Ask anyone what's on their La Paz list and you'll hear the same three things, in some order: swim with the Whale Sharks, see the Sea Lions, get to Balandra Beach. Most visitors book those as three separate outings — three separate days on the water. The Grand Slam is the version where the bases are already loaded: one 7-hour trip clears all three, instead of stepping up to the plate three times.
Why We Call It The Grand Slam
These aren't three random stops we bundled together to sell a bigger package. Whale Sharks, Sea Lions, and Balandra Beach are the three things almost every guest tells us they came to La Paz for — the wish list, in order or not. Booked separately, that's three bases: three bookings, three mornings, three trips out on the water.
The Grand Slam is the swing that clears all three at once. Bases loaded, one trip home. That's the whole name — not a marketing flourish, just what the tour actually does.
What the Grand Slam Actually Is
It's a 7-hour small-group boat trip, max 10 guests, combining three stops in the same outing: the Whale Shark experience in La Paz Bay, the Sea Lion colony at San Rafaelito, and a stop at Balandra Beach. It runs November through April — the same window as Whale Shark season — because the Whale Shark stop is the one piece that can't happen outside that season.
Worth being precise about one thing: San Rafaelito is a different Sea Lion colony than Los Islotes, the one our Isla Espíritu Santo tour visits. Both are real, wild colonies in the Sea of Cortez — they're just not the same stop, and not the same tour.
How the day runs
We meet at The Hook at 8:00 AM and the boat leaves about 8:30. First the San Rafaelito sea lions and Balandra, then the whale sharks, and back at the Malecón about 3:00 PM. Our time in the whale shark zone is assigned by CONANP (Mexico's protected-areas commission), so on rare days the order can change.
What's Included
The $3,999 MXN per person (approximately $240 USD) price covers more than the three stops themselves:
Everything in the price
- CONANP park fees — the Balandra Bay conservation bracelet is built in, no cash needed at the gate
- Snorkel equipment for the full trip
- Premium snacks and drinks on board
- Free photos and video, captured by your guide and sent after the tour
- A certified guide throughout — the same marine-biologist-led standard as our other tours
Who This Is Actually For
The honest answer: guests with limited time in La Paz who want the range of what the Sea of Cortez offers without stacking three separate bookings across three separate days. If your trip has the days to spare, booking the Whale Shark Experience and Balandra separately gives you more time at each stop individually. The Grand Slam trades some of that per-stop time for covering more ground in a single 7-hour window.
"It's not a shortcut through three tours — it's the version built for the trip that only has one day to give."
Private Charter
Want the boat to yourselves? The Grand Slam is available as a private charter — no other guests aboard, same itinerary and inclusions. It's the natural upgrade for a family, a couple wanting the day to themselves, or a small group that would rather not share the boat with strangers.
Whale Sharks, Sea Lions,
and Balandra — One Day.
Max 10 guests. November–April. From $3,999 MXN per person, private charter available.
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