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Sea of Cortez Travel Details

Important information for you to consider when making your travel arrangements.

Updated 07/03/25

Sailing Cruise Overview

  • Boarding Day. Beginning on Saturday, board and load the boat at Puerta Cortes Marina (aka Costa Baja), by 5 PM. Get acquainted with boats and crews, Welcome Dinner for the Flotilla, and first night on the boat in the Marina.
  • Cruising The Islands. Depart the Marina by 09:30 AM Sunday morning, spend 6 days exploring the Espiritu Santo Archipelago. Check out the Flexible Itinerary.
  • Returning To Base. Return to the Marina by about 4 PM Friday. Celebratory dinner at the harbor or in town, spend the last night on the boat. Saturday morning, broom-clean the boat and off-load by 10:00 AM

Making Your Travel Plans, and some tips

Most questions will be answered here, but please Contact Us for any assistance you need.

Arranging Flights

  1. First, think about arriving a day or two early, and/or staying a day or two afterward. La Paz is low key and friendly, and the Malecon is a great place to spend time. Our friends at LaPazExplorer can set you up with a Whale Shark snorkeling tour or diving and snorkeling opportunities, and there are many other vendors you can find on Google such as EspirituBaja.com, FunBaja.com and BajaAdventureCo.com.
  2. Fly into La Paz (LAP) if possible, from your home base. Alaska Airlines has a regular service from LAX to LAP. About a 2.5-hour flight.  LAP is a 25-minute taxi to the Puerta Cortes / Costa Baja marina.  This is easier logistically than flying into Cabo San Lucas (SJD) which requires a 2.5 – 3 hr shuttle to La Paz.  See no. 5 below for La Paz shuttle info.
  3. Alternatively, fly into Cabo San Lucas (SJD). Allow at least an hour to clear customs & immigration at SJD before you board your shuttle to La Paz, and 2.5 – 3 hrs travel time to shuttle to La Paz. See no. 5 below for La Paz shuttle info.
  4. Southern CA, and especially Orange County and San Diego residents often choose to fly from Tijuana (TIJ), Mexico, parking their car for the week on the USA side at the CBX and crossing the border over the bridge and into the TIJ airport. Volaris is a popular airline with more available flights. This is easier than it sounds. Contact us for any help you need.

Arranging Shuttle/Private Transportation from Cabo SJD

  1. When flying into Cabo (SJD), arrange in advance for a shuttle from the Cabo airport to the La Paz Malecon from EcoBajaTours(appx. 3-hour trip).  Visit the EcoBajaTours website to check their schedule and pricing and book your shuttle.  You really need to do this in advance because they are often sold out months before your arrival day.  Seriously, do this in advance!  Once on the site:
    1. select the departure point as Aeropuerto San Jose del Cabo (SJD)
    2. select the destination as Central de Autobuses La Paz Malecon.
    3. You will need to book one trip to La Paz, and one trip back to SJD, $738 MX each way
    4. The fares are about $738 MX Pesos each way, or $1,476 MX round-trip, and the exchange rate varies, but at $.054 USD to the Peso it is about $80 USD per person for the round trip. Make sure to get it right the first time, as changes are nearly impossible, and they don’t offer refunds.
    5. To check in for the EcoBaja Tours shuttle once you land at SJD, walk through the airport exit doors and ask one of the many taxi/shuttle drivers where to find EcoBaja – for many years it has been at the number 5 pillar directly across the street from the airport exit doors.  Find the EcoBaja driver standing there and he will check you in.  Wait there until departure time.
    6. At drop off at the La Paz Malecon bus station, take Uber, DiDi, or taxi to the Dream Yacht Chartersbase at the Puerta Cortes Marina (appx. 3 miles).  Taxis are on site at the La Paz Malecon bus depot where the EcoBajaTours shuttle stops.  Fare to the Puerta Cortes Marina is appx. 120 Pesos.  Target your arrival time at the marina for 3:00 PM.

Private car services are available at the SJD airport, but they are much more expensive than the EcoBaja Tours shuttle.  We’ve have used Daniel Todos Santos, available on WhatsApp at +52 612-148-0200, and in the past he has quoted $5,000 MXN pesos. Times and exchange rates change – contact him for a quote.

Car rentals are available, but you won’t need one in La Paz, where Uber, DiDi and Taxis are available. EcoBaja will drop you off at the La Paz Malecon, about 3 miles from the marina.

  1. Hotels  The finest and most expensive is the  Hotel Indigo La Paz. It’s a short walk from where the boat is at the Costa Baja Marina. The Marriot Courtyard La Paz is also in the marina, and a good value for the location – it’s where I usually stay.  Check out Trip Advisor La Paz Hotels for more options.
  2. Pesos and tipping. The exchange on 07/03/25 was 1 USD = 18.65 Pesos. 1 Peso = .054 USD, so 100 Pesos is about $5.40 USD. Prices are better when you pay in pesos – the exchange really gets jacked up when you pay in USD. For example, you might hear the taxi driver say something like, “60 Pesos, or 5 dollars.” Well, 60 Pesos is about $3.24 dollars. ATMs offer good exchange rates to get pesos, and if your credit card does not add a 3% foreign transaction fee, use it as another way to get the best exchange. Tips should be about 10% max. When paying by card, you usually add the tip on to the paper check “la cuenta” before they run the card.
  3. To get the address for the Marina and other details provided by Dream Yacht Charter, download La Paz Base Guide.

Questions?
Contact me
Marc@SantanaSailing.com
+1 949-939-8123