MINI EXPEDITIONS go a short distance, so the shuttle constitutes less than 50 per cent of the travel budget and adventure quota. The most popular and accessible mini expedition is Loreto to La Paz, or variations thereof.
SAMPLE TRIP: Loreto to La Paz
ACCESS: International Airports in Loreto and La Paz; regular buses between. Recommended launch: Puerto Escondido (24 km or 15 miles south of town) or Agua Verde (80 km or 50 miles south), via taxi which can carry kayaks. Recommended pick-up: Punta Coyote, almost 97 km (60 miles) north of La Paz.
KAYAKS: Custom guided trips; scheduled outfitter trips; rentals in Loreto or La Paz to appropriately skilled individuals.
LENGTH: Agua Verde to Punta Coyote: 130 km (70 nautical miles). Puerto Escondido to Punta Coyote: 180 km (100 nautical miles). Loreto to La Paz: 300 km (160 nautical miles), 8–14 days.
PERMITS: Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto, perhaps Parque Nacional Espiritu Santo
2.
HIGHLIGHTS: Solitude, mountains and sea. Agua Verde to Punta Coyote is uninhabited coast except for a few fishing villages.
MINI EXPEDITIONS
EXPERIENCE SEZ: It’s remote! Play conservatively. Filter the water you get at Timbabichi, Los Dolores or Los Burros. San Evaristo has a desalinization plant, a very basic grocery store, and cold beer.
DRIVING A great way to see Baja. Mexican insurance is a must. An annual policy costs about the same as pay-at-the-border does for a week. I use Lewis & Lewis of Beverly Hills, California. Rentals cars are available in cities with airports (Loreto, La
Paz, Ensenada, Cabo), or you can rent from a few select places at the border. See
cabaja.com. At military checkpoints polite young men with guns search
your car for weapons or drugs. They reliably check under the seat and in the cooler, so don’t hide anything there. Also don’t try to carry fruit across the state line at Guerrero Negro. More info on Baja driving can be found through online Baja travel clubs such as Vagabundos Del Mar (
vagabundos.com).
BUSES The cheapest way to go, and the most culturally interactive. From Tijuana to Loreto is about 18 hours and $100. Going south, walk across the U.S.–Mexico border (no customs), take a taxi to the Centro de Camiones, and catch your southbound bus. Coming north through the border, frequent shuttles run from the bus terminal to U.S. customs, where you walk through, then cross the street to the Greyhound station and start your U.S. journey.
FLYING Alaska Airlines flies four days a week from LAX to Loreto. Aeromexico and Mexicana go to La Paz, often connecting through Mexico City.
OUTFITTERS San Diego » Aqua Adventures
aqua-adventures.com
Loreto » Sea Kayak Baja Mexico
columbiariverkayaking.com/baja. html
» Baja Kayak Adventures
bajakayakadventures.com » Sea Kayak Adventures
seakayakadventures.com » Paddling South
tourbaja.com » Sea Trek
seatrek.com » Blue Waters
bwkayak.com
La Paz » Baja Outdoor Activities
kayactivities.com » Mar y Aventuras
kayakbaja.com » Baja Expeditions
bajaex.com
RESOURCES Be advised that all charts contain errors, especially concerning aids to navigation, such as lighthouses. » Mexico Boating Guide by Captain Pat Rains (coast pilot) » Sea of Cortez Cruising Guide by Gerry Cunningham (coast pilot)
» National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) charts » Yachtsman Chart Book Mexico to Panama has all NGA charts in their original scale
» Fish-n-Maps
fishnmap.com » Charlie’s Charts of the Western Coast of Mexico (including Baja) contains hand-drawn details of anchorages
charliescharts.com
» Baja California Almanac (topo maps)
baja-almanac.com » Sea Breeze Limited, a chart store near the San Diego airport
seabreezelimited.com
» Omni Maps
omnimap.com » International Travel Map of Mexico Baja California (road map)
itmb.com
www.adventurekayakmag.com
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PHOTO: GARY LUHM
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