La Paz and Espíritu Santo
Patrimonio Mundial / ÁRea Natural Protegida (CONANP) · La Paz, Baja California Sur
Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez the world's aquarium, and La Paz is the town that sits on it. An hour offshore by panga is Isla Espiritu Santo, pink volcanic rock cut into white-sand bays, uninhabited and part of the UNESCO-listed islands of the Gulf of California. At its northern tip, Los Islotes holds a sea lion colony that lets you swim with it, and the juveniles come to look at you. From roughly October to April, whale sharks, the largest fish alive, feed in the shallow bay in front of the city under some of the strictest rules anywhere. The city itself is a five-kilometre seafront promenade, a pearling history and a sunset that people schedule their evening around. La Paz is calmer and more local than Los Cabos, 2 hours south, and its beaches at Balandra and Tecolote are the best on the peninsula. Book tours with licensed operators, expect cold water in winter and strong wind from northerly fronts, and allow a spare day for weather.
Malecón Álvaro Obregón, La Paz, Baja California Sur, 23000, Mexico
The city and the malecón are open access and free. ⚠ ISLA ESPÍRITU SANTO IS REACHED ONLY BY BOAT, about an hour from La Paz, through licensed operators, and a CONANP park bracelet is required. ⚠ WHALE SHARK SEASON IN THE BAY RUNS ROUGHLY OCTOBER TO APRIL under a strict permit system - snorkel only, no scuba, no touching, no sunscreen, limited swimmers per boat and timed slots. ⚠ LOS ISLOTES SEA LION SNORKELLING CLOSES SEASONALLY DURING PUPPING, roughly mid-year. ⚠ BALANDRA BEACH NOW CAPS AND MANAGES VISITOR NUMBERS - check the current arrangement before driving out, as people are turned away. ⚠ MORNINGS ARE THE ONLY SENSIBLE TIME FOR BOATS - the north wind builds through the day. ⚠ HURRICANE SEASON JUNE TO NOVEMBER. ⚠ SEASONS, HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.
La Paz and Espíritu Santo on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos