American Safari's In-Depth Sea of Cortes Exploration

One criticism often heard about cruising is that travelers never really get to know the destinations they visit. They go from port to port to tour bus to tour bus and never interact with anyone from the places they visit. American Safari Cruises proves that it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, they make sure their guests meet and learn from locals in the areas in which their yachts sail.

Take the company’s Sea of Cortés itinerary in Mexico aboard the 22-guest, 120-foot yacht Safari Quest. Guests traveling the Biosphere Reserve and its protected islands interact with island families, mainland ranchers, fishermen and small-town residents. In fact, the yacht is the only vessel to bring guests to the small island of Isla Coyote, the single permanent settlement in the biosphere.

Here’s how American Safari Cruises describes the meet-and-greet opportunities:

“Inhabited by several fishing families for more than 100 years, the island has no water; residents must fetch water in La Paz, transporting it in multi-gallon plastic containers in small, open fishing boats—a four-hour ride each way.

But when the Safari Quest is in the Sea of Cortés November through March, all that changes: The yacht fills the containers right there, sharing up to 2,000 gallons of fresh water from its desalinization plant. In return, yacht guests are invited to explore the tiny village, meet the handful of residents, watch the fishermen clean and preserve their catch, and see the hundreds of pelicans that call Isla Coyote home.

On this same itinerary, guests meet Alejo, an inland rancher who travels on horseback for half a day to meet the yacht in a secluded bay. He brings his family—grown children, grandchildren, and the women who fashion jewelry from native stones, shells, and silver. He also brings a string of mules, saddled and ready to take guests on a trail ride through the arroyos to a sugar-sand beach.

Safari Quest guests also get close to gray whales and meet the locals in Bahia Magdalena when they ride with fishermen in small boats called “pangas.” In addition, they meet residents of colonial Loreto, a small town on the verge of being discovered, and learn the art of tortilla making firsthand from a renowned restaurateur.”

The Safari Quest is in the Sea of Cortés until April 8, and will then return for November 13, 2008 through April 7, 2009.

For more information, call your travel agent or contact American Safari Cruises at (888) 862-8881.

Photo courtesy of American Safari Cruises