Adventure in Bahía de Loreto

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Looking for an adventure in the less-traveled part of Baja California? Read on for an adventure in Bahía de Loreto, Mexico. 
“This is an Adam tree,” said Rafa, our guide. “It’s called the Adam tree because, without rain, it always looks naked, except for the red flower.”
Rafael Murillo, a certified guide, tour leader, and scuba diver from Sea and Land Tours , led the line of hikers across the top of a coral dune towards the foot of the Coronados volcano. The air temperature was higher than 14C (over 70F) degrees, but we could feel the solar heat without an inkling of shade and a bright Gulfo de California sun. It was the start of the day’s adventures exploring Bahía de Loreto in Baja Sur, Mexico.
Adventure in Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto
In the cool of the morning, following a buffet breakfast at host Hotel Oasis in Loreto, we set sail on a small watercraft across Bahía de Loreto and into Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto , the Mexican national marine park that Jacques Cousteau once called “the aquarium of the world” in tribute for its diverse species of fish and sea mammals.
We drifted quietly into the cove at Playa Isla Coronados, observing the protected gull nesting area. The birds watched us curiously, and a few cawed their mournful cry. Although the island was of volcanic origin, millennia of rising and falling sea levels and eruptions left the island’s shores coated with white coral beaches and dunes. This was a distinctly different color and texture compared with the grey volcanic sands on the beach at the waterfront hotel.
Climbing a Volcano
Beaching the boat on the white sands, we started our trek up the Coronados Volcano, rising above the blue waters of Golfo de California.
Heading from the prehistoric coral beach on Isla Coronados in Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto , we made our way to the first climb on the dead volcano slopes. Part of a week of adventure, learning, and good eating, we were in Loreto as Visit Baja California Sur guests.
The First Climb
We hiked up about 10,000 years from the beach onto the top of a coral dune. That four-meter (13-foot) elevation change took ten millennia to form on the island. The shape of petrified coral colonies is still visible in the now-white rock marking the arroyos along the trail.
The coral dunes close to the cove are environmentally sensitive. In the Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto, a boardwalk marks the hiking trail across the most sensitive areas. Photo by Ivette Granados
“The going gets tough from here,” said Rafa as we huddled for a short rest. “Step gently on the loose rocks, and you won’t slip.”
The Second Hike
He demonstrated how to climb the crumbling lava rocks smashed into golf-to-baseball-sized gravel. Imitating Rafa’s movements, we carefully picked our way up the steep trail, a nearly sheer rise of 12 meters (42 feet) to the next terrace.
The author straggles behind the group across a lava field on Coronados Volcano during the hike to return to the beach. Photo by Ivette Granados
We topped the climb onto the second terrace and, after a short level walk, faced another trek up 49 meters (160 feet) to the third terrace. Three of us dropped out of the climb after puffing up to that terrace.
Some of us were puffing and struggling to make the climb, but we made it to the third terrace. At that stage, three of us dropped out of the climb, and one of our guides and two of the hikers made the trek to the top of the volcano. Photo by Arthur McMahon
The Final Trek Up the Volcano
“It wasn’t too bad after that place where we all stopped,” said Arthur McMahon , an editor and writer from Eugene, Oregon. He and another in our group, Shoshi, climbed to the rim of the nearly 300-meter (under 1,000-foot) volcano. “We headed on the trail across a grassy field. It reminded me of Eastern Oregon and the California deserts. The rest of the climb wasn’t too bad.”
The trio of hikers—Arthur, Helene, and Shoshi—made it to the rim of the Coronados Volcano, more than 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) above Bahía de Loreto. “Incredible” is how photographer McMahon described the view. Photo by Arthur McMahon
The terrain and landscape also caught the eye of Steven Zylstra, President and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, based in Phoenix. Steve, and his wife, Fanny, have a leasehold on a house in Loreto.
“There are many similarities with Arizona’s landscape and climate,” he said. “It’s a comfortable place for Arizonans.”
“Those first two climbs were the worst,” McMahon said. “There was a large volcanic field of just broken lava that we crossed before climbing to the rim. It was hard coming down because the trail wasn’t that visible, but Helene (Gonzalez Rabazo, another guide from Sea and Land Tours) led the way.”
McMahon said the view from the edge of the caldera was terrific. “You have this beautiful landscape of the Baja Peninsula on one side and the Gulf of California on the other,” he said. “We could see other large islands north of Bahía de Loreto.”
Yacht Spotting and Snakes Slithering During Our Adventure in Bahía de Loreto
While McMahon, Helene, and one other made the hike to the top of the volcano, the rest of us trekked across the coral dunes to the south edge of the island that was open to Golfo de California.
As we hiked across the spit on the soft white sand of the trail, Rafa held us back as we saw a long black snake stretched out in the sun across our route. As he identified it as a harmless reptile, it took off at a fast slither and disappeared into the underbrush in seconds.
On the crest of the dunes above the turquoise waters, a few minutes later, we saw several large yachts, including one with a built-in-the-hull garage for its shore tender.
Across Bahía de Loreto, where yachts are anchored for the night, the Coronados Volcano on Isla Coronados lures hikers to climb to the rim of its caldera. Photo by Eric Jay Toll
Ivette Granados, our host from Visit Baja California Sur, is a marine geologist with education and experience. She pointed to the beach below us. “You can see the remnants of the coral colonies where wave action eroded the dune’s edge,” she said.
The long white stone tendrils dripping down the embankment were once living coral. Leaving this geologic amazement behind, we took a shortcut across the spit down to the beach, where our boat awaited the next leg of the adventure in Bahía de Loreto.
Snorkeling with Sea Lions
At the front of the little craft, Helene prepared a lunch of ceviche burros, guacamole, and finger food while we headed out from the beach, leaving the glass-smooth turquoise clear water behind and moving into the rippling open gulf. Rafa directed the pilot past Nefertiti rock, a black lava formation on an Isla Coronados point resembling the Egyptian queen.
“It’s not really its name,” said Rafa. “But to me, she looks like an African queen.”
Although not its name, guide Rafa Murillo said that to him, this basalt formation on Isla Coronados looked like Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. Photo by Eric Jay Toll
We puttered around the next cove and into clear turquoise water populated by a large colony of sea lions. The dog-like, massive mammals barked a greeting as the boat came into the cove. Several splashed into the water and floated on their backs close to the boat, eyeing us curiously.
“Swimming with the sea lions was the trip’s highlight for me,” said Jun, stripping out of her wetsuit after snorkeling in the cove of Cousteau’s living aquarium. “We saw schools of colorful fish, and the sea lions swam right up to us.”
Camryn Jun, a hiker in the group from Orange County, California, said one colossal bull slid into the water and floated on its back underneath her, looking at her curiously. “He was huge, and being that close to something that large was an incredible experience.”
Swimming with the sea lions. Photo by Eric Jay Toll
Our group spent nearly an hour in the cove snorkeling and drifting into the open gulf to swing around the lee side of the cove. There, we saw baby sea lions nesting beside their mothers and several more bulls plunked into the water to drift near the boat and the swimmers.
Back in the boat, we motored by a protected nesting area for pelicans and gulls and then headed back across the bay to Loreto, about a 20-minute sail.
5,000-Year-Old Cliff Paintings
“We drove north about an hour and a half [on Baja Route 1], then 40 minutes speeding on a dirt road in Rafa’s jeep,” said McMahon. “We pulled into an unnamed canyon and hiked to see the petrographs [cave and canyon paintings] painted 5,000 years ago on the cliff walls.”
McMahon, a trail runner and backpacking enthusiast, said this canyon hike was the highlight of his adventure in Loreto.
“There are places perfectly safe to hike on your own,” he said. “This was something extraordinary; it was like getting lost and being somewhere no one else has gone. I’d definitely recommend hiring a guide and taking some of these hikes.”
He said there was no marked trail, but the wash on the canyon floor was easy to follow. They could drive to the canyon’s mouth, but a 4.5-meter scramble (15 feet) up to the next level stopped the ride.
“It wasn’t bad getting to the next level, and then we saw the petrographs,” McMahon said. “Rafa pointed out which were the oldest and which were newer. It’s stunning that they have lasted so many years in this climate. Without a local guide, I would never have ever found these.”
Horseback Riding Adventure in Bahía de Loreto
“We drove about 40 minutes south of Loreto to this working cattle ranch,” said Colleen Lanin, founder and editor of TravelMamas.com , based in Scottsdale, Arizona. “They had fine working horses to ride, and the horses were well treated and happy to hit the trail. My guide, Mario (Perez), was a real character.”
Writer Colleen Lanin sits astride her horse on the shores of Bahía de Loreto on a ride with guide Mario Perez across the desert to the sea. Photo by Colleen Lanin
Lanin said they left the ranch and rode towards Golfo de California through the desert. She was riding with Mario Perez of Loretours Perez .
“I suddenly started ‘hearing’ the song, ‘Horse With No Name’ in my head and said so to Mario,” she said. “He started playing with his phone, and suddenly, there was the song. We were singing along, and I swear the horses were stepping in rhythm to, ‘I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name; it felt good to be out of the rain.’”
Lanin recounted that they came to a tiny village, Ligui, with “maybe a dozen homes.”
“As we entered, all these tiny chihuahuas started barking,” she said. “Then this little boy, probably around four years old, was jumping up and down shouting, ‘Caballos! Caballos!’ It was so cute; he was so excited.”
Caballos is the Spanish word for horses.
“We reached the beach and rode along the gulf. It was so beautiful,” she said. “I highly recommend doing this.”
Dolphins Playing with the Boat
We boarded a fishing boat early one morning and headed into Bahía de Loreto towards Islas Danzante and del Carmen. Our first stop was Honeymoon Cove , an isolated, protected turquoise water setting with a white sand beach. Hidden from the Bahía de Loreto and Golfo de California, the cove’s water was warm for swimming. It’s part of the Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto.
“It’s called ‘Honeymoon Cove,’” said Outpost Charters Captain Juan Antonio Romero Salgado. “Because of its calmness and privacy. Many couples come here.”
After a short swim, we headed around the south end of Isla Danzante to Window Rock. Pounding waves, wind, and storms carved this natural feature to create a massive arch between two coves through a spit of volcanic rock.
Dolphins playfully keep pace with the boat. Photo by Eric Jay Toll
As we headed across Bahía de Loreto towards Isla del Carmen, two bottle-nose dolphins suddenly burst out of our towering wake and splashed back into the water. Seconds later, either they or two more did the same thing. Then one of the dolphins leaped high into the air arching back into the bay.
Camy Jun said the dolphins were a highlight of the trip for her. “They are so beautiful, so graceful,” she enthused. “I will never forget seeing them alongside the boat and jumping out of the water.”
Mexico’s Best Secret Town
“The thing about Loreto is that it is an authentic town, and it’s not touristy,” mused Zylstra. “It has its tourist area, like where we live, but it’s a small town that’s pristine and not commercial.”
Jun echoed Zylstra’s experience, “In the town, everyone is so friendly to each other. You can see that so many know each other.”
She said that even with our small group of visitors, some recognized us after a day. They were friendly and greeted everyone as we moved through Centro, the central plaza with its historic city hall, and along the Malecon, the waterfront walkway.
Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, is a welcoming little town. Photo by Emily_M_Wilson via iStock by Getty Images
“We never heard of Loreto,” said Zylstra. “But two of our friends were familiar with it and spoke so highly about it that we had to check it out. We ended up buying a house in one of the enclaves.”
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When You Head Out for Your Adventure in Loreto, Baja California Sur
Loreto is located about midway down the coast of Golfo de California in the Baja California Sur peninsula.
Shoreline of Loreto, Mexico. Photo by Claudia Cooper via iStock by Getty Images
It’s served by several major airlines with direct flights from Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Mexico City, and Canada on American Airlines, Volaris, WestJet, and Alaska Airlines. The tourism bureau, Visit Baja California Sur , has a wealth of information about the region. Let  Wander With Wonder be your travel guide when planning a trip to Baja Sur or elsewhere in Mexico . We also have more ideas for adventure vacations or beachfront getaways .
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Adventure in Bahía de Loreto
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