Jacques Cousteau called it the “world’s aquarium” and “Galapagos of North America.”

The place? The Sea of Cortez in Baja.

The experience? Magical!

It was a short flight to San Jose del Cabo (Mexico) from where we transferred to the delightful, non-touristy town of Todos Santos (avoiding Cabo altogether – and never missed it!). A couple of fun nights here, and then to a remote stretch of beach on Isla Espiritu Santo, then across the Baja Peninsula to Magdalena Bay, where every winter hundreds of gray whales give birth in the shallow, salty water. Then, back to Todos Santos.

Lots of moving around? Yes, but it was all SO worth it! The remoteness of these places is the reason why they’re so pristeen and special! WOW! – what an amazing adventure we had!

Highlights:

Todos Santos

• We took a walking tour to learn about the history of this town – which was founded by the Jesuits in 1700 and prospered for many years from sugar production and export
• We had the ‘world’s best’ tamales at Miguel’s – a favorite local joint
• At Los Colibros, our lovely boutique hotel overlooking the ocean, we had a cooking lesson with Chef Iker who shared his secret ingredient for particularly delicious margaritas
• For our final night, we stayed a night at the historic Todos Santos Inn,

Sea of Cortez

• We snorkeled with whale sharks, the largest fish on the planet
• We snorkeled with baby sea lions who frolicked and played with us in their underwater world
• We camped in comfort on an isolated beach on Isla Espiritu Santo, enjoying free time to hike in the canyon, kayak the aquamarine lagoon and learn how to stand-up paddle board
• Since
• there’s no light pollution, before retiring for the night, we gasped in awe at the star-filled sky pierced by shooting stars, and the gently lapping waters which sparkled with bioluminescence – like underwater fireflies!