In 1535, 16 years after he set foot in Mexico, Spanish explorer Hernando Cortés led an expedition to the Baja California peninsula. Others followed and in the late 17th-century, Jesuit, then Franciscan, and Dominican missionaries arrived to establish churches and settlements. Confronted by a hot and arid climate, neither the explorers nor missionaries could imagine the biodiversity the seas and landscape encompassed. One of the most extraordinary sites, Cabo Pulmo National Park, lies two and half hours north of Paradisus, on the Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California, described by Jacques Cousteau as the “aquarium of the world.” A National Marine Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has one of the largest and most diverse coral reefs in North America. In its waters flourish more than 800 species of marine life, including five of the seven types of endangered sea turtles, sharks ranging from hammerhead to whitetip, sea mammals, including the endemic gulf porpoise or vaquita, and an astounding array of fish, silver mackerel, gulf grouper, blowfish, manta rays, and beyond. As might be expected, Cabo Pulmo offers exceptional snorkeling and diving. Ecotour operators include Eco Adventures (+52-624-157-4072) and Mar y Sierra (+52-624-168-5186).
A humpback breaches near the coastline of Los Cabos. Photo courtesy of Los Cabos Tourism.