|
Santa Rita Hot Springs Tour
The third adventure tour takes you through Santiago again, through the ranching oasis of San Jorge and up in the mountains to Santa Rita. There you will come upon a rancho with private hot and cool springs and a stream that flows year-round. Hike a half hour upstream to large pools where you can swim and even dive in the crystal clear water. Eat a picnic lunch and soak in the pools of hot water.
ATV Bird-Watching Tour
Hotel Buena Vista’s resident wildlife expert, Steve Chism leads these four-hour guided ATV tours. Depart from the beach shack at the southeast edge of the hotel property and travel south along the coastal road. The terrain here varies between desert thorn forest, agriculture and peaceful coastal lagoons. Steve will point out all kinds of birds in the brackish and fresh water lagoons, including: osprey, frigate birds, Gilla woodpeckers, catus wrens, pyrrahuloxia. Uncommon birds include: wood stork, black-bellied whistling bucks, sora, lasuuli bunting. Bring along your snorkeling gear and stop near Rancho Leonero to cool off and check out the undersea life. You’ll see all kinds of fish, and maybe even a pair of lobsters!
ATV Mountain Tour
The idea of hopping aboard an ATV and heading for the hills makes people feel like a modern day cowboys and cowgirls. On this four-hour guided tour, Steve Chism will take you off-roading into the mountains, educating you about the local flora, fauna, and wildlife as you pass through riverbeds, traverse mountain trails and visit the rarely seen side of Baja. Head down the coastal road north of Los Barriles and drive through several arroyos before you begin the climb into the hills toward Big Spring. The views of the Sea of Cortez from way up there are mind-boggling. It’s truly a “top of the world” experience. Leave your bikes and walk about 300 yards to a waterfall and large pool. Be sure to wear your swimsuits under your shorts, because you won’t be able to resist diving in. Steve will pull out a cooler with ice-cold cervezas and some snacks, and you can have yourselves a mini-picnic before heading back to the hotel.
Cabo Pulmo Marine Park
In June of 1995 Cabo Pulmo was officially declared a Marine preserve by the Mexican Government—which means it’s off limits for fishing and a perfect eco- and adventure tour destination. Located about midway between San Jose del Cabo and Buena Vista, Cabo Pulmo is off the beaten track and it’s not crowded. The underwater park is 11 miles long with eight different fingers of coral reefs. A Mexican fishing vessel, the Colima—sunk during a storm in 1939—lies in 18 feet of water offshore, and offers the added bonus of a wreck dive for scuba enthusiasts. Visibility ranges from 60 to 100 feet in the water, and the ocean temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees.
Pepe Murietta, former park director, is a certified diving, sailing and kayaking instructor. He’s also a naturalist with expertise in marine and plant biology and archeology. He will meet you at his Outdoor Activity Center and give you a presentation on the dive and snorkel sites within the park.
Following Pepe’s van down a dirt road to your launching point, you will see beaches was as pretty as any in the Caribbean, with the same pale aquamarine water and sugar-soft white sand. Underwater, you will swim among needlefish, triggerfish, rainbow colored parrotfish, goliath grouper, yellow and gray-striped tigerfish, spiny brown-spotted blowfish, eels and maybe even a sea turtle or a whale shark. You can rent a kayak and paddle out to visit the local sea lion colony nearby. Then head into the tiny town of Cabo Pulmo and enjoy a superb lunch at Nancy’s Restaurant.
There are plenty of other tours to take and places to visit in Baja California Sur. We have barely scratched the surface here. In addition to what I’ve described, there are crumbling, ancient missions to visit, an artist colony at nearby Todos Santos, whale nurseries in Bahía Magdalena and secret surf spots on the Pacific side. If you’re ready to try a vacation that’s not centered totally around being pampered, eating, drinking and sunning or fishing … then getting a taste of Outback Los Cabos might just be your next cool thing.
Article by Ann Hazard - November 15, 2004 - Photos by Terry Hauswirth
|
