Isla Partida, Baja California Sur
We began our second day with an incredible sunrise, painting not just the eastern but the entire sky as we cruised slowly south towards Isla Partida. After breakfast our morning was spent in one of our favorite coves, Ensanada Grande, with the majority of guests opting for the arroyo hike. Beginning at a white sandy beach fringed with mangroves, the trail quickly leads into a boulder and cactus choked canyon that climbs steadily to the east side of the island. The going was tough: up, down and around, over and under, over and over again but the cool morning air and steady pace kept us invigorated. The view from the top looked out over the Sea of Cortez from an elevation of 300 feet and in the near distance we could make out a pod of dolphins churning up the surface of the blue water.
By noon we were all back at the beach and ready for lunch on board. A short cruise to the north of Ensanada Grande is Los Islotes (The Islets) where we anchored for our afternoon activities of snorkeling and Zodiac cruises. The pink, volcanic rocks that make up Los Islotes serve as a roosting area for many bird species, among them blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, brown pelicans, magnificent frigate birds and today a surprise appearance by a peregrine falcon that really got the others riled up for a bit. Meanwhile, in the water, the snorkel team was getting to know another resident of Los Islotes, the numerous California Sea Lions that use the island as a haul out area all year round. The younger Sea Lions seemed to enjoy their new, brightly colored swimming partners just as much as we enjoyed them.
That evening we set ashore in a tiny secluded beach just before sunset where the galley crew had prepared a ready-to-go barbecue dinner with drinks and chairs and bonfire all in place. Also in place was the subject of our photo, a Centruroides exilicaudus scorpion found by naturalist William Lopez-Forment, our veteran of all things creepy and crawly. We learned that Baja California Sur harbors forty-four species of scorpion, more than any Mexican state. Safely in the bottom of a white plastic bucket, William showed it to guests as sort of an elegantly understated visual-dessert to end a day filled with many wonderful images.
We began our second day with an incredible sunrise, painting not just the eastern but the entire sky as we cruised slowly south towards Isla Partida. After breakfast our morning was spent in one of our favorite coves, Ensanada Grande, with the majority of guests opting for the arroyo hike. Beginning at a white sandy beach fringed with mangroves, the trail quickly leads into a boulder and cactus choked canyon that climbs steadily to the east side of the island. The going was tough: up, down and around, over and under, over and over again but the cool morning air and steady pace kept us invigorated. The view from the top looked out over the Sea of Cortez from an elevation of 300 feet and in the near distance we could make out a pod of dolphins churning up the surface of the blue water.
By noon we were all back at the beach and ready for lunch on board. A short cruise to the north of Ensanada Grande is Los Islotes (The Islets) where we anchored for our afternoon activities of snorkeling and Zodiac cruises. The pink, volcanic rocks that make up Los Islotes serve as a roosting area for many bird species, among them blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, brown pelicans, magnificent frigate birds and today a surprise appearance by a peregrine falcon that really got the others riled up for a bit. Meanwhile, in the water, the snorkel team was getting to know another resident of Los Islotes, the numerous California Sea Lions that use the island as a haul out area all year round. The younger Sea Lions seemed to enjoy their new, brightly colored swimming partners just as much as we enjoyed them.
That evening we set ashore in a tiny secluded beach just before sunset where the galley crew had prepared a ready-to-go barbecue dinner with drinks and chairs and bonfire all in place. Also in place was the subject of our photo, a Centruroides exilicaudus scorpion found by naturalist William Lopez-Forment, our veteran of all things creepy and crawly. We learned that Baja California Sur harbors forty-four species of scorpion, more than any Mexican state. Safely in the bottom of a white plastic bucket, William showed it to guests as sort of an elegantly understated visual-dessert to end a day filled with many wonderful images.
