Loreto | Baja Mexico Travel Adventures | Passport to Adventure

Passport to Adventure airs on public television stations across the United States.

Your support keeps quality programming accessible to everyone! Please contact your local station and let them know you are a fan of Passport to Adventure. Your feedback helps keep us on the air - Thanks!

NOrth america: Loreto, mexico Click the interactive map to explore your world. We have stories, DVDs, video clips and travel tips on plenty of exciting destinations!		Video & DVD Plan your next adventure, educate yourself, or relive you latest travels with your friends!

		PBS stations Find your PBS channels and see when Passport to Adventure airs.

		Travel Books Do you share Julie's passion for travel? This reading list will enrich your life, whether you're at home or on the road!

Loreto, Baja Mexico

Loreto is located in central Baja California on the Gulf, or Sea of Cortez.

Not too long ago, determined travelers had to endure a long road trip to get to Loreto. This was hard on the economy, but saved the town from Cabo-ization.

Today, direct flights arrive several times a week from Los Angeles, giving a big boost to local business, yet the town of Loreto maintains it's old Baja California feel. Many streets are still unpaved, and the few gringo residents are determined to preserve the town's heritage. There are no high rise condos, traffic is confined to the one main street, and the "malacon", the sea front promenade, is surprisingly quiet. Some of these things will undoubtedly change over the next decade, but I am confident that the Loretanos will never succumb to what has happened in Cabo.

Weather: High season is from October-May, summer months are hot, but great for all water activities, and of course less crowded!

Get Cultured

Packaging up fresh, warm corn tortillas - Yum!

Tortilla Shop, Loreto, Baja California
Be sure to visit the "tortillarias" (down Benito Juarez , away from the beach across Independencia) to savor the wonderful smell of fresh corn & flour tortillas and to see how they are made.

Helados & Paletas!

I do not have a sweet tooth, nor am I a big ice cream lover, but the hand - dipped popsicles I discovered in Loreto had me coming back daily! Mango, strawberry (two kinds - made with either water or cream), coconut, pineapple, etc. you would need to have 3 a day to try them all!

The non-descript little shop is on Madero Street at the corner or Benito Juarez, easy to miss it, you must go inside and look down into the freezer cases, then you will start drooling!

Get your Kicks

Water sports are obviously a huge attraction on the Sea of Cortez. The usually calm, clear waters are ideal for kayaking, snorkeling and diving. Our guide in Loreto was extraordinary - she has lived there for 25 years, knows everyone in town, and knows the surrounding areas. I highly recommend Trudi Angell, she was our angel! www.TourBaja.com

Rural Mountain Scenery, Loreto, Baja California

One of many small ranches that most tourist will never see on their trip to Baja - what a shame!

Directly behind Loreto, the Sierra de la Gigante mountains form a spectacular backdrop for the area. When you've had your fill of the beach, you may just find that the desert is the highlight of your trip. Our guide Trudi set us up with mountain bikes and mules to explore the desert, meet the local ranchers, have a home cooked lunch, and visit the stately mission San Javier. We even spent the night in a rustic little cottage, the only accommodation in town.

The very well preserved Mission San Javier, up in the mountains above Loreto

Mission San Javier, Loreto, Baja California

To get to San Javier requires a very bumpy ride on a windy dirt road - beware - your rental car may not be ready for this adventure. Some people do San Javier as a day trip. I would recommend a multi-day excursion that includes a mule ride, mountain biking or hiking - the area warrants a closer look.

For more info: www.tourbaja.com

Food and Shelter

If your primary mission is to relax and get a tan, about 10 miles south of the town of Loreto is the "Inn at Loreto Bay", a luxury resort on the beach with kayaks, snorkeling, a wonderful pool, golf course and restaurants. www.InnatLoretoBay.com

Loreto Bay Real Estate

If you are interested in owning a second home in warm Baja California, check out the Loreto Bay development. They are using cutting edge environmental practices - visitors can tour the Earth Block facility, modern day adobe fabrication used for all homes, also their nursery where they are experimenting with saline tolerant grasses and bringing back native vegetation and even the mangroves. Very interesting. www.LoretoBay.com

Julie and Mark in Loreto, Baja California Ready to explore the Sea of Cortez in kayaks!

PTA Crew in Loreto, Baja California The Crew! Mark, our guide Trudi, Julie, Elizabeth & Patrick

Where to stay in Loreto

There are many cute little places to stay right in Loreto, no luxurious beach front resorts (yet), but many small "casitas", B&Bs and inns. The Posada de las Flores is the swankiest lodging in town, with a great location right on the square and a roof top swimming pool!

www.PosadadelasFlores.com (nice website, but be aware it is showing 3 different properties, you need to click on Loreto to get to the Posada)

Note:* Some rooms can be noisy, depending on whether Mike's Bar down the street has live music or not. If you turn on the AC it will drown out any noise, or use ear plugs. Loreto is a quiet, peaceful little town, with apparently no enforceable noise ordinances, unfortunately, Mike's Bar (they must cater to an extremely hard of hearing clientele) feels the need to play amplified music until 2 or 3 in the am. (There's your nightlife tip - there isn't much else for night owls!)

Another nice, larger place to stay is the Oasis - at the south end of town, just off the beach, with a nice swimming pool and a parking lot. Smaller places are the Iguana Inn, and right next door, the best cheapy in town, the San Martin. I heard that the Pinta was nice, a bit of a walk to the center of town, but on the beach.

Loreto Building, Baja California

FOOD & Drink! My favorite...

You are in luck - I spent about 2 weeks in Loreto, so I know all the good spots! I'll start with breakfast, my favorite meal, especially in Mexcio - try "Chilequiles". Cafe Ole is fast, simple, central and good. We only found a few places with real espresso - the Santa Lucia Bakery down at the south end of the malacon - a nice place to watch the sunrise after an early morning walk, or way up towards the hiway, near the Pemex gas station, Star Cafe.

There are many new restaurants opening in Loreto, menus tend to be similar - either Mexican fare or seafood, usually both. We never had a bad meal. The "taquerias" (taco stands) along Hidalgo are all good - Tacos Cesar was a favorite of ours, partly because it has a comfortable place to sit and the family is nice. If you want more authentic, local tacos, go to Tacos el Rey over on Benito Juarez. *Note, for some reason I could never determine, unlike the rest of Mexico, in Baja they serve fish tacos with flour tortillas; you need to ask for corn if that is what you prefer.

Good spots for dinner are La Palapa, La Terraza, Mita Gourmet, Mexico que Lindo y que Rico, and for cheap - Super Burro (reading the English translations on the menu is a hoot!)

For great mole' (a sauce made from cacao), Canipole - all dishes are made to order by Sophia, so service can be a bit slow - get there well before you are starving!

For something different, a favorite of the expats is Pancha Mama - owned by a friendly Argentine family - they serve pizzas & terrific beef - my husband said it was one of the best steaks he ever had!

The wonderful chef at our favorite dining discovery - "Loreto Islas"

Loreto Islas, Baja California

And, saving the best for last, my favorite, for food, atmosphere, cute chef, nice staff, good margaritas ... Loreto Islas, at the end of Salvatierra on the malacon.

The only "hip" bar we found was connected to the Posada de las Flores, facing the square. It's owned separately by a nice Italian guy, Alberto and his Mexican wife Patrizia - nice decor and live music out in front some evenings. Watch for a duo called Dos Generaciones - father and son, awesome guitarists!

For 2 for 1 happy hour (4-6pm) and a good dose of local color, head to Macaws - the expat crowd will regale you with fish tales (of all kinds) . Food is also good.

If Macaws is not your bag, head next door to watch the sunset from their roof - also with 2fers, can't remember the name of the place.

Sign up for email updates and newsletters from Julie:

on location

Travel dispatches and trip ideas:

Julie's travel dispatches from adventures around the world Julie's latest photos, travel tips and musings from the road. Recently at Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam