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Outback East Cape: Adventure Touring in Baja Sure
By Ann Hazard
Terry and I recently moved (as in lock, stock and barrel) to Buena Vista, on Baja's East Cape. I've been coming here since 1970 and although it's grown, the splendor of nature still dominates. The hotels are small, spread out and intimate. Many are accessible only by dirt road. People make friends here. When they visit, they feel like part of the family. They come to know the waitresses and bartenders by name. Many return year after year. Of course, fishing is the primary draw, and there isn't much nightlife at the hotels, as anglers tend to go to bed early and rise before the sun. We found that the locals (both Mexican and American), however, enjoy their fiestas aplenty.
What we also discovered since moving here is that there's a whole lot more to do than just fish and work on your tan. For those of us who want something a little more edgy than a resort vacation-be it old or new school-there is something new happening in Southern Baja. Call it eco-tourism or call it adventure tourism, it's the hottest thing going on in these parts, and it will transform your idea of Baja Sur forever.
When most people think of the Baja landscape, they think of desert, mountains and sea. That doesn't even scratch the surface. There is a world of splendor under the sea to be explored. There are hidden tropical oases, waterfalls and hot springs in the mountains. The only living coral reef in western North America can be found here, in the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park. There are lush plantations terraced down steep mountainsides. In coastal lagoons you can find amazing birds and other wildlife. There are ancient Indian rock paintings, and crumbling Old Spanish missions dotted up and down the peninsula. There is even a zoo in the East Cape. We booked our adventure tours through the Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort and set out to explore the frontier just outside our front door.
SAN MIGUEL INDIAN ROCK PAINTING TOUR
Hundreds of ancient Indian rocks and cave paintings have been discovered in Baja and all are at least thousands of years old. In six hours, our guide, Angel Ortiz, took us way up into the rugged mountains close to the Los Cabos airport. The paintings here are on a monstrous boulder, located in what was obviously the middle of the Indians' sacred meeting grounds. Small hands and an array of wildlife are depicted, along with an accurate compass. A river runs through this arroyo year-round. During the rainy season (late summer to early fall) the waters roar down the canyon. Over the centuries the waters have scoured, shaped and buffed the granite boulders so that now they're smooth and easy to walk on. There are sandy beaches alongside the massive rock formations, providing ideal places to picnic and spread your towel for a siesta after you take a dip in the river.
SANTIAGO ZOO AND WATERFALL TOUR
Our next tour took us to the agricultural village of Santiago. We were amazed at the lush orchards of mangos, avocados and citrus fruits growing here in this oasis community. It seemed so non-Baja! After a tour of the town, we visited the Santiago Zoo-the only one in all of Baja California. Here we snapped photos of ostriches, deer, an array of exotic birds-including eagles, a falcon, parrots and peacocks, a tiger, bear and African lion, foxes coyotes and mountain lions. This zoo is a wonderfully peaceful sanctuary set within gardens of mango and avocado trees, aloe and numerous species of native cacti. After this we headed up in the Laguna de la Sierra mountains to visit La Cola de la Zorro (the Tail of the Fox) which is one of the tallest waterfalls in Baja. The water tumbles down more than 40 feet into a pool that is over 20 feet deep. After a short easy hike on a good trail, we reached the falls, where the braver among us dove off the rocks (from about 35 feet) into the cool crystal clear water.
SANTA RITA HOT SPRINGS TOUR
I knew there were hot springs offshore near the hotel but I couldn't believe there were more up in the mountains. Our third adventure took us past Santiago again, through the ranching oasis of San Jorge and up in the mountains to Santa Rita. There we came upon a rancho with private hot and cool springs and a stream that flows year-round. Terry and our driver, Max, hiked with the rancher a half hour upstream to large pools where you can swim and dive in the crystal clear water. Angel and I ate lunch and soaked in the pools of hot water. When we'd had enough we hopped over a few rocks and cooled off in other pools. It was heavenly.
CABO PULMO MARINE PARK
In 1995 Cabo Pulmo was officially declared a Marine preserve by the Mexican Government-which means it's off-limits for fishing and a perfect eco and adventure tour destination. Located about midway between San Jose del Cabo and Buena Vista, Cabo Pulmo is off the beaten track and it's not crowded. The underwater park is 11 miles long with eight different fingers of coral reefs. A Mexican fishing vessel, Colima-sunk during a storm in 1939-lies in 18 feet of water offshore, and offers the added bonus of a wreck dive for scuba enthusiasts. Visibility ranges from 60 to 100 feet in the water and the ocean temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees.
Pepe Murietta, longtime park director, is a certified dive, sailing and kayak instructor. He's also a naturalist with expertise in marine and plant biology and archeology. He met us at his Outdoor Activity Center and gave us a presentation on the dive and snorkel sites within the park. He told us that the previous day a whale shark (harmless but the hugest fish in the sea) had surprised snorkelers. They'd also seen mantas flipping in and out of the water and some sperm whales spouting offshore.
We followed Pepe's van down a dirt road to our launching point. The beach was as pretty as any I'd seen in the Caribbean, with the same pale aquamarine water and sugar-soft white sand. The temperature was a perfect 78 degrees. Underwater we swam among needlefish, triggerfish, rainbow colored parrotfish, big-nosed jewfish, yellow and gray-striped tigerfish, spiny brown-spotted blowfish, eels and even a sea turtle. Later on my kids took Pepe's kayak out to look at the sea lion colony nearby. Then we headed into the tiny town of Cabo Pulmo and had a magnificent lunch at Nancy's Restaurant. As unlikely as it seems, she was trained at the Cordon Bleu in France. I believe it, because the food was fabulous.
There are plenty of other tours to take including ATV bird watching and trail rides. We barely scratched the surface here. In addition to what I've described, there are crumbing missions, the artist colony at Todos Santos, whale nurseries in Bahia Magdalena and secret surf spots on the Pacific side. If you're ready to try a vacation that's not centered totally around being pampered, eating, drinking and sunning or fishing, then getting a taste of Outback East Cape might just be your next cool thing.
Added information is available from:
Hotel Buena Vista Resort: www.hotelbuenavista.com
Cabo Pulmo Marine Park: www.cabopulmo.com.mx
Ann Hazard is a lifelong lover of Baja California and a longtime contributor to DB. Her books including Agave Sunset, Cartwheels in the Sand and Cooking with Baja Magic are available on the DB bookshelf.
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