Cruise
Adventures Abound in the ‘Aquarium of the World’ with UnCruise Adventures in Baja California Sur
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
Having sailed dozens of times through all seven continents on both rivers and oceans, in all categories including mass-tourism ships, small luxury ships, expedition ships and even long-haul over-night ferries, our sailing with UnCruise Adventures was truly in a league of its own, like nothing else I had ever experienced!
I felt odd, out of place and wondering how this week would play-out but thought let’s give it some time as we arrived onboard late at night being escorted by friendly crewmembers to our rooms and then onto supper.
Early on during the following day, I was enamoured. The scenery of the desert landscape itself was captivating, and I was pleasantly surprised with our enjoyment of the compact, clean cabin space that did not resemble anything else I had experienced but was perfect for the adventures to come. The crew was friendly, open, and always helpful and did everything to assist us with outings and prepared us for dives, hikes, rides, visits to towns and above all safety.
I was astounded by how faithful the clientele were, and in meeting with them on excursions and at supper, would find the majority were repeat guests, and even a couple that were on their 13th UnCruise sailing.
This sure sounds like a conclusion to this article but I cannot hold back. In the span of a week, we would kayak the still waters of the oceans’ coves, dive and play with Sea Lion pups, snorkel several times to see the abundance of marine life and tropical fish, take invigorating hikes to extraordinary vistas, ride with local guides on Mulls and Burros to witness the beautiful and vast unpopulated Baja California desert scenery, take a small out-board motor ride to visit the returning of the majestic Grey Whales, explore the beautifully kept historic colonial towns, be greeted by a school of hundreds of little dolphins and see why this is a birders paradise, with an unbelievable amount of different shapes and size birds where just about everywhere.
Finally, by the end of the cruise, I would strongly agree that Baja California Sur is not only known as “aquarium of the world” but also that it is the “Galapagos of the north.” Big shoes to fill and they did!
After meeting Captain Dan, the founder, CEO and a lifetime adventurer, his charismatic character shone through over and over throughout the week. He would smile, laugh, joke and through his deep resonating voice, always had great stories to tell and made his great passion for life, sailing and adventure quite obvious!
I would also find out how clever he was, as he designed the ship’s Zodiac landing dock ‘made to and later built to measure’ on a bar-room napkin. I was impressed by this one-of-a-kind platform, unique to the ship, which worked like a charm getting guest and crew on and off safely, quickly, efficiently and without getting wet.
The Safari Voyager
With a maximum capacity of only sixty-six passengers, this would be the smallest ship I have ever sailed but I would find it was the perfect size for exploring out of the way places and allowed us to get close to shore for landings and our adventures. The Safari Voyager, although modest in exterior size, still had four guest floors including the main lounge, the dining room, a sundeck, and a departure platform floor.
My standard cabin was just about right, and with so much time on deck and on shore, there was little need for anything bigger. These accommodations were exceptionally clean, had plenty of storage spaces, a window for observation, and a comfortable bed to rest before another day of activities.
Gastronomy
I was pleasantly surprised to have such wonderful food on board. Head chef Mat and his crew served up plenty of delicious and nutritious dishes. The menu was varied and even had themed nights with international dishes. UnCruise sourced most of its ingredients from local farmers and fishers meaning everything was fresh and from the same day, this was clear in the quality of the servings. Guests always had options that usually included seafood, meat, or a vegetarian dish. Besides morning buffets, lunches and suppers were sit down meals that included wine, beer, and soft drinks. Most memorable to me was an alfresco BBQ on a hot and sunny January day with still waters and beautiful and natural landscape as a backdrop.
Bonus day
Included with the cruise, most, if not all, passengers would land in San Jose del Cabos and spend the day at the well-appointed all-inclusive beach front Barceló hotel. This would be a fun and relaxing day to spend by the pool or the beach, to wine and dine or explore the historic old town. The following day, all guests would board luxury coaches through the dry and rugged landscape to reach La Paz to board and start the cruise adventure.
Excursions
With no sea days, we would have daily exciting excursions. To say the least, everyone of them were special and different from the other and all were exceptional in their nature. UnCruise has sailed this region for many years and knew exactly what to do and how best to keep all these special moments adventurous, fun, and safe. It would be very difficult to choose a favourite but what did stand out most was swimming with the Sea Lions, this was as colossal as my first game drive in Africa. Also memorable was snorkelling along the reefs, kayaking in the quite bays, the whale watching excursion, visiting the colonial town of Loreto, the Mull ride with the locals and hiking up many different island peaks to get spectacular panoramic views of the land and sea. All-in-all, UnCruise presented us with the best of things to see, do and experience in Baja California Sur!
For a small cruise company, UnCruise Adventures sure punches above its weight. Everything went as planned and promised. It is no wonder they keep winning awards and have such a faithful guest following. Add to it great food, a very friendly and helpful staff, an extraordinary itinerary and you have the recipe for a lifetime of great memories with lots of wonderful travel stories to tell.
