" alt="Baja Life Realty" />When it’s summertime in La Paz, life is a beach!
By Sue Bell
Situated on the Sea of Cortez, La Paz is known throughout Mexico for its beautiful, swimmable beaches. Local residents here know there are many beaches to choose from, some right here in town, and others a bit further out. So, which one should you choose for your summer beach day? We have created this list to help you decide. Of course, if you have time, visiting all of them is always a great way to spend your summer! This list includes beaches that can be reached from Transpeninsular Highway 1, the road that runs through La Paz along the Malecón, and heads north and east out of town. Each beach is named and has a brief description, including what you can expect there and what services are available, as well as the map link to find it. Watch for another blog post soon in which we will feature other beaches that are a bit further afield.
Beaches located on the road that runs east and north of La Paz:
Corumuel Beach Park http://t.ly/Fo24r – near the end of the Malecón, but still in the city and the closest to downtown (not counting the beach in front of the Malecón, which is not recommended for swimming). Coromuel Beach Park can only be accessed from the west bound side of the scenic highway along the Malecón, so if you’re coming from town you’ll need to do a U-turn to come back and access the parking lot and beach. This public park offers a nice, sandy swimming beach with paved parking, rentable palapas, tables and chairs, as well as space for your own umbrellas, tables and chairs. There are washrooms, restaurants and bars with beach table service, and a cordoned off area for swimming area. No dogs allowed.
La Concha Beach http://t.ly/eaYKj – right beside the La Concha hotel on the scenic highway headed north and east of town, La Concha Beach is accessible via a narrow walkway just to the west of the La Concha Hotel. There is a public parking lot across the street from the access walkway. This nice, swimmable location offers a sandy beach and a few free shade palapas. There is a rocky outcropping about 20 meters off the beach for snorkeling. Two restaurants are accessible from the beach at the La Concha hotel. There are no restroom facilities on the beach, but the restaurants do have washrooms for guests who buy drinks or food. You can also purchase a day pass to the La Concha Hotel Beach Club, which includes use of the hotel’s pool, restrooms and other facilities.
El Caimancito Beach http://t.ly/XL7S9 – located a few hundred meters down the beach from La Concha, this is a lovely, sandy beach with boardwalk access and a large, paved, secure parking area. The beach is wonderful for paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, or just walking with your toes in the sand. There are no services on the beach (no washrooms, restaurants or access to drinking water) unless you go to the beach club next door, but there are rentable palapas, shades, beds, and tents.
El Tesoro beach http://t.ly/QSK7o – this is the first of several beaches that you come across after leaving town when heading north and east of the city on the highway. The access road on the left side of the highway is a bit hidden and can easily be missed. El Tesoro is a small, sheltered bay with a nice, sandy beach, good snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming. You can also rent paddleboards and kayaks here. There is a restaurant and pay for use washrooms. The water is shallow and a beautiful turquoise color. The only downside to this beach is that its proximity to the highway can make it a bit noisy from the traffic going by.
Pichilingue beach http://t.ly/iuSJh – this beach is also very sandy and is in a sheltered bay. It is located right next to the very busy Pichilingue ferry terminal. There are two restaurants here, as well as places to rent kayaks and Stand-up Paddle Boards (SUPs). The beach is great for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and more. Parking is a bit rougher here, and mostly sand/dirt. With a paddle board or kayak you can access the next beach, Playa las Gaviotas. You can also snorkel around the large, guano covered island (Isla San Juan de Nepomuceno) that is home to many sea birds.
Balandra Beach http://t.ly/owgCj – This is La Paz’s most iconic beach, and is consistently rated one of Mexico’s top beaches due to its shallow, clear waters and long, curving white sand beach. Situated in a protected cove, Balandra’s calm, shallow waters are perfect for wading, floating, and swimming. Kayakers and paddleboarders can also explore the amazing mangroves, the famous mushroom rock, or Huongo, and the adjoining sheltered coves just around the corner. Balandra is a federally protected marine reserve, so there are no dogs allowed, and the number of people who can visit at any one time is limited. There currently are two shifts available for visitors, one in the morning from 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., and another in the afternoon from 1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m., and there is an entrance fee for non-residents. A short hike up to the viewpoint overlooking Balandra is fairly easy and provides excellent views of the bays. Limited services include pay for use porta-potties, paved parking, palm-covered palapas, and the ability to rent kayaks. There are no restaurants or bars, so plan on packing your own drinks and snacks, although sometimes people from the bars and restaurants at nearby Tecolote Beach come to the beach at Balandra to take orders and deliver food and drinks. If you visit, plan to arrive early. Balandra’s popularity as soared in recent years, and the line to enter gets quite long.
Playa Balandra is one of La Paz’s most iconic beaches, featuring shallow, clear waters and soft, white sand.
Tecolote Beach http://t.ly/PNcep – this huge and very popular beach offers a number of restaurants, bars, and tour services. On weekends, there is music playing, the restaurants are often full and it is very much a family destination. You can rent a table or lounge chair right on the beach, put your toes in the sand and order food and drinks. (The table/chair “rental” is refunded if you order a minimum amount of food/drink.) You can also rent jet skis here, as well as rides on the large, inflatable devices pulled behind a jet ski or motorboat. The waves sometimes tend to be a bit bigger here, and there can be rocks in the water, but the water is warm and welcoming in summer. There is a beautiful view of Isla Espiritu Santo from Tecolote beach, and if you go all the way to the left end of the beach, there is a rock outcropping that offers great snorkeling. It is a wonderful location for watching the pelicans dive, and for swimming, snorkeling, and beach walking (you can walk for miles along the coastline from here through several subsequent bays). Restaurants typically open at 1:00 p.m. and start serving at that time.
Pulguero Tepetates https://t.ly/i_Wha – My friends and I call this beach Maravilla as it is located near the off grid community of Maravilla. You access this beach from a turn off on the right about 500 meters before you reach the entrance to Tecolote Beach. The road is very rough and undulating, however, it is well worth the effort once you arrive. It is very quiet with pure white sand, and a wide and shallow bay that drops off to deeper water. There are loads of coral and fish, as well as birds that inhabit some tiny islets on the right hand side (facing the water). No facilities or restaurants here, so be sure to pack in (and pack out) your own supplies.
El Saltito https://t.ly/2TGSu – about a 45 minutes drive from La Paz, this beach is a popular destination for locals in the know, but less visited than some of the others due to its more remote location. The route is convoluted and the final segment is on soft sand, so it’s a good idea to have a 4 wheel drive vehicle to visit this beach. However, the trip is worth it for the amazing snorkeling and paddling around the small island just offshore. There are no services and no cell reception, so go with a friend and be sure you have good clearance and good grip on your tires.
Coyote Beach https://t.ly/IUEBV – A wide, rough, rocky expanse of bay with lovely views and few people. Again, this is a bit of a remote location with no services and no cell reception, so plan accordingly. Bring your own chairs and umbrella.
Sue Bell is Baja Life Realty’s office and marketing administrator, helping us out with a variety of projects, including Spanish translations of key documents, keeping our listings up to date, and promoting the La Paz lifestyle on our Facebook page and blog. In addition to her work at Baja Life Realty, Sue is a bilingual personal concierge. That means she helps clients with setting up services such as banking, utilities, cell phone service and more. She hosts a Starter Kit for Living in Baja workshop, which teaches new homeowners how to connect with local contractors, join local expat groups, source furniture and other items for your home, and much more. To learn more about Sue’s personal concierge service, watch her video here.