American Safari Cruises Explores People as well as Places in Mexico's Sea of Cortés

SEATTLE, WA – Travelers who want to meet the people in the places they visit have unique opportunities on American Safari Cruises’ sailings in Mexico’s Sea of Cortés. Against the rugged backdrop of the Biosphere Reserve and its protected islands, guests aboard the company’s 22-guest, 120-foot yacht Safari Quest interact with island families, mainland ranchers, fishermen and small-town residents.

The yacht is the only vessel to bring guests to the tiny rock island of Isla Coyote, the single permanent settlement in the biosphere. Inhabited by several fishing families for more than 100 years, the island has no water; residents must fetch water in La Paz, transporting it in multi-gallon plastic containers in small, open fishing boats, a four-hour ride each way.
           
But when the Safari Quest is in the Sea of Cortés November through March, all that changes: The yacht fills the containers right there, sharing up to 2,000 gallons of fresh water from its desalinization plant. In return, yacht guests are invited to explore the tiny village, meet the handful of residents, watch the fishermen clean and preserve their catch, and see the hundreds of pelicans that call Isla Coyote home.
           
On this same itinerary, guests meet Alejo, an inland rancher who travels on horseback for half a day to meet the yacht in a secluded bay. He brings his family – grown children, grandchildren and the women who fashion jewelry from native stones, shells and silver. He also brings a string of mules, saddled and ready to take guests on a trail ride through the arroyos to a sugar-sand beach.
           
Safari Quest guests get close to gray whales and meet the locals in Bahia Magdalena when they ride with fishermen in small boats called “pangas.” In addition, they meet residents of colonial Loreto, a small town on the verge of being discovered, and learn the art of tortilla making firsthand from a renowned restaurateur.
           
The Safari Quest is in the Sea of Cortés until April 8, then will return for Nov. 13, 2008 through April 7, 2009. For information: 888/862-8881 or www.amsafari.com.

About American Safari Cruises: Now in its 11th year, the company offers luxury yacht cruises in Alaska’s Inside Passage, Mexico’s Sea of Cortés, Hawaii, the Columbia and Snake rivers, and the Pacific Northwest. The company has four yachts: 145-foot, 36-guest Safari Explorer; 120-foot, 22-guest Safari Quest; 112-foot, 12-guest Safari Escape; and105-foot, 12-guest Safari Spirit. ASC was named one of the world’s top 5 luxury small ship/specialty cruise lines of 2007 by Virtuoso, luxury-travel agent consortium.