Sail Mexico.

Red desert cliffs drop straight into flat turquoise water here, with almost no swell most of the year. The Sea of Cortez sits between the Baja peninsula and the Mexican mainland, sheltered enough that a week's sailing rarely gets rough. Whale sharks feed in the bay at La Paz through winter; dolphins ride the bow wake on most crossings, and rafts of mobula rays leap clear of the water around the islands in season. It's a desert coastline, not a jungle one — expect cactus-covered hills and bare red rock, not palm trees and rainforest.

Boats here sail from Baja California Sur, based around La Paz, gateway to the Espíritu Santo archipelago. The town's two marinas — Marina de La Paz and Marina CostaBaja — sit a short taxi from the airport and from the malecón, La Paz's long waterfront promenade. From the marina it's a flat-water hop north to Isla Espíritu Santo and Isla Partida, both protected within a UNESCO biosphere reserve, then on to Los Islotes and, sea conditions allowing, Isla San Francisco further up toward Loreto. Distances between anchorages are short here — most sailing days run two to four hours, leaving plenty of afternoon for the water.

The charter season runs roughly November to May, clear of the June-to-November Eastern Pacific hurricane season and the breathless heat of high summer. Winter brings the Norte — a strong north wind that can blow for two or three days at a stretch and is worth building slack into an itinerary for — but mornings are typically calm and most afternoons manageable under sail. In summer, La Paz gets the coromuel, a cooling southwesterly that fills in most evenings and is popular with local sailors, though the heat and hurricane risk keep most charter guests to the winter window instead.

Both bareboat and skippered charters run out of La Paz. Bareboat suits sailors holding a recognised licence who are comfortable handling Spanish-language paperwork at the marina; a skipper is the easier choice for a first visit to the Sea of Cortez, given the Nortes and the area's limited rescue infrastructure once you're away from La Paz. Half- and full-day trips out to swim with the sea lions at Los Islotes run separately from week-long charters and need no sailing background at all.

Price depends on boat size, season, and whether you take a skipper; winter weeks price at the top of the range. As a rough guide, a week's bareboat or skippered charter in the Sea of Cortez commonly falls between €2,500 and €6,000, with provisioning extra. Day trips from La Paz out to Los Islotes cost far less, often under €150 per person. For the boat sailing Baja California Sur, price on request over WhatsApp.

Day 1: fly into La Paz, provision at the marina, and make a short sail out to a nearby anchorage for the first night. Day 2: cross to Isla Espíritu Santo and anchor at Ensenada Grande. Day 3: snorkel Los Islotes with the sea lions, then move to a quiet anchorage off Isla Partida. Day 4: sail north toward Isla San Francisco if the wind allows, or explore the coves closer to Espíritu Santo if not. Day 5: a full day at Balandra Beach — dinghy ashore, swim, walk out to El Hongo. Day 6: sail back toward La Paz, stopping at a last cove for a swim before the wind picks up. Day 7: into the marina by late morning, disembark.

The nearest airport is La Paz International (LAP), a short taxi from both marinas. Some guests fly into Los Cabos instead and drive up, around two and a half hours by road. Almost all charters here start and finish at Marina de La Paz or Marina CostaBaja. Bring a passport valid for at least six months and confirm your tourist card (FMM) requirements for your nationality before you travel.