The best extended trip in the Loreto National Park, the Carmen Island Journey spends quality time on the largest and most varied of its islands. Marine fossils, colorful cliffs, sea caves and a ghost town.
This is one of our favorite trips, in the deep heart of World Heritage territory and protected Marine Park. Get out in Nature and turn a different page every day.
Intermediate; frequent paddler. Challenging activity.
Intermediate kayaking experience is required. This includes a calm capsize, wet exit (flip over and get out), and assisted deep water re-entry. You will need stamina to paddle strongly for 2 hours at time, and up to 5 hours in a day. Experience paddling in whitecaps is essential. This trip is ideal for building intermediate skills. Please be sure you are ready for this level of learning.
Sample Itinerary – Carmen Island Journey
SELF-SUPPORTED CAMPING TRIP IN SEA KAYAKS
Subject to weather, Port closures, and other fun factors intrinsic to “Adventure” tourism.
Day 0. Meet in Loreto for a pre-trip briefing and to fit your equipment.
Day 1. Drive 15 miles south to our favorite launch. Practice the magic of making a big pile of gear disappear into kayaks. Bond with our kayaks and each other as we paddle into the Loreto National Park to make camp on Carmen Island with a spectacular view of the Sierra La Giganta mountains. 6-8 nautical miles.
Day 2. Keep an eye out for bighorn sheep on the cliffs above and colorful fish below if the water is calm. The west side of Carmen has some rock hopping opportunities and a few caves in the dark volcanic rock. It also has a variety of good snorkeling and sunsets over the Giganta mountains. Approx. 9nm.
Day 3. Weather permitting, start around the long, exposed north end of the island. Got the feeling that you’re really headed out there? You are! Camp in a hidden beach, tucked behind a turn of the coastline pocked with sea caves. It’s arguably Carmen’s most beautiful beach, with turquoise water and white cliffs. 8 nm.
Day 4. Tackle the most exposed NE point of the island, with a small colony of sea lions to welcome you. Carmen’s east side has the most colorful rocks and a view to the open horizon. Few landings provide haven here, so enjoy the ride! Camp down the beach from Salinas, Loreto National Marine Park’s only ghost town at the old salt mine. 13nm.
Day 5. Stretch your legs with a walk past the old salt works. Paddle out to an old shallow shipwreck a mile offshore and tie the kayaks up to a buoy for a unique snorkeling experience.
Day 6. We pause in our journey today to restock water and rinse the salt out of your PFD zipper. Maybe your hair too, and a few other bits! Continue down Carmen Island to Arroyo Blanco, a sand/pebble beach between white cliffs sprinkled with fossil shells and the white fragments of rhodoliths. A short hike between canyon walls of white marine layers packed with shells is worth the effort. Good snorkeling here too, and spectacular views from the clifftop. 8nm.
Day 7. Finish the length of Carmen Island and enjoy a camp on Punta Baja, almost completely surrounded by sea. See the western mountains again. Seabirds populate the offshore rocks as the tide drops. Blue footed boobies, pelicans, terns and cormorants jostle for the best perches. 6nm.
Day 8. Hop over to Danzante Island. Hike a nature trail through an arroyo up to a vista point. In addition to the great variety of plants, we’ve seen cardinals, hummingbirds in the nest, canyon wrens, gila woodpeckers, a little snake eating a centipede, 2 scorpions fighting, a pair of 6ft rattlers battling over a mate, and of course, the magnificent frigates soaring over it all. 3-9nm.
Day 9. Layover a day to explore Danzante’s coastline, or visit the southern sea stacks and their sea bird populations. This plan also gives some flexibility in case of windy days early on. Savor the final night under the stars! 8nm circumnavigation.
Day 10. Cross back to the beach where we started. Unpack and discover that can of tuna you’d been looking for all week. 4-6nm.
Day After. Relax in Loreto. Or fly out to tell your friends how much confidence you gained, and to plan the next one!
You need a valid passport for international travel.
You do not need to obtain a travel visa in advance of your vacation in Mexico. During your flight you will fill out an immigration form and a customs form which you will present to the immigration and customs authorities, respectively. Your The cost of your tourist visa is included in your flight. If you are driving into Mexico, stop at the border to purchase a tourist visa for approx. $25USD. This is required for driving into the southern state of Baja, where Loreto is located.
The evening before your trip is a pre-trip meeting at our Expedition Base in Loreto. Exact time will be included in your registration follow-up emails, but it’s typically around 5pm, which gives time for you to get in and settled after your flight.
We’ll pick you up at your hotel with taxi and guide.
The luggage that’s not coming on your trip can be left securely with your hotel. The hotels listed on our Lodging page all provide this service free of charge. Check with the proprietors if you’re staying elsewhere. You may also leave your luggage with us for a modest fee.
Your safety is our top priority, and we comply with the local Port Captain who dictates when we can move about on the water.
Loreto offers a delightful escape from cold or wet northern winters. The peak kayak-camping season falls between October and early May. Temperatures can vary widely between day and night in the desert, and Loreto is no exception. Average highs are 70-80s (mid to high 20sC) and lows in the 50s (teens C).
October and late April are quite warm and settled. December through February have the greatest potential for Baja’s famous Norte winds which can last a few days. November and March are transitional. Summers are hot and humid, which makes them grand for in-water activities but a bit toasty for beach camping.
The evening before your trip is a pre-trip meeting at our Expedition Base in Loreto. Exact time will be included in your registration follow-up emails, but it’s typically around 5pm, which gives time for you to get in and settled after your flight.
Our Expedition Base is located near the center of Loreto, on Nicolas Bravo 2 doors south of the tall concrete auditorium. It is staffed at designated meeting times and during store hours.
Go to the waterfront, and turn south on the Malecon (the waterfront road/walkway). At the end of the road and walkway, turn inland (right) one block, then turn left. Pass the tall concrete building on the right, and one house. Our name is painted on the outside wall. We will be prepared to meet you at the pre-arranged meeting time, or during store hours.
Single kayaks with skegs (not foot-operated rudders) are the standard on all our trips. If you would like to paddle a double with your partner, just let us know! We are happy to provide them.
If you’re paddling a single kayak, the hatch openings you’ll be packing into are 10″ and 8″ across. These are performance kayaks, designed for the joy of paddling. Your joy in packing will be proportional to how “minimalist” you can pack.
Food, water, and kitchen equipment will be shared among all paddlers. Please plan on fitting your personal equipment into 1 or 2 hatches (there are 3: front hatch, day hatch, and rear hatch).
Tips for your guides/coaches/captains are always appreciated! Fifteen percent is typical, but completely at your discretion. Tips may be added to your credit card bill if you’d like (5% fee), or handed in cash to your lead guide at the end of the trip, to divide among the guide and captain team. Mexican pesos are ideal, but unmarked US dollars with no rips or physical damage are also good in any denomination.
Tips for taxis are included in the trip price.
Thank you!
If we cancel a trip, we will refund the full trip amount.
Please INSURE your trip with Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) insurance.
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