Resources

There’s so much to learn about the diverse wildlife and natural history of the Baja region. Here are some of our favorite books to get you started. They are widely available in bookstores, online, or at your local library. We also have a selection of guide books and other natural history reference books available in our camp libraries and on board our boats.

If you are traveling with kids, check out our Books for Kids list.

Field Guides:

  • Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Baja California, Walt Peterson, 1999

  • Field Guide to the Gray Whale, The Oceanic Society, 2002

  • Baja California Plant Field Guide, Norman C. Roberts, 1989

  • National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Dunn and Alderfer, 2006

Natural History, Travel Narrative:

  • The Forgotten Peninsula, A Naturalist in Baja California, Joseph Wood Krutch, 1986

  • Almost an Island: Travels in Baja California, Bruce Berger, 1998

  • Into a Desert Place, Graham Mackintosh, 1995

  • The Log from the Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck, 1941

  • A Desert Country Near the Sea, Ann Zwinger, 1983

Whale Watching:

  • Whales: Touching the Mystery, Doug Thompson, 2006

  • Eye of the Whale, Epic Passage from Baja to Siberia, Dick Russell, 2004

  • Reflections of a Whale Watcher, Michele Gilders, 1995

  • Sightings: The Gray Whales’ Mysterious Journey Brenda Peterson & Linda Hogan, 2002

  • Whales and other Marine Mammals of California and Baja, Tamara Elder, 2002

  • Saving the Gray Whale: People, Politics, and Conservation in Baja California, Serge Dedina, 2000

Fiction:

  • King of the Moon: A Novel of Baja California, Gene Kira, 1996

  • The Pearl, John Steinbeck, 1947

Books for Younger Readers Traveling To Baja

Ages 4-8

  • The Journey of a Whale (Lifecycles),Carolyn Scrace 2000

  • Adelina’s Whales, Richard Sobol 2003

  • Usborne First Nature: Fishes, 2000

  • Seashore Sticker Book, G. Saunders & S. Swallow 2002

Ages 9-12

  • Finding Out About Whales, Elin Kelsey 1998

  • A Pod of Gray Whales, Francois Gohier 1994

  • Shells Sticker Book, G. Saunders 2002

Ages 4-12

  • ZooBooks Aquatic Animals Series (includes Seals & Sealions, Dolphins & Porpoises, Sharks, Whales, Turtles, Seabirds, Sea Otters, and Penguins).

  • The Great Undersea Search, Kate Needham 1996

  • The Night Sky Spotter’s Guide, N. Henlust & S. Aitkinson 2000

Web Resources for Kids