good for you

The Isla Espiritu Santo is your own desert island in the impossibly blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. Your Italian host, Andrea Tamagnini, managed to convince the authorities to let him build his luxury camp on this untarnished and unpopulated island, which is a protected nature reserve. The surrounding seas teem with all manner of marine life, while the island, with its striking volcanic landscape, is a haven for birds and animals. This is camping but not how you know it. Luxury tents with comfortable beds and warm showers, as well as hand-delivered icy-cold margaritas and wonderfully prepared fresh seafood.

good for mexico

With the sea serving as the hotel pool and a maximum of ten guests at a time, this is a minimal-impact camp that respects the nature reserve that sustains it. What you can't catch yourself is bought from local fisherman, helping to support village life on the surrounding islands and peninsula.

Rooms

Food

The Sea of Cortéz offers an excellent range of fish and shellfish transformed into tasty and super-fresh meals. Pastas and risottos from your host's homeland are served, as well as ceviches and other Mexican dishes, complemented with Chilean and Californian wines. Tropical fruits form part of your daily breakfast.

Guests dine together in the large living room tent, and at any time you can relax with a cocktail and a book in one of the comfy lounge chairs. The bar is always supplied with fresh drinks including, wine, beer and a selection of spirits and liqueurs.

Features & Facilities

Five kayaks are available all day to camp guests, as well as two motor boats for longer excursions. Water skiing and snorkeling gear is also provided.

The deep bays of the island make ideal conditions for skiing in warm, calm and crystal clear water. Your host Andrea, himself a keen water skier and wake boarder, is happy to arrange expeditions for experienced skiers.

Local Info & Activities

snorkelling

The warm, still, clear waters are perfect for snorkellers, and you can easily spend days floating around looking for fish - over 500 species live in these waters.

animal-watching

Cavorting with the sea lions is a popular activity at the camp, and one which children find especially enchanting. While the animals get tetchy if you come too close to the colony itself, they'll happily let you swim alongside them further out from the shore.

One third of the world's whale and dolphin species call the Sea of Cortez home, and there are plenty of opportunities to spot dolphins and pilot whales in particular.

The island is a favourite nesting spot and migratory habitat for over 200 species of marine and terrestrial birds.

fishing

Easily one of the main drawcards, fishing is a winner with almost all guests and can be done from the shore or from one of the camp's boats. The more serious anglers can rent special boats to chase marlin, tuna, wahoo, yellowtail and mahi mahi (this service is not provided by the camp, and will incur an extra cost).

diving

Divers can get up-close with manta rays, hammer head sharks and whale sharks, or take a wreck dive. The local dive centre, the Cortéz Club, can pick guests up at the camp and take them to a deep dive site called the Bajo, with depths from 15 to 200 metres.

There's also the chance to explore some fabulous wrecks close to camp including that of a Chinese ship sunk just a few years ago. Visibility is at its best in July, August and September. Diving is not included in the camp's rates.

hiking

The island has a rugged volcanic terrain, great for vigorous climbing - the views from the top of the island are quite spectacular. The island's ecosystem is unique, featuring many plants and animals particular to Isla Espiritu Santo. Nightly visits from the babisuri (a type of fox that looks a bit like a squirrel) are common at the camp, while hikers may also encounter the black-tailed jackrabbit and a type of desert squirrel (ammospermophilus isularis) that are unique to the island. There's a great variety of cactus around, and one in particular, the viejitas (mammillaria albicans) can only be found here.

insider tips

Being tent accommodation, you are exposed to insects, so do bring repellent. The camp is somewhat remote – if you take regular medicine do bring enough to last, as there are no shops on the island.

Sustainability

The island is a nature reserve, and strict environmental rules are in place. The camp was set up to protect the pristine ecosystem of the island. With the camp open only part of the year (May 15 - September 30), and welcoming only 10 guests at a time, human impact is minimal. The eco-toilets and bucket-powered showers minimise water wastage and avoid damage. Because the island is off the electricity grid, power use is kept to a minimum and everything is recycled.

Getting There

Baja Camp is on Cadelero Bay, Isla Espiritu Santo in the Sea of Cortez. The camp arranges a motorboat to pick you up from nearby La Paz, the closest city on the Baja California peninsula. It collects you from La Paz's marina (just a 15 min drive form the airport) or from nearby Tocolote beach.

The boat takes an hour to get to the camp from La Paz.

You can fly to La Paz through Los Angeles via a 2-hour connecting flight.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

All tents are US$470 per night for two people sharing.

An extra child in the tent is charged at US$150.

what's included?

• The price includes transfer from Tecolote beach to the Camp.
• Three meals and soft drinks per day.
• 1 boat trip per day, gear (snorkelling kit, water, wetsuits etc) and hiking is also included.

what's excluded?

• An additional 12% tax will be added to bills and guests must also pay US$4 per day park charge.
• Cocktails, merchandise, tips and scuba diving.
• Note that the camp itself is cash-only – there are no ATMs or credit card machines on the island.

general policies:

Children aged from 7 to 12 years are welcome to make up the third person in a tent, for which they are charged US$150.00 per night. If there are two children they will need to book a second tent and pay the regular price.

booking & cancellation conditions:

• The reservation is secured with a 45% deposit.
• If a cancellation is made within 21 days of the guest's scheduled arrival 15% of this deposit is charged and 30% refunded to the guest.
• A cancellation made after 21 days incurs a charge of the entire 45% deposit.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.