Day 1

You meet late this afternoon as a group in the charming small town of San Jose del Cabo and set out for Todos Santos, your home for the duration of the tour. The 90-minute drive winds from San Jose del Cabo, past the massive resorts of Cabo San Lucas, and up along the Pacific Coast, offering spectacular views along the way.

Upon arrival in Todos Santos, you settle in at Los Colibris Casitas. Owned and operated by our dear friends and your welcoming hosts, Bryan and Sergio, each casa and casita boasts a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. The casitas are located a 15 minute walk from town and a stones throw from some of the best beach walking imaginable. With native gardens, hummingbirds galore, and individually decorated rooms, it is the ideal place to settle in for your six-night stay.

This evening you are warmly welcomed with a traditional arrachera taco dinner, prepared by your guide's family at the hotel.
Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos

DAY 2

After a tasty Mexican breakfast of huevos rancheros, you begin with a tour of the Todos Santos historic district. Meandering the lively streets lined with cafés, open-air restaurants, and enticing art galleries, you also admire the eclectic architecture. The walking tour begins at the Todos Santos Cultural Center (Casa de Cultura), where you learn about local history, providing a context for all you will experience during your stay; for example, the influence left by Chinese, Mexican, and American residents on the area's unique culture. Leaving the cultural center, you enter the galleries of local artists who have drawn inspiration from this enchanting region. You also visit the local mission and enjoy lunch, perhaps fresh grilled fish with cilantro, at an open-air Mexican restaurant featuring a cactus garden.

In the afternoon, you proceed to La Poza beach for a leisurely walk that leads uphill for sweeping views and then down again to a pristine beach. The terrain includes desert landscape and well-worn trails, making this locale the perfect place to balance a cultural morning with a more active afternoon of walking.

Dinner is served at the famous Hotel California, where the group "checks in" for a delicious meal enhanced by live guitar strumming in the background.
Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos

Day 3

Following breakfast, you depart on a drive to the breathtaking desert outside of Todos Santos. The day's walk involves some challenging sections of scampering up and down rock faces and even a ladder climb as you explore a wide canyon boasting beautiful desert scenery. Flowing water—including three waterfalls—nourishes desert greenery all along the route and provides a cool shady spot to enjoy a trailside lunch.

Returning to the hotel after the picnic lunch, you have an array of options to design an afternoon à la Carte. One option is to simply spend time relaxing at the hotel and strolling through Todos Santos at your own pace, returning to galleries or shops or discovering new ones. A second option is to enjoy a range of spa treatments (at your own expense). Finally, you may choose to venture out on horseback for an hour-long ride in the nearby hills (this option is included in the tour cost).

The group comes together again in the evening to compare notes at the Posada La Poza, a lovely restaurant on a small freshwater lagoon. With the beautiful array of bird life, swaying palms and ocean views, Posada La Poza is the perfect place to watch the sunset. After strolling the cactus gardens and enjoying a superb meal of local organic produce, meats, and fresh seafood at an elegant international restaurant, you are welcomed into the home of your astronomer guide to tour the night sky through telescopes and listen to captivating stargazing tales featuring Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Mayan mythology.
Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos

Day 4

After breakfast, a 90-minute drive brings you to the mountains en route to the town of San Vicente—and a full day experiencing a unique piece of Baja culture. A two-hour walk through the mountains of Baja is on schedule before reaching the rancho of the mountain potter host, Doña Ramona. You are greeted by Doña Ramona who shares a sense of her rustic life, which includes raising ostriches and skillfully crafting pottery. Ramona provides a hands-on pottery demonstration in which each participant is given his or her own piece of clay to mold. Lunch is also an interactive experience as Doña Ramona and her family show you how to make corn tortillas. Following the meal you are led on a walking tour of Ramona's rancho, gaining an intimate glimpse of life in these mountains, before the return drive to Todos Santos.

The cultural education extends into the evening as you learn the secrets of Mexican cuisine from a chef at Café Brown. Owned and operated by out friend, Iker, Café Brown is a charming spot frequented by a clientele of Mexicans and expatriates. Latin music and walls adorned with artwork create a relaxed and fun atmosphere. From mixing margaritas from scratch to preparing signature delicacies such as mushroom soup and "Chiles Relleno con Machaka de Marlin," this evening is fun!
Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos

Day 5

Taking full advantage of Baja's natural beauty, an array of exhilarating options make for a truly special à la Carte day. One option is a full day of deep sea fishing (at your own expense), departing directly from Todos Santos. The excursion lasts approximately six hours and requires a minimum of two passengers and a maximum of five passengers on a boat, in which all fishing and safety equipment is provided. This activity is a truly local experience with captain and crew of 4th-generation fisherman, down to the panga in which you are taken out on-the very same simple open air boat the local fishing cooperative uses daily. The Pacific's blue waters may yield a catch of tuna, marlin, or dorado (mahi mahi).

The town of La Paz presents two additional options: a three-hour guided walk in Balandra Bay or a swimming and snorkeling excursion with sea lions (at your own expense). For either choice, after an early breakfast you depart from Todos Santos for the 1½-hour drive to La Paz.

The guided walk around Balandra Bay is a stunning route providing incomparable views of the Sea of Cortez and surrounding area. The sea's myriad shades of blue contrast against a cloudless sky, pristine sand, and jutting rocks. The trail follows a gravel path with some uneven terrain along the hillsides, through sea caves and under enormous rocks, and onto the beach, with views of Isla Espiritu Santo Island in the distance. Culminating on a vast sandy beach, you can relax and swim while a beachside picnic lunch is unpacked. Leaving the beach in the early afternoon you make your way to the town of La Paz for an easy stroll along its seaside malecon (boardwalk).

The snorkeling and swimming excursion from La Paz begins on the dock where you are outfitted with a life jacket, wet suit, snorkel, mask, and fins, and then set off in a small fiberglass panga boat along the waters of La Paz Bay. The two-hour cruise passes picturesque sandy beaches and turquoise lagoons en route to the volcanic islands of Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida. Throughout the trip, you are entertained by hungry frigate birds and pelicans diving after prey, blue-footed boobies and cormorants on the wing, and perhaps soaring manta rays and dolphins. With luck, you may even spot whales swimming nearby. The destination is Los Islotes, a cluster of guano-covered volcanic rock islands. Home to a colony of 300 sea lions, Los Islotes is one of the most colorful snorkeling sites in the region. After receiving instructions from your guide, you suit up and slide overboard. Once you are acclimatized to the water and comfortable with your equipment, you swim toward the rocky reef outcroppings, making your way alongside such colorful fish species as parrotfish, angelfish, and many varieties of starfish-mere yards away from sea lions playfully following. They can be heard barking above and below water and are drawn into play by diving around them. An underwater camera is a must for capturing their unforgettable antics. After this fantastic experience, you return to the mainland, stopping at a tranquil blue bay for a well-earned picnic lunch—surrounded by gorgeous sea views.

Back on the mainland, all groups return to Todos Santos, arriving by late afternoon or early evening. The à la carte nature of the day continues into the evening, where, at your own pace, you can relax with a cocktail, stroll through Todos Santos, and dine in one of its many fine restaurants.
Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos

Day 6

This morning a short drive brings you to Punta Lobos beach, where local fisherman set sail for the day. The morning's walk begins with a 600-foot climb up a steep cliff, which includes some rock scrambling. While the route is challenging, the views become more and more spectacular with each step. Expansive bay views greet you at the summit, and the sea breeze keeps you cool on the cliff top. En route your guide points out the diverse flora and fauna, including many indigenous plant species, sea lions, and even whales at in season. Descending to the lunch spot on the sandy beach below, you are rewarded with a relaxing picnic under the shade of palm trees.

After lunch, you are free to design your afternoon, either with company or on your own. The afternoon unfolds with the following options. You may choose to remain at the beach, perhaps beachcombing, walking, swimming and sunbathing, or even boogie boarding. Another option is to return to the town of Todos Santos to enjoy free time browsing or exploring shops and galleries. You also can luxuriate with a spa treatment (treatments at your own expense). Lastly, your guide(s) will offer a cultural outing in the form of a visit to a local elementary school where you can meet students and teachers and experience the real life of the town.

Early this evening, you gather as a group for a final festive dinner at what is widely considered the region's best restaurant. Toasting your week, you and your fellow travelers recount your afternoon's activity over an elegant northern Italian-inspired dinner that may start with lobster ravioli or fresh tuna carpaccio, and which may end with a luscious flan or tart sorbet.
Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos

Day 7

Following a farewell breakfast, you depart for Los Cabos Airport, bidding adios to an enthralling week.

Itinerary Changes

Please bear in mind that this is a typical itinerary, and the actual activities, sites, and accommodations may vary due to season, special events, weather, or transportation schedules. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary since tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen circumstances that mandate change may arise. Itinerary changes are made to improve the tour and your experience.

Nights 1-6

Los Colibris Casitas
Todos Santos, Mexico

You spend your week in lovingly designed individual casitas perched overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Complete with a warm welcome, an array of amenities, and attention to detail—you may not want to leave. Private terraces and comfortable common spaces are dotted within the native gardens and offer views of the ocean, lagoon, and palm oasis below—this is where watching the sunset over the water becomes a daily ritual.

Please note that this is a sample hotel itinerary for this tour. While these exact hotels are featured on most departures, we occasionally reserve other hotels of similar style and quality. If you are currently booked on a Country Walkers adventure, a hotel itinerary has been sent to you for your exact departure date. Please call Country Walkers at 800.464.9255 if you have any questions about the exact hotels selected for any of our tours.

Sergio Jauregui

Sergio, originally from Mexico City, has been a guide in Baja for over a decade. He is an expert in the flora and fauna of the peninsula, and has lead adventures from the peaks of the Sierras to the beaches of the Pacific. While not out sharing his passion for his country, he is an extremely accomplished kayaker and loves to take it out to surf the waves, just a stones throw from his home. Sergio is a certified Wilderness First Responder.

Papa Sergio

Papa, is the one who instilled a deep love for the outdoors in Sergio Jr. He grew up in the jungles of southern Mexico, where he spent countless boyhood hours exploring the outdoors. Papa Sergio spent his professional life as an engineer for Pemex, but spent as much free time as possible with Sergio Jr. and his siblings scuba diving, camping and hiking. He is enjoying his "retirement" in Baja introducing the amazing scenery of the area to newcomers. Papa Sergio is an accomplished diver, as well as handball and volleyball player. When not guiding he can often be found rooting for his favorite soccer teams.

Mauricio Duran

Mauricio, from Mexico City, has been a guide in Baja for over five years now. He is famous in the region for his warm, sunny personality as well as his deep enthusiasm for the unique landscape of the area. Mauricio is incredibly knowledgeable about the plants and wildlife of the region, and loves sharing his expertise during walks. When not guiding, Maurcio can be found riding the waves at one of Todos Santos world-class surf breaks. Mauricio is a certified Wilderness First Responder.