M Visita México Find a hotel
Home/ Areas/ North & Baja Desert and Sea of Cortez · The north and Baja

North & Baja

Half a dozen states, seventeen hundred kilometres of peninsula, and the one place in Mexico where grey whales come to the boat themselves.

1700 km of Baja, end to end 3 months of grey whales 9 h of train through the canyon 8 minimum days
In two minutes

What it is, and what it is not

This is not a destination, it is a region: the Baja California peninsula and the northern states, from the Sea of Cortez to the Sierra Tarahumara. There is no single base you can see it all from, and it is no use pretending otherwise.

Distance is what decides the trip here. La Paz and the Copper Canyon are a flight and half a day's driving apart. Pick one stretch — Baja Sur, or the Chihuahua sierra — and save the other for another year.

State Baja California Sur and Chihuahua Airport La Paz (LAP), Los Cabos (SJD) Best time Jan – Mar Avoid Jul – Oct Minimum days 8 Currency Peso (MXN)
The places

Six stops, north to south

They run from the Chihuahua sierra to the tip of the peninsula: two trips, not one.

Sierra and train Copper Canyon
01 / 06
01 Sierra and train Copper Canyon Six canyons deeper than the Colorado's, crossed by the country's last passenger train. Rarámuri land, over two thousand metres up, and cold at night all year round. Chihuahua – Los Mochis train 2 400 m up
02 Biosphere reserve Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio Grey whales calve in these lagoons between January and March, after coming down from Alaska. Trips are regulated, capped and permitted, and the boat does not chase: it waits. Jan – Mar Capped, permit required
03 Town and marine park Loreto The first mission in the Californias, with a five-island marine national park in front of it. You go out to dive, to paddle and to see sea lions, straight from the seafront. Five protected islands Small airport
04 City and island La Paz and Espíritu Santo The capital of Baja California Sur, with a long seafront and sunsets over the Sea of Cortez. The island is forty-five minutes out by boat, with a sea lion colony on it. 45 min by boat Whale sharks Oct – Apr
05 Pueblo Mágico Todos Santos A town of palms and galleries between the desert and the Pacific, an hour from La Paz. The sea here is powerful: it is for surfing, not for an easy swim. 1 h from La Paz Strong currents
06 Tip of the peninsula Los Cabos San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, joined by thirty kilometres of hotels. It is the air gateway to the southern peninsula, and the most expensive stretch of it. SJD airport The priciest stretch
When to go

The north has four seasons

The month decides whether there are whales, whether you can be outside at noon, and whether the sea lets you sail.

The best January to March Grey whales in the Pacific lagoons, twenty-two degrees by day and the desert in flower. Also the coldest nights: below freezing up in the Chihuahua sierra. —Book whale trips months ahead —Cold desert nights
Good value November and December The heat has eased, whale sharks are back in La Paz bay and prices have not climbed yet. The grey whales have not arrived. —No grey whales yet —Climbs sharply at Christmas
With a caveat April to June Dry, and hotter every week inland. The whales have gone north, but the Sea of Cortez is warming and the diving improves steadily. —Hard heat at midday —Good months to dive
Risk July to October Forty degrees in the desert and the peak of the Pacific hurricane season. In the sierra it rains from July to September, and landslides close the roads. —Flexible cancellation —Sierra roads get cut
Getting around

Legs, times and prices

You fly between regions here and drive inside each one. The bus covers the whole peninsula, slowly.

Mexico City (MEX) → La Paz (LAP) 2 h 15 $95 flight The most direct way into Baja Sur. There are flights to Los Cabos too, nearly always dearer. La Paz → Todos Santos 1 h 15 $9 bus Highway 19, straight and in good condition. By car it is a little over an hour. La Paz → Los Cabos (SJD) 2 h 30 $26 bus Buses every hour. The airport is north of San José, not at Cabo San Lucas. La Paz → Loreto 4 h 30 $48 bus Four and a half hours of desert on the Transpeninsular. There is a local flight, but not daily. Chihuahua → Copper Canyon 5 h 30 $75 train The train leaves in the morning several days a week. Book ahead in high season.

Reference prices in dollars gathered in 2025, per person, economy class. Internal flights swing wildly with how far ahead you book; the canyon train is sold online and sells out in whale season.

Where to sleep

Four bases, four different trips

See hotels →
From $65 La Paz Mid-sized hotels along the seafront, with the island trips next door. For sea, city and boats without hiring a car.
From $80 Loreto A small mission centre, with the marine park directly in front. For diving and paddling, and for seeing no hotel towers.
From $95 Todos Santos Low houses turned into guesthouses, among palm orchards. For quiet stays, and best with a hire car.
From $45 Creel The base town for the sierra, with a train stop and a wood stove. For walking the canyon. Bring warm clothes in any month.
Before you book

What everybody asks

They can, but it costs two flights and three days of transfers: Chihuahua and La Paz are more than a thousand kilometres apart. With under twelve days, pick one and do it properly.

From mid-January to mid-March, in the Pacific lagoons: Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay. February is the most reliable month. Trips are capped and are booked months ahead.

In Baja Sur it helps a great deal: the towns are far apart and the bus is slow. For the Chihuahua sierra you do not: the train and the colectivos out of Creel reach what there is to see.

Forty degrees or more in the desert from June to September, with coastal nights that never drop below twenty-eight. It is the main reason not to come in those months.

Yes. The tip of the peninsula takes Pacific storms mostly between August and October, and in the sierra the rains close roads with landslides. Take flexible cancellation if you travel then.

Eight at a minimum for Baja Sur alone, with La Paz, Loreto and a whale day. Five is enough for the Copper Canyon if you come in and out through Chihuahua.