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