Todos Santos, Cedros and Guadalupe Islands

Almost 12 miles west off the coast of Ensenada, is Todos Santos, made up of a small island to the north and a large island to the south. There are many reasons to visit, including the sport fishing docks in the port harbor, or searching for gray whales that travel each year from the Arctic Circle to the warm waters of Baja California Sur to give birth to their young. They can be seen crossing from mid-December to March. A boat ride for fishing or diving is often accompanied by dolphins and sea lions who appear along the way. 

If you have time—and an adventurous spirit—there are two crossings that shouldn’t be missed. The first is to Isla de Cedros, which is located 265 miles south of Ensenada (near Guerrero Negro) and is the largest island in the Mexican Pacific. Should you have the chance to visit this island in the middle of the sea, you will find a volcanic, mountainous land. Among its highest peaks, Cerro de Cedros and Pico Gill, there are pine and oak forests with endemic flora species. There are also reptiles and rodents that cannot be spotted anywhere else in the world. Sea lions congregate on its long gray beaches, while orcas, dolphins and whales swim in the waves across the horizon. During your trip to this tranquil, misty isle, we recommend trying the lobster.  

Much further from the mainland, 160 miles from the coast, you will find Isla Guadalupe, formed by the eruption of lava that emerged from the ocean floor millions of years ago. Two mountains rise from the island: Picacho to the south and Augusta to the north. The isolation of Isla Guadalupe has blessed the island with a unique ecosystem home to many endemic species: fan palms, cypress and pine forests. Its crystalline blue waters are home to great white sharks. Mexico’s Isla Guadalupe is one of just three places in the world (alongside South Africa and Australia) where you can cage dive to see the incredible creatures up close, with visibility ranging from 100 to 130 feet.