Allgemein EN – Page 14 – Kat´s Truth about Travelling

Sunsets – Todos Santos

Apart from the nearby beaches, which regularly attract surfers, Todos Santos also offers stunning sunsets to admire. When we were there, my small group and I drove to Punta Lobos to watch the sunset. It was really beautiful! We sat there on the sand, one of us played a song on his ukulele, and we watched the sun sink further and further below the horizon. Magical times 😊 Go or not? If you're ever in Todos Santos, I think you should also take in a beautiful sunset on the beach :D

Surfers Beach – Todos Santos

Todos Santos is a small, sleepy village where backpackers basically go to surf. And apart from that, there are a bunch of beautiful beaches here. Playa de los Cerritos – where we were – is also beautiful and especially good for beginner surfers. At least that was my impression. Because no member of our group was really good – most were complete beginners – and we still had a lot of fun 😊 Apart from that, the day I was there with my little Cabo San Lucas family was a beautiful sunny day, the water sparkled in the sun and the sea was wonderfully refreshing. A really great day. Go or not? Since I have absolutely no idea what a good beach for surfing is, I would say that if you want to surf in peace on really beautiful beaches, I could imagine that Todos Santos could be the place for you. But no guarantees :D😊

Viewpoint and Playa de los Amantes

One of the most famous beaches in Cabo San Lucas is Playa de los Amantes. Not because it translates as ‘Lovers' Beach’, but because there is a kind of stone archway in the water, which is an amazing photo spot. Access to this beach you officially only have by boat tour, as there is no official direct access to the beach. To be honest, I back then thought it would be pure marketing, because I had been told more than once the sentence ‘you can't get there without a tour’ and in 99 per cent of the cases it’s simply not true. So I took a look at the area around Playa de los Amantes and noticed a path that starts at Playa Coral Negro and leads to Playa de los Amantes. It didn't go down to the beach, but it led right up to Playa de los Amantes. And since I know from experience that, just because a path isn't marked on a map, that doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist in Mexico, I took a chance. I mean after all I knew I would at least get some really nice views – the path runs along the sea, as you can see on maps.me and organic.maps. Means: beautiful views. So I set off with a friend from the hostel, found the ascent at Playa Coral Negro – it wasn't particularly difficult to find it using the ‘map’ – and off we went. The views along the way and also Cabo San Lucas from above are really beautiful! First, you get a view of Playa Coral Negro and shortly afterwards of the entire bay of Cabo San Lucas. Really, really worth seeing. Later, when you are no longer walking so close to the sea, you also get to see a bit of the mountains, some plants and cacti. Pathwise, apart from the ascent, the path is relatively flat, but slightly dangerous in some places because you walk along a fence bordering the rest of the mountain that runs relatively close to the precipice. Meaning that you sometimes walk very close to the precipice. So it's not necessarily suitable for children. Just so you know 😊 When we arrived at the point where there was no official way anymore, there indeed was no clearly visible or well-trodden path down to the beach. Of course, there was a view of Playa de los Amantes and a small glimpse of the stone arch, but no way down. However, as I have never been easy to be discouraged, I went on a discovery tour and... let's just say I ventured step by step down a slope that I'm not sure I would do again today. Simply because... it was definitely not safe and I did not know if I would be able to climb back up afterwards – even though it was obviously the only way back. So not particularly smart, really. But anyway, I made it back to my hostel in one piece :D To be honest, I don't think I would have gone down there if I hadn't seen a Mexican man climbing down at the same spot. Still, it wasn't my smartest move. Once I reached the bottom, I was very proud of myself for making it, but unfortunately you can't see the stone arch from the beach unless you go out to sea. The beach is still beautiful and has some cool rock formations that you can climb on. I probably would have done so if I hadn't known that I had to still go back the way I came. Go or not? The climb and path up to the view of Playa de los Amantes, yes. But please don't take children with you, because... there are some parts that really aren't suitable for children. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether to go down to the beach :D It's possible, but I would say that I was also a little lucky. And I don't know what it's like today and whether it would have worked if I had gone down at a different spot. And the spot where I went down wasn't really safe either. So... be careful 😉 But the path to get there is really cool and has some very nice views 😊 (and yes until a certain point even with children 😊)

Beach & Viewpoint el Farito – Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas has a kind of main tourist beach. It is located at the very end – or beginning, depending on how you look at it – of the yacht promenade and overlooks the ocean. The beach basically starts where the yacht promenade that leads past the boats ends. Apart from the beach with its really nice backdrop, you also have a great view back to a mixture of harbour and mountains towering in the background. Go or not? Take a look at the pictures and judge for yourself. I found it a nice way to end my walk along the entire yacht promenade. And the view is also a bit more local and not purely American :D

Yacht Promenade – Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas is very chic, very touristy, very American and, for that very reason, very expensive. For everyone out there: when the majority of the tourists in a place are Americans, it's going to be expensive. And also very ‘un’local. Meaning that not much of the country's vibe remains, but rather that you feel like you're in America which is trying to pass as a different culture. Since I'm absolutely not a fan of that kind of thing, you can imagine what I generally think about Cabo San Lucas. Nevertheless, I did of course see and do things in Cabo San Lucas that I really enjoyed. But let's start with what I consider to be the flagship of Cabo San Lucas, which, to be honest, catches your eye pretty quickly: the marina. Or the Yacht Promenade as I call it. The Yacht Promenade is basically a flashy promenade full of ships and yachts, all of which are probably too expensive for 80 – no – 90 to 99 per cent of Mexicans and almost certainly all belong to Americans who own a house in Cabo or regularly do holiday’s here or something. And don't get me wrong, the view is really beautiful and impressive. Elegant, very nice and all that. But... once you've been dazzled by it or possibly even a little overwhelmed, that's it – if you know what I mean. No offence intended. Go or not? If you're already in Cabo San Lucas, have a stroll along it, take photos and then move on to the more interesting and cooler things 😊😉

Playa Balandra – La Paz

La Paz is a port city and the hub of the ferry service between Mexico and the Mexican peninsula state Baja California. Accordingly, anyone who wants to go to Baja California will pass through La Paz at some point. Even if it's just to arrive and then take a bus to Cabo San Lucas, for example. La Paz itself doesn't really have that much to see or do itself. It's more the surrounding area that can be really impressive and which you can of course visit on day trips by bus or car. So, after exploring La Paz itself – the beach and the streets – a little, I did some research and came across Playa Balandra. Playa Balandra is an absolute gem and a real highlight. Honestly. (My photos don't even begin to do justice to how beautiful the beach is, and it was cloudy on the day I took the photos. Go when the sun is shining and... it's a completely different experience). The beach itself is shaped in a very unique way and has a kind of ‘hole’ in the middle of the front part, where it suddenly gets deeper and you can swim and snorkel. Apart from that, you can walk along the entire beach, which stretches along the mountains, like a kind of very deformed horseshoe, and discover an incredible number of cool things along the way. And on top of that, there are several viewpoints here that are – honestly – really great. I'm still annoyed that I lost the SD card with the pictures from the viewpoint on it. But I'll submit them later 😉 Go or not? I haven't seen this kind of beach anywhere else in Mexico. Well, I haven't been to every beach, but this one is honestly really special and really beautiful. So I would highly recommend that people who come this far – because you have to travel a long way to get to Baja California, unless you fly :D – take a whole day to visit the beach and viewpoint when they arrive to La Paz. Both are definitely worth it 😊

Viewpoint – Mazatlán

Mazatlán doesn't really have that much to offer, but the view from the platform next to the lighthouse is honestly cool! The viewpoint is located at the left end of the beach and the beach promenade, and there is an easy to moderately difficult ‘steep’ path that winds its way up the mountain to the top. There you will find the lighthouse and a view that is really cool. You can see the harbour and the beach, and on the right, the part of Mazatlán which is completely untouristy and therefore not particularly well visited. And at the end of the path, when I came back down, there was a totally cute cat 😊 Go or not? If you're in Mazatlán, you shouldn't miss the viewpoint. It's definitely the coolest thing you can see and do in Mazatlán.

Beach and Promenade – Mazatlán

Mazatlán is... I don't think I would have ever come to Mazatlán if it weren't for the ferry to La Paz, which takes you to Baja California. Because travelling inland until you reach the narrow strip of land at the top of the peninsula... Naaah. Above all, you have to take the same route back if you want to get back to the Mexican ‘mainland’. So it's much shorter and more practical to take the ferry. Back to Mazatlán. To be honest, there isn't much to see in Mazatlán. Since I was there on a cloudy day, I naturally had this impression even more. But I don't want to deny Mazatlán the credit it deserves. So: Mazatlán is a medium-sized port city with a beach promenade and a really large and long beach that stretches from one end to the other like a giant curve. So there's an incredible amount of space to chill out on the sand, splash around in the sea or just stroll along the Malecón or by the sea. And there's also a cool sign that you pass by on the way. The coolest thing about Mazatlán is definitely the viewpoint at the lighthouse, but more on that in the next post. Go or not? Well, I think that if you're in Mazatlán, it's definitely worth walking down to the beach or the Malecón. But it's a really long way. So if you're not a fan of walking or your feet/legs tire easily, maybe rent a bike or something :D 😉

Yelapa

Yelapa is tiny, beautiful and a bit like a paradise dream that unexpectedly appears in front of your eyes. The journey begins at a landing place that is, quite honestly, just as paradisiacal, with a dreamlike backdrop of palm trees and an incredible number of boats bobbing in the water. Then you take a boat across the sea to Yelapa and... basically arrive in paradise. A beautiful little village with boats bobbing around in the foreground and a picturesque backdrop of colourful houses and palm trees. It... My camera didn't stop for a second. After arriving, we went to the place we actually came to Yelapa for: a medium-sized waterfall. Honestly? There are so many waterfalls in Mexico that are so much more beautiful and cooler... This one is nothing compared to them. But you can go splashing around in it :D Of course 😉 You can also explore Yelapa itself a little. There is a kind of lookout point, a few painted murals and a cute turquoise bench with ‘Yelapa’ written on it. However, by far the most beautiful part is down on the shore at the beach, where the boats arrive and bob up and down. 😊 Go or not? Not to the waterfall – although you should probably go if you're already in Yelapa. And definitely to Yelapa itself. I've rarely had such a fantastic view and couldn't get enough of taking photos. Really beautiful!

Streets of Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a small town right on the beach. Accordingly, most of the beautiful and special sights are located quite centrally on and/or close to the main beach. Of course, it is also a little more touristy here. Outside the centre, it becomes quieter and you can enjoy some truly beautiful views of the sea. There isn't actually much to see in Puerto Vallarta itself, as the town is relatively small and quickly leads up the mountain into the interior. Go or not? I think it's worth taking a short walk in the centre, and the beach promenade is definitely worth a visit. Otherwise, however, other things in Puerto Vallarta are a little more interesting.