Arriving in Loreto via Loreto International Airport sets you up perfectly, with surrounding cities and experiences a short drive away. Loreto is a small, quiet town on the Sea of Cortez, the site of the first permanent Spanish mission in the Californias in 1697 and the gateway to a marine park whose islands and reefs are some of the richest in the world. The pace is slow, the sunsets are orange, and the Sierra de la Giganta rises in jagged layers right behind town.

Standout experiences around Loreto: - Visit the stone mission church of Nuestra Senora de Loreto on the main square - Kayak or take a panga to Isla Coronados for white sand and sea lion colonies - Snorkel the reefs of Loreto Bay National Marine Park around Isla Carmen and Danzante - Spot blue whales offshore between January and March - Walk the malecon in the evening and watch pelicans dive into the bay - Drive up the sierra to Mision San Javier, a beautifully preserved stone church from the 1700s - Eat chocolate clams and fish tacos at a family-run restaurant near the plaza - Cast a line for dorado or yellowtail, the sportfishing that first brought visitors here

The road to San Javier climbs through cactus and canyon for about an hour from Loreto, and the mission at the top sits beside a centuries-old olive grove. Puerto Escondido, a sheltered marina 20 minutes south, is the launch point for many boat trips, while Bahia Concepcion and its empty beaches lie about 90 minutes north on the road to Mulege. Jacques Cousteau is said to have called this sea the aquarium of the world, and one morning on the water will show you why.