LORETO MEXICO is INCREDIBLE! (Travel Guide)

Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to beautiful Loreto! Buenos dias. Good morning Country Collectors! If you joined us last week on the ferry from Mazatlan to La Paz then you know that we are in the state of Baja California Sur. Last year we got to explore around Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, Todos Santos, and La Paz so today we are continuing that journey here in the beautiful coastal town of Loreto. We can't wait to show you around but before we get started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures. Let's check out how we got here. But first, Kitty snuggles! Oh my goodness you're so cute! Where'd you go? Sitting in the shade behind me. Little sneaker! Oh what a great way to start the morning. After the ferry ride we ended up spending a couple days in La Paz and then we boarded the Aguila bus towards Loreto. The 350 kilometer journey took five and a half hours and it went through some beautiful landscapes before dropping us off here at the bus station. From there we took a short walk to our Airbnb which is located just here. It costs $25 USD a night and is fit with a comfortable bed, AC, Wi-Fi, desk, kitchen and full bathroom. It also comes with a couple of bikes which is great because it is a little further from the center of town which we actually really like because it is so quiet here. Well all right let's hit the road and see what we can find today! Loreto has around 20,000 residents and one street light.Iit's that small town feeling that we really hope we can capture for you today and that's what makes this town so appealing. Right now we are on the main road that runs all the way down to the melecon through town. (Clears throat) Mmm hmm, Adam. Oh excuse me! Hug bug! And before that would have been a slug bug and banana. Did you ever play that? I never did but I'm more about the Love Bug. Yeah me too now! All along this road here you're gonna find lots of different businesses including hotels, shops, markets as well as some very good looking restaurants like this one right here, Pan que Pan. We've heard some wonderful things about it so let's head inside and grab some delicious food. Oh my gosh I see a table over here that looks like a VW Beetle converted into a table! Wow! Do you want to sit there? I do. I don't know if we're gonna be able to eat though what are we gonna do just hug the whole time? Yeah. Yeah I don't know how that's gonna work. This is incredible oh my gosh come join us there's a whole bench right here for you! I love it I might just stay here all day. While we're waiting for our food and I enjoy this delicious cup of coffee sitting in the back half of this Volkswagen Beetle with a unicycle and a boogie board I took out a little trip around the restaurant and it is so cool. The music is nice and relaxed. There's a Yeti hiding in the garden over here. A complete Beetle on the other side. The decorations are great the energy here is just so nice. And up here in the beetle the roof and the sides everywhere is covered with these really nice stickers. I like this one it says let's go everywhere, don't worry be happy and then the Peter Pan the never grow up. So I thought we could leave a little piece of us here and put our sticker right up here. So when you come here, if you see this give us a message send us a message give us a photo tell us that you saw it. Oh I like it. Here we go. Now we're here forever, Country Collectors baby! Our drinks and food just arrived they have a lot of different kinds of fresh juices here they look so good. I went with the Wonder Woman or Mujer Maravilla. And I went with the Superman or the super hombre! And then to eat I got the poblano flank steak omelette. He recommended it. And I went with the french toast that his recommendation as well it's got bananas and some syrup with it with a little bit of whipped cream right here on the side. Yeah it looks incredible that's so you. It is so me. Adam asked what he recommended and he was like the french toast I was like... me please! All right let's jump into this. You're in heaven right now. Wow that is like the perfect french toast. The bread is not like that Texas toast that's so thick but it's also thicker than a normal slice of bread. I totally understand why this place is called, Pan que Pan because when I see the bread I'm like bread what bread? It's already gone in my tummy. What a fantastic setting for breakfast. It's gonna be hard to peel ourselves out of the back of this Beetle. That's true. Well I think it's time for some after breakfast entertainment. Adam are you ready to get on that unicycle? Oh absolutely! We're going to be continuing this video down in the emergency room we hope to see you there. All right we're not gonna do that. We are going to grab our stuff and then go explore the center of town so come along. Just across the street is one of my favorite things about the entire downtown here. The trees have been manicured into this tunnel that you can walk down on this pedestrian only way here. It's pretty magical right? Speaking of magical, Loreto is actually a Pueblo Magico. Given this distinction as being the site of the first mission here in Old California which we are going to get to in just a little bit. But as you're walking down this pedestrian corridor you're going to see a lot of shops with Artisans selling their goods like this one here behind me that I think is just so cool. The three best friends you know carrying their other friend. They got a bit drunk in the Cantina. I can definitely relate to this I've definitely been there! I am loving this driftwood burro right here. Unfortunately I don't think he's gonna fit in my bag. And as you know everything we own is in our backpack so we'll have to come back and pick this one up. It's fun to get things but remember memories are the best things that you can collect. Amen. Welcome to Plaza Salvatierra. It's a great place to come down enjoy the views, go into some shops and also marvel at the mission right here. This is dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto and was built in 1697 by the Jesuits. Making Loreto the first Spanish settlement in the Californias. Loreto also served as the capital here until 1777 which is pretty neat. And you know that makes this year the 325th anniversary of this town! Happy anniversary! But let's not forget before the Jesuits came this place had indigenous people that have dated back to 12,000 years before their arrival. Making this what could be the oldest human settlement on the peninsula. And just next to the mission is the Mission Museum. If you want to learn more about the indigenous people, the arrival of the missionaries and some more history of Las Californias this is a place to come. It's small but pretty insightful. It's open Tuesday through Sunday and costs 65 pesos. Oh my gosh and look who I have here. It's not just cats, it's good boys too! There's so many cute dogs around this town. Hi baby. Oh I love it. Right across the street from the mission is Santo Cielo and they have this sign out front right here that says: You hook it. We cook it. Which means you catch a fish out there you bring it here, they cook it for you and you can eat it at one of their wonderful little tables. We've been by here at night and seen some live music at well... at well, as well it looks like a cool spot to check out. One block east of the mission you will find the city hall. It reminds me of something out of an old western movie or something it looks pretty cool. But if you go inside there are some beautiful murals that are even cooler and depict the history of the area. Just out here in front of the city hall there's an open air market. It's only on Saturdays from eight until two so we lucked out today. The locals come down here with all of their handmade goods and baked goods too! Look at this we got this mini blackberry pie. I know Adam can't wait to try this. You know it. Yeah it's a great place to come down pick up some souvenirs and just support local you know they are sharing their home with you so it's an important aspect of responsible traveling is supporting the locals as well. It's almost too cute to eat, almost.... You couldn't wait could you? Wow that is delicious. It's got that like nice pie crust on it and just the right amount of filling. This lady knows what's up! And a perfect serving size. Well I could use a little bit bigger. You'll also find the kiosko here right in the middle. As well as some restaurants as well as cafes. And right over here is a very special one. Let's go check it out! If you're into craft beer El Zopilote here behind me in the corner of the square fits the bill. I stopped in here yesterday and grabbed myself a Tombstone Pale Ale. It was cool, crisp and absolutely refreshing. Definitely stop by and grab one when you're in town. Just down a little bit further you will find Romanita RV park. What a location right here near the center of town and just a block away from the malecon. So if you have a small rig and you are looking for a place to park it and enjoy the Baja Peninsula the beauty of this place. This could be the spot. And as we approach the water you can see it just down here at the end of the road I just wanted to stop for a second and appreciate this beautiful breeze and the rippling papel picado above us. It's gorgeous. Welcome to the malecon. I think one of the most beautiful things about this town are the natural landscapes here. It is nestled between the mountains to our right and the Sea of Cortez here to our left. This setting is just so picturesque. It's magical! One of our favorite things to do here is take a stroll down the malecon or ride our bikes. On one end over here is a beach that looks like it has a turtle nesting zone. Along the water you will find some restaurants as well as hotels like this one right here La Mission De Loreto which if we were going to splurge is a place we'd be staying. And down here is the marina. It's my favorite place to go. There's always so much action down there let's go check it out together. But before we get to the marina you have to make sure to stop at the colorful Loreto letters because you know it's a great place to snap a photo! As you can see we have made it to the marina. All these colorful pangas behind me here. There is a walkway that goes around it and down here you can see the fisherman. You can also join in and fish yourself if you would like. But my favorite part is the bird watching! We've sat here quite a few times just watching the Pelicans glide over even dive into the water to get their catch. And I especially love when the fishermen come back from their trips and the birds just like descend on the boats looking for the scraps. It's really funny just just a good experience down here! And look at this this fisherman just got all of this today. Muy bueno! I love his little dog too. Todo aqui? Si, aqui. Woah! Wow just right off the rocks here! It's big. Impresivo! And I love it he just shoved him in his backpack. Probably gonna go sell them to a local restaurant or take him home and eat them for himself. And then his kid goes to school tomorrow and he's like, "Dad why does my bag smell like fish?" No! At the end of the pier you can find some very cool statues of California sea lions. This one over here is even eating a fish. These are not real however we will be taking you out to see some real ones in just a minute. What happened to this one? Oh poor guy I think he might be having a poopy day! While you are gazing out into the sea you are gonna notice a couple islands. This one here is Isla Carmen and over here is Isla Coronado. Along with some others in the South and the Gulf of California they form what is known as the Loreto Bay National Marine Park which covers over 800 square miles. Wow that's huge! I know. This incredible place was nicknamed the Aquarium of the World by my personal favorite Jacques Yves Cousteau. And if you come down here between December and March you may get lucky and see some whales. They have gray and blue whales as well as orcas and humpbacks. If I saw a blue whale I think I would die. Please don't die. No I would just like die of shock I'd be so excited! They migrate down here from Alaska every winter to have their calves in the Gulf. Oh I I hope we can come back one day that would be really something special to see. And you're probably at home thinking, "Aren't you going to take us to one of those beautiful islands?" And we sure are! The other day we got to take a boat trip out to Isla Coronado and it was amazing so let's jump back in time. We will see you over there! Woah! Hope you had a nice trip. You still got everything there? You got your nose? Your ears? Hey where'd my hair go? Oh I lost that years ago! You're so silly. We already are here down at the marina super excited to take off to Isla Coronado. We've seen pictures and it looks incredible. Along the way we hope to see some marine animals like sea lions and dolphins! That would DOLPHINatley be cool! Can't wait. Before you can enter the Marine Park you need to purchase a marine park pass which comes in the form of these bracelets right here. It's 100 pesos and it goes to helping to protect the park further and that's something that I can get behind. There are a few ways to book the tour over to Isla Coronado. You can either book it directly online, come down to the marina and find an operator or if you're lucky like us your Airbnb host will have a son-in-law who is a captain. This is Erick right here. He's gonna be taking us out today so excited! It's gonna take about 20-25 minutes to get over to that Island. We are aboard the Tres Chiles. It's gonna be a bit spicy today. Come with us we are just so excited we can't wait! Vamanos. Captain Heidi! Wow the ride out here was absolutely incredible. We were just surrounded by this dramatic landscape. You know the mountains coming down to the Sea and then behind me here is the volcanic island of Isla Coronado. The water turned from this deep dark blue to this aqua green and blue. No words! And just in front of us is a pod of dolphins! I was hoping for this yay let's check them out! They're right in front of the boat here I'm so excited. Look at them! So Majestic. There's some right out there too! Whoa got a little tail slapper! Oh they're right over here. Oh my gosh everywhere right now look at that! This is amazing! Right there, right next to the boat. Oh we're so lucky! I am loving this and I'm so glad that you got to come along and share this with us because dolphins are one of my favorite creatures in this entire beautiful world! We also learned that this is the largest Marine protected area here in the Gulf of California. Also it's a UNESCO world heritage site because of its ecosystem. So it is teeming with life! We have reached our first stop which is conveniently right next to where we just saw those beautiful Dolphins. We're going to be diving in here. We're gonna put on our mask fence and snorkel and see what sort of wonderful underwater creatures we can find. Come with us! And while we do bring our own mask and snorkel he does provide you with fins as well as those so if you don't have your stuff that's great you just come here he'll take care of you hop in and just enjoy yourself. Erick is the best! Woah man that was great! And if the snorkeling wasn't good enough there are another pod of dolphins right here I'd say at least 30 are in it it's so cool! They are right here off the front of the boat oh my goodness these are Common Dolphins. They're special to me! Holy Guacamole look at all these dolphins! Wow! What a morning! I mean incredible! And we're in like the first hour I feel like. And just like that they're gone. They probably smelled some nice of those delicious fish we just saw over there and they're like let's get over there the people are gone! I'm just loving all of these like hugely different landscapes. Over there it was like the little bit of desert now that are these giant rock formations. It's just so impressive out here I can understand why they made this a UNESCO world heritage site. Look at this! Look at that! And right over here we kind of just pulled into this cove and there are the blue-footed boobies right here. I'm so sure some of you kids at home are giggling right now. But these birds are so unique that has that really nice like pale blue feet which is really cool! We see about four or five right now some are just flying in. This is really nice! Can you hear that? There are California sea lions up here. They are known for their playfulness their intelligence as well as a very distinctive barking. They can grow up to being 1,100 pounds as well as 8.5 feet long. Remember while they are friendly in appearance you should always keep your distance from them. Safety First! Oh my gosh they are right up here. Sounds like Adam when he doesn't get his food! Hey, it's true! Woah, oh my gosh look right here! Wow! They're just bathing in the Sun. And coming around this point here there are so many more. I was just saying this honestly feels like we're in the Galapagos right now. There is so much nature and life here it's amazing! Seeing them lounge out here and make this barking sound I think I may have been a sea lion in a previous life. And just lay in the sun all day! Sign me up! And we're off! Woo hoo! This is so much fun! I don't know if you can see right here on the rock this is called the monkey face formation because obviously it looks like a monkey face. It really does. It's like the Adam's face! We are just pulling into what looks like the bay. We just passed one over there and wow it was just as beautiful as this one too. The water is the bluest you will ever see and the sand is that bright white. I believe we are just gonna pull up and get to hang out on the beach for a couple of hours. Maybe have some Ceviche? Oh that sounds delicious to me. we'd love for you to join us. We've arrived, paradise awaits. We just pulled up we set up a couple of chairs and an umbrella on the beach. Erick's back here making some Sashimi. This is Restaurante Erick! I can't wait to just do some real chilling out here. I hope you guys are ready! He went out fishing yesterday and they caught what did he say? Yellowtail. Yellowtail tuna so he's cutting that up. If you want to go on a fishing trip with him you can do that as well. It smells so good it's so fresh. But we have a little party back here. They've come for some sashimi as well. They're hungry. All right keep it down. I love it. I love it even the chairs are Tommy Bahama relaxed chairs. All right let's sit this down. This is some good service. Oh yeah . Thank you. As you can see we are in the shade of the umbrella. Erick, Chef Erick so so sweet whipped up the Sashimi. iIt is so good. What? He's sneaking some food behind us. And I also tried this fish salad here as well. He put some jalapenos on top to give it some spice. Just nice and light very delicious it's just perfect for the beach here. People are in the water just enjoying it themselves it's incredible. And you know some tours they do include food and some don't so that's something to keep in mind. And if they don't I would just bring a couple bottles of water and some snacks because you don't want to be hungry and thirsty out here. It is hot so you want to stay hydrated. But this is very special food. Chef Erick. And these guys walked by and asked him on the boat if he was selling this food because they're obviously a bit jealous. I understand why. Yeah so so far so great! We're gonna eat this food and then get in the water in a little bit. We just got done eating that exquisite lunch and we actually heard there was a hiking trail right here. It's three kilometers to the summit supposed to take like an hour and a half to two hours. We don't have time to do it today which you know Adam is really happy about. That's right. There are also bathrooms here if you need to change or use the facilities. A lot of squeaking Seagulls. And if if your outfitter doesn't bring an umbrella and chairs there are palapas here as well so you can get some shade that way. We are on a boardwalk here I believe it just goes out through this terrain a little bit I'm not sure where but you can see all these like lava rocks here. So if you are gonna do that hike bring some good shoes because I'm sure it is like a little uneven, that's the word. Definitely bring a hat too Adam has mine right here because it is smoking hot! And even though my tootsies are burning up right now it is definitely worth taking this walk to get this view with the brush in front leading out to that blue water into the mountains and into this blue sky. I mean just stunned like I've been all day. I am loving this and I really hope you guys are too. It's definitely like a postcard isn't it? Well especially with me! We'll send that to you guys! Erick just pulled back up we are gonna put all our things back in the boat and head to that next... I was gonna say Island but it might be on the mainland. It might be. I'm not too sure so wherever we're going next come along. There is like 10 mobula rays right here just kind of like hovering along the beautiful sandy bottom. I don't know how this day could get any better honestly. You thought they were rocks. I did I thought they were rocas okay! There they come right here you can see them. Welcome to the second beach here. We are still on the island. This is called Playa Baja and there is nobody around because it's quite hard to get in here. The water is very low he said in the winter so a lot of boats don't come in because they will hit their bottom on the sand but he could do it. I mean what can't Erick do?! He did say that in the summer the water is higher so if you come then there might be more boats but it's just us and then two kayakers. So what do you what do you say we get our stuff and head to the beach. I say that's a great idea! I love it. He just put in the anchor right here it is so quiet and just look at that water. I'm going in people! Make sure there's no stingrays. Oh wow. This is just so special I can't believe we're here right now. This is not what I was expecting. I knew it was going to be nice but not like this. Like I feel like I'm getting choked up because this is really one of the most beautiful beaches I think I've ever been to and it's just us and you and that makes it even more special! And while we are out here enjoying this incredible day we would love to give a shout out to our new patrons: Jared, Jorge, Kristen, Jette and Brandi! Thank you so so much for being a part of this community. You rock! You do. And you help to make this already special place even more special by being here with us. So muchas gracias. We are so glad to share this with you. Yes thank you! And if you would like to be a part of our Patreon community we'll put a link in the description below. Look at this it's just us on the beach! Adam's having some brotherly bonding time with Erick over there. I thought I'd just take you on a little stroll here. And and I just wanted to mention like you know a lot of people have pressured us a little bit you know nudged us. When are you going to your next country? Why are you still in Mexico? You've been there so long, come on go somewhere else! You're the Country Collectors you've only been to one country. Which is false, but whatever! It's okay. But this is the reason why we are still here. It's like around every corner you know that we turn, every state, every city there's something new like this that is just so exciting. We have never been bored here. And traveling slow has just been so fulfilling. Getting to know the culture, the people, the landscapes. If we would have left we would have never seen this and this is literally I think the most beautiful place I've seen in Mexico. Like just absolutely stunning. You know we love the beaches! So that's a good takeaway. Don't be, you know people are gonna pressure you but you got to stay true to yourself. Stick to your guns, what you want to do. Because in the end you want to die knowing that that you stayed true to your being. So yeah just take that away from today. And slow travel, travel deeply and open yourself up. Fall in love with the people. Let them all in. And yeah it's just gonna make your adventures that much more grand! Well it is time unfortunately to head back. But we're so glad we got to share this with you. We'll put Erick's number down below in the pinned comment though because he was amazing and we definitely recommend him. But yeah let's jump back to ... where where we'd come from? The future! I think so. Let's jump back to wherever we came from we'll see you over there. Welcome back. I hope you had fun and you got to understand how the natural beauty here is is really the draw of this incredible place. Right now we are next door to the marina on Playa La Negrita. It is the main Bbach here in town. They have some palapas here that you can sit under and enjoy the shade while you're putting your tootsies in the water. Over here on the left there's also a store where you can buy a beer or a soft drink. It's just such a great place to come. And you know what I know it's just the beginning of the season but it's a Saturday and there's almost nobody around. It just feels so intimate here and I hope you feel as grateful as we do that you got to be here to experience it with us. Something else we had the chance to do is take a day trip up into the mountains to La Mission de San Francisco Javier. It's located about an hour drive from here and was founded in 1699. It's beautiful Baroque architecture and structure has been so well preserved on the inside and out. It's definitely a fun day trip here. And if you don't have your own wheels you can find tour operators in town that can take you there as well as do many more activities around. Unfortunately it's that time of the week again. We have to say our goodbyes but thank you so much for joining us here in beautiful Loreto. It would have been nowhere near as much fun if you hadn't been here to share it with and you made it that much more special for us. Yes and thank you to all the people who you know live here and have just welcomed us very warmly. It definitely surprised us the first day we were in a little bit of shock because there was nobody around. It was like a little ghost town. But it's grown on us. That tranquility and just how quiet it is. And it just reminds me that Mexico really does have something for everyone. You can be in a big resort town, you can be in an in-between town or you can be here and just enjoy that tranquility. Yeah so thank you again so so much if you enjoyed this video please give us a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe and don't forget to DLING, DLING, DLING the bell! We'll see you, next time! Adios!