“The landscape looks like nothing,” says our guide Victor as we drive from the airport to Loreto Baja California Sur, “but there are owls and woodpeckers in these cacti, and bighorn sheep, gray foxes, deer, raccoons and lions of the mountain. in the streams, in the valleys”. The green and golden hills filled with skinny cactus, copal bushes and prickly pear cholla look as static as a western movie playing out to my untrained eyes. The city of Loreto and the surrounding towns of Baja California Sur have their own surprises and I was more than ready to enjoy them all.
Best things to do in Loreto – Baja California Sur
At least I had a guide. In 1697, when the Jesuit priests arrived in Baja California Sur, they had high hopes, no money and a promise to build a Camino Real, a Royal Road, for the King of Spain. The first mission they built was the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó in the center of what would become the city of Loreto.
Mission of Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
This beautifully restored stone church near the town square still welcomes worshipers today. Its bells are ringing on time. For a town of 15,000 souls, the church is a busy place. Celebrations and services take place daily and continue until the evening, when the lights from the church spill out onto the street. On the grounds of the church is a museum of early artifacts, along with a tiny gift shop selling elegantly crafted religious memorabilia. This was the first of the expeditions that stretched from Baja California Sur across the border to San Francisco, 1400 miles away, along the Camino Real.
Of course, the Jesuits were not the first people to live in Loreto. They were met by the Monqui, the indigenous people of Baja California Sur who had lived there for thousands of years and were very happy with their nomadic lifestyle and polygamous culture. The Monqui were enlisted in the construction of missions by the Jesuits who offered them a reliable source of food and the promise of salvation, but in less than a hundred years their small population was decimated by European diseases.
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Petroglyphs and Pictographs
Their culture remains in the form of petroglyphs and pictographs at various sites around Loreto. The two locations closest to the city are Cuevas Pintas, 15 km west and La Pingüica, 60 km north.
Many tour companies in the city organize guided tours of the sites. On my first day in Loreto I did an hour drive and two hour hike to see the pictographs and petroglyphs at La Pingüica with Juve Orozco from Sea and land excursions. Our group scrambled over dry creek beds and washed through sandy washes filled with many species of cacti, butterfly-filled bushes and cat’s claw trees. Juve was generous with his knowledge of the soil and plant life. He told us to be careful with the cat’s claw, or uña de gato. It is a woody vine that the natives of Baja California Sur used to treat indigestion and inflammation. But its thorns are as sharp as its name, and we gave it a wide berth.
When we arrived at the site, Juve pointed out the fine details of the painted petroglyphs, some symbolic and others plainly showing animals and people in motion. The protected environment and water-free environment have kept the colors bright. A little further down the rocky arroyo he showed us geometric patterns that had been picked out of the rocks thousands of years ago to form petroglyphs. The most impressive cave paintings in Baja California Sur are found in UNESCO-listed caves high in the Sierra de San Francisco mountains, but they can only be reached by a three-day trip by mule or horse. You can find these larger-than-life images of Loreto’s indigenous past, reproduced in concrete on the boardwalk leading to the Malecon, Loreto’s seawall.
Returning to Loreto, I was delighted to find that my spotless room at the Bugambilias Suites had a powerful, hot shower and plenty of fluffy towels. There was also a full kitchenette, perfect for longer stays, and upstairs on the terrace there were plenty of sunbeds and a panoramic view of the blue-tinted mountains.
The Malecon
If you visit the Malecon at sunrise, as I did the next day, you’ll find fishermen casting their lines into the sea, cyclists pedaling furiously along the boardwalk, and joggers taking advantage of the cool morning breeze.
Hotel La Mision
At Hotel La Mision, a classic Spanish Revival-style hotel, I opened the massive wooden doors and climbed the cool marble steps to find Los Olivos, an elegant dining room with a shaded terrace overlooking the beach. A rich breakfast buffet was provided with fresh fruit, omelettes, pastries and excellent coffee. Next to me a local family was enjoying a variety of breakfast tortillas and chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish of lightly fried corn tortillas covered in red or green sauce, mozzarella cheese, onion, cilantro, sour cream and beans. It was a great start to the day.
Playa La Negrita
Loreto is full of great restaurants. After a day on the sandy shores of Playa La Negrita (Bold Beach) along the Malecon or an afternoon perusing some of the many jewelry, ceramics, art and clothing shops in Juan Maria de Salvatierra, the town square is the place. to be. The lights that cut through the trees around El Zopilote Brewing Co. begin to glow at sunset as delicious pizzas arrive fresh from the brick oven to be washed down with an IPA, Bandito Stout or Blood Orange beer. There is also a fried grasshopper appetizer on the menu for the adventurous.
For the best Mexican food in town, locals, expats and tourists alike go Asadero Super Burro. At this hole-in-the-wall restaurant, you can watch the staff chop, toss and fry huge platters of traditional favorites over a roaring wood stove with dried cat’s claw vines, a perfect use for those pesky vines. The Super Burro on the menu lives up to its reputation – it’s gigantic. Come hungry.
Heroica Mulege
If you’re in the mood for a road trip filled with beautiful scenery, water sports, and a Baja California Sur history lesson, head to the pretty town Heroica Mulege about an hour and 50 minutes north of Loreto on Highway 1.
Rent a car or go with Wild Loreto Tours. You’ll pass several secluded beaches on the way, but pull up to El Burro Beach in Conception Bay about halfway (75km/46 miles). It is one of the most beautiful beaches in Baja California Sur. The waters are clear and warm and La Burra Tours is right on the beach.
They can take you around to visit all the islands in the bay or you can rent kayaks and snorkelling equipment to explore the shallow reefs. JC’s Restaurant is located near the water. You can sit with your feet in the sand under a shady palapa while owner Juan Carlos Osuna brings out freshly caught snapper made ‘pescado zarandeado’ style. It’s a traditional recipe from Sinaloa and Nayarit that tastes even better when the grilled fish just swam into the bay that morning.
Kayaking
For more intensive kayak trips, including personalized instruction from professional kayakers, try Incognita tours of the peninsula. I learned more about kayaking in two hours with them than I had on all my previous kayaking trips. Contact them through their Facebook page where they also list their whale watching tours in March and April and the dolphins, sea lions and marine life you will see daily in the Baja California Sur Islands. Read all about kayaking in Baja California Sur – Sea Kayaking Baja Mexico – A Remarkable 10 Day Trip
Mission Santa Rosalia de Mulege
When you arrive in Heroica Mulege, be sure to visit the Santa Rosalia de Mulege Mission, a beautiful and evocative church located near an oasis about five minutes from the city center. A Cultural Heritage Monument, it was built in 1766 and has been lovingly restored. The overlook near the church has a wonderful view of the Rio Mulege river valley, the carpet of palms in the oasis and the Sierra Giganta mountains.
Museo de Mulege
Heroica Mulege has a more unusual prison, now the Museo de Mulege, to explore. It was called “the prison without walls” because inmates could leave the prison at dawn to work and had to return when the warden called them back by blowing through a shell. In fact, there was nowhere for them to go as there was no road outside Mulege. It existed as a prison from 1907 to 1974 and now has a collection of prisoners’ handicrafts, exhibitions on the history of the local Cochimi indigenous people and friendly tour guides. Admission is by donation.
Historico Las Casitas
Before returning to Loreto, visit Historico Las Casitas, where you’re sure to be overwhelmed by colorful floor-to-ceiling Mexican decor and a delicious meal. The yellowfin tuna specialty can be found on the English and Spanish menus, along with traditional favorites and vegetarian dishes.
Not a landscape full of nothingness, Loreto Baja California Sur and the surrounding towns are rich in hiking, adventure, horseback riding, snorkeling and diving tours and proud of its history. It’s a more relaxed and authentic side of Mexican life, away from the all inclusive experience. If that sounds like your place, I’ll see you there.
Debra Smith was his guest Visit Baja California Sur. As always, her opinions are her own. For more of Debra’s stories, visit her website at WhereToLady.com and follow her travels on Instagram @where.to.lady and up Facebook
