Price Band: $$$$
Tags: Beach, experience, barefoot, secluded
Baja Camp
Isla Espiritu Santo
Baja Camp
Isla Espiritu Santo
Baja Camp
Isla Espiritu Santo
Baja Camp
Isla Espiritu Santo
Rates, availability and more…
In a nutshell:
Wonderful tented camp for a maximum of 10 people; simple accommodations but gourmet food, cocktails, and memorable excursions by motor boat (including swimming with sea lions). Rates include all meals and excursions. Pristine beaches on an otherwise uninhabited island, privacy and seclusion.
In today’s hectic, overcrowded world, many people are coming to the conclusion that the true luxuries in life are space, time and a simple, stress-free lifestyle. If this is your philosophy, then Baja Camp will appeal.
A few hours from the busy Capes, the virtually uninhabited island of Espiritu Santo is home to the most luxurious of camp-hotels. Five safari-style tents lie on a pristine beach, with a maximum of ten people at any one time to share the starkly beautiful landscape, the spectacularly clear ocean and the breathtaking night sky. Add to this some of the finest cuisine you’ll find anywhere on the Baja peninsula and the most genuine warm hospitality and the result is close to perfection.
Your host, Andrea Tamagnini, stocks the camp with the best risotto rice from his native Italy, the freshest seafood (often caught just feet from the kitchen) and some good chilled wines or iced margaritas (from the solar-powered freezer). Evening menus may include scallop carpaccio, chocolate clams, delicately flavored seafood pasta or flambéed bananas. Not the usual camping fare!
Days at Baja Camp are filled with boat excursions to snorkel with the resident sea lions, kayak in coves of transparent water, or hike across the rugged island. First class fishing and diving can be arranged too if required (these are some of the few amenities not included in the rates).
More relaxing pursuits include wallowing in the cool ocean, spotting colorful fish even without snorkeling equipment, and just relaxing on a secluded beach. Not surprisingly, older children love the sense of adventure here (the camp is suitable for kids aged 7 or over) and many young visitors rate Baja Camp their best ever vacation.
The rates may seem high for a camping vacation, but factor in the gourmet meals, the tailor-made excursions and the exclusivity and it begins to look a bargain. And of course, these simple pleasures really are priceless.
Important note: Baja Camp is only open May to early October.
Baja Camp can accommodate a maximum of ten people in the five comfortable Kenyan safari tents. The tents are well spaced along the beautiful bay and have lots of privacy. Each has a private bathroom and shower.
Part of the magic here is to wake each morning just steps from the amazing, crystal clear sea, to enjoy a swim before breakfast and plan the day’s activities in this secluded paradise.
Summary of room facilities
All rooms
Large bed or two twin beds, private flushing toilet in a separate adjacent tent, cold water shower.
These sturdy tents have a large fly sheet that not only keeps the inner tent cool and dry but also doubles up as a shady veranda for siestas and bird-watching. The independent toilet and shower tents are to the rear. All the equipment used at the camp has been tried and tested over a number of years and are the perfect solutions for outdoor living – the chairs are ideal for lounging (even in wet swimsuits), the bedside lamps are efficient and simple to use, the tents are the most luxurious available. This is camping taken to the highest level of comfort!
Each tent is also furnished with a large chest which can be used to store clothing. It’s best to travel light – very little is required to enjoy a vacation here. There are no dress codes, shoes are barely necessary and it’s ok to have breakfast in your swim suit if you wish.
Each tent has a private, flushing toilet. It uses an ecological system and is housed in a separate small tent. It’s necessary to pump the handle to flush the toilet, but other than that it’s pretty conventional!
Showering is a very tropical experience at Baja Camp! First you should fill the white bucket with water from the blue tank, using a pump system. Then hoist the bucket high above the shower tent and release the nozzle to allow the sun-warmed water through the shower rose. One bucket is usually plenty for a good shower.
Amazingly, this remote camp produces some of the best cuisine in Baja, and if you love fish and seafood you are in for a treat. The combination of Italian recipes, a talented chef, the freshest natural ingredients and a surprisingly sophisticated kitchen makes for a meal to remember.
Lunch may be a huge salad served with warm focaccia bread, fresh grilled fish, potato cakes and ripe tomatoes, followed by fresh fruits, all served family style around the large table. In the evening, guests gather in the bar area for cocktails and a delectable selection of appetizers that might include chocolate clams and scallop or octopus carpaccio. As the evening progresses, everyone moves to the table again for the most heavenly seafood risotto, pasta, or the freshest ever “catch of the day”.
Fish and seafood are predominant, but most dietary restrictions can be catered for too. Indeed, vegetarians often fare better here than in many restaurants in Mexico since the chef can create some amazing pasta dishes, wonderful pizzas and main-course salads. However, it’s best to advise staff of any special requirements when you make your booking so that the appropriate preparations can be made.
The camp is located on one of the most beautiful beaches on Isla Espiritu Santo. The sandy shore shelves very gently into the gorgeous turquoise and impossibly clear ocean. Wading in the shallow water, it’s easy to spot fish of all shapes, sizes and colors, but you can don a snorkel for a closer look. Since the sea is so clear and calm it is also ideal for kayaking (and it’s a great place to learn if you’ve never used a kayak before).
The accommodations here may be much more basic than most of the beach hotels in Los Cabos, but an increasing number of couples are finding that Baja Camp makes for an idyllic honeymoon.
Rather than fighting with the crowds for the few swimming beaches on the Corridor, here you can have a stunning, pristine beach all to yourselves. The camp’s boat will deliver you to a beautiful cove where you are virtually guaranteed to be alone. A couple of sun beds, a shady parasol, a light picnic and some cold drinks are all you need for a perfect day in paradise.
Rates at the Baja Camp include excursions in the hotel’s private motor boats – usually you’ll be invited to take a tour each morning. For many people the highlight of a stay here is the opportunity to snorkel with the sea lions – their colony is just twenty minutes by boat from the camp. Although the adult sea lions can be large, they are generally docile if undisturbed and with caution it’s possible to swim and snorkel amongst them.
There are also several spectacularly beautiful and totally deserted beaches on Espiritu Santo. Honeymooners like nothing better than to be marooned on their own private beach for a morning (the staff having set them up with sun beds and shade, cold drinks and refreshments).
Specialized fishing excursions can also be arranged at an extra charge, but if you just want to try some drift fishing from the boat then this can usually be incorporated into one of the excursions (one of the simplest pleasures is to watch your host hauling in tonight’s dinner en-route back from a sightseeing trip). In July, August and September the diving is at its best and magnificent creatures such as manta rays, whale sharks and hammer heads can be observed. There are also some fascinating wrecks near to the camp. A diving center on the mainland can arrange expert tours and equipment rental (this is not included in the camp rates).
Many activities can be enjoyed directly from the camp’s gorgeous beach. The ocean is as clear as mineral water here, and snorkeling equipment is barely required to see the colorful fish in the shallow water. The camp has equipment in adult and some child sizes, but you are welcome to bring your own too. There are also kayaks available for guests use and this is a great way to explore the nearby coves.
How to get here
Getting to the island
Private boat transfers from La Paz to the Camp are included in the rates. Guests can be collected from the marina at La Paz or (more usually) Tecolote beach, which is closer to the island.
Transfers must take place before 5:00PM and guests arriving late in the date are advised to stay in la Paz for the night and move to the island the following morning. A good pick-up time would be 11:30AM at Tecolote beach and we recommend that guests wear swim suits if possible as there may be an opportunity to visit a beautiful beach en-route to the camp.
The journey by boat from Tecolote beach takes about 30 minutes. From the marina at La Paz the journey takes about an hour.
Driving directions
Parking is available at Tecolote beach. This beach is about 18 miles north of la Paz, past the ferry docks. There are a few restaurant-bars on the beach and it’s a pleasant place to spend a few hours if you arrive early for the boat.
