Summary of the Best Things to Do in Loreto
“The landscape looks like nothing,” says our guide Victor as we drive from the airport to Loreto Baja California Sur, “but there are owls and woodpeckers in those cactus, and big horn sheep, grey foxes, mule deer, raccoons and mountain lions in the arroyos, the valleys.” The green and gold mounded hills studded with lanky cardon cactus, copal bushes and prickly chain link cholla seem as static as a western movie set to my untrained eyes. The town of Loreto, and the surrounding towns of Baja California Sur, have their own surprises and I was more than ready to savor them all.
Best Things to Do in Loreto – Baja California Sur
At least I had a guide. In 1697, when Jesuit priests arrived in Baja California Sur, they had high hopes, no money, and a pledge to build a Camino Real, a Royal Road, for the King of Spain. The first mission they built was the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó in the center of what would become the town of Loreto.
Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
This beautifully restored stone church near the town square still welcomes worshippers today. Its bells ring out on the hour. For a town of 15,000 souls, the church is a busy place. Celebrations and services are held every day and continue into the evening when the lights from the church spill out into the street. A museum of early artifacts stands on the church grounds, along with a tiny gift shop selling delicately crafted religious souvenirs. This was the first of the missions that stretched from Baja California Sur across the border to San Francisco, 1400 miles away.
Of course, the Jesuits were not the first people to live in Loreto. They were met by the Monqui, the indigenous people of Baja California Sur who had lived there for thousands of years. The Monqui were conscripted into building the missions by the Jesuits who offered them a reliable source of food and the promise of salvation, but in less than one hundred years their small population was decimated by European diseases.
Petroglyphs and Pictographs
Their culture remains in the form of petroglyphs and pictographs at several sites around Loreto. The two sites closest to town are at Cuevas Pintas, 15 km to the west and La Pingüica, 60 km to the north.
Many tour companies in town organize tours to the sites. On my first day in Loreto, I took the one hour drive and two hour hike to see the pictographs and petroglyphs at La Pingüica with Juve Orozco from Sea and Land Tours. Our group clambered over dry stream beds and sloughed through sandy washes filled with many kinds of cactus, bushes teeming with butterflies, and trees strung with cat’s claw vines. Juve was generous with his knowledge of the terrain and the plant life.
When we reached the site, Juve pointed out the fine details of the painted petroglyphs, some symbolic, and others clearly showing animals and people on the move. The sheltered surroundings and arid environment have kept the colors bright. A bit further down the rocky arroyo he showed us geometric patterns that had been picked out on the rocks thousands of years ago to form petroglyphs.
The most impressive cave paintings in Baja California Sur can be found at the UNESCO-designated caves high in the Sierra de San Francisco mountains but they can only be reached by a three-day trek with mule or on horseback. You can find these larger than life-size images from Loreto’s indigenous past reproduced in concrete on the walking street that leads to the Malecon, Loreto’s beachfront seawall.
Returning to Loreto, I was happy to find my spotlessly clean room at Bugambilias Suites had a strong, hot shower and plenty of fluffy towels. There was also a full kitchenette, perfect for long stays, and upstairs on the terrace, there were plenty of lounge chairs and a panoramic view of the mountains tinged with blue.
The Malecon
If you visit the Malecon as the sun is rising, as I did the next day, you’ll find fishermen casting their lines into the sea, bicyclists furiously pedaling along the boardwalk, and joggers taking advantage of the cool morning breeze.
Playa La Negrita
Loreto is full of wonderful restaurants. After a day at the uncrowded sandy shores of Playa La Negrita (Bold Beach) along the Malecon, or an afternoon spent perusing some of the many jewelry, pottery, art, and clothing shops on Juan Maria de Salvatierra, the town square is the place to be. The lights strung through the trees around El Zopilote Brewing Co. begin to glow at sundown as delicious pizzas arrive fresh out of the brick oven to be washed down with an IPA, Bandito Stout, or Blood Orange beer. There’s also a fried grasshopper appetizer on the menu for the adventurous.
For the best homestyle Mexican food in town, locals, expats, and tourists alike head to Asadero Super Burro. At this hole-in-the-wall diner, you can watch the staff as they chop, toss, and fry huge platters of traditional favorites over a roaring wood-fired stove stoked with dried cat’s claw vines, a perfect use for those pesky vines. The Super Burro on the menu lives up to its reputation – it’s gigantic. Come hungry.
Heroica Mulege
If you’re in the mood for a road trip full of beautiful scenery, water sports, and a Baja California Sur history lesson, head to the pretty town of Heroica Mulege about an hour and 50 minutes north of Loreto on Highway 1.
On the way, you’ll pass many secluded beaches, but pull into El Burro beach at Conception Bay at around the halfway point (75 kms./46 mi). It’s one of most lovely beaches in Baja California Sur. The water is clear and warm, and La Burra Tours is located right on the beach.
They can take you out to visit all the islands in the bay, or you can rent a kayak and snorkeling equipment to explore the shallow reefs. JC’s Restaurant is near the water. You can sit with your feet in the sand under a shady palapa while the owner Juan Carlos Osuna brings out fresh-caught snapper done “pescado zarandeado” style. It’s a traditional recipe from Sinaloa and Nayarit that tastes even better when the fish on the grill was just swimming in the bay that same morning.
Conclusion
Far from being a landscape full of nothing, Loreto Baja California Sur and the surrounding towns are rich in hiking, adventure, horseback riding, snorkeling, diving tours, and proud of its history. It’s a more relaxed and authentic side of Mexican life, away from the all-inclusive experience. If this sounds like your kind of place, I’ll see you there.
For more stories by Debra, visit her website at WhereToLady.com and follow her travels on Instagram @where.to.lady and on Facebook.
