Last Updated on: 29th October 2024, 05:14 pm
For such a small town, Baja California Sur’s Loreto has a lot going for it: historical buildings, beaches, mountain views and an abundance of wildlife. In the following Loreto guide, we’ll be covering the top attractions of the town center, as well as nearby Coronados Island, home to dolphins, sea lions and more.
Also be sure to check the end of the article for details on various day trip options near town, how to reach Loreto, and the best places to stay.
A Guide to Central Loreto
The city of Loreto is small enough that it can easily be experienced in a single afternoon. Like most colonial-era towns, you’ll find a central park (the Plaza Cívica) which features a kiosco in its center.
While it’s surrounded by numerous cafes and restaurants, you’re unlikely to find it incredibly crowded, even during peak hours.
Also around the park are a number of historical stone buildings such as the Hotel Posada de las Flores, while the plaza leads directly to a pedestrian avenue.
Given its diminutive size and tranquil atmosphere, it’s somewhat surprising to learn of Loreto’s major historical importance to the overall region.
The Jesuit Missions Museum
Walking down the pedestrian avenue from the central plaza, you’ll soon encounter the building complex where it all started: Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto. Like Loreto itself, it was established in 1697 by the Jesuits.
And today, the building is home to the Jesuit Missions Museum, the top attraction in this guide to Loreto and a great place to learn about the history of the Baja Peninsula as a whole.
Incredibly, this was the very first mission of 60 or so that the Jesuits would establish across the Baja Peninsula and what’s now the US state of California. But what was the point of all these missions?
The missions were established with the intent of spreading Christianity amongst the native populations. (But it was also surely useful for the Spanish Crown to have more permanent settlements throughout New Spain.)
Like the rest of Mexico, the Baja Peninsula was home to various indigenous tribes, though they were largely nomadic. The missionaries felt that in order to convert and subjugate the natives, they’d have to introduce them to a sedentary lifestyle.
And in order to do that, they’d first have to establish a permanent settlement of their own.
Given Baja’s arid climate and lack of resources, the Jesuits initially had to rely on the natives to help them find the nearest water sources.
Though they’d eventually start cultivating maize and various fruits, the Jesuits largely depended on fishing for survival, which is why this mission was built so close to the sea.
Despite the enormous effort required, they felt it necessary to build sturdy buildings out of stone if they were going to have a long-lasting impact. And even hundreds of years later, the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto remains in impeccable condition.
Throughout the museum, you’ll find various religious artifacts that were used in local ceremonies and processions, along with detailed bilingual information about the region’s history.
Among the most remarkable displays here is a reproduction of Cuevas Pintas, a nearby cave painting of the Laymona culture which could be many thousands of years old.
As mentioned, though this was the very first, the Jesuits would go on to establish dozens of more missions throughout the Californias.
In addition to the original Royal Road which linked Mexico City to Santa Fe and San Antonio, a second Royal Road was built across the Californias to connect all of these missions, allowing them to trade with one another.
Nevertheless, the missions were still largely reliant on shipments from the mainland. And this still holds true for much of the Baja Peninsula today.
For much of its early colonial history, the Baja Peninsula was part of the Province of Las Californias, which also encompassed what’s now the US state of California and all of the US Southwest. While it may not look it today, Loreto was once the capital city of this humongous province.
Even after the province split into two, Loreto would serve as capital of Baja California for a time. But it’s now less than a tenth the size of the current capital of La Paz.
As for the Jesuits and their missions? After the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico in 1767, the Franciscans took over their missions, followed by the Dominicans. But as with many religious buildings throughout Mexico, they were largely secularized throughout the 20th century.
At the time of writing, entry to the museum costs $70 MXN to enter and it’s open from Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00-13:00 and then from 14:00-18:00.
The Malecón
Like many coastal cities, Loreto has a seaside malecón which offers great views of the water, while it also hosts various public art sculptures.
Frankly speaking, it can’t compare with that of La Paz, known for its turquoise water and white sand beaches. Nevertheless, it’s a great place for a peaceful walk and to enjoy views of Loreto’s outlying islands.
If you’re wondering where to swim in Loreto, you can indeed find some beaches close to the town center. Just keep walking north along the malecón and you’ll eventually find them.
Further past the malecón is a large sandy beach that remains largely undeveloped, though who knows for how much longer.
Coronados Island Boat Tour
While there are a number of different day trip options from Loreto (see below), the easiest to arrange is a boat tour to the nearby Coronados Island (also often just called Coronado Island).
Admittedly, I didn’t originally have plans to do this tour, as I had just done a similar tour to Espíritu Santo Island outside of La Paz. But after having a tough time arranging other day trips, I ultimately opted for this one. And I must say that it surpassed all of my expectations.
Arranging a tour can be somewhat complicated, which you can learn more about below. But regardless of who you go with, expect to pay for access to the Loreto Bay National Marine Park on top of your tour fee.
At the time of writing, passes cost $90 MXN.
Loreto Bay National Marine Park is situated in the Sea of Cortez, which many call the ‘aquarium of the world.’ It also encompasses other islands, such as Danzante, Carmen, Montserrat, and Santa Catalina, though most day tours typically focus on Coronados.
While a direct ride to the island from Loreto should take around twenty minutes, your boat captain will first take you out to see wildlife.
Of course, there are no guarantees in nature, but the Sea of Cortez is so teeming with life that you’re bound to see something. And this particular tour was as lucky as I’ve ever gotten in regards to animal sightings.
Not long into the tour, we spotted a large school of dolphins in the distance. I’ve seen this on a few tours before, with the dolphins eventually getting away before we could get very close.
But in this case, our captain managed to get right up in their midst!
While I’m no expert, these were most likely ‘common dolphins.’ And for a good ten or fifteen minutes, there were countless dolphins jumping out of the water on either side of us!
It was truly a thrilling experience, and having done boat tours in both La Paz and Puerto Escondido, this was by far the most up-close-and-personal I’ve ever gotten with wild dolphins.
Supposedly, dolphins jump out of the water both to take a breath and to aid with navigation. Some scientists also speculate that an entire pod jumping together could be some sort of group bonding exercise.
One particularly special highlight was seeing a mother jump out of the water together with her calf.
Next, it was time to get closer to the island itself, first passing by a large colony of pelicans. While too far away to properly photograph, we also observed some blue-footed boobies, which, as their name suggests, do indeed have blue feet.
While I’m not sure if we saw any, ospreys are another common bird native to the island.
Next came the sea lions, a large colony of which can be found along the island’s rocky shores. Some of these blubbery creatures were relaxing calmly along the rocks, while others constantly barked into the air for no apparent reason.
One major difference between this tour and the one I did to Espíritu Santo Island was that we didn’t swim with the sea lions and only viewed them from a distance.
As great of an experience that was, I didn’t feel the need to repeat it again so soon after, and was content with staying in the boat.
But if you’d like to swim with them, be sure to confirm this in advance with your tour operator. It seems like some Coronados Island excursions do indeed offer this activity.
Finally, we arrived at the island’s main beach, where we were to spend a few hours before the return to Loreto. Once at the island, you have a few different options regarding how to spend your time.
Your boat captain should have a little tarp shelter prepared, so you’ll be able to sit in the shade if you like. You should also be able to borrow snorkel gear, though the water here is so clear that you can see plenty of fish from above the surface.
Another option is to go for a hike. Coronados Island was formed by a volcanic eruption, and the Volcan Coronados’ peak reaches up to 431 m high. It’s possible to hike all the way up it which should take a couple of hours roundtrip.
While I wasn’t quite sure how far I’d end up going, I began ascending the hill to get a sense of what it was like.
Near the picnic area, you’ll find a wooden boardwalk leading you to the start of the trail. While not terribly steep, the trail is incredibly rocky and shouldn’t be attempted in sandals.
While I could see the peak in the distance, I was already able to enjoy great views from about halfway up. Ultimately, I decided that hiking the whole thing might be more trouble than it’s worth, especially considering how I still wanted to go for a swim.
On this particular tour, lunch was not included, though I’d come prepared with snacks. Regardless, the other people on my tour came prepared with a ceviche lunch and they insisted that I indulge.
As a solo traveler joining group tours, you never really know who you’re going to end up with. And on this particular tour, it was just me and a large Mexican family.
In many countries, this would end up being a rather awkward situation. But this group went out of their way to make me feel like I was part of the family for the duration of the tour.
Arranging a Coronados Island Tour
Just about every tour agency in town, plus numerous independent boat captains, offer tours to Coronados Island. But with so many different options, it’s hard to describe the best way to go about arranging a tour.
Upon my arrival in town, my Airbnb host gave me the contact info of several different private operators. He said I could contact them for a much better price than the bigger companies that have offices around town. He also said that I shouldn’t pay much more than $600 MXN if I joined a larger group.
Among the few who responded to my texts, Leal Turismo quoted me $1200. When I responded that I couldn’t pay that much, they brought it down to $800 pesos (about $45 USD), to which I agreed.
I’d previously paid $1200 MXN for my boat tour in La Paz, but that tour included lunch and a swim with sea lions. This tour included neither, so I felt that $800 MXN was fair. (As mentioned in the above Loreto guide, the National Park fee was separate.)
It’s worth noting that I arranged all of this in Spanish. If you can’t speak any Spanish, you’re probably going to end up paying more, as some English-speaking touts on the malecón were quoting me much higher prices.
While it’s also possible to book a tour online, tours like this one are going for $87 USD – nearly double what I paid. Booking this way certainly comes without the hassle, however.
Additional Info
In much of Mexico, it’s fairly easy to reach remote areas by hopping on a local colectivo. But that just isn’t an option in the Baja Peninsula, where public transport can only take you to the prominent towns along the main highway.
As such, for most day trips, you either need to rent your own car or depend on private drivers and tour operators. Frustratingly, many of these tours will only run if they have enough people. And even if they do, you’ll still have to pay a price that’s more on par with the US than the rest of Mexico.
Be that as it may, let’s go over some of the most popular day trips you can take from Loreto:
One of the most popular day trip options is the Mission of Saint Francis Javier. As the name suggests, it’s a former Jesuit mission similar to the one we covered in the above guide to Loreto. But its main appeal is its beautiful mountainous surroundings.
Tour companies on the ground were charging a staggering $1700 MXN (about $100 USD), while the cheapest offer I managed to find was $70 USD. This tour online goes for about the same.
Supposedly, despite there only being one main structure, the high price of the tour is related to the poor road conditions, while some tours include lunch. In the end, I ultimately decided against going.
Another popular excursion is to see the nearby ancient cave paintings. As much as I wanted to see them, I already had plans to see similar cave paintings near Mulegé. But if you’re interested, this tour can be booked online in advance.
Finally, there are numerous hikes to do around Loreto, though none of them are very close to the town center. Tabor Canyon is one of the most popular local hiking areas, and many people choose to go with a local guide for safety.
Most destinations along the Baja Peninsula are quite remote by Mexican standards, and Loreto is no exception. While renting a car is probably the best idea, all of the major towns and cities are connected by a bus route managed by the Autotransportes Aguila company.
The closest major city to Loreto is La Paz, the Baja California Sur state capital, though it’s as far as five hours away.
The closest town of interest to travelers is Mulegé, home to just several thousand people. It’s situated a couple of hours to the north of Loreto.
If you’re coming from far away, Loreto has its own small airport with connections to other cities in northwest Mexico as well as Los Angeles. Supposedly, some cruises from San Diego make a stop here as well.
Perhaps due to a combination of its remote location and being popular with visitors from the US, Loreto is by no means a budget travel destination.
Some of the most popular higher-end hotels located near the center include Hotel Santa Fe, La Mision Loreto and Posada del Cortes. As the town is not very big, the locations mentioned in the above Loreto guide should all be within walking distance.
As mentioned, budget options are scarce, but some high-rated cheaper options include Casas Centro Loreto and Departamento Y.
Being on a budget myself and wanting to do some slow travel, I managed to find some listings within my price range on Airbnb run by a host named Genesis.
While my little apartment was clean, modern and had good internet, it lacked a kitchen and I was frequently awakened by the upstairs neighbors. But all in all, it was a good value considering the price of the competition.
As you can tell from the guide above, the town is indeed worth checking out for at least a few days during your travels across the Baja Peninsula. My initial impressions of Loreto were quite positive based on the beauty of the town and its surrounding islands, not to mention the friendliness of the people.
But after staying for ten days in total, I ended up leaving with mixed feelings.
Firstly, the lower part of Baja as a whole is practically an island, as most goods have to be shipped from the mainland. And Loreto in particular is several hours from the state capital.
As such, you end up with a very poor selection of goods at the local supermarkets and shops, but with higher prices than the rest of the country. While this may only impact those doing longer stays, Loreto’s combination of remoteness and priciness started to get to me over time.
Later on in my stay, after having walked through the town center and down the malecón plenty of times, I decided to take an alternate route through some backstreets on my way back to my rental apartment. While things looked okay at first, it wasn’t long before I was charged at by some angry local dogs.
These weren’t even street dogs but people’s pets. But the properties were so dilapidated that many of the fences in this area had large holes in them, allowing the aggressive dogs to harass people on the street. Throughout the fifteen-minute walk, I was charged at not once but several times by different pairs of dogs and had to defend myself with stones.
On this afternoon, no property owners – nor any humans at all – were in sight in this part of town to the north of the center. But I could only imagine what would happen if a child decided to wander through this same area. Don’t the locals care?
At the time of writing, I’ve been to 25 out of Mexico’s 32 states and have hardly had any incidents with dogs except for Baja California Sur. While Loreto was the worst case, I also had a few bad experiences in Mulegé and Guerrero Negro, and even once in La Paz. Even a self-professed dog lover I talked to told me he felt something was really off with the dogs (and dog owners) of Baja.
This is something to keep in mind before you visit and especially if you’re considering a long-term move. It’s unfortunate that you can’t even take a peaceful stroll through large portions of a small town like Loreto, especially when its supposed tranquility and safety are what draws people there.