As our boat chugged slowly out of Loreto Harbor, three tween girls readied themselves at the vessel’s prow. Life jackets on, sunscreen applied and eyes on the sea, they had high expectations. Dolphins, sea lions and blue-footed boobies are among the residents of Loreto Bay National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico’s Baja California Sur — and the girls were eager to make friends.
Sure enough, the sea delivered. We sped across the glass-like water for a mere 10 minutes before spotting pods of dolphins in the distance, frolicking in the wake of a few other boats between us and Isla Coronados, our destination for the day. The girls volleyed between squealing with delight and pointing to the latest dolphin dancing with our boat.
At least 20 minutes went by this way, as Rafael Murillo Pelayo, our boat captain and guide with Loreto Sea and Land Tours, steered us in circles, enticing the dolphins with more waves to play in. We could keep this up, he said, or move along in search of of the marine park’s next treasure. Enticed, the group agreed to press on.
Tours in Loreto Bay National Park will please visitors of all ages.
Credit: 2024 Chanin VictorAdventures in Loreto By Sea
Five islands (Coronados, Carmen, Danzante, Monserrate and Catalana) and their surrounding waters are protected in Loreto Bay National Park, all of them uninhabited but accessible via boat. Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic cruises these waters on Baja itineraries, but visitors can also kayak, spot migrating whales, scuba dive and fish with local operators, including Loreto Sea and Land Tours, Blue Nation Baja, Dolphin Dive Baja and Wild Loreto.
Our circumnavigation of Isla Coronados continued well past our dolphin sighting. A colony of sea lions greeted us next, barking from their rocky perches and sunning themselves in the sea. We spotted a few blue-footed boobies hanging out on the faces of the island's volcanic rock walls. Once anchored in a nearby inlet, I put on a wetsuit and jumped in the water, followed by my 11-year-old daughter, Olivia. (Like sea lions, tweens are funny animals when one drops in the sea, another may very well follow. Soon enough, we were all bobbing in the ocean.)
Our faces in the water, we watched the schools of tropical fish, light blue and orange sea stars, trumpet fish and puffer fish below us. Even the sea lions joined the fun — it’s a wonder that an animal so clamorous (and stinky, if we’re being honest) on land is so graceful and captivating in the water.
An hour later, Raffa steered us farther around Coronados, until we reached a white-sand beach with dazzling aquamarine water. Day-trippers sipped beer under palapas, but on this particularly beautiful January day, we needed no shade — we snacked on homemade bean and machaca (dried meat) burritos, our toes in the sand, sad that our tour was near its end.
An excursion to Mission San Javier is an option from Loreto.
Credit: 2024 Esther CarlstoneAdventures in Loreto By Land
Entertaining kids in a marine park is a relatively easy task, and yet Loreto is diverting by land, as well. Anchored by the majestic remnants of Mission of Our Lady of Loreto (built in 1697, and considered the beginning of the Spanish mission system), Loreto’s walkable core is charmingly quiet. We strolled the plaza and boardwalk with friends, ate paletas (Mexican ice pops) daily and sampled fish tacos, mole and more at local restaurants (Mi Loreto, Super Burro and El Zopilote Brewing Company were our favorite stops). And the most authentic of souvenirs was procured: two kilos of corn and flour tortillas from the town’s beloved Tortilleria Dulce Daniela.
Inland, clients will find even more history and beauty. Within an hour’s drive of the shore, clients might marvel at the San Javier Mission, completed in 1797 and still operational today. Or, families can play the role of rancheros at Rancho Viejo, a working goat farm that’s been in the same family for generations. On our visit, young goats tumbled over one another to feed on hay while proprietor Shary Romero taught us to milk the goat mothers. She chuckled lightly as we fumbled at the work, but we were still rewarded for our labor — this liquid gold becomes cheese right here on the ranch, and we were soon sampling some alongside beans and fresh tortillas that we helped stretch and fire.
The next morning, a hike in an arroyo was in order. Wide and walled in by ancient layers of rock, Arroyo San Telmo is just 15 minutes from town, yet a world away. Olivia surprised me, hiking more than 1 mile in and another mile back out without a single disparaging word or whine — particularly impressive when you consider the rock bed we traversed. Wildflowers and a teeny frog captured her attention, as did dry sticks and thorns that she and a friend fashioned into spears. They were Baja navigators, ready for anything.
Where to Stay in Loreto
La Mision Loreto Hotel is an obvious choice for clients — it sits right on the malecon, has an oceanfront pool and pretty rooms and suites with mountain or ocean views, plus pozole and birria (a meat stew or soup) at its breakfast buffet. Other options include Posada del Cortes, Posada de los Flores and Hotel Oasis. At the latter, a traditional clambake (the mollusks are fired with burning Baja plants chamizo and romerillo) and cafe de talega coffee service draw guests and non-guests alike.
