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< May, June 2000
	Features
9 Top Baja Sea Kayak Getaways Mike Everitt

Have you ever had one of those winters where it seems like it's been raining for forty days and forty nights and you can't remember exactly when it was you last saw the sun and you just freaked out at the ghostly white visage staring back at you in the bathroom mirror and then you discovered fuzzy green stuff growing between your toes and you looked outside and it's started to sleet and you're sick and tired of it all and you just want to scream?

What you need is a winter getaway, an escape to a warmer clime where you can expose that fish belly to Father Sun, dig your moldy toes into the warm sand of Mother Earth and run naked down an empty beach without worrying about what the neighbors might think. In short: you need a vacation.

But not just any vacation; you need to pack your dry bags, load the kayak on top of the car and head for the kickback culture of Baja, Mexico. A land where you can paddle turquoise waters all day, eat your fill of freshly caught fish all night and fall asleep beneath a dazzling display of razor-sharp stars. Or if you like, you can cruise into the local town, quaff a few cold cervezas (beers) and bump and grind the night away at the local disco. Your choice.

So where to go? How to get started? Do you need to speak Spanish? Should you hire an outfitter, or would it be better to go it on your own? Despacio, amigos--slow down! Here, we share with you the best places to paddle a sea kayak in Mañanaland. Some spots you may want to join up with a commercial group, others you have to do it yourself. Knowing a little Spanish helps (Another margarita please) but don't worry--most locals know enough "American" to get you by.

Baja's kayaking season generally starts in October, but many prefer the period from March to May, when the air and water temperatures are warmer, winds milder. And if crowds are not your idea of a relaxing vacation, plan to visit after Easter--you'll find most places deserted. Some of the trips listed below require you to provide your own boats and equipment, but if you decide to join a commercial trip, you'll find they usually include all food, gear and guidance. In addition, many companies put you up in a hotel the first and last night of your trip. Some outfitters offer low-cost, participatory-style expeditions that are completely self-supported. Others bring along the proverbial kitchen sink by using motor boats to carry beach chairs, volleyball nets and circus-sized community tents. Some companies even run their "adventures" from small tour ships, which lavish you with gourmet food and luxurious lodging.

Because of its physical nature, there are two distinctly different sides to Baja. There's the flat, wind-swept Pacific coast side that's known for its annual gray whale migration and there's the calm, mountainous Sea of Cortez side which is better suited for kayak expeditions. Each location is a vacation unto itself, a place where you can spend a day, a week or the rest of the winter.

One caveat though: once you're there, you may find it very difficult to leave. Consider yourself warned.

THE SEA OF CORTEZ

Marked on most maps as the Gulf of California, locals call the sparkling body of water to the east of the Baja peninsula Cortez's sea--in reference to Hernan Cortez, the Spanish pirate who "discovered" this area in the mid 1500s for King, Country and his own pocket book.

This is an area rich in marine wildlife and where towering mountains crash abruptly into its clear, aquamarine waters. Its coastline is peppered with islands, bays and beaches--many of which are inaccessible and uninhabited and just waiting for someone like you to discover them. And it's easy to wax hyperbolic about the magnificent variety of desert plants you'll find in this area. Because of its isolated and arid nature, many of these plants are biologically unique as well as visually stunning. Barrel cactus, ocotillos and large forests of cardons blanket the landscape and make any hike worthwhile.

Due to the protective nature of the mountains to the west, the Sea of Cortez is a much calmer body of water than the ironically named "Pacific.” During December and January, however, winds from the north (called El Norte by the local fishermen) howl southward from the States and can create dangerous conditions for kayakers. Famous for blowing for days on end, these winds must not by taken lightly. Do your paddling in the mornings and try to avoid large sections of open water, especially in the afternoons.

ESPIRITU SANTO

Many of the slick photos you see in kayaking brochures of bright kayaks plying azure waters with gorgeous women at their helm are taken in this area. And for good reason: this is one of the most beautiful places on the planet for sea kayaking. With its blue/green waters and white beaches, this is also one of the most popular kayaking destinations in Baja. So if your aim is to experience a classic (if somewhat crowded) paddling adventure, start here.

Located just north of southern Baja's capitol, La Paz, Espiritu Santo is actually one large island surrounded by five neighboring islands--all of them crying out to be explored. Renowned for its rugged landscape and deeply indented coastlines, these undeveloped islands are part of a protected reserve, meaning that development and overuse is sharply regulated by the Mexican government. It also explains why the water is so exceptionally clear and boils with a wide variety of marine critters--a great thing if you're into snorkeling and/or fishing.

The western side of Espiritu is littered with white sandy beaches behind which are enticing canyons that contain a magical world of desert plants and animals--keep your eyes peeled for the mysterious Babisauri ring-tailed cat. And for those looking for the "Flipper Experience," there's a small chain of islets to the north where you can swim with a colony of sea lions if you dare.

How to Get There: There are direct flights (around $270) from LAX to La Paz--the small city where John Steinbeck's tale "The Pearl" took place. If you're going with a commercial outfitter, they'll pick you up at the airport. If you're going on your own, most private boaters launch from Puerto Balandra or Playa Tocolote (about 25 miles north of La Paz).

Best Bets: Hotel La Perla is a clean, moderately priced place located right on the water. Nearby are many lively restaurants and cantinas. For late night entertainment, check out Las Varitas Bar and Disco.

Commercial Outfitters: Baja Expeditions, (800) 843-6967, www.bajaex.com; Nichols Expeditions, (800)-648-8488, www.NicholsExpeditions.com; Baja Outdoor Activities, 011-52-112-55636, www.kayactivities.com

LORETO'S GULF ISLANDS

Another popular place to kayak in the Sea of Cortez are the islands east of Loreto. Just up the coast from La Paz, Loreto was the original capitol of Baja when it was founded by Jesuit missionaries in 1697. Recently designated a National Marine Park, these islands are considered by some as Mexico's "Galapagos" because of their endemic plant and animal life. As with many places on the Sea of Cortez, there are exceptional opportunities to view dolphins, sea lions and fin whales in their natural habitat. There's also a large number of blue-footed boobies, magnificent frigate-birds and fleets of brown pelicans constantly soaring overhead.

Because of the many islands to explore, make sure you spend at least a week. A good trip is the paddle around Carmen Island where you'll find hidden bays, sea caves, arches and a ghost town that once bustled with the salt trade. Other islands worth checking out include Danzante, Coronado and Monserrate.

For those who want a taste of something really special, consider spending a couple weeks paddling from Loreto to La Paz--a distance of some 150 miles. This is an extraordinary journey along what is perhaps the last remote stretch of coastline in Baja. Virtually uninhabited, this area falls in the shadow of the spectacular Sierra de la Giganta Mountains. In many places, hundred-foot cliffs plunge dramatically into the water while colorful volcanic rock formations line the shore and provide intricate sea stacks and arches. Inland, you'll find countless twisting canyons to explore.

How to Get There: Aero California offers round-trip, nonstop service from Los Angeles to Loreto for about $250.

Best Bets: It's highly recommended that you allot some time to visit the town's mission church and historical museum. Although not as big and urbane as La Paz, Loreto has many good hotels, restaurants and watering holes. Try the crab platter at Playa Blanca for a real taste of the sea.

Commercial Outfitters: Nichols Expeditions, (800) 648-8488, www.NicholsExpeditions.com; Outdoor Odysseys, (800) 647-4621, www.outdoorodysseys.com; Sea Kayak Adventures, (800) 616-1943, www.gorp.com/ska; Gabriola, (250) 247-8277, www.wi.bc.ca/gabriola; Navtec Expeditions, (800) 833-1278, www.navtec.com.

BAHIA CONCEPTION

Conception Bay is one of the true gems of Baja. Located sixty miles north of Loreto, the bay is an outstandingly beautiful body of water that begs to be visited by kayakers. Unfortunately, Mexico Highway 1 passes down its western side--which gives easy access to the RV crowd. Every winter a large contingent of "snow birds" spend months hanging out here with their motor boats, wind surfers and various accouterments of gringo civilization.

Not to worry though. There are many good spots still left to discover and with a little persistence, you can find your very own beach. Or if you don't mind camping next to others, plunk down in a palapa--a palm-lined shelter--pay the locals a small fee (usually around $5 a day) and enjoy day-tripping from there. An unimproved dirt road wraps around the southern part of Conception Bay and wanders up its eastern shore--a decent SUV can take you to seclusion. Or if you'd rather, launch from any of the western beaches and paddle across and claim your very own piece of paradise.

Because of its funnel-shaped nature, Conception can get rough when El Norte blows. What are merely difficult waves in the northern part of the bay, become monster surf and swells by the time they reach the southern shore. Be careful here, especially in the afternoons when the winds are worst. People have been known to be stuck on its beaches for days.

When you finally get tired of all the sand and sun, travel a few miles north to the lovely town of Mulege (Moo-la-hay). Some think it is the quintessential Baja village, with its crooked streets, reconstructed mission and free-range piglets. Mulege's charm is based partly on its oasis-like nature. Situated on the banks of the Santa Rosalia River, the town is awash in date palms and their attendant shade--in desert Baja, a true blessing. Mulege sports many small hotels and restaurants, a dive shop, a post office and a fantastic bakery run by gringos.

How to Get There: Fly Aero California from LAX to Loreto and from there you can hop a bus or rent a car. Or you can drive down from San Diego in about 14 hours.

Best Bets: If you like shady courtyards and flowering trees, check out the Hotel Las Casitas in Mulege, but beware the margaritas grande! After dinner, if you can still walk, wander down the dusty road that leads toward the ocean and climb the old lighthouse to watch a spectacular sunset.

Commercial Outfitters: Ecomundo, 011-52-115-30409, www.bajaquest.com/tropicales

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES

Known to the hip elite as LA Bay, this is a mecca for southern Californios. Come Easter, the shoreline of this dry, dusty locale is inundated with motor homes, campers, jet skis and megabass boom boxes. That's the bad news. The good news is that for the rest of the year this is a sleepy little town with a couple of stores and one righteous on-the-beach bar that has the frostiest bottles of beer this side of Anchorage.

Located an easy one day drive from San Diego, there are several islands offshore that are well-worth exploring. One of the best is the spectacular Isla Coronado with its 1,500-foot volcano. Along with the ever-present dolphins and sea lions, it's been reported that during the winter, fin whales have been known to feed within fifty feet of its shoreline.

Some of the best snorkeling in this area can be found at Guardian Angel Island. At forty-two miles long, it's the second largest island in the Sea of Cortez and one of its last really wild places. Take ten days and circumnavigate its 125 miles. You probably won't see another person.

For the less driven, camp anywhere along the shoreline and spend your days paddling out to Ventana Island or to the Horse's Head. There are plenty of empty beaches, pellucid bays and lively lagoons to explore.

How to Get There: From San Diego, it's an easy ten-hour drive.

Best Bets: Casa Diaz serves great food and drinks on the beach overlooking the picturesque lighthouse on Punta Arena. There's a small grocery store in town, but it's best to bring everything with you.

Commercial Outfitters: Southwest Sea Kayak, (619) 222-3616, www.swkayak.com: Miramar Adventures, (800) 297-3111, www.wolfenet.com/~florin/index.

BAHIA DE LAS ANIMAS

A few hours south of Bahia de Los Angeles is a remote, wild place called the Bay of Souls. Devoid of any development and at the end of a horrendous, axle-busting, four-wheel drive road, Las Animas demands you to stop and soak up its beauty. Flanked on three sides by soaring mountains, this is a shallow sandy bay that teems with wildlife--beware the "moving rocks," also known as sting rays. There's a wonderful beach on the northwestern end of the bay where you'll likely run into other courageous souls who have braved the wretched road.

A few miles north is Punta Pescador where you'll find a low-lying island that's home to a large colony of sea lions. Campsites are plentiful and sandy, behind which are several canyons offering access to some outstanding hiking. Fin and Bryde's whales are often seen plying the channel off this point. It's also where you'll discover some of the best snorkeling and fishing in the area.

How to Get There: The remote nature of Las Animas makes this a perfect getaway for those truly looking to "get away" from the crowds. But because help is many miles away, it's best to be totally prepared before you visit here. After stocking up on food, water and gas at LA Bay, drive south on the dirt road leading out of town for 26 miles. Turn left onto a sandy 4-wheel-drive road and follow it for 11 miles to the Bay.

THE PACIFIC OCEAN

If rugged surf and deserted barrier islands are your thing, then plan on visiting the Pacific side of Baja. Once you're past the urban sprawl that lines the coast from Tijuana to Ensenada, you'll enter the real Baja. This is a land of wind-swept headlands and rocky beaches--perfect for playing around in the surf. It's also a land of hidden estuaries and protected bays.

Along its scenic coastline, you can sit and watch the annual gray whale migration, try your hand at surf-casting or just walk the beaches collecting shells.

The further south you go, the more bays you discover. Starting around San Quintin, a series of quiet lagoons are sheltered from the turbulent sea by deserted barrier islands. These sandy barriers protect the lagoons from ocean currents and creates a fantastic world of wind-blown dunes and bird-filled mangroves. It's also where thousands of California gray whales mate and bear their young each winter.

SAN QUINTIN

Five hours south of San Diego, San Quintin Bay is one of the first places to spend any quality time if you're driving down from the States. A well-protected bay flanked by miles of white, sandy beaches, "San-Can-Teen" offers a wonderful mix of wilderness and civilization. You can paddle all day, eat dinner in town and camp in sand dunes that night.

A great way to spend a day or two is to launch at the Old Mill (ask anyone in town where it is) and explore the nooks and crannies of Bahia San Quintin looking for great blue herons, white ibis and other birds. Make a pit stop at the old oyster farm and restaurant in the northwest arm of the bay before heading south to camp near its mouth.

For the truly adventuresome, don’t miss the paddle to San Martin Island. You'll need to get up early to make the twelve-mile crossing to the island before the afternoon winds kick in. Land on the eastern side of the island and camp among pristine dunes. Snorkeling is excellent in the kelp beds surrounding the island and there are also extensive lava tube caves nearby you can explore.

How to Get There: From San Diego, it's about a five-hour drive.

Best Bets: South of town, the Hotel La Pinta is a nice place to have dinner and drinks and watch the Pacific pound the sandy beaches.

Commercial Outfitters: Southwest Sea Kayak, (619) 222-3616, www.swkayak.com

LAGUNA OJO DE LIEBRE

Everyone knows about the gray whale migration from Alaska to Baja's pacific lagoons: Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio and Magdalena. Over the years, the lucrative business of whale-watching has put quite a bit of pressure on this area. The Mexican government responded to all this by clamping down on outfitters and regulating tour operators in these sensitive breeding and calving locations. Unfortunately, this has seen the rise in more tours using motorized boats instead of sea kayaks.

Fortunately, there are a few off-the-beaten-track alternatives. North of Guerrero Negro--one of the world's largest salt-producing towns--is a little-known estuary called Laguna Manuela. While the whale population isn’t as intense here as it is further south, many are still seen cruising this brackish body of water. This is a fine place to observe the movements and mating habits of these gentle giants from your kayak.

How to Get There: Most people drive down Highway 1 from San Diego to Guerrero Negro (ten hours) and stock up there on supplies. Then you head back north 23 miles to a dirt road leading to La Manuela fish camp, where you can explore Laguna Manuela.

Best Bets: There's not much out at the Laguna, but back in town you'll find decent accommodations and places to eat. If you're interested in taking a commercial boat tour, head south of town for 20 miles to the whale watching area.

Commercial Outfitters: Southwest Sea Kayak, (619) 222-3616, www.swkayak.com

LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO

Of the three whale calving lagoons in Baja, San Ignacio is undoubtedly the most difficult to access. Unlike Ojo and Magdalena, no major highway comes near this place. Those who wish to visit must endure the bone-jarring washboards that pass for roads in this area. They must transit the hot Viscaino desert and bounce over endless ruts and rocks just to get there.

Because of this difficulty, San Ignacio is the quietest of the three whale lagoons and is also the most well-protected by the Mexican government. But that may soon change: rumor has it that a large corporation is planning on developing a deep water salt operation here that might impact the whales nurseries. Best to check this place out before it becomes yet another Guerrero Negro.

Private boaters are not allowed to put in on the bay proper but can camp out by the mouth and paddle in the ocean with the whales as long as they obey the local regulations. Most people don't want to hassle with all of this--which is why, if you go, you'll more than likely find it all to yourself. Remember though, this is a critically important eco-area and your actions toward the whales and their newborns should be circumspect.

How to Get There: One way to get to Laguna San Ignacio is to drive 72 miles south from Guerrero Negro to the hellish dirt road that leads 42 miles to the tiny little village of Punta Abreojos on the Pacific Coast. This route is not for the faint of heart. There are few services in this sleepy little village, so come prepared. Once you get there, you can put in almost anywhere and paddle south past Estero El Coyote towards the mouth of San Ignacio. Camping is unlimited here--just land your boats wherever you feel like and call it home. From there you can watch the whales come in and out of the lagoon, practice your surf technique, beach comb or sit by a crackling fire and watch the sun slowly smear the western horizon.

BAHIA MAGDALENA

When it comes to whale-watching, Mag Bay is the “Big Enchilada.” A few years ago large contingents of international tourists fought for space at the launch site. One could hear French, German and Japanese dialects split the air as everyone jockeyed for position in the hopes of being the first ones to get out and claim the best campsites.

All that has changed. The Mexican government has regulated the area so intensively that most of the small outfitters that once quietly took groups out on the water are gone. As was the case with Ojo de Liebre, officials once again decided that it was better to lessen the impact on the breeding whales with large groups of pangas rather than with smaller, non-motorized kayaks.

Regardless of this questionable political decision, large (make that VERY large) marine mammals are the main attractions here. Some outfitters work from a secluded base camp where they offer paddlers the option of kayaking out to see the whales or taking a ride on a panga. When you're not out searching for the gray whale equivalent of Keiko, you'll marvel at the miles of deserted beaches and magnificent sand dunes that protect the inner waters of the bay from the pounding waters of the Pacific. Alternative activities include paddling through a maze of mangrove-lined estuaries in search of magnificent frigate birds, white ibises and other local bird life.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, be forewarned that going it on your own is illegal. To experience Mag Bay you'll need to sign up with a commercial outfitter. Make sure you ask them if they provide kayaks--not all do.

How to Get There: Depending on which commercial outfitter you sign up with, you'll fly into either La Paz or Loreto where you'll be picked up.

Best Bets: You won't find a lot out on the Bay besides the food and entertainment your outfitter will offer. But once back in town, avail yourself of the many wonderful restaurants and bars you'll find in both towns.

Commercial Outfitters: Nichols Expeditions, 800-648-8488, www.NicholsExpeditions.com; Sea Kayak Adventures, 800-616-1943, www.gorp.com/ska; Baja Outdoor Activities, 1-52-112-55636, www.kayactivities.com; Blue Waters Kayaking, (415) 669-2600, www.bwkayak.com; Baja Expeditions, (800) 843-6967, www.bajaex.com; Navtec Expeditions, (800) 833-1278, www.navtec.com

Other Outfitters in Baja

Destination Wilderness; 800-423-8868; www.WildernessTrips.com

Baja Tropicales, Box 60, Mulege, BCS, Mexico 23900; 011-52-685-3-00-19

Paddling South, (707) 942-4550; Venture Quest, (408) 427-2267; Ecosummer, (800) 688-8605

Sea & Adventures (Mar y Adventuras), Topete #564 Interior E/5 de Febrero y Navarro, Colonia el Manglito, La Paz, BCS, Mexico, 011-52-112-30559, sea@kayakbaja.co