Baja, California, Mexico 2015

 These comments are based on our first visit to the Baja for 5 weeks, November-December 2015. We did two kayak trips and explored some of the natural areas by car. We found the kayaking offered a nice mix of paddling, hiking and snorkeling. The canyon visits offered  quality canyons, desert flora & fauna and some great swimming.

I couldn't imagine visit in southern Baja in summer unless you were a super-keen fisherman. Summer's are reputed to be hot and humid. When we arrived in late October, it  was still quite warm. November was very nice, still hot in the afternoon sun, but the evenings were quite pleasant. We mostly camped without a fly, as it would have been too warm with it on. As December progresses, the nights become progressively longer & cooler and more importantly, the water temperature drops considerably and the water doesn't warm up to November levels till May or June when the air temperatures becomes too warm. So our preferred time of year to visit would be November. If you are not interested in getting into the water, February-March would be good candidates.

It had been a relatively wet summer "monsoon", so the canyons were flowing with water, which I imagine would diminish by Spring.

The downside to November was that the sand flies (jéjenes) were in evidence and I'm sure their numbers drop off through the winter. November is supposed to be a fairly calm month on the Sea of Cortes, but we had strong Nortes through the month, which locals said were more characteristic of January.

We chose to fly into San Jose del Cabo (SJD) rather than to drive there from BC, Canada. Westjet flies directly into Loreto, but only during certain months of the year.

Public transport-There are excellent inter-city buses available (Aguila, and Eco-Baja Tours to the airport), which tend to cost about 10USD/hour.  It is sometimes worthwhile buying your ticket in advance, but the buses were fairly quiet when we traveled. We chartered a van (Dos Mares) to collect us on arrival at SJD, (we were 6 to start) and deliver us to La Paz. It cost more than the bus but it shortened the transfer after the flights in.

Car Rentals-Although the initial sticker price of daily car rentals seems inexpensive, most clients are forced to take on daily insurance, even if you have your own, which adds another 20USD/day to the cost. But once you have a car, camping becomes a nice option, which saves you the cost of a hotel room. We accessed all of the canyons referred to in these notes with a regular car, driving along unimproved roads with care.

Kayak rentals - We rented singles from two different outfitters who do not compete with each other directly, because they operate in separate areas. "Sea Kayak Baja Mexico" in Loreto rents out quality boats and accessories (ie NDK kayaks and Werner carbon paddles) and a professional organization to match. Their rental rates include park fees, transport to and fro Loreto. They provided us with daily marine forecasts via satellite each day. "Mar y Aventuras" in La Paz, costs much less. They were very conscientious and got us in and out on time. However, their kayaks and paddles were poor. They did float and we got to where we wanted to go. 

Guided kayak tours: there are plenty of them out there and the costs are quite reasonable. Everyone we had encountered who had been on a guided trip was happy with the quality of the experience. The guides all seemed to be excellent. Guided trips would be a good option for inexperienced paddlers, people on their own, time constrained travelers or those looking to improve their skills (the Loreto based "Sea Kayak Baja Mexico" guides in particular provide excellent coaching). On the other hand, we found the paddling conditions and navigation straight forward. We had more flexibility, earlier starts and camped on smaller beaches than the groups did.

We stayed in two hotels over 5 weeks and camped the rest of the time.  Our hotels could be considered to be economic and comfortable. In Loreto, we stayed at Hostal Casas Loreto, which was relatively new, central and run by a warm, welcoming, dedicated Abel. He normally made coffee for the guests early morning and even had a small kitchen, which was handy, particularly for breakfast. In La Paz, we stayed at the Lorimar, just a block and a half from the Malecon, a central location. It was also fairly close to the central market for breakfast fruit licuados (smoothies). The hotel was slightly tired, but it had a nice open common area, good staff and reasonable rooms. Some kayakers stay at the Hotel Posada Luna Sol in La Paz (owned by the same people as"Mar y Aventuras"), which has a nice set-up, including common kitchen, a small pool and a nice breakfast. It is a 10 minute walk from the end of the Malecon.

The Internet offers a plethora of information nowadays. Both "Sea Kayak Baja Mexico" and "Mar y Aventuras" have informative websites. Dave Eckhardt's book "Kayaking in the Baja" is essentially a listing of kayak campsites for the entire Sea of Cortez. Ultimately, we could have done without the book for the two paddles that we did because the outfitters provided us with the same information and some of it was available on-line.

This is a good resource for the campsites on Isla Espirity Santo and Isla Partida (a pdf file of campsites): http://islasgc.conanp.gob.mx/igcbcs/docs/Kayaking_guide.pdf

Within the above guide, you'll find this map 

Isla Carmen campsites

Isla Danzante Campsites

As for hiking, there is some info on the web, but two useful books are "Hiking Loreto" and "50 Hikes in the Cape Region, Baja Sur". Neither are particularly well designed or written but they do provide some good ideas and help to find the trail heads. 

When we were in South Baja, late 2015, it felt pretty safe. We had heard that not much happens outside of the two Cabo resort areas. Loreto is sleepy. La Paz is a city and no doubt has some security issues, but there are typically plenty of people strolling along the Malecon at night and the streets did not feel sinister at all. Having said that, there is a visible police presence in the city. 

Isla Carmen felt remote, and we didn't even think about leaving valuables at the camp while we left them. With more boats about Isla Espiritu Santos, we gave it some consideration, but no more than we would in any similar place. While car camping, we camped wild away from main roads without any issues.

We chose to focus on two island trips rather than paddling along the coast. I figured that islands might offer more interesting snorkeling and hiking. Coastal paddles have the advantage of a following wind (good winter weather blows from the north) but they do have additional logistical (transfers) complexity. Perhaps, on another trip.....

We budgeted a relaxed pace of nine nights for this trip, though it could be done without huge effort in 5-6 days. The extra time allowed for extra exploration of both the underwater world and on land. We also had a couple of wind-bound days and we finished a day earlier because a strong Norte (wind) was coming in. It was fairly interesting trip. 

There are only a handful of sailboat anchorages and it was still early in the cruising season so we didn't see many sailboats. We encountered just 2 independent kayakers while on Carmen and a few more on Isla Danzante. Both sides of Carmen were equally interesting, though the NE coast felt wilder and  more remote. We camped mostly on smaller beaches and were pleasantly surprised by the snorkeling. The hiking, not technically legal, was sometimes challenging mainly because of the thick, thorny vegetation. A couple of stand-out camps would be El Refugio (though it had sand flies) and Cerro los Colorines. The water supply at Gavilones on the east side is reliable and apparently flows right through the summer.  Salinas on the east side was very buggy and we only stopped there briefly to have a look around.

Isla Danzante is stunning, but does have some day traffic and Honeymoon Cove is popular is popular with cruisers (sailboats). It is still worth a couple of nights for a full exploration.

Compared to Isla Carmen, this trip was much smaller in scale and had more tourists, but was quite beautiful. We were able to camp on small beaches and never shared a beach or bay with any other groups or boats. The islands are a popular with guided kayak tours and there are a few seasonal kayak company camps on the west side.  The snorkeling at Los Isolotes at the NW tip was outstanding (particularly before any of the day boats arrived from La Paz around 10:00am). We stretched out the trip to 8 nights to allow for plenty of both snorkel and hiking opportunities.

We did not paddle from La Paz, nor did we paddle from the Baja peninsula, but opted for a water taxi operated by "Mar y Aventuras". This allowed us to take advantage of three calm days before another Norte moved in so that we could explore the more exposed Isla Partida.  We stayed on small coarse sand beaches and didn't have any bug issues, while the kayak group tours (and seasonal camps) stayed on larger (albeit more beautiful) beaches but they encountered plenty of bugs. Once a Norte kicks in, we kept to the southern part of Isla Espiritu Santos which is more protected and we stayed on more open (buggier) beaches because the wind kept the bugs away. We did paddle around Isla Partida, but with a possible (late) hurricane moving in and a strong Norte that blew in, we kept to the west side of Espiritu Santos and were able to creep up part of the east side so that we could visit the simply outstanding Bonanaza beach. With the strong winds, there were no day trippers venturing over to the east side, so we had Bonanaza beach entirely to ourselves for two days. El Embudo (NW Isla Partida) and the northern corner of Bonanza Beach are great campsites.

We also returned with a water taxi from a predetermined location and with a fairly strong Norte blowing, we were happy to have made that arrangement.

We were self catering.  Some of our group had white gas stoves and they purchased fuel through the Loreto kayak outfitter. I brought along a Coleman stove that uses the green propane tanks which were available in some Baja sports stores and even in some supermarkets. 

Mexican supermarkets have come a long way. They offer an increasing variety of foods and are generally less expensive than their US or Canadian counterparts.  I'd single out the Chedraui supermarket (corner of Nicolas Bravo & Isabel La Católica) for a "go-to" re-supply depot in La Paz. Up in Loreto, the Ley was a surprisingly good supermarket as well.

To give an idea on what is available.....For breakfast; oatmeal, raisins, powdered milk are widely available. Mexican ground coffee was better than expected. Tortillas, bread, avocados, tomatoes, tuna in foil packages, so-so cheese (not a Mexican strong point), peanut butter, soft packages of fried beans/ shredded meat, jars of guacamole salsa, etc make lunches easy. Pasta, pasta sauce in tetra packs, soups, soft packages of beans and meat, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, plus a plethora of traditional Mexican foods and veggies make dinners easy too.

Loreto tortilla factories make yummy, thin wheat tortillas that held up for ten days, no problem. We didn't have as good luck in La Paz and went with a combo of local and packaged tortillas from La Paz.

Water is a big deal in the desert. The correct amount is somewhere between 3 & 4 litres per person per day, which means a lot of water. You can just squeeze by on 3 litres/day but you'll sometimes feel thirsty. With 4 litres/day, you'll likely return with extra water, which isn't a bad safety margin in case you are wind bound.You can rent MSR Dromedaries, or bring some  of your own folding water carriers and use some of the Mexican 2 to 4 litres water bottles. In Loreto, there were a few obvious water shops (reverse osmosis) and they were agreeable to fill various containers for a very minimal cost. The water shops were fewer in La Paz downtown, so we purchased a number of 10litre bottles and decanted them accordingly.

We are reasonably experienced paddlers, but by no means experts. Kayaking is always potentially dangerous.  There is no Coast Guard to whisk you out of trouble and yes, the wind can pick up quickly. However, we have the general view that it is less risky kayaking in southern Baja than where we live (British Colombia), primarily because the water is warmer and you would have more time and energy to rescue yourself or fellow paddlers. We also found that in most cases, there are a surprising number of landing places on the islands to take breaks at or get out of trouble.

1. Wind. Although November is supposed to be fairly calm, we experienced a pattern of 2-4 calm days, then 2-4 days of strong northerlies (Nortes). On many days, small vessel ports were closed due to strong winds. So most kayaks also stayed off the water on those days. In late November, we experienced 8 straight days of strong Nortes (fortunately, we were doing land based activities).

2. Wind forecasts. There are a number of websites that provide Baja marine forecasts. Both the outfitters we rented from provided us with printouts of the forecasts before leaving. While on the water, we kept up to date using a variety methods including via DeLorme In Reach ( "Sea Kayak Baja Mexico"), VHF radio (cruiser net morning broadcasts), yachts, kayak guides, etc. But amazingly, the week long forecasts of the Nortes were surprisingly accurate!

3. Sun & shade. We wore wide brimmed hats, long sleeve shirts and paddling gloves. At many of our campsites, we could find afternoon shade ( behind rock walls, etc). Afternoons were ideal for snorkeling with its own sun protective clothing (rash guard or wet suit) or walking. Long pants were important on Carmen (thorns) but Espiritu Santos was shorts and sunscreen territory. We didn't bring a tarp with us. On our first paddle, other members put a tarp up once (for sun).

4. Tides & currents. Not a big deal in southern Baja.

5. VHF radio, cell phone have more utility on the west side of the islands. VHF had some range on the east sides of the islands if you were a fair distance off-shore or on top of ridges.  There are no recurring marine forecasts on VHF bands in Mexico. Cell phones (inexpensive at "OXXO" shops) have coverage on some of the west sides of islands near La Paz & Loreto.

6. GPS. There are some reasonable digital charts around. We loaded up our GPS' with custom maps (screen shots of Google Earth), but navigation was so straight forward, that GPS is not particularly important but still nice-to-have.

7. Insects. Both Espiritu Santos and Carmen have well deserved reputations for biting insects.  Mangroves and fine white sands are to be avoided when the bugs are in bloom (after periods of rain?). Small coarse beaches had few sand flies or mosquitoes. The sand flies didn't penetrate tent netting, but open the door and they'll enter. 

8. Campsites. Mexican beaches are all public and anyone can camp on them. There didn't seem to be much point in reserving campsites in the protected areas. The winds dictated where to camp. Some groups do reserve campsites, so best to either move on or make peace with the group if you were to encounter them.

9. Hiking on the islands. Light hiking boots, running shoes or Keene sandals were sufficient for day hikes. Espiritu Santos was drier than Carmen and was easier hiking (sparse vegetation).

We brought our masks, snorkels, fins and wet suits. The November water was about 25C, so a 3mm shortie or a thin full body 0.5mm suit would keep most people warm enough for an hour or two in the water. Otherwise, a rash guard might do in a pinch.  There wasn't  loads of coral, so sometimes it was a bit like looking at fish in an underground parking lot. However, there were impressive fish numbers; we'd often see several thousand fish (excluding anchovies) in a short time. There were also plenty of moray eels and scorpion fish. Anchovy schools were interesting to observe because they attracted all kinds of predators.

This area is reputed to offer the best snorkeling of southern Baja. We didn't find any where in the Baja better than Cabo Pulmo. We spent a couple of full days just south of Cabo Pulmo, mostly snorkeling in the mornings before the wind came up too much. The beach at "Los Frailes' is a popular free RV camping area. We snorkeled at the north end of the Los Frailes beach along the rocks, and went as far as we could until we swam into a difficult current.  It was excellent; there were large numbers of fish there.  Then we stayed at nearby "Los Arbelitos", between Los Frailes and Cabo Pulmo. It's private land (a farm) which happens to have a pretty little beach and great snorkeling. For 40 pesos each, we could camp there, use the basic washrooms and take fresh water showers. It was quiet there. We found very good snorkeling at the south end of a rough path going south. One morning, a bull shark checked us out. We were limited by high winds but still really enjoyed it there.

There are plenty of tour boats that leave La Paz each morning bringing visitors out to snorkel with the winter residents. The boat operators seemed to be fairly good at ensuring that a maximum of 6 people to swim with each whale shark. The sharks feed on plankton, so when they are feeding, the water isn't always the clearest.

The imposing mountains of the Sierra Gigante offer plenty of surprises. The pleasant Arroyo Pinturas, on the road to San Javier was our first introduction to canyon environment. Further south, Canyon Ligui was the definite highlight, reminiscent of a Utah or Arizona canyon, but both the air and water temperatures were comfortable. Tabor Canyon is better known (near Puerto Escondido), but we chickened out after a rope section required going around a exposed bit, so we didn't get all the way up it.

The mountains of the Sierra Laguna are higher than those of the Gigante and the canyons are wider, but there was more running water. We decided not to go up high into the Sierra Laguna (cold overnight temperatures, high desert), but focused on the low desert rivers near Santiago. Dionosios Canyon was very quiet. We walked a couple of hours and returned and car camped in a nice spot (no one collected fees). Zorra Canyon is better known, but we got there early in the day and had the place to ourselves. We walked further up the canyon beyond the well known waterfall/swimming area to other beautiful falls. There is an entrance fee. A bit further south of Santiago is the village of Agua Caliente and still further up the road are the actual warm waters. The hot springs themselves were nothing really special, but the walk or swim up the canyon was fabulous. There is a entrance fee, and additional fee to camp there. Overnight hikes up all these canyons would be interesting.