These Baja Towns Are Your Gateway to All Things Wet and Wild

After sailing, scuba diving, and nursing tequila hangovers over the years in the popular Mexico playground of Cabo San Lucas, I wanted to see what other destinations were worth exploring in the region. In the middle of the Baja California peninsula, the sleepy desert town of Loreto called my name.

Friends who recommended the cobblestone-clad town correctly described it as a peaceful town with a rocky, golden, arid landscape and white sand beaches with usually very few people around. Downtown Loreto itself is awash in colorful family-run restaurants with local artisan décor; a handful of boutique accommodations, which each house a modest 15 or fewer rooms; and a sleepy boardwalk perfect for running, stretching, or copping a quick yoga session on La Darsena beach.

Perhaps even more noteworthy: In 1694 Loreto became the destination of the first mission established by the Spaniards in the entire Californias region. It’s also home to Loreto Bay National Park: a 200,000-plus hectare (almost 500,000 acres) marine area comprising five islands that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Read more at The Daily Beast.