Tourist Activities

The Sea of Cortez is a popular body of water for boating. It is relatively calm compared to the open Pacific waters, and many anchorages can be found. Smaller boats are safer here. You could experience rare mini hurricanes in this area during the late summer and early fall, but most boaters cruise the Sea of Cortez in the winter months. People generally trailer their boats to coastal towns and launch them there. Sea kayaking is becoming very popular in the waters of the southern Sea of Cortez. Navigating the Pacific coast of the Baja south of Ensenada should only be undertaken by larger, well maintained boats.

The inland waters around Cancun and Cozumel are popular boating destinations. As with any Caribbean destination, hurricanes can be a threat during the Summer and Fall. Warm tropical waters with great diving and snorkeling, attract many boaters.

All of the Pacific coast cities have boating facilities and marinas. Most of these destinations are related to fishing rather than cruising per se. Conditions can vary greatly depending on weather and sheltered sites.

DIVING AND SNORKELING conditions are excellent in Mexico. The Pacific waters along the Baja are a little cold, and wet suits are needed, but most areas on the Sea of Cortez and the Caribbean coast, have warm tropical waters.

Diving charters are available in virtually all coastal cities, and these people can show you where the best sites are.

Everyone should experience snorkeling on a tropical reef at least once in their lifetime.

Watch for an article on 'Drift Diving' off Cozumel, to appear here soon!

Explore diving opportunities on Cozumel with Buena Ventura Diving

FISHING is very popular. The waters around Mexico are relatively teaming with fish. As many North Americans are finding out, the fishing is not nearly as good as it used to be in Canadian and American waters. One explanation for the abundance of fish in Mexico, is that fish has not been a major part of the Mexican diet in the past. So large commercial fisheries were late to start there. Even now, most of the catch is exported. The warm waters of the Sea of Cortez are the breeding grounds for many species. The areas where this water mixes with the colder Pacific water produce great fishing for large game fish.

To find just about anything you would want to know about fishing off the Baja coast, visit Amigos de Baja Bajanet. This site has everything for the fisher and traveler.

Fishing charter boats can be found in every coastal city. Many fishers maintain that you haven't really fished until you have caught and released a fighting Marlin.

GOLFING is popular in the tourist areas, but there are relatively fewer golf courses in Mexico, compared to the U.S.A. and Canada. Golf courses require a lot of water, and many areas of Mexico are dry. Water is too precious to use for irrigating non-agriculture areas. The cities that we know have golf courses are: Acapulco (5), Cancun (5), Cabo San Lucas (5), Ensenada (1), Guadalajara (5), Ixtapa (2), Manzanillo (2), Mazatlan (2), Puerto Vallarta (2), San Miguel de Allende (1), Tijuana (1).
There are probably many more.

HIKING spots can be found everywhere, but there is a lack of developed hiking trails. Outdoor activities have never been popular among Mexicans, so you won't find the highly developed trail systems you would find in Canada and the U.S.A. Some Mexican parks do have trails though, as do some of the volcanos.

There can be miles of deserted continuous beaches to hike. I have personally walk beaches and not seen another person for ten miles. This wouldn't happen during the area's tourist season, but the beaches are generally uncrowded, partly because there are so many of them. If you love beaches, Mexico is for you!

SHOPPING is one of the most popular activities of tourists in Mexico. This country of many artists and craftsmen, produce an abundance of wonderful artifacts. Silver and leather goods are popular locally produced products. But basketry, weaving, carving, painting, and sculpting create many works of art found everywhere.

The strong value of American and Canadian currencies makes for many bargains, particularly if you are good at bargaining. The general rule of thumb is: if an item has a price tag on it, bargaining is not recommended, otherwise bargain away!

The Islas de Todos Santos, off of Ensenada have the biggest breaks on the entire coast of North America, with waves up to 30 feet. The best and most accessible sites are: the bay of San Miguel north of Ensenada, La Fonda, La Mision, Rosarito Beach, Punta San Jose, Punta Baja, Punta Santa Rosalillita, Punta Abreojos, and beaches near the town of Todos Santos in Baja Sur.

There are some good surfing sites along the Pacific coast of the mainland too, particularly near Manzanillo.

TOURING by bus or train is popular in many parts of Mexico. You can arrange 7 day 'Colonial City' tours from Texas, staying at San Miguel de Allende. Or you can take whalewatching tours, or train tours of Mexico's fabulous Copper Canyon ( 4 times bigger than the U.S. Grand Canyon).

Numerous other tours of vocanoes, Mayan ruins, and locations where artifacts are made are available. Watch Virtual Mexico in the future for more information on tours.

WHALE-WATCHING is fast becoming a major tourist activity along the Baja coast. Large Gray Whales migrate from the waters off Alaska to bear their young in these waters.

The three most popular whale-watching sites are Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon's Lagoon), near Guerrero Negro, Laguna San Ignacio, southwest of San Ignacio, and Bahia Magdalena, southwest of Ciudad Constitucion.

Here are four established whalewatching expedition groups:

 Baja Expeditions                      Biological Journeys
 2625 Garnet Ave.                      1696 Ocean Dr.
 San Diego, CA 92109                   McKinleyville, CA 95521
 Tel. (619)581-3311, (800)843-6967     Tel.(707)839-0178, (800)548-7555


 Oceanic Society Expeditions           Sven-Olof Lindblad's Special Expeditions
 Fort Mason Center, Bldg. E            720 Fifth Ave.
 San Francisco, CA 94123               New York, NY 10019
 Tel. (415)441-1106                    Tel.(212)765-7740, (800)762-0003

This information is about two years old, so hopefully it still applies.