Have the Best Spring Break Ever in La Paz Mexico

Everyone is ready for a vacation by the time Spring Break rolls around – college students are feeling burnt out from months of studying, and all you want to do is soak up the sun on a gorgeous beach with an ice-cold margarita in hand. If you haven’t given much thought as to where you’ll spend these precious vacation days, we have a suggestion for your best Spring Break ever: La Paz, Mexico, in Southern Baja California.

Why spend Spring Break in La Paz?

Mexico is the ultimate Spring Break destination for young people in the US and Canada, for obvious reasons. Most people end up following the herd and settling for Cancun on the east coast or Cabo San Lucas on the west, but if you want to have the best trip ever, you have to blaze your own trail. La Paz is Mexico’s best kept secret, but word is getting out fast about this incredible beach paradise.

Want to party with your friends on a boat, cervezas in hand, dancing in the sun and waving at passing dolphins? Stay out all night partying hard at bars and dance clubs? Snorkel with sea turtles, manta rays, whale sharks and even sea lions? Or maybe you just want to stretch out on pristine, white sand beaches with a margarita and listen to the gentle waves crashing onto the shore.

Best. Vacation. Ever.

Whatever floats your boat when it comes to Spring Break, La Paz can deliver and will completely blow your mind. People come here to have an awesome time all year round, intrigued by all of the things La Paz has to offer that Los Cabos and other places just can’t compete with.

If you’re ok with same old, same old, you’ll probably have a decent time elsewhere. But if you want to camp out on an uninhabited desert island that is home to the (official) most beautiful beach in Mexico, there’s only one place to do it, and it’s La Paz.

Top things to do in La Paz, Mexico

10 Awesome Things to Do in La Paz Mexico

You could easily spend your whole trip soaking up the sun on any of the best beaches in La Paz (spending at least one day like this is highly recommended), but there are so many amazing activities and things to do in this charming port city, it will never be because you can’t think of anything better to do. Below are some of the most fun and interesting activities in La Paz, Mexico.

1. Whale watching: the Sea of Cortez near La Paz is a centuries-old feeding ground for California gray whales. Hop onto a boat for a whale watching tour and get up close and personal with these majestic creatures.

2. Hiking on Espiritu Santo: the dry Baja California Sur weather means hiking is very doable even in the heat of summer (make sure to bring lots of water!). Isla Espiritu Santo is home to some interesting animal species, like a ring-tail wildcat and the black jackrabbit.

3. Snorkeling and scuba diving on the barrier reefs: the islands in La Paz contain reefs that are home to around 40% of the world’s known fish species! For scuba divers, there are also some haunting shipwrecks to explore.

4. Swimming with sea lions and whale sharks: the female and baby sea lions at Los Islotes in La Paz are friendly and curious, while whale sharks (although they look huge and terrifying) are toothless and only eat plankton.

5. Fishing charters: the Sea of Cortez has been called “The Aquarium of the World” and is a top fishing destination, with 9 species of snapper along with yellowtail, yellow fin tuna, marlin, mahi mahi, wahoo, sea bass, sailfish and 170 species of sharks (!).

6. Bar hopping and dining on the malecón (boardwalk): take a stroll, enjoy live music, watch (or participate) in a dance contest, the evening is yours!

7. Sea kayaking: a great way to experience the beauty of the coast and get close to marine life.

8. Off-road racing: the Baja desert has National Geographic’s blessings as one of the best topographies for adventure-seekers.

9. A day on the golf course: visitors rave about La Paz having the best golf course in all of Baja California!

10. Museums and historical sights: for culture and history buffs, there are tons of interesting museums and historical buildings between the malecón and the downtown area, not to mention cave paintings that date back to 1500 BC.

Your Next Ecotourism Adventure Awaits in La Paz Mexico

The peaceful port city of La Paz is Baja California’s official-unofficial ecotourism epicenter, with thousands of acres of World Heritage Biospheres and nature preserves and dozens of eco-friendly tours that allow you to immerse yourself in this biodiversity hotspot. There’s no shortage of things to see and do in La Paz, the surrounding Baja Desert, and its barrier islands, Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida; whether you like to play it safe or are up for the adventure of a lifetime, La Paz, Mexico is the ecotourism vacation you’ve been dreaming of.

Wildlife tours in La Paz, Mexico

Look around anywhere you go in La Paz’s natural areas and you’ll understand why John Steinbeck called this place “ferocious with life”. Land, sea or sky, there are thousands of different animal species that make their home here or regularly migrate through the area.

In the Sea of Cortez you’ll find feeding grounds and migration routes for several species of whales, most notably the California gray whale but also the blue whale, humpback whales and even orcas! That’s not to mention the dolphins, more than one hundred species of sharks and rays that leap out of the water and fly in the air.

If you make it to the islands of La Paz (which is an absolutely must-do), you’ll find a diver’s dream come true: shallow reefs for snorkeling, encounters with 30 ft whale sharks, friendly sea lions, sunken ships which have spawned their own ecosystems, and underwater mountains frequented by hammerhead sharks. These waters are home to over 800 species of fish, and countless varieties of coral.

On land, you’ll find beautiful hiking trails for all abilities, mountain biking and rock climbing. Don’t be surprised if you see a ring-tail cat or black jackrabbit on the islands, or a roadrunner out in the desert!

Anyone who has ever visited La Paz understands why National Geographic put it on their Ultimate Adventure Bucket List. Think you’re up for it?

Is It Safe for Americans to Visit La Paz Mexico?

We’ve been getting our fair share of scary news stories in the US about violence and crime in Mexico. The ongoing issues with drug cartels in some parts of the country are generating quite a bit of concern, and the US State Department has travel advisories in effect for many areas of Mexico. What does this mean if you’re thinking about a trip to La Paz, in Baja California Sur?

Travel advisory for La Paz, in perspective

The unfortunate and unavoidable reality of government travel advisories is that there is always a significant delay between the unfolding of events and the publication of the warning. A current (as of this writing) warning advises US citizens to use caution when traveling to La Paz, which is the capital of the state of Baja California Sur. This is due to a higher than usual homicide rate, mostly stemming from organized crime and cartels.

However, if you look at the actual crime statistics for La Paz, you’ll see that there was a “blip” of increased violence that ended in October of 2015 – from October 2015 to April 2016, there have only been a handful of homicides in the city. Considering that La Paz, Mexico is a city of more than a quarter million people, the actual rate of violent crime has been on par with some of the safest US cities for six months, going strong.

A tradition of safety and peace in La Paz, Mexico

It’s also important to remember that La Paz has historically been one of, if not the safest city in the entire county. Before the violent “blip” came on the radar, Forbes had rated La Paz #3 on their list of Safest International Cities to Visit, and the New York Times rated it one of the Top 10 Places for American to Retire. Which really means that the elevated violence seen in late 2014-2015 was the exception, not the rule.

Of course, it’s always important to be aware of your surroundings and not make yourself a target – this is true whether you’re traveling to La Paz or Tokyo or Washington D.C. As long as you keep your wits about you, there’s no reason to call off your vacation to La Paz because of safety concerns.