Baja California
Baja California, in a few days
A two-week loop from La Paz: up Highway 1 to the Jesuit missions of Loreto, the oasis of San Ignacio and its grey whale lagoon, then back down by Concepción Bay and Magdalena Bay to Todos Santos, Cabo San Lucas and the reef at Cabo Pulmo. The map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep.
- Day by day
- 1 La Paz Days 1-2
- 2 Loreto Days 3-4
- 3 San Ignacio Days 5-6
- 4 Mulegé Days 7-8
- 5 Puerto San Carlos Day 9
- 6 Todos Santos Day 10
- 7 Cabo San Lucas Days 11-12
- 8 Cabo Pulmo Days 13-14
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
La Paz
A five-kilometre seafront along the bay, the shallow water of Playa Balandra, and boats out to the uninhabited island of Espíritu Santo and its sea lions.
- A day by boat to Espíritu Santo, with the sea lions of Los Islotes · from Out to the uninhabited island, UNESCO-listed in 2005, and on to the rocks of Los Islotes, where the sea lion colony lives.
- The Malecón
- Playa Balandra
- Isla Espíritu Santo
- Whale sharks
Loreto
The first lasting mission in Baja California, founded in 1697, with a marine national park in front of it and the Sierra de la Giganta behind.
- Boat trip in Loreto Bay National Park · from The marine park created in 1996, seen from the water: dolphins, sea lions and rays, and blue whales in winter.
- The Loreto mission
- Misión San Javier
- Loreto Bay National Park
- The Sierra de la Giganta
San Ignacio
A palm oasis of date trees around a spring-fed pool, a stone mission church finished in 1786, and the lagoon where the grey whales spend the winter.
- By boat among the grey whales of San Ignacio Lagoon (15 December to 30 April) · from The lagoon is 59 km from the village, the last 15 on a dirt track, and in winter the grey whales come into it.
- Las Tres Vírgenes
- The San Ignacio Kadakaamán mission
- The San Ignacio oasis
- San Ignacio Lagoon
Mulegé
An oasis mission, a prison without bars, and the beaches of Concepción Bay right beside Highway 1. Santa Rosalía and its metal church are just up the coast.
- Santa Rosalía
- The Santa Rosalía de Mulegé mission
- The old prison
- Concepción Bay
Puerto San Carlos
A 50-kilometre bay closed off by sand islands, the largest mangroves on the peninsula, and grey whales in winter.
- By boat among the grey whales of Magdalena Bay (1 January to 30 April) · from A small boat out into the 50-kilometre bay behind its sand islands, where the grey whales spend the winter.
- Magdalena Bay
- The mangroves
- Puerto Adolfo López Mateos
Todos Santos
A Pueblo Mágico sitting right on the Tropic of Cancer, with big Pacific surf on the beaches around it.
- Surf lesson at Los Cerritos · from Los Cerritos is one of the Pacific beaches around Todos Santos, where the waves are strong. A lesson is the way in.
- The Nuestra Señora del Pilar mission
- The Tropic of Cancer
- The Pacific beaches
Cabo San Lucas
The granite arch at the very tip of the peninsula, where the Pacific meets the gulf, and the older mission town of San José del Cabo next door.
- Boat to the Arch and Lover's Beach · from The granite arch at the end of the peninsula and the beach beside it on the Sea of Cortez side, reached from the water.
- El Arco
- Playa del Amor
- San José del Cabo
- Whales
Cabo Pulmo
A village by the oldest of the three coral reefs on the Pacific coast of North America, protected as a national park since 1995.
- Snorkelling on the Cabo Pulmo reef · from The oldest of the three coral reefs on the Pacific coast of North America, a national park since 1995, with the village clubs taking you out.
- The Cabo Pulmo reef
- The national park
- Los Barriles
Worth sorting before you go
Hire a car · A single highway crosses this desert between two seas: two lanes, no tolls, villages far apart, cattle on the road at night and potholes. Drive in daylight and fill the tank in every town.
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Tacos al pastor: pork marinated and carved off a vertical spit, with pineapple and coriander.
- Mole: a sauce of chillies and chocolate, built from twenty ingredients or more.
- Guacamole and antojitos: avocado, quesadillas and the wide Oaxacan tlayuda.
- Tamales: corn dough with a filling, steamed inside a leaf.
- Mezcal and tequila: sipped slowly, not thrown back.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Drink bottled water only, ice included once you leave the hotels.
- Check which areas are advised against before you go, and use Uber or a registered taxi.
- Keep valuables out of sight and carry little cash.
- Haggle in the markets, but not down to nothing: the craft took days.
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/baja-california
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos: Pexels and Wikimedia Commons (Christopher Javier Cuenca García, CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Kirt Edblom from Corvallis, Oregon, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 ; Juan.osunacastro, CC BY-SA 3.0 ; Farwestern Photo by Gregg M. Erickson, CC BY 3.0 ; Carlos Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Legion007k, CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, CC BY-SA 2.0 ; panza.rayada, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Details are indicative, check before you leave.