Loreto Harbor

A trip to Loreto isn’t complete without a day on and in the water, exploring Bahía de Loreto National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto). The National Marine Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005 and is the world’s second largest (after Antarctica. The park protects 2,065.81 square kilometres (797.61 sq mi) of relatively pristine marine ecosystem, is home to more than 850 species and supports the largest, most diverse population of whales anywhere. Thankfully, the size and power of boats that traverse its waters is restricted, so we boarded a typical local Panga (see pictures)–and headed out with our guide. Many arid, rock islands are part of this nature park. Every once in a while we saw the most pristine beaches, with water that rivals the Caribbean in its turquoise intensity. We anchored at a beautiful natural harbor, got our snorkel gear and jumped in the water. Jacques Cousteau was right when he called this area the ‘world’s Aquarium’. I was immediately surrounded by a huge school of yellow-silver fish, that didn’t pay much attention to me. A little further along an octopus, then a turtle. If you’re there during whale season, you might even get to swim with a whaleshark! There are different ways to do this excursion. In our case, our hotel organized it, but you can also use Wild Loreto Tours, or find your own panga and captain in Loreto’s harbor, where many of the island tours start. A heartfelt thank you to Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa (Instagram: @villadelpalmarl, Facebook: @https://www.facebook.com/villadelpalmarattheislandsofloreto/) for a fun-filled 3 days, allowing me to discover this gem of a destination.