Sights in Baja California
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Museo de Cera
Most of the motley crew at the Museo de Cera look mildly constipated, but it’s fun anyway. Madonna appears to have had open-heart surgery, Michael Jackson looks creepy and John Lennon, yep, appears appropriately stoned.
reviewed
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Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé
Across the Transpeninsular and near the southern bank of the river, Mulegé's restored Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé stands atop a hill southwest of town. Founded in 1705 and completed in 1766, the mission functioned until 1828, when the declining indigenous population led to its abandonment.
Remodeled several times, the church is less architecturally distinguished than its counterparts in San Ignacio and San Borja; it's imposing but utilitarian, with fewer enticing details. The exterior alone is still faithful to the original.
Behind the church, a short footpath climbs a volcanic outcrop to an overlook with soothing views of the palm-lined Arroyo Santa Rosalía and its…
reviewed
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Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán
With lava-block walls nearly 1.2m (4ft) thick, the former Jesuit Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán stands directly across from San Ignacio's small plaza and is flanked by a tiny grove of citrus trees. Occupying the site of a former Cochimí ranchería (indigenous settlement), the mission has been in continuous use since its founding in 1728. One of the three 18th-century altar pieces inside is dedicated to the San Ignacio de Loyola, the town's patron saint.
The mission was initiated by the famous Jesuit Fernando Consag, and was completed in 1786 under the direction of Dominican Juan Crisóstomo Gómez. Epidemics reduced the Cochimí population from about 5000 to only 120 by…
reviewed
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Estero San José
Although the Puerto Los Cabos development is taking a devastating toll upon the San José estuary - especially near the ocean - it's still one of the town's most delightfully peaceful spots and a good place to squeeze in a little bird watching. It is, at least in name, a protected wildlife sanctuary and home to many bird species, including frigate birds, sparrow hawks, white herons and red-tailed hawks.
This protected wildlife sanctuary (at least by name) is home to many bird species, including frigate birds, sparrow hawks, white herons and red-tailed hawks. Near the corner of Benito Juárez, a palm-lined pedestrian trail, known as the Paseo del Estero, parallels Blvd Mija…
reviewed
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Museo de las Californias
The Museo de las Californias chronicles the history of Baja California from prehistoric times to the present. The exhibit kicks off with replica cave paintings, then covers important historical milestones, including the earliest Spanish expeditions under Hernán Cortés, the mission period, the Treaty of Hidalgo, the Chinese immigration, the irrigation of the Colorado River delta and the advent of the railroad. It's an excellent introduction to the peninsula and should not be missed.
Displays in glass cases mix with scale replicas of ships, missions, other objects and fairly realistic dioramas. All explanatory paneling is in English and Spanish, and touch-screen terminals…
reviewed
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Frontón Palacio Jai Alai
Oddly baroque in style, the striking Frontón Palacio Jai Alai is a Tijuana landmark fronting nearly an entire block of Av Revolución. Construction began in 1926, but wasn't completed until 1947. For decades it hosted the fast-moving ball game of jai alai - a sort of hybrid between squash and tennis, originating in Spain's Basque Country. Unfortunately, a strike by Mexico City players combined with the game's obscurity and lack of attendance forced the owner to close down the operation.
The building now hosts cultural events including music and theater performances, and you can usually get in to take a look at the courts and lobby area.
reviewed
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Av Revolución
Virtually every visitor to Tijuana has to experience at least a brief stroll along raucous Av Revolución, also known as 'La Revo'. It's a mishmash of nightclubs, bellowing hawkers outside seedy strip bars, brash taxi drivers, tacky souvenir stores, street photographers with zebra-striped burros, discount liquor stores and restaurants.
If you're walking north to south but find the sensory assault from high-tech sound systems too overwhelming to return the same way, try the more conventional shopping street of Av Constitución, paralleling La Revo one block west. It has a far more local flare.
reviewed
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Playa Médano
Cabo San Lucas has three main beaches. The most popular is Playa Médano, which runs northeast for about 3km (2 miles) from the Hacienda Beach Resort (under renovation). The water is crystal clear and calm, making it ideal for swimming (or, as the case may be, wading with a margarita glasses in hand). Buoyed swimming areas keep the jet skis, parasailers and fishing pangas away from the swimmers (at least in theory), and cruise ships float off shore.
With several bars right on the beach, it's a great place to chill out, pound your favorite cocktails and basically feel merry in the sun.
reviewed
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Malecón
Malecón. La Paz's Newly Reconstructed Waterfront, With Its Wide Sidewalk, Tiny Beaches, Tourist Pier, Benches, Sculptures By Local Artists And Unimpeded Sunset Views, Has Become The City's Biggest Highlight. At The Time Of Research, The Malecón Stretched 5.5km (3.5 Miles), From The Marina De La Paz In The South, To Playa Coromuel To The North. The Real Magic Is At Sundown, When Paceños Spill Out Of Their Homes And Take To The Malecón To Stroll, Jog, Bike, Power Walk Or Just Hang Out And Listen To The Live Bands That Set Up On What's Easily One Of Mexico's Finest Waterfronts.
reviewed
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Cervecería Tijuana
If you're a beer-drinker, make a pilgrimage to this microbrewery, which opened in early 2000. Owner José González Ibarra's vision was to make a potent brew in the tradition of pilsner beer, which originated in the Czech Republic. He imported all the technology from that country and a young Czech brew master whose efforts have clearly paid off.
Sold under the brand name Tijuana, this is a superior and full-bodied beer that easily measures up to some of Europe's finest. It is best enjoyed in the atmospheric, timbered brewery pub, about 3.2km (1.5 miles) south of downtown.
reviewed
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Reserva de la Biosféra Sierra de la Laguna
The lush forests of the 1128-sq-km (434-sq-mi) Sierra de la Laguna are rugged, remote and largely uninhabited, although they teem with animals and plants, many of them unique to the area. Adventurous and experienced hikers will have a field day here, but trails are often poorly marked. Consider hiring a guide or joining an organized group hike.
This is a Unesco biosphere reserve, wherein swathes of naturally significant land are fully protected within zonas núcleo (core areas) but locals are allowed to work certain surrounding areas using sustainable methods.
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Cabo Falso
About 5km (3 miles) northwest of town, Cabo San Lucas' historic lighthouse, Faro Viejo, is perched high above Cabo Falso, so named because it was once erroneously thought to be the southernmost point on the Baja peninsula. Surrounded by a spectacular dunescape (unfortunately frequented by ATVs), the lighthouse was in operation from 1895 to 1961, when it was replaced by a candy-striped cousin on a hillside above.
The latter is worth a visit for extraordinary 360-degree views of the ocean, city and sierras.
reviewed
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Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto
Featuring a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross, the mission suffered serious damage when the ceiling and bell tower collapsed during the 1829 hurricane. It has only been restored over the last 25 years and today is splendid sight both inside and out.
Above the entrance to Loreto's mission, the inscription Cabeza y Madre de las Misiones de Baja y Alta California (Head and Mother of the Missions of Upper and Lower California) attests to Loreto's role as the first capital of the Californias.
reviewed
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Casa de la Cultura de Tijuana
Housed in an imposing neoclassical brick building (the former Escuela Alvaro Obregón, built in 1929) the Casa de la Cultura de Tijuana presents lectures, art exhibitions, film festivals and concerts. The center is located about 1.6km (1 mile) west of Av Revolución. Take any blue-and-white taxi (marked 'Colonia Altamira') westbound from Calle 3a (Carrillo Puerto) or walk up Calle 4a (Díaz Mirón); instead of the busy street, go up the hillside staircase for fine city views.
reviewed
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Observatorio Astronómico Nacional
The Observatorio Astronómico Nacional is the country’s national observatory, from where it’s possible to observe both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. On clear days you can see all the way to the Mexican mainland. To reach the park, turn left at the sign at approximately Km 140 on the Transpeninsular, south of Colonet. A 100km paved road climbs to the east through an ever-changing desert landscape, affording satisfying vistas all along the way
reviewed
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Muso Histórico Regional
This modest museum features the 'People and Cultures of Meso-America' and is housed in an 1886 military barracks that served as the city's jail until 1986. Exhibits feature tools, ceramics and other archeological finds of the indigenous Cúcapa, Paipai, Kumiai (Kumeyaay) and Kiliwa. Also check out the cell block, where several of the tiny, windowless concrete cubicles sport murals by the former inmates. The former dormitory houses rotating art exhibits.
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Lucha Libre
Not sure how to kick off your Friday night? Treat yourself to the spectacle of Lucha Libre at the Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez Moreno, Tijuana's municipal auditorium. See two oversized masked men with names like 'The Mystic One', 'Blue Panther' and 'Heavy Metal' throw each other about a boxing ring in a theatrical display of freeform wrestling. There's nothing quite like it. Matches are held every Friday night. Rates depend on the match.
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El Mirador
For marvelous views of Ensenada and the Bahía de Todos Santos, climb or drive up to El Mirador in Colinas de Chapultepec, the hilly residential neighborhood west of downtown. The lookout is gated off, but no one seems to mind people slipping through the hole in the fence to the right of the gate. To get there from downtown, head up Av Alemán from the western end of Calle 2a. If you're driving, park in the dirt area across the street.
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Centro Cultural Esperanza Rodríguez
Centro Cultural Esperanza Rodríguez. This Small Cultural Center-Cum-Art Gallery Focuses On Women Artists From Baja California Sur, Though International Works Are Often Featured, Depending Upon The Theme (For Example, During An International Women's Day Exhibit, Artists From Mainland Mexico And Other Countries Were Displayed). If The Caretaker Isn't In, She's Probably Next Door In The Attached Internet Center.
reviewed
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Museo del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia
Built in 1886 by the US-owned International Company of Mexico, Ensenada’s oldest public building, formerly the Aduana Marítima de Ensenada, houses the Museo del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, a historical and cultural museum. It has a relatively small but comprehensive collection of artifacts, and discusses (mainly in Spanish) the area’s history from prehistoric times up to now.
reviewed
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Museo San Ignacio
Just south of the mission church, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia (INAH) has built an impressive new Museo San Ignacio that has elaborate displays on the Desierto Central's rock art, including a replica cave-mural site that's the next best thing to descending into Cañón San Pablo itself. You must request permission at the INAH office here to visit any rock art site in the area.
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Land's End
Land's End is by far the biggest, and most impressive, attraction Cabo San Lucas has to offer. Get on a panga (a fiberglass skiff) and head to El Arco (the Arch), a jagged natural feature which partially fills with the tide. Pelicans, sea lions, sea, sky - this is what brought people to Cabo in the first place and it's still magical, despite the mammoth cruise ship towering behind it.
reviewed
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Paseo del Estero
From near the corner of Benito Juárez, this palm-lined pedestrian trail parallels Mijares all the way to the zona hotelera. This is a peaceful alternative to the boulevard, but it may not always be passable because of high water levels, especially after rains. In colonial times, pirates took ocassional refuge in the estuary between raids on Spanish galleons.
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Riviera del Pacífico
Opened in the early 1930s as Hotel Playa Ensenada, the extravagant Riviera del Pacífico, a Spanish-style former casino, is rumored to have been a regular haunt of Al Capone. It now houses the small Museo de Historia de Ensenada and Bar Andaluz, while the Casa de Cultura offers classes, retrospective film screenings and art exhibitions.
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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Paz
On the Plaza Constitución's western side, the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the city's cathedral. It only dates from 1861 but mimics the style of California mission architecture. Nothing remains of the city's first cathedral, which was built in 1720 under the direction of Jesuit missionaries Jaime Bravo and Juan de Ugarte near the plaza.
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