Beautiful Baja Adventure

Day 1

Fly into Los Cabos International Airport/San Jose del Cabo (SJD) arrive by 2PM where you’ll be met by our local guides and transferred to Todos Santos, a truly magical place with a vibrant and artsy culture. Situated between the Sierra de Laguna Mountains and the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean, you’ll find your home away from home for the night at the locally owned and operated Los Colibris Casitas. With “the most stunning view in Todos Santos,” Los Colibris is perfect for nature lovers who appreciate both beauty and tranquility. Every guest gets her OWN ROOM and her OWN TENT for the duration of the trip. (If you are a couple and want to room/tent share we can make that happen.) Once settled at the hotel, we’ll enjoy our welcome gourmet taco dinner. Overnight Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos.

Day 2

After breakfast we’ll transfer to Isla Espiritu Santo, about an hour drive northeast across arid mountains on the Baja peninsula to the Sea of Cortez side. From the port town of La Paz, we’ll climb aboard a boat for a scenic 90 minute ride to our exclusive beach camp. Here we settle in for a few glorious days of uninterrupted relaxation. We’ll camp on the beach in tents with real mattresses and luxury linens and towels. The camp features large dome tents with real beds, lovely linens, towels for beach and bath, and chairs for sitting outside. We’ll have the joy of sun showers and composting toilets in separate cabanas. Espiritu Café is where our on-site chef makes wonderful meals for us every day – and daily happy hour of course. Three nights glamping on Isla Espiritu Santo.

Day 3

Each day our local guides will plan excursion options around and across the island based on the tides, winds, and weather. Isla Espiritu Santo is a pristine 31 square mile island that was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1995. Mexico declared it a national park in 2007, thus ensuring its environmental protection for generations to come. You’ll spend each day doing exactly what pleases you – kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, swimming with sea lions, stand up paddle boarding, bird watching. Checking out cave art, hidden lagoons, deserted beaches. Reading, napping, sipping margaritas, swimming, chillin´. The waters of the Sea of Cortez that surround the island are home to a stunning plethora of marine wildlife including: sea lions, whale sharks (don’t worry – they dine on plankton), dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays and beautiful tropical fish. This area also has fantastic bird watching. We may see herons, turkey vultures, cormorants, pelicans and more. At the end of the day, collapse into your comfortable tent. When you think of camping, you may think of roughing it in the wilderness. Though we’ll be in tents this is a true glamping experience. Margarita, anyone while we star gaze? Overnight Espiritu Santo.

“This may have been my first trip with Canyon Calling but it certainly won’t be my last. Why did I wait so long? I will cherish these memories and all the friends we met along the way.”
— Jan N.

Day 4

With a diversely colored strata proudly displaying the island’s geology, our camp is so much more than just a gorgeous beach. The island originated from tectonic elevation and you can see as much in its surface of volcanic rocks and marine sediment. The high ground reaches nearly 2,000 feet above sea level and is studded with cardon cacti, an ecological cousin to the mainland saguaro cacti. The Pericú people who inhabited the island thousands of years ago left funerary caves, rock art and fish hooks made of seashells. In 1535, the island was christened “Island of the Pearls” after the rich pearl oyster beds found along the western shores and was then baptized and renamed as “Espiritu Santo” or “Holy Spirit” a century later. Although hiking on the island is minimal, excursions may take you to lava rock formations, interesting cave art, alluring hidden lagoons, and tranquil beaches. We’ll hike, kayak, snorkel, swim, and enjoy each other’s company in this gorgeous surrounding. Overnight Espiritu Santo.

Day 5

It is our last morning on the Island! Breakfast and time to soak up the breathtaking beauty of this incredible gem before we are on to our next adventure activity. We visit  the whale sharks in the Bay of La Paz. Each year the whale sharks congregate here from roughly late October through late April, and we have the opportunity to observe and even snorkel with them. Did you know that whales are mammals, sharks are fish, and the whale shark gets its moniker from being the largest fish on the planet. At up to 59 feet and 15 tons it is definitely a whale of a shark! We’ll transfer to La Paz for lunch, then we’ll head back to Los Colibris this afternoon to check in for 3 nights. Everyone has their own room! If you are a couple and prefer to double up, just let us know. We’ll have dinner in town with time after our meal to explore the nightlife. Overnight Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos.

Day 6

After breakfast, we’re off for a mosaic arts class with Donna Billick. Todos Santos is famous as an artist’s colony, and renowned Todos Santos mosaic arts instructor Donna Billick is opening her studio to travelers who would like to learn some mosaic art skills and create a piece of art during their stay in town. This engaging, hands-on workshop takes place at Donna’s Todos Artes studio in downtown Todos Santos. Donna Billick is a former professor of art at University of California Davis, and has created over 500 pieces of large scale mosaic art for public spaces. In Todos Santos she runs the annual Heaven on Earth mosaic workshop through which she engaged the Todos Santos community in building two large pieces of public art that are now some of the most iconic images of the town: the Aztec Calendar just off the Todos Santos town plaza, and the Los Todos Santeños wall along lower Topete. We’ll be artsy all day with a lunch break and some time for shopping. Overnight Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos.

Day 7

After breakfast, it’s time for a surfing lesson! Here’s your chance to Hang 5 in the beautiful clear waters of Los Cerritos, or choose to just splash around at your leisure. Todos Santos boasts some of the best surf breaks in all of Baja. Our veteran surf instructor guarantees that you’ll stand up and ride a wave – at least for a moment– before the end of your lesson! Surf enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience welcome. We’ll have lunch at the Cantina, then head back to finish our mosaic project this afternoon. Our artwork in hand, we return to our lovely hotel to get cleaned up. This evening we have our farewell dinner experiencing a Mexican cooking class. Local lawyer turned chef, Iker Algorri, author of Cooking Adventures in Baja and chef-in-residence at Los Colibris Casitas, leads this wonderful class. The emphasis is on having as much fun as possible, learning to make the perfect margarita, and gaining the skill to make some truly delicious Mexican dishes following Chef Iker’s cooking philosophy, the Magnificence of Simplicity. You’ll also probably learn about some great Latin music you may not have heard before. Dancing is often known to follow this class! Overnight Los Colibris Casitas, Todos Santos.

Day 8

After breakfast we’ll drive from Todos Santos to Los Cabos, where you can plan to fly out any time after 1PM local time, or stay and play on your own!

“Having everything written into the price is so perfect. It completely takes away from the burden of having to worry about what you can or can’t afford while on the trip.”
— Sandy R.

• 8 days/7 nights fully guided tour by an English speaking Local Guide & a US Canyon Calling Trip Leader
• All transportation as outlined in this itinerary
• All Lodging – SINGLE occupancy (if you’re a couple and want to double up just let us know!)
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 8
• Daily happy hour on the island
• All activities and excursions as outlined in this itinerary
• All adventure related equipment
• All activity guides, and activity guide and class instructor’s gratuities
• All entrance fees and permits

• Transportation to and from Los Cabos, Mexico, airport code SJD
• Alcoholic beverages (with the exception of our happy hours on the island) and items of a personal nature
• Optional gratuity to your Guide at the end of the week