Playa Los Arbolitos (near Loreto)

Playa Los Arbolitos lies about 15 kilometres south of Loreto on the Sea of Cortez coast of Baja California Sur, inside the waters of Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto. It is a small, curved beach of pale sand and rounded pebble at the waterline, hemmed in by dry arroyo scrub and the abrupt wall of the Sierra de la Giganta, whose peaks rise directly behind the shoreline. The bay is shallow, sheltered and free of swell, and the water is exceptionally clear, running from glass-green over the sand to deep blue where the rocky reef begins a short swim out. The reef edges on either side of the cove are the reason most people come: parrotfish, angelfish, damselfish and rays are visible in a metre of water, and visibility on a calm morning routinely exceeds 15 metres.

There are no facilities of any kind. No restrooms, no shade, no water, no vendors and no lifeguard, and mobile signal is patchy to absent. Access is by panga from Loreto or the Puerto Escondido marina, arranged through the local boat cooperatives and tour operators for roughly USD 50 to 80 for a return trip that will usually also take in nearby snorkelling stops, or overland on rough, unpaved track that needs high clearance and is best avoided after rain. Because the beach sits within the national park, boat operators are licensed and a park fee is normally collected either as part of the trip or on arrival, so visitors should carry pesos in cash.

The experience is one of solitude rather than services. Outside a passing panga or two the beach is often completely empty, and the combination of desert mountain, clear water and silence is what makes it memorable. The practical consequence is total self-sufficiency: shade, several litres of water per person, food, snorkel gear and a plan for rubbish removal all have to come along, and the pickup time must be fixed with the boat operator before landing.