Join us on a trip of a lifetime in the Majestic Sea of Cortez, along the mountainous Baja coast line. This sea kayak trip will also circle one of the most beautiful islands making stops at stunning isolated beaches with aqua blue waters, towering multicolour cliffs, natural stone arches and numerous sea caves. An amazing lay-over day at a very special place called fossil beach makes for an exciting day of discovery. Millions of years ago ancient sea beds heaved upwards exposing numerous shells and bones.
Recently a new species of dolphin was discovered when a paddler found the head embedded in rock along the beach where we camp. On our last trip two shark teeth were found by Jay (Earth Travellers guide) on top of a cliff at least 100 feet above the ocean. You will spend moments watching the manta rays leaping out of the water or paddle beside sea lions and glimpse dolphins at play. There are cruising whales, loads of tropical fish and numerous species of seabirds that are all apart of this bucket list trip.
Spend 13 days on the water with a BCU level 4 kayak guide and marine biologist as well as one of the Earth Traveller’s friendly tour leaders. This is your chance to enjoy the Earth's aquarium from the seat of your kayak.
Kayaking Wild
Baja Tour
15 Days / 14 Nights - (13 days on the water)
per person from:
$4,599 USD
“Watching the sunset while floating in the ocean is an experience i will never forget. Made new friends that I am still in touch with. Can’t wait to do it again!! Amazing trip.”
— Bruce Bell
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
Islands full of sea lions
Whales, dolphins mantera
Fossil beach
Earth’s aquarium
Baja culture
Volcanic cliffs
Stunning scenery
Hiking
Ready To Book?
Trip Dates
2024
April 17 - May 1
Custom dates and itineraries available for groups of 4 or more
Contact us for further information
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DAY 1: FLY INTO LA PAZ MEXICO
Welcome to the first day of your sea kayak trip of a life time! Arrive in Baja Mexico via La Paz airport, collect your baggage and exchange some money into Pesos. Our shuttle will be waiting to take you to your hotel down town. Check in and check out the town if time permits. Once settled in we will congregate and go out for a nice dinner (not included in trip cost). After dinner, we will discuss the kayak trip and meet our Mexican kayak guide and marine biologist. Then settle in for a good night’s rest and dream of what lies ahead.
ACCOMMODATION: La Paz, Paradise Hotel -
DAY 2: PUNTA COYOTE TO ARROYO VERDE
Good Morning! Breakfast in town (not included in trip cost). After breakfast we will load up the shuttle and set off to our put in point just north of La Paz at a place called Punta Coyote. Extra gear that you don’t need for the kayak trip will be stored until we return at the end of the trip. After sorting out the gear, loading our kayaks, and a going through our safety talk, we are ready to launch. The beautiful scenery is just a taste of what’s to come over the next 13 days on the water. Today’s paddle will take us 10 kms to our first camp on “Green Beach or Arroyo Verde”. An easy warm up day and a chance for you to get use to your kayak and take in the stunning scenery. Once landed and set-up, enjoy lunch and an afternoon light hiking tour with our guide who will explain the typical flora and fauna found in the Baja region. Dinner overlooking tomorrow’s paddle crossing towards San Jose in the far distance. Enjoy the billion star accommodations for the next 13 nights. APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 10km
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 10km ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 3: ARROYA VERDE TO STONE-HEAD BEACH
Wake up to the sounds of the ocean and the smell of fresh coffee. Enjoy breakfast and pack the kayaks for our long crossing heading slightly north then east towards San Francisco Island. On route, if the weather remains calm, we will veer-off toward a small island full of sea lions. Get those cameras ready! Afterwards, we will land on a nice sand beach surrounded by aqua blue waters for our lunch stop. With our bellies full we set off to another smaller crossing towards the southern tip of the most beautiful and seldom travelled island in the Sea of Cortez, San Jose. While most tour operators are bumping into each other on their well travelled routes to the south and north, we will have the entire island to ourselves. Our paddling continues to the east and around the tip then to the north for a short distance where we will be landing at the base of giant rock cliffs that resemble a massive stone-head. Welcome to camp. While the guides prepare dinner feel free to explore the beach and walk up the steeper path to the top of the hill. Bring your camera for an expansive bird’s eye view of the eastern coast and our route to be paddled to the north.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 18-19km ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 4: STONE-HEAD BEACH TO FOSSIL BEACH
After an amazing breakfast we will paddle north to a place called Fossil Beach. Notice the change in the rock formations as we cruise up the coast. Keep an eye out for whales, dolphins and leaping manta rays. Below you is a diverse aquarium of tropical fish and when the water is calm you can catch the mesmerizing display. Not a lot of easy spots to land here but we will find a cozy little nook to tuck into for lunch. The variety of classic fresh Mexican food will empress you. Our guides are as food savvy on land as they are paddle savvy on water...great combo! It's then off to fossil beach. This will become a place that you will remember forever. Sculpted sandstone cliffs, sand beach and a canyon to hike and explore are just some of the many highlights in this area. Oh yeah, did I mention millions of year old bone fossils in the rocks along the ocean! A new species of dolphin was discovered here as well as many gems. Get your Indiana Jones hat on and explore. Set up camp and get cozy because we are going to stay here a full extra day to really take it all in. Excellent swimming, snorkelling and cliff jumping as well as fossil viewing and back canyon exploring. Time to discover!
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 15-16km ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 5: FOSSIL BEACH
Another day at Fossil Beach to do whatever you didn't get a chance to do the day before. Trust me, you'll be glad to have this extra time!
ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 6: FOSSIL BEACH TO QUATRO PALMERAS
Now that we are all charged up and our stomachs full from breakfast it’s time to say goodbye to fossil beach. A place to brag to all your friends and family in the future. As soon as we start paddling north we will pass the most beautiful cathedral, wind and water sculpted sandstone cliff. It will take your breath away! We have named it “sandstone amphitheatre” for good reason. We know you won’t want to leave this bay but we must keep paddling a little further north to one of the best snorkelling places on the island. A short break here allows people to swim in the Earth’s aquarium amongst an array of tropical fish. For those not wishing to swim we recommend paddling very slow close to shore and you will be able to see the fish swimming right under your kayak with amazing clarity. Lunch will be a little further along the coast and then we will paddle to Quatro Palmeras beach to make camp. Just before arriving at the camp site we will paddle past a very small ranch village where rancheros live a tough life isolated from the main land in this valley. Back on Quatro Palmeras beach you will notice that the towering white cliffs make an amazing back drop and unique setting to explore. These white cliffs have been heaved vertically hundreds and hundreds of feet up. In these ancient sea bed cliffs are millions of fossilized sea shells. Some shells over 12” in diameter. Take lots of pictures to remember this special spot.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 12-13kms ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 7: QUATRO PALMERAS - HIKE ACROSS THE ISLAND AND BACK
Enjoy another tasty breakfast below the towering white cliffs. Today we will be hiking with a guide across the centre of San Jose Island. This interpretive hike takes is some beautiful views and will give you a better understanding of the ecosystems that make up the Baja area. Watch for wild goats, snakes, lizards, birds of prey, and other dessert critters along the way. Enjoy lunch on our hike. After the hike we will return to the beach and relax, explore, or take a swim. Once dinner rolls around we will walk down the beach and into the little community to enjoy a special traditional meal from one of the rancheros families that call San Jose Island their home. What a great day full of adventure, discovery and culture!
APPROXIMATE HIKING DISTANCE: 8-9kms ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 8: ARCHES WONDERLAND
Enjoy breakfast and then pack the kayaks for another stunning paddle amongst the numerous massive stones arches and sea caves on route to the most northern tip of San Jose called Punta Calabozo. This a wonderful spot for lunch over the azure waters. To the north you can view Isla San Diego and in the distance the larger Isla Santa Cruz. Keep an eye out for sea lions and whales cruising by to the east and west in the deeper channels. After lunch we will be passing some impressive caves that you can serpentine through. What an unbelievable place to paddle and explore. Depending on the weather and the wind direction we will pick one of two beaches on the northwest side on San Jose to be our camp spot. Dinner and movie 'au naturel'. The sea-scape is your feature film this evening and with a little luck we will catch a glimpse of manta rays, whales and dolphins swimming up the channel between the island and the mainland. Our first trips here we saw hundreds of dolphins swimming and leaping into the air through this vary spot.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 10-12kms ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 9: SOLA PALMERA TO VOLCANIC CLIFF BEACH
After breakfast we will paddle south a few kilometres and then make the crossing back to the mainland weather permitting. If not, then plan “b” will take us south along the west side of San Jose island. Enjoy the glow of the morning sun as it lights up the mountains to the west. Once we reach the mainland we will be stopping at Punta Alta for our lunch. This is the site of a small fishing out post camp. After lunch we will paddle north past Punta el Cerro and then follow the massive cliffs to the east. Camp will be on a black sand beach surrounded by black volcanic cliffs. There is a great valley leading inland between the cliffs that would be worth exploring. Dinner and another night under the beautiful stars.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 15-16kms ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 10: VOLCANIC CLIFF BEACH TO LARGE ROCK POINT BEACH
After breakfast we will repack our kayaks and head south along the coast towards past Nopolo beach where there is an impressive stone arch that can be paddle under at high tide. We will stop in this area to enjoy a shore lunch. The coastline here is full of little bays to explore and lined with beautiful coloured cliffs. Our final stop will be at Large Rock beach point to set up camp and feast on another great meal from our guides.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 15-16kms ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 11: LARGE ROCK POINT BEACH TO ARROYO VERDE
Good morning! Breakfast is served and another day of adventure awaits. Today we will be paddling south past the small fishing village of San Evaristo where there is a desalinization plant. We will continue a little further south to enjoy our lunch. Our camp site will be a familiar one as we camped there back on day 1. Arroyo Verde or Green beach will once again be our camp spot on route back to our put in point at Punta Coyote. Day 12 will be an extra full day in and around Arroyo Verde. This extra day will allow for some flexibility in our program in case of unforeseen bad weather or wind days.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 17km! ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 12: ARROYO VERDE
Day 12 will be a day to relax, practice rolling or get out for a hike. Enjoy and relax.
ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 13: ARROYO VERDE TO NORTH PUNTA COYOTE BEACH
Our last full day of paddling in Baja. Don’t be sad! You can come back next year for a new adventure with us. After breakfast we will be paddling south southwest back to our starting point at Punta Coyote. Here we will enjoy one last night on a sandy beach before being picked up after breakfast in the morning by our shuttle. We should arrive back to La Paz in good time.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCE PADDLING: 10km ACCOMMODATION: Camping -
DAY 14: NORTH PUNTA COYOTE BEACH PICK UP
I hope you enjoyed your last night on the beach in Baja. After breakfast we will be picked up by our shuttle to take us back into La Paz. Anyone interested in taking a boat tour in La Paz harbour to see Whale Sharks and even swim with them, just let us know. A once in a lifetime opportunity to see these gentle giants. A cool ending to an amazing trip of a lifetime! (not included in the trip price but well worth it!) Check into our hotel to get cleaned-up for a final farewell dinner together. Sleep well in a cozy bed tonight because tomorrow we will have a long day flying back home.
ACCOMMODATION: La Paz, Paradise Hotel -
DAY 15: OFF TO THE AIRPORT
If time permits, we can grab some breakfast before departing to the airport. Have a safe flight home and we hope to see you again on another Earth Travellers get-a-way.
ACCOMMODATION: Your own bed!
Our Route
PLANNING & EQUIPMENT
TERMS & CONDITIONS
RELEASE WAIVER
Included
Accommodation
Meals
Airport transfers within the program
All transport and listed activities within the program
Experienced Guides - English speaking qualified/certified/approved
Remember
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Flexible travelers with a sense of humor consider it part of their adventure. Our partners work very hard to make your tour unfold seamlessly, but sometimes itinerary changes happen. ET thanks you for your understanding
Not Included
Activities and accommodation outside the program
Flight to and from Baja
Dinner on arriving day
Breakfast on day 2
Dinner on day 14
Breakfast on day 15 if time permits
Tips for the guides
Optional whale shark tour on day 14
Trip insurance
Health insurance
Small tip for rancher’s meal on day 7
Small tip for the driver of the shuttle
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