Sample Itinerary – Five Islands and a Coast to La Paz
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. Taxi ride from your hotel to our launch. Paddle down the coast to a campsite with a great view of the Loreto National Park islands. 4-9nm.
Day 2. Weather permitting, cross about 9nm to Isla Monserrate and begin to explore its shoreline. 12nm.
Day 3. Morning nature hike up an arroyo notable for its endemic lizards. Paddle around most of the island, snorkeling if we want, and camping with a breathtaking view of the mountains.
Day 4. Cross back to the coast at Agua Verde. Lunch on scrumptious fish tacos at a restaurant on the beach. Top up water. Round the mountainous arm of Punta Marcial to catch the first glimpse of the coast ahead. Camp in Ensenada la Ballena after about 15nm.
Day 5. Paddle along the base of mountains with bands of color. Peaks and hills play with the light. San Telmo offers a spectacular camping beach after 14nm of paddling.
Day 6. Camp behind a sweet little reef down the coast. Great snorkeling here. The reef is lively with fish and has a protected lagoon where stony coral proliferate. 10nm.
Day 7. Cross 11nm to camp on Isla Santa Cruz. Very few paddlers ever make it out here. 11nm.
Day 8. Circumnavigate the steep, rugged island. There are a few sea caves and slots we’ll poke into if the sea is calm enough to enjoy them. Meet the resupply panga to top up on fresh produce and water. 11nm.
Day 9. Cross 4nm to little Isla Dan Diego and paddle a mile along it. This is the location of study for the research paper. Then cross 5nm to the fascinating north end of Isla San Jose, with its granite spires and arches, perfect for playing if the conditions are right. Continue a few more miles down the island for a special camp. 14nm.
Day 10. This is a flexible day that could be anywhere in the schedule, for relaxing, exploring a particular location, or in case the weather dictates that we layover.
Day 11. Take a short day to a beach near Punta Colorado. It’s worth taking a few hours to hike around here and find the marine fossils (leaving them untouched, please) and admire the red sandstone and white marine layers and crazy erosion from wind and waves. 7nm.
Day 12. Finish the east side of Isla San Jose, and hop over to little Isla San Francisquito, past Isla Coyote, a rock with a precarious fishing community perched on it. 16nm.
Day 13. It’s a 5½ nm crossing directly to the coast from the closest campsite on Isla San Francisquito, a little longer to pass by the sea lion rocks Enjoy a leisurely last afternoon snorkeling or messing about in boats, or exploring the arroyo, or just soaking in the out-there experience. How can rocks possibly be so green as they are at our final camp? Geology puts on a good show here.
Day 14. There is still a bit of scenic paddling to go, with a new range of mountains layering itself into the distance and the morning sun highlighting its colors. Land at a fish camp and find all those things long hidden in the ends of your kayak. Ride the 7-hour taxi-van shuttle back to Loreto, with a stop along the way for lunch.
Day after. Wake up late because you can! Treat yourself to a well-deserved massage in Loreto, or some colorful recuerdos to take home to friends. Fly back home, carrying with you great memories of life without walls.
