The beautiful Sea of Cortez, barely a 90-minute car-drive from the United States border south on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, is a warm world away from most of North America’s December freeze. The Sea of Cortez, earth’s youngest Sea, is a long, thin strip framed by Mexico on three sides and home to a fantastic array of marine life and birds. Uninhabited islands, perfect for breeding shorebirds, dot the Sea, initially and sometimes still called The Gulf of California. We explored the coastline and estuaries in Baja’s northern half finding a few still-secret places with good birdwatching and photography opportunities. We especially recommend two, San Carlos on Baja’s Pacific coast side and Bahia de Los Angeles on the shores of the Sea of Cortez.

Read More