In season, southern right whales approach the promontory of this luminous “Magellanic” structure, crowned by a tower that yields views of distant Península Valdés across the Golfo Nuevo. It’s the work of a nonprofit institution striving to bring environmental education, research, and the arts under the same roof.

As a maritime-life educational center, the Ecocentro has superb displays of South Atlantic fauna, including birds, seals, and especially whales; one of the finest is a living tidal pool. Even the surrounding gardens serve a didactic purpose—in lieu of residential Madryn’s water-hungry lawns, the directors have chosen to preserve the native coastal desert flora.

Close enough to Madryn for a mountain-bike excursion, Punta Loma

Near the sea lion colony, there’s a visitors center and an overlook that permits good views of the animals.

Coastal Patagonia’s top destination, the World Biosphere Reserve of Península Valdés is the place where the great southern right whale arrives to breed and birth in the winter months. Protected since 1935, the ballena franca occupies a nearly unique position as a “natural monument”—a designation normally reserved for territorial ecosystems—within the Argentine national park system.

Many visitors book excursions in Madryn, but day trips are too brief for more than a glimpse of the best—especially if the operators spend too much time at lunch. Staying at Puerto Pirámides and contracting tours there is ideal for whale-watching, as you have the flexibility to pick the best time to go out.

The road may be paved and fuel much easier to come by than in the early days of peninsular travel, but Baja California remains a classic route for travelers who enjoy the thrill of a long road trip. All you need is ample time, a reliable vehicle, and an ability to cope with unpredictable situations.

Laguna Ojo de Liebre

Guerrero Negro is the Mexican translation for the name of a U.S. whaler, the Black Warrior, which sank offshore in the 1850s. After depleting the population of gray whales by the late 19th century, the hunters moved on and remarkably, the whales were able to recover.

Today whale hunting has been replaced by the sustainable activity of whale-watching. If you happen to visit in February or March, you’ll catch the peak season for spotting—and maybe even petting—friendly gray whales.

If you’ve come to Baja in the winter to witness the gray-whale calving, the protected Laguna San Ignacio on the Pacific coast is a must-see destination.

Discovered by whalers in 1860, Laguna San Ignacio is 58 kilometers from the town of San Ignacio and measures about 26 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide. Along with the Vizcaíno Desert, it became part of the Reserva de la Biósfera in 1988.

About 100 people live beside the bay and make their living from fishing and, increasingly, ecotourism. A major saltworks expansion effort was blocked recently by environmentalists.

At the western edge of the Magdalena plain on the Pacific coast, a long string of barrier islands protects a series of shallow bays that fill with gray whales during calving season, January–March. The surrounding estuaries and mangrove swamp supports a unique and vibrant marine ecosystem.

Sheltered Canal Gaviota links the two largest bays in the system, Bahía Magdalena and Bahía Almejas, to create some of the best kayaking and windsurfing conditions anywhere on the peninsula. Visitors here enjoy paddling the bay, climbing 30-foot sand dunes, bird-watching, and gray-whale encounters.

Travelers with a week or more can experience the many dimensions of the lower Baja peninsula by making a circular route around the Cape Region via paved highways Mexico 1 and Mexico 19. Extending a total distance of approximately 564 kilometers (350 mi), this route takes visitors along the lower slopes of the Sierra de la Laguna, through the sierra’s former mining towns, across the plains of La Paz, and along the coastlines of the East and West Capes as well as the Corridor between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.

An abundance of glass-bottomed tour boats depart frequently from the marina and from Playa El Médano 9 A.M.–4 P.M. each day. The standard 45-minute tour costs US$8–12 per person and covers Pelican Rock, the famous Land’s End arch, and the sea lion colony.

For no extra charge, the crew will let passengers off at Playa del Amor near the arch; you can flag down any passing boat from the same fleet and catch a ride back to the marina later in the day. Be sure to see the boat you will board before you pay, as engines can be old and unreliable, and you may not get your money back if the trip is aborted due to engine failure.