After escaping Hurricane Norma whose rains flooded the dirt streets of Cabo Pulmo, we arrived in Loreto at dusk. The drive past cacti forests with views of mountains and the ocean was pleasant, as was the weather in Loreto. We had nothing planned, but soon found out there are many things to do in Loreto.
Where to Stay in Loreto
We stayed at the Hotel Oasis on the edge of town which has its own beach and pool. It also serves a complimentary breakfast and is dog friendly. The facilities were nothing to write home about, but the room was clean, the A/C worked, and the staff was welcoming.
For a nicer amenities, though likely noisier and without a beach, I’d try Hotel La Mision de Loreto. With our last minute change of plans, it was sold out. There are also a few all-inclusive resorts outside of town on huge properties, the closest being Hotel Loreto Bay Golf Resort & Spa.
We prefer experiencing the local culture, and as a result staying in town because driving at night with the cows is not recommended. Loreto is completely walkable despite the locals driving the strip nightly with their music blaring.
Hotel Oasis is located at the end of the strip, so it wasn’t too noisy. And there must be a noise curfew, because we never heard much music after 10 pm. When we weren’t sleeping or having breakfast at the hotel, we were usually out exploring.
Places to Eat in Loreto
While we visited Loreto, we tried multiple restaurants. Most were excellent, some were OK. Places to eat in Loreto include the following:
El Zopilote Brewing Co: As the name suggests, EL Zopilote is a brewing company. It features a selection of beers, lovely patio, and varied menu. The beer was tasty, and the food was OK. I recommend grabbing a beer there and a meal elsewhere.
Claudias Margaritas Loreto: Just across the square from El Zopilote Brewing Co is Claudias Margaritas Loreto. Oh my gosh was it good! Its outdoor patio is small and always full. Arrive early. Order their guacamole and one of their giant margaritas. Also, their ceviche and fish dishes were excellent. You really can’t go wrong with this restaurant in Loreto. It has a high rating on google for a reason!
Mi Loreto: Strolling from the square beneath the archway of trees lining the street will lead you to many more restaurants, including Mi Loreto. This restaurant in Loreto surprised us. The chef offered us an amuse-bouche which is always a delight.
Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We ordered guacamole and the typical fajita dish. My goodness, the portions were huge, and the guacamole was excellent. Maybe it is because the avocados of Mexico are just so fresh?
Zapata Cantina: Just down the way is Zapata. This is more of a bar and should be treated as such. The food menu was limited and fair. However, the atmosphere is great! Especially the swings at the outdoor bar that act as chairs.
While the restaurants above are located on a pedestrian-only street, there are also some good ones on Avenue Miguel Hidalgo which is a busier with the cars. Don’t miss the restaurant above Mike’s Bar which airs NFL football.
This gentleman politely invited us into his upstairs restaurant. Being our first night in town, we walked the whole street and ended up back at his location, simply for his efforts. It was worth it. We had a view of the sunset while trying his amuse-bouche. He even cooked us an entrée that wasn’t on the menu. It was a very pleasant experience as the sun set.
After all the delicious food we ate, we definitely needed to get some exercise. There is no shortage of activities in Loreto. Even with remnants of hurricane Norma reaching us on Sunday. The once tranquil turquoise bay turned brown.
Things to Do in Loreto
It was easy to book activities at Loreto Sea and Land Tours on the corner of Ave Miguel Hidalgo and Fco. I Madero. We booked SCUBA diving, a hike to some historic pictographs, and a fishing tour within 24 hours before the departure time. It was very easy, and the staff was very courteous and helpful. Or you can try one of the many Get Your Guide Tours.
SCUBA Diving in Loreto
That said, if you aren’t landing in Loreto at the spur of the moment like we did, and want to SCUBA dive, definitely book Blue Nation Baja or Dolphin Dive Baja in advance. These dive shops, which were dedicated to SCUBA, were sold out, so through Loreto Sea and Land Tours, we ended up with Viejos Lobos del Mar Dive Center that was somewhat disorganized our first day.
They were late picking us up at the marina. Perhaps it was due to the group of local friends they had on board. Additionally, we had some international divers who dive with bar gauges, not psi, so they need to change the tank valves and didn’t have the correct equipment.
While we didn’t have a good first impression, the divemaster from Spain was good and friendly. We especially enjoyed diving with them on the second day with a better boat set up.
Dive Sites in Loreto
Our first day, we dove La Lobera which was the highlight of two tank morning dive near Coronado Island. Along with a variety of fish, eels, and sea stars, La Lobera features playful sea lions who dive off the volcanic rocks and loop through the water like dancers. The curious ones come face to face with you!
It was really fun to watch them, particularly since the visibility wasn’t the best for photography with nearby hurricane Norma and the threatening hurricane Otis that hit Acapulco.
Our second dive, Piedra Blanca, which was around the corner from La Lobera was little to write home about. That said, I’ve never seen so many puffer fish in all my life. You usually might see one or two. At this location, it was almost like a whole colony of them lived within the rocks. I lost count after twenty. There were easily six in our field of vision multiple times.
The following day was too rough for water sports, so we ended up on a hike (more later). But, with our main goal being diving, we booked a second day immediately following the stormy weather. We should have given the sea another day to settle, as the visibility was poor at best, but we were coming up against the 24 hour no fly zone after SCUBA diving.
Normally, we wouldn’t have volunteered to dive the same site twice, but the weather prevailed, and we had to respect mother nature. And it is never disappointing diving with sea lions. They are so fun!
Our second dive, Candeleros, had some strong currents at times, but I still managed to take a few non-blurry photos. I personally liked seeing the sea urchins which collected broken shells to protect themselves. I’ve never seen anything like it.
In all, Loreto’s SCUBA diving is nice. Seeing some warm water, Pacific fish without having to travel across the globe was a bonus, however, diving in the Sea of Cortez lacks the colorful corals and sponges of Cozumel, the Solomons, Dominica, and Saba, just to name a few.
The two tank morning dives in Loreto start later than most places I’ve been diving in the world. They lasted from about 9-2. As a result, the dive operator provided a cooler of drinks and Mexican street food for lunch. We relished in some of the best tamales we’ve ever had.
Try the Street Food
Later, we figured out, they bought the ceviche and tamales from the street corner vendor near the marina. So, we occasionally bought directly from him on our way back to the hotel. It is much quicker and more affordable than a restaurant meal. And we had no problems with Montezuma’s revenge.
Take a Hike
As I mentioned above, we also took a hike. The wind was high, and the waves were flooding the malecon. As a result, we took a five-mile roundtrip hike to La Pinguica so see some pictographs and petroglyphs. A bit unorganized, we didn’t even book the tour until that morning around 9:30 am.
Francisco was there to pick us up at 10 o’clock. He came prepared with a cooler full of drinks and more street food. The locals of Loreto definitely understand how to cater to tourism! He even had little 8-inch fans attached to the rearview mirror and behind the driver’s seat the spread the cool air to the back.
We took a 1.5-hour drive to the trailhead which is located on the side of a dirt road. Despite a sign off the main highway pointing left to La Pinguica, we would have never found it on our own, so I’m glad we paid for the tour. Not to mention, we read that someone should stay with the vehicle. I’m not sure if that is true, but given I’ve had my car broken into at a trailhead while hiking in Utah, it wouldn’t surprise me.
The dirt road which we followed from the highway is also part of the Baja 1,000 racecourse. Every year in November people come to Baja California to race 1,000 miles from Ensenada to La Paz. We saw some racers practicing.
Soon enough, Francisco pulled his van into the shade of a cactus. Donning our caps and sunglasses, we lathered up in sunscreen, strapped on our packs, and grabbed a bottle of water. After he finished chopping a walking stick for us out of a dead cactus, we held up our water and asked if we should take more. Francisco most assuredly said, “Yes”, despite only carrying one bottle for himself.
This was very good advice. The coastal breeze had disappeared, and we began a hike through a humid desert of cacti around noon. I didn’t know humid and desert could be used in the same sentence, but on this day in October, there was not another way to describe it!
The hike to La Pinguica travels along many empty arroyos (aka washes) and some paths. It was rocky, sandy, and sunny with views of surrounding mountains. As seasoned hikers, we initially didn’t want to carry a stick for flat terrain, but in the end, we were thankful for it.
After about 2 miles or so, we finally asked, “How much longer?”
Francisco replied, “Five minutes.” And then corrected himself, “Five Mexican minutes.”
Haha. That was funny!
Sure enough, within 10 minutes, we came upon a wall of pictographs painted in red, white and black. There was also a smattering of boulders over the next ¼ mile that features petroglyphs. Generally attributed to the Cochimi semi-nomadic tribe, the cave art is the oldest in the Americas, dating back 7,500 years.
La Pinguica is one of 1,600 cave painting sites in the Sierra Madre Mountains, all of which are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cave paintings, that stretch between the Sierra de San Francisco and Sierra de Guadelupe, represent 43% of Mexico’s total cave art. Called the “Grand Mural”, they are one of the five most important concentrations in the world and site to see for historians.
Just past the well-preserved pictographs are some pools of water in the bedrock, coveted by the deer, cows, and butterflies that we saw. I was amazed how anything could survive in the desert which featured a few beautiful, blooming cacti, but also few dead ones.
Then I realized, our life sure is in the hands of Franscisco, at the moment, who was once a rancher on the land. I doubt if we would have found our way back with all the twists and turns if I hadn’t recorded the hike on AllTrails. Unfortunately, without cell service, my recording didn’t even save to help others. That said, with it being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you should hire a guide who will also provide insight into the history, culture, flora, and fauna.
While we enjoyed getting some exercise, this hike is best to take during cooler temperatures in November and December or in the early morning. For those who wish for shorter hikes, Francisco offers many more tours to beaches and picturesque overlooks. Also, if you have a car, AllTrails features a few nearby options.
Avoid Bryan with Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto
For an unplanned trip to Loreto as a result of hurricane Norma, we fared pretty well. That said, we made a few mistakes along the way. Be sure not to get promised a free tour by the Villa del Palmar folks on the corner by the Jesuit Mission of Loreto Museum.
We ended up there because Loreto Sea and Land Tours was closed on Sunday morning despite the internet stating otherwise. In exchange for listening to a 90-minute presentation, we got a ½ day of fishing (including bait), as well as free breakfast and time to lounge at the resort. At least that is what Bryan, the manager, promised.
Vaguely interested in the pricing and happily ready to lounge around beautiful grounds, we obliged. First, this resort ended up being 45 minutes away, not 20. Additionally, the tour took much longer than 90 minutes. And they wouldn’t provide their list of reciprocal properties unless we signed up. Additionally, they said we couldn’t lounge by the pool, but we did anyway, though we cut it short to go fishing in the afternoon.
Enjoy the View at Mirador Loreto
While we had to waste some more time waiting for our free ride back to the Loreto Marina, at least we got a good driver who took us to the overlook of the bay. We had planned to stop here on our way back to Cabo San Lucas, so it was nice of our driver to stop and offer to snap our photo. The dramatic view of cyan waters surrounded by volcanic peaks is lovely.
Go Fishing
Prepared for our afternoon of fishing, we met our boat captain, Miguel of Blue Anchor Sportfishing. He offered to take use fishing, but said it was too windy, and it would be better in the morning. Not to mention, the fishing boats go way offshore, so we would have been spending at least two hours motoring there and back for maybe 1.5 hours of fishing whilst contending with daylight.
I turned to Bryan’s helper, Misael, who was a new salesman and said, “Don’t be like Bryan. He is why you have such a low conversion rate at the resort. He is full of BS. I specifically asked him about fishing in the afternoon and he claimed, “It’s great!”
Fortunately, the following day, we only had plans to drive to Cabo San Lucas, so we could fit in an early morning out at sea. The silver lining was we found out we could get a fishing charter at the marina that would cost $150 including bait rather than the inflated tourist price of $300 excluding bait. In both cases, all we had to do was buy a fishing license at the marina office with which Misael helped.
Waking before dawn, we arrived at the marina at 5:45am. We boarded the small boat, complete with a bimini, live bait holder, and ice chest for our catch. Miguel also supplied cold drinks and ceviche.
Upon leaving the marina, we met the bait boat where he exchanged some pesos for a bucket of mackerel. The live bait was much bigger than I expected. I sort of felt bad, but in the end fishing for Dorado and Yellowtail was so much fun.
October in Loreto is not the best time to cast a line. August is the high season for fishing in Loreto. That said, equipped with sonar, it was easy for Miguel to find a giant school of fish. In fact, all the fishing boats came to the same location after an hour of motoring and some trolling.
In the beginning we faced a comedy of errors. Miguel baited our hooks and cast our lines out on either side of the boat, but my mackerel swam with the current beneath the boat and soon our lines tangled. The next opportunity ended up with my line in the motor! Seriously?!?!
Finally, I hooked a 16 pound yellowtail, that put up a fight. By the time I reeled it in, I looked up and asked, “Where did all the fishing boats go?”
Migeul pointed in the distance, and answered “You took a long time to reel it in, and this fish took us this way.”
With my fish landed, Angela was up next. She caught a Bonito, which means pretty in Spanish. It was pretty, but not good eating, so we threw it back.
My next catch snapped my line on the motor seconds after it was hooked. Goodness! It took a while to hook some more, but we knew they were there as others pulled in some Dorados. And we pulled up some baitfish with bite marks!
We never said we were good fishermen. We just have fun going once every five years or so. Personally, I’d do a girls’ fishing trip every year if I knew enough people to join.
Faced with a 6.5 hour drive to Cabo, in the end, we had to cut bait early, pun intended, but not before we had a yellowtail and a grouper each. What a blast! We wished we could have taken our fish to the local restaurant to filet, but since we were flying out, we donated it to the captain.
Our captain got third place in a fishing tournament a few years ago. Check out Blue Anchor Sportfishing or try another tour online at Get Your Guide.
Stroll the Streets of Loreto
While, we prefer active vacations, Loreto also includes some quieter options as follow:
Don’t miss strolling the streets. From the malecon, to the pedestrian only area, to the main drag, Loreto boasts a charming downtown filled with small shops, flavorful restaurants, galleries, and shaded plazas. There is also a handy pharmacy for those who need any prescriptions that are a pain to fill in the USA.
Admire the Mission
On the edge of the pedestrian street is Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó. The mission was founded October 25, 1697 next to the Monqui Native American settlement of Conco. It was the first successful Spanish mission in Baja California and operated until 1829. Take a moment to stop in and soak up its history. You may also take a side trip to San Javier Mission and Oasis Cave paintings which may be reached by car or tour.
Snap a Photo with the Loreto Sign and Whale Watch
In front of the marina is multi-colored sign of Loreto. Stop for a photo, check out the harbor, and admire the nearby whale statue. The Sea of Cortez is renowned for its diverse marine life, so keep eye out for whales in the distance too. Fin and sperm whales are permanent residents whereas others migrate through. The best time to Whale watch is between January and March.
Relax on the Beach or Launch a Kayak or SUP Board
Just north of the marina is the public beach, Playa La Darsena. It is nice for relaxing under a palapa or a good place for launching a kayak or SUP Board. Paddle for the morning in the Loreto Bay National Marine Park or sign up for a multi-day guided excursion. Rent a Stand Up Paddleboard or find a tour operator with TravelStride.
Find a Festival
I feel like there is always something happening in Loreto. During our impromptu visit, we stumbled across a truck show featuring lots of vintage pick ups!
It was also the 326th birthday of Loreto. The birthday party included a parade and dedications. Carnival booths and Mexican style fair food booths lined the street for multiple days. We paid five pesos to shoot the bottles with a pellet gun and had so much fun!
While our vacation to Loreto wasn’t our planned dive trip to Cabo Pulmo and La Paz, we really enjoyed this authentic Mexican town on the Coast of the Sea of Cortez in Baja California. Undiscovered by cruise ships, it is one of Mexico’s hidden gems. I would totally return via a few direct flights to Loreto from the USA. ETB
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