ISLA CARMEN and the SIERRA GIGANTA COAST

ITINERARY

DAY 1 - Arrival
After arriving in Loreto guests will be met by an English speaking Coastal Odyssey representative and taken by airport vans to the Hotel La Pinta. Your trip guides will meet the group at 8 PM at La Pinta for an orientation and discussion of trip details. Supper this evening is on your own and our representatives will be pleased to offer suggestions as well as directions to some of Loreto’s many good restaurants. Hotel La Pinta is happy to store your extra luggage in a secure room while you are out kayaking.

DAY 2 - Isla Danzante
The group meets outside the hotel at 7:00 AM to board the van for the short drive south to our launch point near Puerto Escondido. As we near our destination, the peaks and hanging valleys of the Sierra Giganta tower above the coast road. South of Puerto Escondido the mountains drop straight into the sea and the highway turns inland. The group is met by the guides who have prepared the double sea kayaks for departure. A comprehensive sea kayak instructional session is presented while we enjoy a continental breakfast served on the beach. After an introduction to the art of kayak loading we set course across the channel to Carmen and our first campsite located on the white sand beaches of Punta Baja. After settling into camp and having lunch, the balance of the day is devoted to orientation, kayak technique instruction, and snorkeling.

DAY 3 - Arroyo Blanco
After breakfast we load the kayaks and set off to paddle the rugged east coast of Isla Danzante stopping to explore and snorkel at the pocket beaches that break the fortress like shoreline. Rounding the southern tip of the island we make landfall on a sandy point and our camp for the night. From this west facing beach. The view of the sun setting over the Sierra Giganta Mountains is spectacular.

DAY 4 -
Today we have an early start in preparation for the crossing to Isla Danzante. Our route will take us around the northern tip of this fortress-like island and into the picture perfect Honeymoon Cove where we’ll stop to swim, snorkel and have lunch. Later in the afternoon we’ll paddle south along the coast of Danzante to our last campsite at Punta Arena where we will have an unobstructed view of the sun setting behind the Sierra Giganta.

DAY 5 ~ Down the Sierra Giganta Coast
Another early start as we begin padding south towards the mainland coast. After passing a pair of distinctively shaped bird nesting islands we begin to skirt the cliffs of the Giganta range as it plunges into the Sea of Cortez. We continue south until we reach our campsite located on the a large beach at the foot of El Triumfo Canyon. The coast here has impressive cliffs and pocket coves that have some of the best snorkeling on the trip.

DAY 6 - Canyon Hike
Today we hike up El Triumfo canyon. Following an arroyo or dry creek bend we walk into an ever-narrowing canyon sculpted by seasonal water flow. The plant life in the canyon is different from the surrounding desert as it is fed by underground pockets of water left by the summer rains. The songs of canyon wrens can be heard echoing off the high walls. Arriving back at camp in the afternoon there is time for a welcome swim before the sun sets over the peaks to the west.

DAY 7 - Ensenada Blanca and Loreto
After breakfast, and perhaps a final swim, we load the kayaks for the relatively short paddle to our takeout point at Ensenda Blanca where we will be met by Coastal Odyssey's van and local transportation. We’ll celebrate our return with a classic lunch of fish tacos at El Rey de Tacos (the king of tacos). Coastal Odysseys' guides, after extensive research, have decided that “El Rey” has the best tacos in Baja. After checking back into the Hotel La Pinta there is time to shower and explore this rustic old mission town. This evening there is an optional no-host group dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 8 - Fly Home
After check out from the hotel it’s time to catch a taxi to the airport in time (2 hours before flight time) for the return flight to Los Angeles.


NOTE ON ITINERARY:
Itineraries are intended as guidelines only and are subject to change at the discretion of your guides due to weather and other general logistical conditions at the time of the trip. Coastal Odyssey endeavours to produce trips of consistently high quality and safety without compromise.

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