Set Sail in the Sea of Cortes. Several companies operating from three marinas in La Paz offer cruises of the crystal blue waters of the Sea of Cortes and its two desert coasts. This unsurpassed experience will put you in touch with Mexico’s most amazing landscapes where the ocher-colored desert meets the ocean’s deep blue.La Paz Marina has space for 80 boats ranging from 30 to 70 feet; Don Jose Marina can accommodate 40 boats; Cantamar Marina, located at Pichilingue Bay, has a pier for 35 boats up to 83 feet.

Espiritu Santo is one of the world’s best-preserved sanctuaries. You’ve haven’t fully experienced La Paz until you take a boat ride to its barrier islands Espiritu Santo and Partida. Closest to the Pichilingue Peninsula, Isla Espiritu stretches 19 km (11 miles) long and 5 km (3 miles) wide. It boasts dozens of lovely bays, rich marine life and land-based reptiles, birds, and amphibians. This 23,800-acre desert is one of the most unspoiled ecosystems in Baja. It boasts five species of mammals and reptiles, including a ring-tailed cat, black jackrabbit and a ground squirrel that are unique to the island. Archeologists have found evidence that humans stepped upon this island as long as 40,000 years ago.Isla Espiritu Santo is a marvel of natural conservation and evolution.

The Velasco Garden is a hub of activity day and night. In Mexican cities the zocalo (main square) is the heart of cultural and political life. La Paz’s main square, Velasco Garden, has been rebuilt and modernized since colonial days. On one side stands the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Paz, built in 1861 by Dominican priests on the site of the city’s original Jesuit mission, built in 1720. Inside, you’ll find paintings rescued from old missions. On the plaza’s north side you will see the former Palacio de Gobierno, now housing the Biblioteca de Historia Regional de las Californias (Library of Regional History of the Californias) and a Youth Center. A meeting point for locals and visitors, the Velasco Garden or Constitution Plaza is an inviting place to relax.

Though La Paz is better known as a place to experience nature, the city also has some intriguing cultural offerings. If you want to delve into the history of La Paz make a visit to the Regional Anthropology and History Museum of South Baja California, located right in the heart of town. In a modern building with four exhibition halls, the museum displays the paleontological and archeological remains found in the region. An interesting collection of fossils date back to 60 million years. Cave paintings and engraved rocks depict the everyday life of the first inhabitants in the peninsula. A good selection of books tells the fascinating history of the region’s first Jesuit missions. Before the end of your tour, be sure to visit the botanical garden.