Volcanic Island of Coronados

Lovely Town of Loreto - beautiful mountain and tree setting

Before reaching the volcanic island of Coronados, we stopped off at Loreto on our way north to pick up some groceries. Unfortunately, Loreto doesn’t have a harbor for boats other than pangas so we anchored offshore and took the dinghy in for supplies.

The Outskirts of Loreto

The local children love to watch your dinghy for a small fee or help with your lines and load your groceries at departure. We encountered a group of very enthusiastic boys who each wanted desperately to earn their own dinero. We engaged their services and they left with big smiles, anticipating future business deals to come. It was great fun to revisit the charming town of Loreto. Like La Paz, Loreto has a lovely malecon and a tight-knit community spirit. The town square, streets, and beaches were full of people celebrating the Easter weekend, spending quality time with their families. In addition to the lovely malecon, historic buildings and church mission, Loreto has one of the prettiest town squares and many fine cafes. It is not surprising that Loreto has become a popular vacation destination and home to many expatriates from Canada and the U.S. As fortune would have it, a couple from Kirkland stopped by to say hello; they had noticed the name of our homeport printed on the stern of our boat. We had a long chat and learned that they have a home in Loreto where they live most of the year.

Newly Extended Malecon at Loreto

After picking up groceries at Loreto, it was back to the boat for a short cruise to the nearby island of Coronados.

Whale Shark Sculpture; Isla Coronados in Backgound

This cone-shaped island with its turquoise colored waters and beautiful soft sandy beach is another favorite National Park. A well maintained trail leads partway up the island, about a six mile round-trip hike. Steep, rocky cliff-sides surround the old volcanic cone (928 feet), while the southern portion of the island is long and low. We walked part of the park trail and came across various plants, birds, and even a nasty looking snake. The snake was lying right in the middle of the trail as if waiting for us; I made a careful detour and the snake slithered off into the bushes, creating a zinging sound over the sand covered terrain. The next day, Coronados was still calling to us. We took the kayaks into shore and hiked to the end of the trail, this time wearing our boots so as not to get bitten by any creepy-crawlers. We didn't see any snakes that day but we did come upon a nest of yellow-jackets near the trail. We reached a field of rocks partway up the mountain; fortunately stacked rocks (cairns), marked the way. As we made our scramble over the rocks, we could hear what sounded like glass breaking under our feet; pieces of beautiful obsidian lay scattered throughout the rock field. We soon discovered lizards were crawling under all that rock! One fat, colorful lizard crossed right in front of me; not wanting to have his picture taken he quickly dashed down a big hole in the rocks.