Loreto Mexico on the Baja Peninsula January 22, 2026

 

The saying here goes like this “ If you come to Loreto and do not go to San Javier Mission then you have not gone to Loreto!” Today I went to San Javier Mission!  Everything about the whole experience far exceeded my expectations. It helps having superb weather, a great driver and guide named Santos, plus only a few others who wanted to say “I went to Loreto”.  The scenery along the narrow winding road up into the hills above Loreto was amazing.  We made one stop along tbe forty-five minute to look out to the Sea of Cortez with Loreto on this side of the Sea and Isla del Carmen on the horizon.

San Javier Mission is steeped in history which I won’t get into.  During the drive up, Santos told us anything and everything you would ever want to know about Baja, Loreto and the Mission.  History never was and is still not my favourite thing yet I want to know the basics.  View as we walked towards the church. It was finished being built in 1759.

view inside

view as we exited out the side

view looking back as we headed towards the orchard 

on our way to the orchard 

I truly enjoyed the scenery surrounding San Javier Mission. I felt that feeling that is hard to describe. It was peaceful, it was pretty, it was so very quiet, I felt a comforting embrace, it was serene, it felt calm and carefree here.  Sigh!  

It came time for lunch. 

We placed our orders when we first arrived.  

They were ready when we arrived back an hour later after our walk about.  

We entered in under the palm tree roof. 

I had two burritos, a quesadilla, refried beans and a…..

cerveza!

After lunch, we strolled the main street to the end where Santos picked us up.  

This is a shop that I shopped at.

on the main street with the church behind me

a cafe

homes

in the middle of the street

view in someone’s backyard 

what I bought in that store

a large mug with a handle that I will use as a soup bowl

So, even though I am in Loreto, I truly am in Loreto because I went to San Javier Mission!

Loreto Mexico on the Baja Peninsula January 21, 2026

I have my park pass for Loreto Bay National Park and I’m ready to go whale watching, Blue Whale watching that is. Blue Whales are the largest animals on earth, equal to the size of thirty elephants.  Ever since I went whale watching for the first time ever back in October in Victoria, British Columbia, I knew I needed to go again and soon!  Loreto Bay National Park in the Sea of Cortez came onto my radar and well, here I am!  

Mid January is early for Blue Whale sightings but I took a chance, flew here, signed up for a tour and kept my fingers crossed while saying a little prayer.  Seven of us along with our Captain Alfredo boarded a panga and set off on water that was like a pane of glass.   

With water conditions like that we were able to clip along to get out to where hopefully there would be something to see.  I was caught up in viewing and photographing the mountainous scenery. It was incredibly beautiful and unusually calm conditions for here for this time of year.  .  

Well, only thirty minutes into our trip out to further reaches, we were surprised by a Blue Whale!  The Captain cut the engine, we watched in awe!  

Oh WOW!

Once the tail comes up like in the above photo, it then dives down deep for up to thirty minutes.  That’s when we moved on to our originally planned location.  But before getting there, we were surprised once again, another Blue Whale!  

another whale watching boat

Then another one!  

We got to watch this Blue Whale for a longer period of time before it dove deep.

a three second video

I could not keep my mouth shout!

As we moved along to another location, we were surprised by a school of dolphins!  

These ones were either following us or chasing us away!

Some were so close, I could probably have reached out and touched them!

a four second video

Eventually time came to begin the trip back to the Marina. About thirty minutes out, Alfredo cut the engine again and we had lunch, lunch out on the Sea of Cortez.  All the while, as we ate, we watched for activity.  We saw a Mantra Ray, maybe a Fin Whale and another Blue Whale (may have been the one we saw at the beginning of our adventure).  

The winds known for this area for this time of year presented themselves!  

getting close to the Loreto Marina

Brown Pelicans welcoming us back!

They did move as we stepped off the panga!  We were a happy bunch of whale watchers and Captain Alfredo was happy for us.  He has been out searching each day, and today was a gift for him too!  I can’t stop looking at my photos and videos which I have so many more of  in addition to what I shared here. How am I ever going to sleep tonight after a day like today! 

Loreto Mexico on the Baja Peninsula January 20, 2026

Hola from a little piece of paradise called Loreto!  I arrived at my home away from home mid yesterday afternoon.  It was a wonderfully warm welcome not just by the weather but also by everyone I came in contact with from the moment I stepped off the plane upon arrival at the local airport. After a ten minute taxi ride, checking in, unpacking, I then sat on my lanai area to breathe a sigh, I’m here!

It didn’t take long to settle into Loreto’s lifestyle!

After the adult beverage and the feast of a dinner, bedtime came early. 

When I woke this morning, I didn’t lounge around long.

 I was looking forward to today for this reason, seeing the Sea of Cortez!

  Oh what a beauty!  

Many little islands are scattered throughout the Sea, that’s one behind me, Isla Coronado.

That’s part of the largest one Isla Carmen.

At the far end of the beach, I arrived at Playa Oasis, an estuary in the National Park of Loreto.  I spent loads of time taking lots of photographs of many species, I am just sharing these three.   They are all “lifers”!

Reddish Egret

Whimbrel

Brown Pelican

From one end to the other, I strolled the promenade to the Marina.

the beach beyond the Marina

There is so much to see at this walkable paradise and I want to see it all.  

From the Marina to the town centre, that’s where City Hall is.  

a short section of the walkway in the shopping area

Before seeing all of downtown, I did a turn about to head back the way I came as I need to save sone sights from this area for another day. So I headed to the arch with the Sea of Cortez on the other side.

my very first collection of Seaglass from the Sea of Cortez

time to put my feet up