Baja California Sur road trip

11 Days

TripAdvisor-5 stars

Baja California Sur road trip

11 Days

TripAdvisor-5 stars

Destinations: La PazEspiritu Santo IslandBalandraWale Shark SwimmingSan RafaelitoLos CabosTodo Santos

Highlights

  • Spend a day at the paradisiacal beach of Balandra
  • Swim with the whale shark in the waters of the Sea of Cortez
  • Snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo Biosphere Reserve
  • Paddle board in front of Los Cabos Arch
  • La Zorra Canyon
Baja California Sur Road trip

DAY 1 - Self drive from La Paz Airport to your Hotel in La Paz

Self Drive Holiday

DAY 2 - Explore Espiritu Santo Island

Gulf of California

Today you will visit one of the most representative places of Baja California, Espiritu Santo Island, which is part of a chain of rocky islands that extend southward along the western edge of the Gulf of California. Early in the morning you will be welcomed at the fiscal dock of the city of La Paz by your English-speaking guide and the crew of the boat, you will receive an explanation of the day’s activity and you will be provided with a life jacket, the experience begins with a one and a half hour ride across the main bay of La Paz to the island where you can enjoy incredible views. 

Once you arrive, the boat will make some stops at strategic points to learn a little of the history of the “Pearl Islands” so named by Hernan Cortez upon your arrival to this destination, you will be able to appreciate different local fauna such as birds, turtles and with a little luck, sea lions and dolphins. Enjoy the amazing landscape of rock formations formed by alternating layers of lava and volcanic ash, steep cliffs rise above the turquoise waters where you will have time to snorkel. You will also visit a beach where you will enjoy a delicious lunch and free time to relax on the beach. After a few hours of enjoyment and rest you will depart to the La Paz pier where you will finish the day’s experience. 

DAY 3 - Whale Shark Swimming and Whale Shark Sighting

blue_whale_watching

This experience is available from October to May. The meeting point is at a dock in the city of La Paz to board a boat and head to “el mogote” a refuge area for whale sharks because that is where the food they eat accumulates and where they are normally found. Once on board the boat you will be assigned a life jacket, a local certified English speaking guide will introduce himself to you to tell you about the specific regulations and the dynamics of the activity.

Once at the site you can make several dives to swim and if possible get close to one of the largest fish that inhabit the Gulf of California. The average time of stay is two hours since there is a regulation of time and people in order to reduce the impact that the activity generates. After this time of activity you will return to the starting point.

DAY 4 - Balandra Beach & San Rafaelito - Night at Punta Arena

San-Rafaelito sea lions

Today you will start your experience departing by boat from the dock of the city of La Paz to the beaches of Balandra just twenty five minutes north of the city, aboard a boat you will travel around the bay to your first stop, the Gaviota Island where you can see different types of birds of which you will be given a brief informative talk, then you will visit a small colony of sea lions called San Rafaelito where you can snorkel and hopefully swim with a sea lion very close to you. 

Thirty minutes later you will arrive at Balandra where you will set up on the beach, set up an umbrella and table for refreshments. You will have time to enjoy and relax on the beach, swim, take a nap or simply contemplate the scenery. Once rested if you wish you can walk up a path on top of a hill to contemplate the breathtaking panoramic view of the bay of Balandra, when you return you will board the boat and take the way back to the city of La Paz, with a little luck you might see some dolphins swimming in freedom.  The experience is approximately 5 hrs. After this experience you will drive to Punta Arena de La Ventana where you will spend the night. 

Rated 5-stars by more than 1,500 travellers on Tripadvisor.

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travelers

Victoria O.

September, 2022
Two Weeks in Mexico
Seamless transfers, excellent hotels particularly in Mexico city and Puebla, combined with various cultural and food tours. Particular highlights were the cultural/food tours in Mexico city and Puebla (also including the anthropology museum in Mexico city), and the rural tours in Oaxaca where we visited textile workshops, mescal producers and participated in a cooking class using traditional equipment. Also, although we didn't need it, the on call remote assistance was reassuring. I would definitely recommend Rutopia.
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Kris S.

April, 2022
Enjoyed using Rutopia
Enjoyed using Rutopia (Marisol and Melina) to plan my trip to Mexico. Marisol helped me figure out the best options fand booked everything. Melina was my in country support. Rutopia (the company through Kim Kim) is great and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take the burden out of vacation planning. My son and I truly enjoyed the trip knowing everything was taken care of and we just had to have fun. Thanks!
Kimkim Review of Rutopia

Melissa W.

July, 2022
Adventures in the Yucatán!
Such an amazing time in the Yucatán! Between floating in the mangroves to visiting Chichén Itzá to spending a whole day on the beach in El Cuyo, I couldn’t have planned a better trip without their help. Thank you so much for an unforgettable birthday vacation!! Simply amazing! Don’t think twice about having them help you plan your next vacation!
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Cat839

April, 2022
Great experience with this agency, totally recommend!
Great experience with this agency. Our tour in Mexico was perfect and organised with great passion and precision. Special thanks to Mel (our direct contact during the trip) for being super responsive and to Jorge Barbosa (our tour guide in Mexico City). Totally recommend this tour operator!
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Sue G

June, 2022
Mayan Site Tour in Yucatan Penninsula Mexico
Rutopia did an outstanding job with the arrangement and execution of a 9 day tour of Mayan sites in the Yucatan peninsula. We provided Rutopia with the general parameters of the trip we wanted and they suggested an itinerary. After our approval, they set up the hotels, transportation within Mexico, and site tours. The hotels were good quality, and all of the drivers and tour guides showed up on time. We were very impressed with the quality of the tour guides and learned a lot on the trip. Jorge handled setting up the itinerary, and Melina handled the execution of the trip and was readily available via WhatsApp throughout the trip for any questions or issues. Melina was particularly helpful in changing our transportation arrangements to the airport at the last minute per our request. I would recommend Rutopia and would use them again for future trips.
Kimkim Review of Rutopia
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Varadarajan

July, 2022
Fantastic Will do it again
My wife and I had a fantastic holiday in Mexico thanks to Marisol, Ana, Teresa and their colleagues & partners. The entire itinerary and arrangements were put together in less than 4 days. What we really liked about Marisol & her team was that they were only a message or a phone call away for any query/suggestion, etc. The trip was bespoke to the extent that Rutopia had kept in mind about our interests, food habits & executed bookings, tours. They were also very flexible in catering to last minute changes/requests. The team took upon them to ensure that our entire trip was comfortable & safe by taking care of even small stuff that one normally finds out post getting to a place. We would definitely like to use their services again!!
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Elena R.

April, 2022
A literally perfect trip to the Yucatan peninsula
Tom and I knew we wanted to go to Mexico. We knew we wanted a little bit of culture, some wildlife, and maybe a splash in the ocean. That's it. With the vague and minimal information we gave them, Rutopia was able to put together a perfect trip for us. We had a flawless itinerary. It's so clear that Rutopia really cares about the communities (animals and humans) in Mexico. Everything we did and everywhere we stayed felt like they were helping us experience Mexico as authentically and respectfully as possible. It's almost impossible to pick a highlight, but top of the list has to be the day we shared with Enrique, a Mayan host who was unbelievably generous with us. He shared the community gardens, including history and background about the families that live in Nuevo Durango and other nearby communities. He showed us the neighborhood cenotes, Punta Laguna, Uma Nojoch Keej (a wildlife reserve), and more. We picked and prepared the plants as Enrique and his wife Blanca showed us the best way to cook them (and rescued us when we were pricked by the nopales!). We saw howler monkeys and spider monkeys in the wild which was very cool. That had to be the very best day, but every day was amazing. Sian Ka'an reserve was lovely, the Mayan ruins were spectacular, the snorkeling in Puerto Morelos was fabulous, the bicycle cenote tour was jaw'droppingly gorgeous. I'm waxing superlative but it really all was like a dream. Beyond the activities, the scheduling and pace was perfect for us. We felt like we really made the most of our six days, but with enough downtime to explore and enjoy at our leisure. From picking up our car at the airport to finding our accommodation, the logistics were very smooth at every interaction. Special shoutout to Melina who pretty much instantly helped us when we had any questions about the trip. We've never used a travel planning service like this before. But after this trip, we'll never go back to the old way!
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David

July, 2022
Journey to Mexico City, Cholula and Cuetzalan
We had a wonderful time. We started out in Mexico City with a 2 day tour filled with museums, food, and beautiful sights. We then went on to Cholula to experience the culture in a smaller town, see a local market, and eat traditional food. We finished the tour in a small town called Cuetzalan, where most people speak an indigenous language. All of our guides were great. Thank you for a memorable vacation!
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DaniEla

March, 2022
Just wonderful!
We had an amazing trip excellent organized by Jorge and supervised by Melina from Rutopia. We spent 10 days in Mexico, starting in Ciudad de Mexico where we visited the amazing Teotihuacan and then we flew to Yucatan for the amazing sites of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Ek Balam, Tulum, Merida, Valladolid and the great Island Holbox. The trip was perfectly organized, the hotels were very good, and the guides were carefully chosen. We highly recommend Rutopia and especially Jorge!
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Bikø J

November, 2021
Chiapas, Neri and her family
I traveled to Chiapas for an ecotourism experience with Rutopia and I liked it very much, the team responds very quickly to all questions and accompany the traveler throughout the experience, I missed my flight and they were very flexible to accommodate the entire itinerary, My destination was the lakes of Tziscao, where I was received by Neri with his family in very nice cabins next to a lake with incredible views and a magnificent tranquility, with them you make experiences of beekeeping and coffee and tours to nearby lakes, Montebello is a must! 100% recommended.
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Alexhcros1500

March, 2021
Super local agency
We have worked with Rutopia for several tours in Mexico in the Yucatán and Chiapas and we have never been disappointed. Authentic experiences, with locals, in magical places and off the beaten tourist track. Our contact Marisol was always super available and responsive, understanding and anticipating our desires. And she speaks very good French. I highly recommend Rutopia!
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Mikel D

April, 2021
The best moment lived in Mexico
We were traveling as a group of friends with nothing organized. We like to improvise and be able to find alternative plans to the conventional tourist routes. We arrived in Puerto Escondido - Mexico's paradise - and started looking for options. A Mexican friend recommended us to contact Rutopia and we did. We explained our way of traveling - which they quickly understood - and in a few hours they came to us with a perfect selection of activities. We chose one of them and the next day we found ourselves galloping through beautiful hills, crossing a small lagoon in canoes, bathing on an unspoiled beach at sunset and sipping freshly picked coconuts with some mezcal. We had dinner in the only hut on the beach, eating fish that had been caught that day from the lagoon. Then we went to see the luminescence of the placton with paddle canoes until we were surprised by one of the biggest and reddest moons I have ever seen in my life. We ended up sleeping in bamboo huts a few meters from the waves. There were no more than 5 huts on the miles of beach that we could see. And at ALL times with an exquisite treatment - sympathy, kindness and attention. This is just one of the plans we booked with Rutopia, which definitely changed the course of our trip. Without a doubt, I would repeat this experience in any place I would like to visit in Mexico. Viva Mexico!
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Claudia A

September, 2020
Super organization, great accommodations and nice team
The trip was perfectly organized, we were always exclusive or in very small groups and had freedom to do our own activities. All accommodations were fantastic and sustainable, the food almost always local and very good, we could always fill our Rutopia water bottles and travel as plastic free as possible. We were met at the airport and had assistance getting a rental car. After that, we traveled independently but had our fixed dates and reservations with Rutopia. It was the perfect mix!
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pascalrichard0304

March, 2020
Circuit in Yucatan
Discovering wonderful and surprising sites, Mayan communities with an unforgettable welcome, breathtaking landscapes, a very pleasant climate in the middle of March...and smiling people! A big thank you to Rutopia and his team for the elaboration of this ideal circuit, alternating nature, city life, simplicity and comfort. Thanks to Mélina for the follow-up during our trip. We don't speak Spanish well enough, and we appreciated having a French-speaking contact person who could be reached if necessary. We still have a lot to discover and hope to come back very soon, and with Rutopia without hesitation!
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Sabrina N

March, 2020
Perfect
For those who don't like to manage logistics like hotels, rental cars, activities. And above all, to have someone who speaks fluent French that we can reach at any time for the unexpected... You are in the right place! Thank you to Chloe for the preparation of our trip, to Melina our Ariadne's thread and Teresa for her welcome and help at the arrival and departure. A big thank you to Enrique and Blanca from Nuevo-Durango for their welcome, their smiles, their family, a lot of emotions at the time to leave you. Thanks to Mémo for your teaching of Mexican customs (Sian Ka'an) The Yucatan is a magnificent region. And the population is very pleasant. Only downside Holbox... Too much dust, too much smell of fuel oil, too much tourist. I will keep in memory these wonderful moments!
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DAY 5 - Los Barriles and Punta Arena de La Ventana beaches

Water sports

Los Barriles is an excellent beach for kitesurfing and windsurfing. If water sports are not your thing, you can sit and watch the kite surfers pirouette and enjoy the sun and the beach. It is very close to town and all the restaurants. The public beach space is very large, you can find several spaces to set up your tent, even some spaces between the plants. There is very good snorkelling on the beach, it is worth bringing a bizor. 

Punta Arena is another very nice public beach where you can camp freely. It is wild camping, there are no amenities, but the view is worth it. You can see Cerralvo Island in front of you.Totally pristine beach so you can do any activity. Some say they have seen dolphins on the seashore. At night it is quite dark so you have to be well prepared and there is also a lot of wind. 

DAY 6 - Snorkelling in Cabo Pulmo

Besting things to do in Mexico - Snorkelling in Morelos

Cabo Pulmo is a natural protected area designated a natural world heritage site by UNESCO, important for the conservation of oceans and hard coral reefs.  

You can’t miss an experience in the Navajas reef, appreciating white coral and diverse tropical fish. Snorkel in Chopitos or Carrizal, shallower areas, to observe hard and pink coral. You will also be able to find marine animals.

DAY 7 - La Zorra Canyon and Santa Rita's pristine hot springs

Roberto-Barrios-Waterfal

The Zorra Canyon, it is an ANP (Natural Protected Area), it is a beautiful oasis and well of fresh and clean water fed by a lagoon. You can walk to the bottom of the waterfall and enjoy the view, you can swim in the waterfalls. Your guide will give you the indications to go down and up to the top of the falls being very careful. During the return trip you will pass by several pools, if you like you can swim according to the indications of the guide). At the end of the tour you will arrive at the Sol de Mayo waterfall, the sound of birds singing will welcome you, you can swim and enjoy the place. 

Then, explore one of Baja California’s off the beaten path natural wonders, Santa Rita’s stunning freshwater pools and hot springs are for you. Located not far from the beautiful Sol de Mayo Waterfall, Santa Rita is a true hidden treasure in the rugged landscapes of the Sierra de La Laguna canyons. Surrounded by native desert flora and fauna, including palm trees, Santa Rita feels like a tranquil oasis. The cool freshwater pools are perfect for an invigorating dip, and the mineral-rich hot springs are a relaxing treat. The best time of year to visit Santa Rita is during the winter months, when the weather is cooler and more pleasant. Keep an eye out for local wildlife while enjoying this tranquil Baja gem.

DAY 8 - Los Cabos

Los Cabos

Relax full day in Los Cabos.

DAY 9 - Paddle boarding at Arco, Playa del Amor and Snorkeling

Paddle Surf at Los Arcos in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Today you will enjoy the Cabo San Lucas Bay, paddling along its shores on paddle boards, accompanied by a local guide passionate about their region, who will share with you a personalized experience. They will be close to you at all times, giving you tips to paddle better. This tour starts at Playa de la Empacadora (also known as Corsario), where you will be provided with the equipment and given instructions on how to use it. You will paddle to the famous Cabo San Lucas Arch, enjoying and learning about the rock formations and beaches along the way. Upon arrival at the Arch you will take a few minutes to enjoy its majesty, observe the sea lions, and take pictures.

On the way back, you will stop at Playa del Amor, where you can walk to enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean and its powerful waves at Divorcio Beach, as well as have a snack to recover energy. Then you will continue to Pelican Beach, where you can rest and snorkel in one of the best reefs in Los Cabos. Finally, you will paddle back to Empacadora Beach to finish the tour.

DAY 10 - Todo Santos

Todos Beaches

You will have a free day to enjoy the beaches in Todos Santos, famous among surf lovers, and if you want you can take a lesson so you do not stay with the desire to learn, we help you to organize it.

Todos Santos is a small town which makes it ideal to enjoy its beaches or stroll through the cobblestone streets and visit its museums. The magic it hides is to feel like you are stepping back in time.

 

Create your Mexican adventure!

Our team will help you with free destination advice, activity ideas and provide full costings.

So you can stop dreaming and start packing! 

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