Leon B
Google
Tourists, beware. The Cortez Club offers one of the most expensive grey whale watching tours—ours cost $249 per person before the additional 16% VAT. Unfortunately, the high price does not reflect the quality of the experience.
From the start, it became evident that The Cortez Club acts as a subsidiary at least when it comes to their grey whale tours, charging exorbitant prices while outsourcing the actual tour to another company. None of the staff/docks in Puerto Chale had any branding or advertisement associated with The Cortez Club whatsoever (picture attached). This was confirmed by Mexican tourists on our bus, who kindly translated that our guide works for multiple tour operators, including The Cortez Club. While this practice may not be uncommon, what was particularly frustrating was learning that local tourists paid only one-third of what we were charged.
The inflated price might have been somewhat justifiable if the tour had been well-organized. However, just 20 minutes into the trip, marine rangers intercepted our boat and ordered us back to shore because the captain lacked the required paperwork. With no reception in the area and no explanation from the crew, we had to rely on fellow passengers to translate. Watching armed officials approach without any understanding of the situation was both unsettling and entirely avoidable with proper planning. Upon returning to shore, the captain was seen pleading with the rangers to avoid being fined for not having the necessary documentation, as translated by the helpful Mexican tourists.
For the short time we were in the water, we did see grey whales—an incredible experience in itself. However, the trip was poorly managed. The boat captain provided no communication or commentary—his role was simply to drive. While the tour wasn’t advertised as educational, most wildlife excursions at least offer some basic insights, and this one completely lacked that aspect.
Given that we actually travelled all the way from Australia for the grey whales, we decided to change our flights and go with different tour companies later in the week. When we discussed our experience with The Cortez Club, other tour companies said they were surprised that we even went into the water on this particular day as the windy weather in Puerto Chale/Mag Bay would have made the experience suboptimal and difficult to interact with the whales. This then highlights how the priority of The Cortez Club is to make profit rather than provide an optimal experience to their clients.
We rarely leave negative reviews, as we understand the impact they can have on people’s livelihoods. However, the practices of this company feel unethical and disappointing. While we will absolutely return to La Paz, we will not be booking with The Cortez Club again. Unfortunately, with this operator, a high price does not equate to a high-quality experience. We genuinely hope the company takes this feedback to heart and makes improvements for the future. 🥺
