Amazing 10-Day Sea Kayaking Trip in Baja

Most avid expedition sea kayakers have Baja in Mexico on their bucket list. Paddling on the Sea of Cortez along the Baja coast is a remote sea kayaking camping trip with few rivals. In November, I had the chance to kayak for 10 days from Loreto to La Paz with Baja Outdoor Activities. This 100-mile (160 km) route is an epic Baja sea kayaking adventure. You paddle crystal clear waters teeming with marine life, then camp on deserted beaches at night under dark skies sprinkled with more stars than you have ever seen. Your sea kayak guides provide safety, fascinating natural and cultural information, and delicious Mexican meals. Finally, you have a chance to paddle with seasoned sea kayakers from all over the world.

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Sea Kayaking Trip on the Baja Peninsula

Many reputable sea kayaking companies run expeditions along the Baja coast and around Isla Espiritu Santo, a large National Park island in the Bay of Cortez with outstanding scenery. I chose Baja Outdoor Activities (BOA) due to recommendations from friends and their stellar reputations for trips in the Baja. Many international sea kayaking companies use the services of BOA to outfit and guide their Baja trips. However, if you book directly with BOA, you can save some money.

Some paddlers return multiple times to participate in BOA trips. These return customers are testimony to the quality of the company’s services. The stories they tell of previous sea kayaking trips with BOA are infused with excited satisfaction and high adventure.

BOA Guides

The guides have remarkable sea kayaking skills from years of experience in the field. Our guides were Mario and Erick (also called Tuku). The head guide, Mario was in his seventeenth year with the company. His jovial nature, deep love of the nature of Baja, and colorful stories made being around Mario a constant delight. He cared deeply that people had a trip exceeding their expectations. In addition, he was a chef of the camp stove, whipping up delicious Mexican cuisine each meal.

I often told Tuku that he could be a standup comedian if he ever needed a dry land job. His quiet, wry delivery of puns and jokes often had me in stitches. And even after many years of sea kayaking, I learned some helpful adjustments to my paddling stroke from Tuku. He also guides for a company I had kayaked with on Lake Bacalar so we shared tales of that beautiful place on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Style of Trip

The sea kayak company offers two styles of trip: a cooperatively catered trip or a fully supported trip. The difference is that with the cooperatively catered trip, you carry all your gear in the kayaks and help with camp chores. Conversely, a panga transports the food, water, and gear on the fully supported trip so participants can paddle in light boats.

I chose the cooperatively catered trip as it was closer to what I was used to in traditional expedition sea kayaking. Undoubtedly, I enjoyed the feeling of working as a group to set up camp and being on our own. However, a panga did come mid-trip to resupply us with water and food (and cold beer).

In sum, the boats were heavy with food and water, but the rhythms of packing up boats each morning and being self-reliant made up for it. In addition, helping out with meal prep and cleaning up feels like a normal group-building part of a sea kayaking expedition. Many great stories were told around the chopping table.

Typical Day Sea Kayaking in Baja

The Baja sea kayaking trip I did had 9 participants and 2 guides. Paddlers were from Canada, England, the United States, and Mexico. It was an ideal size to work and paddle well together.

A typical day started at 6 am with people arising and beginning to pack up tents and gear. Strong camp coffee is served at 7 am with participants lounging in camp chairs on the beach to watch the last of the sunrise or the dolphins boisterously playing in the surf. A full breakfast of fruit and eggs, pancakes, french toast, or quesadillas followed at 8 am. All meals had a Mexican flair. After cleaning up breakfast, we packed our boats to be ready to leave at 9 am.

The Paddling Day

The paddling day varied with mileage from 10 to 24 km (6-12 miles) of distance per day. Sometimes the paddle was broken up by a lunch stop at midday. A few times we pushed through to get to our nightly camping beach before lunch. Lunch was salads or burritos. On two occasions we stopped at a small village to have fish tacos in a restaurant on the beach. These stops in the remote villages were a delightful glimpse of the local culture.

We usually arrived at our beach campsite by mid-afternoon so there was time for snorkeling and hiking. Happy hour was at 5 pm. This evening ritual was a chance to relax with the group over a cocktail and snacks. The guides would whip up a pitcher of sangria, margaritas, mojitos, or pina coladas each happy hour for our enjoyment. It became a welcome part of the day after the solitude of paddling.

Dinner was served at 6 pm and was always delicious Mexican fare. The guides took pride in their delectable cooking. Beef, pork, fish, and chicken dishes were on the menu. However, there was also sufficient food for the vegetarians on the trip. Tasty salads were often featured.

Highlights of the Baja Sea Kayaking Trip

Snorkeling

I’ve snorkeled in some incredible places before–favorites such as the Great Barrier Reef, Belize, the Bahamas, and the Galapagos. Therefore, when I add Baja to this list of favorites it is because the underwater life is amazing. The water is undisturbed so the clarity is excellent. Plus, even though I brought hydroskins for snorkeling, the water was warm enough never to use them.

A wide range of tropical fish swims in the shallows. My favorites parrot fish and sergeant majors were abundant. A zebra eel was a highlight. Coral heads of many colors were also present. It’s no wonder why Jacques Couteau called the Sea of Cortez the aquarium of the world.

There was time on the sea kayak trip to snorkel off the beach at lunch or when we made camp in the afternoon. Definitely, bring your own well-fitting snorkel, mask, and fins. They are easy to transport in the kayak or on the deck.

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Starry Starry Nights

Each night the Milky Way would scatter light across the black velvet tapestry of the sky. I waited at dusk for the Pleiades constellation to rise faithfully from behind a seaside bluff to the north. This tiny grouping of stars known as the Seven Sisters is a favorite anchor to help me make sense of the rest of the sky. Without light from anywhere, the dark sky was awash with constellations so numerous it was impossible to see where they started and ended. I slept without a fly on my tent so the night sky rotated constantly, giving me a new view every time I woke up.

One night I woke up in my tent pitched on a sandy beach berm close to the ocean. Through my tent netting, I could see Orion, the hunter, reclined right above the water.  It was so close, I felt as if I was taking a nap with Orion on that silent Baja beach.   

Desert in Bloom

My Baja trip was in the aftermath of hurricane rains that left the desert awash with green. Several canyons by the shore reminded me of Ireland with an emerald coating of plant life. Desert flowers exploded in colors of red, orange, and purple. The Elephant cactus or Cardon cactus in Spanish is a relative of the Saguaro cactus found in the deserts of the Southwestern United States. The Cardon cactus, which can live hundreds of years, was a constant companion along the shore.

Sea Kayaking Gear

The sea kayaking gear used by BOA was top-rate. Clearly, after many years of experience, the cooking gear had evolved to perfect functionality. There was a serving and chopping table and a cooking table with a propane stove and windscreen. Additionally, two fold-up wash buckets ensured proper sanitation.

A couple of bathroom bags awaited paddlers each day for their morning constitutional. People would take the long walk down the beach with the poop bag. It contained a small shovel for digging a hole below high tide, toilet paper, matches to burn the TP, and hand sanitizer. Peeing was done in the ocean, often by wading in waist-deep to go.

There were various popular brands of sea kayaks, both fiberglass and plastic. BOA was respectful of people’s preference for single or doubles to paddle. There was one double on our trip to carry the kitchen gear and the rest were singles as requested. Participants changed around in boats until they found one that they preferred. Larger paddlers had fewer options for boats and lifejackets that fit well.

The tents provided by BOA are perfect for desert camping with lots of mesh to enjoy the breeze on hot nights. The only time I used my fly was for a 10-minute sprinkle of rain early one morning.

Essential sea kayaking gear for Baja

The kayak company provides an excellent equipment list for the trip. Specifically, I found some of the gear I brought to be an excellent choice for this expedition.

My sleeping system was comprised of my Rumpl blanket, Therm-a-Rest Neo Air sleeping mattress, and camp pillow. The Rumpl provided an extra soft layer to sleep on when it was warm and just enough snugness when the night got chilly. The Neo Air mattress is the most compact, lightweight, comfortable sleeping pad on the market. Hence, it’s perfect for sea kayak camping. Last, but not least is my Therm-a-Rest Airhead Pillow. Sand or rocks are hard to sleep on so the comfort I get from these products is critical on a long expedition. Plus, they are all easily compressed in a 13-liter dry bag.

Camp chairs were the preferred way to sit on the beach on the trip. The super lightweight Helinox chair is perfect as it compacts to the size of a water bottle to fit in your kayak hatch.

Essential clothes for sea kayaking in Baja

I wore the same paddling clothes for the entire 10 days. After a day of paddling, I would hang them on my tent or a bush to dry after I changed into my camp clothes. Hence, they were ready to slip on in the morning. Durable, quick-drying, sun-protective paddling wear protects from the insistent sun and saltwater.

My most indispensable piece of clothing was my nylon buff. I wore it daily to protect my face, ears, and neck against sunburn and chaffing from my life jacket. A sun hat completes the outfit. Some paddlers wore sun runner hats which are essentially ball caps with side curtins. Your objective is to shade every part of your head and neck, therefore any of these systems work well.

The best paddling shirt is a moisture-wicking, sun-blocking, long-sleeve hoodie. The hoodie keeps you cool even when the sun is beating down. It’s great to swim or snorkel in for a bit of warmth and UV protection. Finally, the hood gives extra protection and is quite chic.

I’m usually pretty casual about biting insects. However, the small biting bugs on the trip were a real menace on some of the beaches. The insect repellent I recommend is Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent. It doesn’t have DEET which I find harmful to health and clothes. Whatever repellent you use, wear it faithfully as you won’t feel the bugs biting but will wake up with welts all over your body.

Finally, the sun in Baja is unforgiving. A good sunscreen is critical. Make sure it is reef-safe to protect the marine environment.

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Baja Sea Kayaking Logistics

The Baja sea kayaking trip begins in Loreto and ends in La Paz. I was happy I planned a few days on either end of the trip to explore these picturesque Mexican towns.

Loreto outdoor adventures

Loreto is a charming town with walkable streets down to the beach. A popular trip from Loreto is to Coronado Island to snorkel and see the sea lions. Due to high winds, we were not able to make a trip to Coronado but I definitely recommend it.

Instead of Coronado Island, we took a tour up in the mountains to the San Javier mission. The scenery on the drive was outstanding with shades of green decorating the remote high desert. The storied history of the San Javier Mission tells of how it survived over the centuries. One of the oldest olive trees and an intricate irrigation system behind the mission are fascinating to visit.

La Paz outdoor adventures

The trip ends in La Paz after a 3-hour dusty van ride into town from the takeout at Punta Coyote. La Paz is a vibrant seaside city with a Malecon for strolling stretching the entire length of the shore. We booked a day trip out to Isla Espiritu Santo, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and national park. The panga trip had many highlights including seeing leaping dolphins in the bay, visiting a rock teeming with blue-footed boobies, and watching magnificent frigate birds soaring over their colony. The boat also took us into Balandra Bay to see El Hongo, the mushroom rock formation on the beach.

Certainly, the highlight of the boat trip was swimming with sea lions. The sea lion colony is on some small rock islands at the end of Espiritu Santo. All ages of sea lions dallied on the rocks and dove into the ocean to swim. Big males quarreled with each other and showed off for the females. Cute baby sea lions hung out on the rock too.

When it was time to swim with the sea lions we jumped in with our snorkel, mask, and fins. The current from the tide swept me along as sea lions swam under and beside me. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. However, it seemed that the sea lions were more playful than threatening. The swim time was supposed to be twenty minutes but with the current we were back at the boat in no time.

Next, a lunch of fresh ceviche and sandwiches was served a a golden sand beach on the island. During the stop, we swam and snorkeled in the crystal-clear water. Finally, the trip back had another dolphin show.

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Wrap Up of Baja Sea Kayaking Trip

The motto of Baja Outdoor Adventures is “Paddling in Paradise”. The phrase comes to life in the 10-day sea kayaking trip from Loreto to La Paz. This trip is a true wilderness adventure away from the internet, traffic, and overused natural areas. The crystal clear water teems with marine life and the mountains hug the shore as you paddle by. Pristine sand beaches are an oasis for camping and watching the towering night sky. Sunrises are epic. Combined with friendly fellow paddlers, amazing guides, and the best food and equipment, BOA lives up to its motto.

Like any sea kayaking expedition, be ready for changing winds, rough water, and challenging paddling. However, to experience this special part of the coast of the Baja Penisula overrides any challenges. I hope these tips and stories will make your Baja sea kayaking trip as enjoyable as it was to me.

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Disclaimer: I was partially sponsored by Baja Outdoor Activities on this trip. I was not compensated or asked to write a positive review. All opinions are from my honest experience.