Whale Watching Packages

With some 20,000 gray whales migrating North along our coastline from birthing grounds in Mexico to their winter home in Alaska, there will be plenty of whales to view from boat or shore. Come witness these amazing and beautiful mammals first hand. It is an experience you will not soon forget.  Whales can be seen occasionally year round, but are most likely to be seen from December through the first part of April.  Whale watching trips are available depending on weather as early as January.  Please call for more information. 707-964-6699

 

 A Whale of a Deal

Come stay at the beautiful Emerald Dolphin Inn and enjoy a special discounted lodging package while experiencing the most amazing journey at sea! Come aboard and witness the magnificent Gray Whale up close and personal.  It will surly be the most exhilarating and memorable adventure.

 

Stay 3 nights and save even more!!

 

Call today for pricing for the dates you wish to come see the whales!

Please call in advance to ensure whale watching excursions are available during your visit.   Toll free: 1-866-964-6699

Please note: Discounted packages are not available during holiday or event weekends, however, Whale watching tickets can still be booked!

photo of a whales tail swimming in the Pacific Ocean.
photo of a whales tail on the ocean.
photo of a charter boat on the Pacific Ocean.

Amazing 2 Hour Cruises

$40.00 per person

 

Mendocino Whale Festivals

 Please Note: The Annual Whale Festivals are currently postponed until 2023, but Please ask us about Whale watching trips -  available at $50 per person with any one of the charter boats.

Mendocino, Calif . -  Explore the beautiful village of Mendocino where there are plenty of whales to view from the surrounding Mendocino Headlands State Park, while tasting chowder and wine, and discovering art exhibits, local shops and Inns.

Major Events Include:

 

  • Wine Tasting (Saturday only) Taste some of Mendocino County’s finest varietals.
  • Chowder Tasting (Saturday only) Sample chowder from some of the best chefs on the coast.
  • Whale Watching Docent-led whale watch walks
  •  Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park

 

Please Note: Point Cabillo Light Station will give lens tours, on-site docents will be available to answer questions, help visitors find whales and tell stories about the Station and its history.

 

Cabrillo Lighthouse at sunset.

Whale Festival Attractions Through Out The Month of March

Little River Whale Festival and events all month long...

· Whale Watching Charter Boat Tours (Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg)

· Point Cabrillo Lighthouse

· Horseback Riding

· MacKerricher State Park Docent led Whale Walks

· Walking Whale Watching Tours at the Botanical Garden

· “Whale Tales” Exhibit and whale watching tips from Docents at the Ford House Visitor’s Center

 

 

Fort Bragg Whale Festival

 

Fort Bragg, Calif . - Enjoy Wine, Chowder and micro brew tasting while visiting our local shops and Inns, and whale watch from the Pomo Bluffs Park in Fort Bragg, as well as from miles of beaches.

  • Soroptimist of Fort Bragg Annual Whale Run
  • 10K, 5K Run
  • 5K Competitive Walk
  • 5K Run Walk
  • Kiddie Race

 

Passport Wine Tasting Event (Saturday only): Taste some of Mendocino County’s finest varietals in shops and galleries in Historic Downtown Fort Bragg.

 

Chowder Tasting (Saturday only). Sample chowders from some of the best chefs on the coast!

 

Microbrew Beer Tasting: (Saturday only). Taste beer like you’ve never tasted it before.

 

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park.  The Coast Guard Auxilliary will give lens tours, on-site docents will be available to answer questions, help visitors find whales, and tell stories about the Station and its history

 

For more information and a schedule of events visit:  www.visitmendocino.com

Mendo Whale  or  Soroptomist International Whale Run and Walk.

 

 

photo of clam chowder and fresh clams on the side.
photo of a glass of beer.

 

About The Whales

 

The celebration is all about the migration of the Pacific Gray Whale with their newborn calves from the protected lagoons of western Baja to their ancestral feeding grounds in the cold waters of the Bering Sea. The migrating whales, numbering 18,000 - 23,000 individuals, pass by the Mendocino Coast twice each year: once going south between the months of November and February, and again going north between the months of February and June. Since they don't migrate simultaneously, not all the whales make it all the way to Baja. Some linger off shore and observations suggest that these are primarily the younger males. Newly pregnant females lead the northward migration, followed by males.

 

The California Gray Whale travels the longest distance on migration of any mammal. This species is the only whale whose year-round habits and whereabouts are well known.

 

Examinations of the stomachs of whales during the whaling days indicated that gray whales eat very little while migrating and while in calving areas. Thus, many whales may go without food for three to five months.

 

The animals travel south to the three major breeding and calving lagoons on the west coast of Baja California, Mexico: Laguna Ojo de Libre, San Ignacio Lagoon (also known as Scammon's Lagoon), and Magdalena Bay. Captain Charles Scammon charted many of these areas in the mid-1800s as he hunted gray whales.

 

The northbound migration begins with immature animals (some of which may not have gone all the way to Mexico), adult males, and females without calves. Breeding sometimes is observed at this time.

 

Calves usually are rambunctious but stay close to their mothers as they become more coordinated and develop an insulating blubber layer. Calves are at least a month old before they migrate north with their mothers. Mothers and calves are the last to leave the lagoons and move somewhat more slowly.

 

During the spring migration, if the weather is good, you can see whales within a few hundred yards of coastal headlands.

 

The full round-trip migration from the Baja calving lagoons to the Bering Sea and back is 10,000 miles (16,000 km), the longest known for any mammal. Other whales also are known to migrate between summer high latitude feeding grounds and more temperate low latitude breeding and calving areas. However, researchers know more about the gray whale because it moves so close to shore. This near-shore movement has led to speculation that gray whales navigate by staying in shallow water or keeping the surf noises to one side or the other depending upon their direction of travel.

 

Emerald Dolphin Inn and Mini Golf

Reservations: 707.964.6699  ||  Toll Free: 866.964.6699

1211 S. Main St. | Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Travel Directory/ Links/ Home/ Rooms Affordable Emerald Dolphin Inn Fort Bragg/ Rates Budget Hotels Lodging Affordable PCH Fort Bragg Ca/ Amenities Hotels Free Breakfast High Speed Internet Emerald Dolphin Inn/ Pets Friendly Hotels Lodging Fort Bragg California/ Reservations Online Emerald Dolphin Inn Hotels Fort Bragg CA/ Special Packages Stay Three Nights Receive discount/ Group Reservations Meetings Sports Teams Fort Bragg Hotels Suites/ Travel Agent Reservations Hotels Commissions California/ Directions Maps Emerald Dolphin Inn Fort Bragg Ca/ Photo Gallery Pictures Hotels Accommodations Fort Bragg/ Sports Teams Soccer Tournaments Fort Bragg Lodging/ Arts Culture Museums Fort Bragg California/ Attractions Skunk Train Mendocino County/ Casinos Gambling Indian Gaming Mendocino County/ Dining Restaurants Cuisine Fast Food Fort Bragg California/ Events Attractions Fort Bragg, California/ Fishing Charters Boats Salmon Fort Bragg California/ Horse Back Riding Beaches Parks Fort Bragg California/ Mendocino County Information Lodging Hotels Accommodations Fort Bragg/ Shopping Retail Stores Fort Bragg CA/ Sports Recreation Activities Hiking Bicycling Fort Bragg California/ Weddings Receptions Guest Accommodations Hotels Fort Bragg Ca./ Whale Watching Boats Viewing Packages Hotels Mendocino County/ Wineries Wine Tasting Tours Specials Bottles Zinfandel Merlot Hotels/ Contact the Emerald Dolphin Inn Fort Bragg California Hotels Motels Inns

This website designed and hosted by Shars Web Designs