Gulf of California

On my 3rd road trip to Sonora, Mexico from Los Angeles I decided to reserve a boat tour to Isla San Jorge, part of the 'Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California' world heritage site. During previous visits I had primarily focused on El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve. Typically each trip was 4 days and we always entered and departed Mexico from the Lukeville Port of Entry in Arizona. On the way to the border, you will drive through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the location being quiet far from population centers, you can expect a relatively quick border crossing. November through March are all excellent times to visit, I would avoid the Summer.

1st Trip: February - March 2014

2nd Trip: December 2016 - January 2017

3rd Trip: November - December 2024

During this recent trip, I wanted to visit the small island of San Jorge (Bird Island). The cost is $114 per person and its mostly a full day experience. From Puerto Penasco's harbor, you will depart at 8am and return by 4pm (approximate). The boat keeps a leisurely pace and it will takes about 2 hrs and 15 minutes to arrive at Isla San Jorge (if you get motion sickness, plan accordingly). Once you arrive, you can snorkel, kayak, swim, or simply focus on the wildlife (birding, photography). For visitors interested in scuba diving, this can also potentially be arranged (inquire in advance). I focused …

I visited this WHS in January 2022 focusing on the Islas Marietas National Park. Depending on the tide and weather conditions, the boat tour companies with the most expensive prices from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (full day trips) and Punta Mita, Nayarit do half day trips including a stop and swim in the instagram famous hidden beach, and two more snorkelling and swimming points along another beach of the Marietas Islands.

Make sure to allow more than one day just in case weather isn't good, and when booking at least a day in advance, stress that you would like to visit the hidden beach at the earliest time in the morning to make sure the daily limit isn't reached. Just outside the rocky outcrop leading to the hidden beach from the sea, national guards patrol the area to make sure only visitors with 2 appropriate bands on their hand are given helmets and lifejackets to swim to the hidden beach. From the time you start swimming to the beach you're allowed around 30 minutes and then you have to swim back to your boat. We booked a private tour and knowing that most tours leave the hidden beach as their second or third stop during the Islas Marietas tour, we specifically asked to head straight there, ignoring the whales and dolphins other boats had spotted far out at sea, in favour of getting to the hidden beach first. Drones are not allowed any longer to protect the birds so …

Before I started researching for my 2022 Mexico trip, I hadn’t given the Gulf of California WHS much thought. Maybe it’s the uninspirational name or the fact that no less than 12 reserved areas all over the place are included so it seems to lack focus. In its nomination dossier, it compared itself to the Galapagos, Henderson Island, and Gough Island. While the others are more remote and pristine, after now having visited I must say there’s a whole lot of truth in this. Also, Argentina’s Peninsula Valdes came to my mind as a similar site.

I visited location #5: Bahia de Loreto National Park. From La Paz, where my plane landed, I first drove 3 hours through nothing. It was such a boring drive that I was afraid to fall asleep behind the wheel. Then the landscape suddenly changed: it became a kind of Grand Canyon with cactus forests, the Sierra de la Giganta. Only behind this massive mountain range, the Gulf becomes visible. There’s a great viewpoint along highway 1 (Mirador Chuenque), where you have an overview of several of the islands in the bay. There are 5 larger islands in Bahia de Loreto, and many smaller islets.

For an easy tick of the site, you can walk along Loreto’s malecon or on its beaches. I did so on my first evening in town and especially enjoyed watching the Brown pelicans fishing. They are pretty creatures with their reddish and ochre neck and pouch. When …

We visited this world heritage site over a period of 8 days. One recommendation (based on your own resources), spend a bit more with established tour companies to get a more full experience of the major components that make this enormous natural WHS unique. We primarily used "Cabo Adventures" and they are professional and offer basics like sunset tours to more serious excursions to places like Cabo Pulmo National Park. It is also possible to rent your own vehicle, but it's not an absolute requirement, since there is a bus system that connects Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loretto, and pretty much the whole Baja Peninsula for reasonable prices. I will return to other components of this WHS in the future, it's so expansive and vast that it will be rewarding to return.

Cabo Pulmo - "The coral reef at Cabo Pulmo is one of the most important in the Gulf of California and in the eastern Pacific." UNESCO Description

In our experience Cabo Pulmo National Park was exceptional and worth the time and effort to get there. In fact, from Cabo San Lucas or La Paz it's about 2.5 hours by chartered van. The last 10 kilometers (approximate) of the journey is on a dirt road that is pretty bumpy and passenger cars are sometimes known to have issues passing this final stretch. The small village of a couple hundred people has no running water or electricity, everything they might have is via generator, solar panels, or …

Where I am on the Gulf of California is a perfect example of why this is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In Kino Bay (Bahia de Kino), the desert meets the bay, forming a fascinating juxtaposition of habitats. This area is Eco-oriented, has a full-time Marine Science Center where classes for college students and community members are taught and research data has been being gathered on sea birds, whales and more for years now. The diversity of marine and land life is unique and it is so important to maintain this habitat for current and future generations. The Seri (Comcaac) Nation is just a bit north and this beautiful and talented group of people who have resided here for so long is In the process of passing on their unique language and songs. It is vitally important that this fishing village keeps its focus on the natural world, enhancing the surrounding habitats and providing education about the unique gifts this land offers. The value of this area lies not in being a vacation land and resort for those who wish to escape and play, but, rather, in standing in representation of all that is beautiful, mysterious and pristine on this Earth of ours. Thank you UNESCO. Now, let's the rest of us follow through to make sure this designation is honored.

Visit the Gulf of California's crystal-clear waters and you'll thank God you learned to swim. You won't know which way to look as hundreds of fish species swim around you, going about their day in this sunny stretch of water.

Bring your sunscreen -- we were sunburned even through the t-shirts we wore snorkeling -- and watch out for sharks; this is prime habitat for both hammerheads and great whites. You'll be grateful you took the plunge, though, and we recommend camping on one of the islands rather than staying in La Paz or (God forbid) one of those tourist traps like Cabo San Lucas.