A world apart and hundreds of miles from health-challenged Mexico City, Baja AirVentures is conducting business as usual to Mexico’s Galapagos, a pristine region of islands and coastline in the Sea of Cortez that offers experiences many liken to the natural wonders of the Galapagos.“We offer a comparable but uniquely different experience for folks who have already been to the Galapagos and who know they love getting up close and personal with our natural world,” says Kevin Warren, owner of Baja AirVentures, the company that operates Las Animas Wilderness Retreat that is home base for natural explorations in and around the Sea of Cortez.

Twice weekly Baja AirVentures transports guests by private air carriage from San Diego to the off-the-grid Las Animas Wilderness Retreat in the Sea of Cortez’ Midriff Island region. Separated from the worries of civilization, there are no uninvited guests or associated health issues simply because there are no roads leading there.

Guests at Las Animas arrive by air after departing San Diego’s Brown Field and clearing customs in the lazy resort town of San Felipe. The two-hour scenic flight lands in the remote fishing village of Bahia de los Angeles where guests then board a boat for a 45-minute cruise south along the Sea of Cortez coast to the retreat.

 

Las Animas is located in Baja’s Midriff Island region in the Sea of Cortez, biologically the richest body of water on the planet supporting more than 900 species of marine vertebrates and more than 2,000 unique species of invertebrates. Guided small boat excursions to isolated islands and coves reveal up to 12 species of annual whales; including Fin, Orca and Blue Whales (the largest animal that inhabits the planet). Bottlenose and Common Dolphins, California Sea Lions and Elephant Seals are all found here, in large numbers. It is not at all uncommon to find large pods of friendly dolphins hundreds of yards wide. California Sea Lions are perhaps most common to the Midriff’s with a large rookery just two miles from the retreat.

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