As the sun descends behind the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, I join the end-of-day procession to Loreto Bay National Park, a protected marine area in the Sea of Cortez. Fisherfolk, families, and out-of-towners stroll the Malecón, a mile-long esplanade that traces the water, watching as the sea turns the same sherbet hues as the evening sky. Seabirds dive-bomb for their dinner, and when a gray whale spouts remarkably close to shore, I hear myself gasp.
The seaside village of Loreto, five hours north of the Baja California Sur capital of La Paz, is still the type of one-traffic-light Mexican town whose cobblestone streets are lined with family-owned restaurants and cafés. Papel picado, a vibrant folk art made from cutting elaborate designs into sheets of colorful tissue paper, and lucha libre masks decorate the main drag. The Baroque-style Mission of Our Lady of Loreto, founded in 1697 by the Jesuits, is a point of pride around which the community orbits.
Loreto has had the government designation Pueblo Mágico, given to towns with cultural or historical significance, since 2012, and has managed to avoid the chain resorts, tour buses, and clubs touting tequila poppers so common in other coastal Mexican destinations. Instead, tourism has grown slowly—there are now six direct flights from the US and Canada—thanks in large part to conservationists’ efforts to keep the town and the surrounding sea from being loved to death.
Before my visit to Loreto, I heard the bay referred to as the Aquarium of the World. I figured it was marketing-speak until meeting Ginni Callahan, the owner of Sea Kayak Baja Mexico. She explains that the bay is the preferred breeding ground for dozens of marine animals, including giant polka-dotted whale sharks, blue whales, dolphins, Mobula rays, and thresher sharks. In the 1990s, when residents saw the impact of overdevelopment farther south in the state (like dozens of whale watching boats chasing a single mom and calf), as well as the environmental impact of widespread commercial fishing, they lobbied the Mexican government to create a national park. Now also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Loreto Bay National Park is made up of 244 islands fringed by turquoise waters. It is home to 39 percent of the planet’s marine mammal species. Locals also created a citizen advisory board to advocate for the park. Decades later, most of Loreto’s outfitters, including kayak guides and tour boat operators, encourage voluntourism: On the multiday kayak and camping adventures that Callahan leads, guests monitor wildlife and help clean up beaches.
One morning, with my mask and snorkel in hand, I tour several of the bay’s uninhabited islands with Luxury Baja Sailing, a tour company with a fleet of plush catamarans that cruise throughout the Sea of Cortez. Within minutes a friendly pod of dolphins begins frolicking about our boat, spinning and leaping over the wake. Nearby, a humpback mom and calf pop up, and rare birds such as blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds perch on nearby island cliffs. Our captain tells us this is a slow day.
