WHEN YOU GO -- Baja California Kayaking & Loreto

Getting There: Aero California offers daily jet service between Los Angeles and Loreto. Aerolitoral offers flights between Loreto and La Paz, another popular sea kayaking city with other airlines connections. In addition to arranging guided kayak trips, Sea Kayak Adventures also can handle all travel and lodging arrangements. For information call (800) 616-1943 or write Sea Kayak Adventures, 1036 Pine Ave., Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814. To make individual flight arrangements contact the About.Com Web site listed below. Bus service is available north to Tijuana, La Paz and other Mexican cities.

Staying There: Many motels offer rooms in a variety of price ranges. Accommodations can be arranged by tour outfitters (e.g., Sea Kayak Adventures) or can be arranged individually, including through the About.Com Web site listed below. Information is also available from the Loreto Departmento de Turismo Municipal at 113) 5-04-11. For information on Loreto vicinity tours contact Las Parras Tours at (113) 5-10-10. Chances are that locals will also offer you trips at lower prices, but the quality of those experiences can vary greatly. Car rental agencies, including Budget and Thrifty, are available in town.

Guidebooks that we found most useful included Lonely Planet's Baja California and The Baja Adventure Book, by Walt Peterson. Books of general interest include John Steinbeck’s classic, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, written with Edward Ricketts, The Sea of Cortez by Harry Cannon, Into a Desert Place by Graham Mackintosh, and The Forgotten Peninsula by Joseph Wood Krutch. For travelers with plans for Baja and other places within Mexico, Lonely Planet Mexico is strongly recommended. It will serve well as your single guidebook