Three, five or seven nights? How long a sailing trip in La Paz should be
Itineraries, flights and what a short trip can still do.
The first question is how long to go for.
The honest answer depends less on the sea than on how you get there, so start with the flights.
Flying in
La Paz has its own airport, about 20 minutes by taxi from the city.
Nonstop flights arrive from Mexico City, Tijuana, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Hermosillo and Mazatlán.
From the United States, Alaska Airlines flies nonstop from Los Angeles, with a weekly frequency that changes through the season.
Another route crosses the border on foot from San Diego into Tijuana airport through the Cross Border Xpress bridge, and flies on to La Paz from there.
The alternative is Los Cabos.
It is the sixth busiest airport in Mexico, with many direct international flights.
From there La Paz is about 195 km by road, 2 to 2.5 hours, and it is wise to allow at least an hour for immigration and customs.
The road can follow either the Pacific coast, which is faster, or the Gulf of California, which is slower. A shared shuttle takes more than three hours with stops. If your flight lands late in Los Cabos, plan a night in La Paz before you board. It also gives you a margin if a flight is delayed.
Schedules change, so check them before you commit.
When it is busy
December and February are among the busiest months in La Paz, and March is the busiest of all.
September is the quietest month, and October is calm. In busy months, check flights before you confirm anything else.
Choose dates, then flights, then the boat.
What each length looks like
- Three nights: the south of Espíritu Santo, close to La Paz.
Enough to change pace. It does not reach the sea lions at Los Islotes.
- Five nights: by stages towards Caleta Partida or Ensenada Grande, in the centre and north of the archipelago, with room to come back without rushing.
There is time to visit Los Islotes, though swimming there has seasonal restrictions between June and August.
- Seven nights: Espíritu Santo from south to north, with a full day in the north barely moving the boat.
You only have three nights? Still enough to enjoy and disconnect
It is a different trip. Everything is a few hours away.
On a boat you do not plan transport between places, book restaurants or arrive on time for a reservation.
You wake up where you went to sleep, and the day is shaped by meals and by the weather. The only schedule is the one the sea sets.
For a group already in Mexico or Baja, three nights can be enough.
Three nights also costs more per night than a longer trip, because the fixed costs of the boat and the crew are spread over fewer days.
A rule of thumb
If you are flying a long way, give yourself five to seven nights.
The flight costs the same whether you stay three or seven.
If your people are already nearby, three can be a very good trip.
