Bahia de los Angeles

Bahia de los Angeles is a wide gulf bay backed by the bare Sierra de la Asamblea and studded with islands - Isla Angel de la Guarda, the second largest in the Gulf of California, plus Coronado and a scatter of rocky islets - all within a protected biosphere zone. The village at its edge is small, dusty and remote: a few hundred people, a couple of streets, fish camps, modest hotels and a museum of local nature and history, at the end of a long paved spur off the transpeninsular highway. What brings visitors is the water. Whale sharks feed in the bay from roughly June to November, and regulated tours take snorkellers out to swim beside them; sea lion colonies, dolphins, rays and rich fishing occupy the rest of the year; and kayakers paddle island to island on multi-day trips through some of the emptiest coastline in North America. Winds are the constant: the bay funnels them hard, and boat days can vanish. There is little else to do, which is the entire attraction.

History

The Cochimí called the place Adac, and around 3000 of them lived in the area in the early 1600s. Francisco de Ulloa was the first European to reach the bay, in 1539; the Jesuit Fernando Consag explored it in 1746 and gave it its present name, a loading dock was built in 1752 to serve Mission San Borja, and another followed in 1900 to ship gold and silver from the mines (Wikipedia, Bahía de los Ángeles).

What you'll find

• The island bay - Angel de la Guarda and the islets offshore.
• Whale sharks - summer and autumn snorkelling with permits.
• Sea lions and dolphins - resident gulf wildlife year-round.
• The desert village - fish camps at the end of the road.

When to go

June to November for whale sharks; spring and autumn for calmer seas and kayaking. Summer heat is severe and winter northers close the water for days.

Practical notes

Fuel, cash and supplies should be sorted before the turnoff - the village has limited services and intermittent power. Whale-shark tours must be permitted; ask. Wind cancels boats routinely.

Nearby

Guerrero Negro's salt flats and whale lagoon lie south; the Catavina boulder desert sits on the highway north.