East Cape and the road to Cabo Pulmo

Saturday morning we headed out on a road trip to the East Cape area of Baja California. During my trip research I read about an area named Cabo Pulmo which has the only coral reef on the Pacific side of North America. It is designated as a marine preserve and protected by the Mexican government. We drove north on Hwy 1 past the airport and through several small towns, and then turned toward Las Riveras and southeast toward Cabo Pulmo. It is good paved road until about 10 miles out, when it turns to dirt. Since we didn't purchase CDW from the car rental company, it didn't matter that the coverage is voided once you leave the pavement, but it still required careful driving to avoid the potholes and mud puddles. After about 5 miles on the rough dirt road, and, not having seen any signs of civilizaation, my wife Teri let me know she was out of her comfort zone. " We  are in the middle of nowhere, in a country where we don't speak the language, with no cell phone reception, in rental car that probably doesn't have a spare tire". I tried to comfort her by letting her know I had provisioned us with a small can of cashews, a granola bar, and a bottle of water. She wasn't impressed, but we pressed on.

After a few more miles we could see the Sea of Cortez, and eventually arrived at the settlement in the middle of the preserve - Cabo Pulmo "Resort".  It is a fairly primitive development consisting of some modest villas, mixed in with permanent trailers, local restaurants, and a few ramshackle dive shops/day tour operators. There is a parking area for beach access with a few Pangas pulled up on shore. The beach itself was a little rocky, but is very close to the in shore reef and offers good access for snorkeling. It is shallow, probably averaging 4-8 feet deep, and the coral is not spectacular like in the Caribbean or the South Pacific, but the fish life was very abundant, and I enjoyed my time in the water. I saw a variety of fish including a bright yellow puffer fish, which I have never seen anywhere else. When I came out of the sea Teri was sitting on the beach surrounded by sea gulls with a sheepish look on her face. Apparently, all our provisions had mysteriously disappeared while I was in the water.......

I don't think I would recommend Cabo Pulmo as a stand alone day trip, but if you are going to the East Cape area it is worth a visit. As with most of the Baja coastline, the stark contrast between the arid cactus studded landscape, and the blue sea is quite striking. It has a rugged beauty that is unlike any place else in the world.