Las Parras

The whale watching wasn't over yet! On the way to Guerrero Negro I had stopped off in Loreto for a couple of nights to break up the long bus journey. Loreto is a nice little town with not much going on except for the fact that it's the first place on the peninsula that was successfully colonised by the Spanish after several failed attempts. As a result it has the oldest Jesuit mission on the peninsula, built in 1697. While in Loreto I found out that Loreto is one of the few places that you can go to see Blue Whales, and they were currently in town! So I couldn't pass on the opportunity to go and see them on my way back down the peninsula. Blue whales are the biggest animals ever known to have existed, including any dinosaurs. They are in the Sea of Cortez around some offshore islands near Loreto for only two months of the year during winter, coming to the area to breed and feed on krill in the nutrient rich waters.

Going to see the blue whales was a much calmer affair than seeing the humpbacks or grey whales, there was no breaching or curiosity about the boats. Instead you look for the huge plume of water sprayed into the air when they breathe and head in its direction. When you get there it may have already dived back to the deep water to feed, so you just wait for up to 10 minutes until it surfaces again. When it does, it'll stay at the surface for a few minutes taking several breaths, before flipping its tail and diving deep for another 10 minutes or so. You see so little of the whale yet you still get an impression of its vast size by the size of the plume of water being sprayed up, the glacial place at which it moves and of course the huge tail when it's flipped in the air. It's a very graceful animal that once again makes you feel very humbled.

The sea around Loreto is also home to Loreto Bay National Park, a UNESCO site that is home to plentiful marine life, not to mention a generally stunning area with islands, volcanic rock formations, and white sand beaches. So I went on another boat trip to explore these islands that included snorkeling with sea lions. I enjoyed being in the water with the sea lions as they're very cute and inquisitive, but the water was very murky and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were swimming through sea lion poo! Further around the island we did more snorkeling on a reef with actual clear water which felt much more pleasant. We also saw a small pod of dolphins that swam along the boat with us for a while before going their own way.

Finally I headed to La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur. La Paz is a cool city with a laid back holiday vibe. There is a 5km long water front lined with piers, benches, marine themed sculptures, and plenty of cafes, restaurants, and shops around to keep you entertained. The town itself had loads of beautiful street art that I liked to discover. But after a few days here it was time to move on from Baja California to head to the mighty Mexican mainland. So off I headed to get a ferry to Topolobampo, just across the Sea of Cortez. The ferry was much nicer than I was expecting and even had a free meal included! I headed up to the deck to watch the sunset as I reluctantly said goodbye to Baja, but I was very excited for the rest of Mexico!Read more