Todos Santos Surf Beach (La Pastora)

La Pastora lies about 6km north of Todos Santos on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, reached down a sandy track off the coast road that runs past the town's northern orchards. It is the best-known of the Todos Santos breaks and the least developed: there is no car park, no lifeguard, no facilities and no fee, just an open strand of dark sand backed by low dunes and desert scrub, with the Sierra de la Laguna rising behind.

The wave is a right-hand point break over a cobblestone bottom at the northern end of the beach, working best on winter northwest swell between November and April. When it is on, it delivers long, fast walls that draw experienced surfers from across the cape, and the line-up is respected rather than crowded because access deters casual visitors. It is not a beginner wave: the entry is over rounded cobbles, the current runs strongly along the point, and the outside break can hold serious size. Beginners are directed instead to the sand-bottomed beaches at Cerritos, about 12km south, where surf schools operate and lessons run from around $60 USD.

Swimming at La Pastora is genuinely dangerous. The Pacific here produces a heavy shore break and consistent rip currents, and drownings have occurred along this coastline; the beach is for surfing, walking and watching rather than casual bathing.

Beyond the surf, the beach is a strong wildlife vantage. From December through April gray and humpback whales pass close to shore on their migration and can be watched breaching from the sand or from the low bluffs, and the dunes hold shorebirds and, in season, sea turtle nesting activity monitored by a local conservation project. Sunsets over the Pacific are the reason many non-surfers make the short drive out.

Half a day is typical. Mornings are cleanest before the onshore wind, and the access track becomes soft and rutted after rain, so a high-clearance vehicle is advisable.