Fishing

Commercial fishing has taken its toll since Ensenada’s heyday as a sportfishing getaway in the 1950s and ’60s. But a day on a panga or cruiser can still yield a decent catch in the peak summer season. Lingcod, rockfish, and bonito are among the most common species.

Fishing

Even though you’ll hear seasoned area anglers pine for the good old days, the San Felipe fishing scene is still the big draw—for visitors and retirees alike. Croakers can be found year-round, but the peak months for cabrilla, yellowtail, sierra, and grouper are May–October.

Head north above Punta San Felipe for the best onshore fishing. You can still fish from shore without a license, so all you need are a shore rod, food and water, and some lures.

Loreto offers outdoor enthusiasts a rare combination of desert, water, and mountain activities, all of which you can pursue independently or through an experienced outfitter.

Boating

Loreto offers easy access to a string of islands offshore, including Isla del Carmen (18 km from Loreto, 8 km from Puerto Escondido), with several pleasant beaches. Arrange for a panga through any hotel that offers fishing trips or at the harbor at the north end of the malecón.

An abundance of glass-bottomed tour boats depart frequently from the marina and from Playa El Médano 9 A.M.–4 P.M. each day. The standard 45-minute tour costs US$8–12 per person and covers Pelican Rock, the famous Land’s End arch, and the sea lion colony.

For no extra charge, the crew will let passengers off at Playa del Amor near the arch; you can flag down any passing boat from the same fleet and catch a ride back to the marina later in the day. Be sure to see the boat you will board before you pay, as engines can be old and unreliable, and you may not get your money back if the trip is aborted due to engine failure.

With the largest bay along the Gulf Coast, La Paz is far and away the frontrunner in all of Baja when it comes to boating services and supplies. Even Cabo San Lucas pales in comparison. There are numerous public and private marinas, boatyards, and marine supply stores, with new businesses opening and old ones upgrading all the time.

Popular since the 1950s, recreational boating remains one of the most pleasurable ways to experience Baja’s marine environments. Some people cruise all the way down from California, following the path of John Muir; but the vast majority haul their boats down the peninsula via Mexico 1 and launch from one of Baja’s many well-developed marinas. The Sea of Cortez offers safer conditions and more protected places to anchor than the exposed Pacific coast, which gets pounded with big swells and high winds. Types of recreational boats suitable for use in Baja vary from lightweight car-toppers and inflatables to large trailered boats and multimillion-dollar mega-yachts.

Tamarindo Adventures (tel. 506/2653-0108, www.tamarindoaventuras.com) specializes in ATV tours and kayaking.

Blue Dolphin Sailing (tel. 506/2653-0446, www.sailbluedolphin.com) offers day and sunset cruises, plus snorkeling aboard a 12-meter catamaran.

One of the highlights of many visitors’ travels in the Guatemalan Caribbean is the unique opportunity to sail down the Río Dulce canyon and out to the Belize cayes.

Trips last about a week and there are stops en route to swim and enjoy the magical beauty of the jungle river and canyon before stopping in Lívingston for immigration formalities. From there, the trip rounds the cape at Punta de Manabique before continuing to the open seas, where the water morphs into luminescent shades of aquamarine.

The superb 350-berth Marina Vallarta (P.O. Box 350-B, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48300, tel. 322/221-0275, fax 322/221-0722) has all possible hookups, including certified potable water, metered 110–220-volt electricity, phone, fax, showers, toilets, laundry, dock lockers, trash collection, and pump-out.

Other amenities include 24-hour security, a yacht club, and complete repair yard. It is surrounded by luxurious condominiums, tennis courts, a golf course, and dozens of shops and offices. Slip rates run around $0.75 per foot per day for 1–6 days, $0.60 for 7—29 days, and $0.50 for 30 or more days.

A block north and a block west of the Mascota town plaza, head out Calle Zaragoza by taxi, local minibus, or your own wheels to Laguna Juanacatlán (12 mi/19 km, one hour), a 7,000-foot-high clear mountain lake framed by steep pine-tufted ridges. Even if you only plan to have lunch in the hotel restaurant and enjoy a stroll around the lake, the stunning drive is well worth the effort.