Gray whale season at Puerto Chale, near La Paz
Every winter, gray whales swim thousands of kilometres south to give birth in the calm lagoons of Baja California Sur. One of the places linked to that journey sits in the municipality of La Paz: a small coastal community called Puerto Chale.
When is gray whale season at Puerto Chale? For the 2025/26 season, Mexico's federal notice set the authorised watching season there from 1 January to 30 April 2026. Puerto Chale is one of the officially designated whale-watching areas.
Dates and access rules can change, so always check the current federal notice for the season you plan to visit.
The long trip south
Gray whales travel between Arctic and sub-Arctic feeding areas and the lagoons of Baja California. The journey covers thousands of kilometres. In the lagoons, females give birth and nurse their calves before the trip north begins.
The calves are born without the thick blubber they will later build by feeding. Calm, sheltered water gives mothers and calves a place to rest and grow before the long way back.
What the 2025/26 season showed
Mexico's protected-area agency, CONANP, reported on the 2025/26 season in the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, which ran from 15 December 2025 to 30 April 2026. In mid-February, it counted a peak of 528 whales in Laguna Ojo de Liebre and 113 cetaceans in Laguna San Ignacio.
Those numbers describe two lagoons, not Puerto Chale. The federal notice sets the Puerto Chale dates. CONANP's census figures belong to the El Vizcaíno reserve.
How does Puerto Chale fit with La Paz?
Puerto Chale is a coastal community in the municipality of La Paz. It is not the same place as La Paz Bay's whale-shark refuge. It is a different wildlife experience, with seasonal gray whales and its own authorised viewing areas and dates.
Dates and access rules are not automatically the same from one year to the next, so treat every season as new.
Respect the mother and calf
A mother gray whale and her calf need room. Choose an authorised boat, follow the guide's instructions, and never ask anyone to move closer for a photo. The best encounter lets the pair travel, rest or nurse without interruption. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Gray whale watching should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.
A migration can bring a whale to a lagoon. It cannot promise that a particular visitor will meet one. The journey is the story. The lagoon stays the whales' place to rest, give birth and nurse.
Questions people ask
When is the official gray whale season at Puerto Chale?
Mexico's federal notice for 2025/26 set the authorised watching season from 1 January to 30 April 2026. Check the current federal notice for the season you plan to visit, as dates can change.
Do the CONANP whale counts apply to Puerto Chale?
No. CONANP's figures, 528 whales in Laguna Ojo de Liebre and 113 cetaceans in Laguna San Ignacio in mid-February, belong to the El Vizcaíno reserve.
Is Puerto Chale the same as the La Paz whale-shark refuge?
No. It is a different wildlife experience, with seasonal gray whales and its own authorised viewing areas and dates.
Will I see a gray whale if I visit?
Nobody can promise that. A migration can bring a whale to a lagoon, but it cannot promise that a particular visitor will meet one.
Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.
Sources & further reading
- Mexico federal notice for the 2025/26 whale watching seasons.
- CONANP, close of gray whale season in El Vizcaíno (2026).
- Gray Whale Research in Mexico.
Further reading on Ocean Calling: Gray whale · Mexico in the Ocean Atlas · Whale mother and calf rules · La Paz whale shark season rulebook
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