Baja California Sur San Ignacio

From a distance, San Ignacio (pop. 3000) seems a cruel illusion—leafy palms, flowering bushes, and broad swaths of lush green appear magically in the blistering desert. Go ahead and pinch yourself—you’re not dreaming. The area around San Ignacio is blessed with the most plentiful underground supply of fresh water in Baja California Sur. A prime point of departure for cave painting and whale watching tours, and a delightful place to hike or sample small-town Baja life, San Ignacio, with its intimate atmosphere, nighttime starscapes, and historic mission, has seduced many a traveler.

Transportation. San Ignacio lies 142km southeast of Guerrero Negro on Mex. 1, and 72km west of Santa Rosalía. A winding road canopied by swaying date palms leads south from the highway and becomes Luyando at the zócalo. Most activity revolves around the tranquil zócalo, bordered by Luyando to the west, Morelos to the east, Juárez to the north, and Hidalgo to the south.

Buses pick up and drop off passengers at the white terminal building adjacent to Mercadito Ravi on Mex. 1. From central San Ignacio, trek north along Luyando and take a left on Mex. 1. Considering the length of the walk, a better bet is to grab a taxi at the zócalo. Buses head north to Tijuana (14hr., 1 per day, 805 pesos) and Mexicali (4 per day 8am-11pm, 972 pesos) via Ensenada (13hr., 704 pesos) and Guerrero Negro (2hr., 134 pesos). Buses go south to San José del Cabo (3 per day 6:30am-7pm, 769 pesos) and La Paz (3 per day 11am-11pm, 594 pesos) via Santa Rosalía (1hr., 70 pesos), Mulegé (2hr., 129 pesos), and Loreto (3hr., 258 pesos).

Practical Information. There is no official tourist office, but native English speaker Juaníta Ames at Casa Lereé, on Morelos one block from the zócalo, has handmade maps of the town and nearby hiking trails, along with other useful information. For laundry, head to Lavandería, on an unnamed dirt road. To get there from the zócalo, walk past the mission and the museum, following the road as it turns, and take your second right. Look for the red-and-white signs about two blocks in. (Wash 30 pesos, dry 30 pesos. Open M-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8am-3pm.) Other services include: police on Ocampo and Zaragoza in the Delegación Municipal (☎154 0147); Farmacia Ceseña, Madero 24A, one block back from Juárez (☎154 0076; open M-Sa 9am-1pm and 4-7pm, Su 9am-1pm); Centro de Salud (pass the mission and the museum, following the road as it curves, and take your first right on Independencia; the Centro is about 3 blocks down; ☎154 0001; open M-F 8am-2pm, but emergency 24hr.); Internet Cafe, on the zócalo, with fax service (Internet 20 pesos per hr.; open daily 10am-2pm and 4-10pm); and post office, next to the Delegación Municipal on Ocampo and Zaragoza (open M-F 8am-2pm). Postal code: 23930.

Accommodations And Food. San Ignacio’s few hotels don’t come cheap, and reservations are necessary during El Día de San Ignacio (July 31) and Semana Santa. If you need to save some pesos, there are several good campsites. Steeped in San Ignacio history and owned by the unofficial town historian Juanita Ames,  Casa Lereé 5, one block from the corner of Juárez and Morelos, provides three rooms decorated with the works of local artists and set around a large, well-tended garden. (☎154 0158. Rooms 350 pesos; suites 650 pesos. Cash only.) Just outside of town on the entry road, Ignacio Springs 5 is a very friendly B&B, where guests stay in riverside cabins and use the hotel’s kayaks for free. (☎154 0333; www.ignaciosprings.com. Cabins from 580 pesos. MC/V.) Hotel Posada 4, a 5min. walk down Cipris from Hidalgo, is a conventional motel with clean rooms furnished with fans. (☎154 0313. Singles and doubles 250 pesos. Cash only.) Camping is available in a shady spot right on the water at Lakeside RV Park 1, next to Ignacio Springs, on the entry road off Mex.1. (Sites 50 pesos.)

Sport Racing, Bar Restaurant 1, near Casa Lereé, serves the best carne asado tacos (12 pesos) in town and other Mexican specialties in a spot adorned with Baja 1000 off-road racing memorabilia. (Open daily 10am-10pm.) Right next to the water, Mikasa Cafe 3, on the entrance road immediately north of the river crossing, has a simple menu, including tortas (25 pesos) and eggs (50 pesos). After your meal, you can rent a kayak from the cafe for 50 pesos or jump into the river to swim. (Open M-Sa 9am-9pm.) The seafood (from 85 pesos) on the menu at Restaurant-Bar Rene’s 5, on Hidalgo, is limited to the day’s catch, but is always deliciously fresh and cooked to perfection. (On a pond just beyond the zócalo. ☎154 0196. Open daily 7am-10pm. Cash only.) Family kitchen Restaurant Chalita 4, on Hidalgo at the zócalo dishes up traditional antojitos for 30-40 pesos. (☎154 0082. Open daily 8am-10pm. Cash only.) Taquerías and hot dog stands, right on the zócalo, are the cheapest options. For groceries, visit Nuevos Almacenes Meza, on the corner of Juárez and Luyando, facing the zócalo. (☎154 0122. Open M-Sa 8am-noon and 2-6pm, Su 8-noon.)

Sights And Festivals. La Misión de San Ignacio, on the zócalo, was completed in 1786 and is one of the most stately missions on the entire peninsula. It was founded by a Jesuit missionary, Juan Bautista Luyando, in 1728 but was a logistical nightmare to finish because wood had to be hauled from the Guadalupe mission in the Sierras, furniture brought from Mulegé on a four-day mule ride through the desert, and paintings carried by boat from the mainland. Its walls, over 9m thick, are made from blocks of volcanic rock, and the building still has its original imposing wooden doors. Next door to the mission, the Museo de Pinturas Rupestres has photos (and a life-size replica) of some of the nearby cave paintings in the Sierra de San Francisco . The explanations are in Spanish, but there is a helpful booklet with English translations. (☎154 0222. Open May-Oct. M-Sa 8am-5pm; Nov.-Apr. daily 8am-5pm. Free.)

San Ignacio blossoms into a huge fiesta complete with singing, dancing, horse races, fireworks, and food during the week-long celebration of El Día de San Ignacio, in honor of the town’s patron saint. Festivities begin on July 22 and end July 31, coinciding with the harvest celebration (July 30), although the harvest doesn’t actually take place until October.

Outdoor Activities. The Sierra de San Francisco, near San Ignacio, contains more than 500 cave paintings, estimated to be over 10,000 years old. Anthropologists are unsure who created these paintings or why, but central Baja boasts more rock art than the more famous sites in France and Spain. Located within a 12 sq. km area, most of the paintings are found high (around 10m) above ground. The two most accessible sites are Cueva el Ratón and Santa Marta. Before heading out on your own, you must register at the Museo de Pinturas Rupestres in San Ignacio. (Visiting permit 34 pesos per person; camera or video camera use 35 pesos.) The staff there will radio ahead to the caves to arrange for an official to meet you and guide you to the sites. To reach Santa Marta, drive 20km east on Mex. 1 and take a left on a marked dirt road. After 37km, you will reach the base and your guide (180 pesos for a group of 3.) It’s another 1hr. hike to reach the cave. To reach Cueva el Ratón, drive 40km north on Mex. 1 and take a right on a marked dirt road. Travel on the road for 37km. The caves are a short walk in, making el Ratón a cheaper option (guide 80 pesos for a group of 3). EcoTurismo Kuyima, on the zócalo in San Ignacio, takes groups on daytrips to both sites. (☎154 0070; www.kuyima.com. Groups of 2-3 people US$70 per person. Open M-Sa 8am-1pm and 3-8pm). There are also a number of superb walks through the nearby desert that start minutes from the center of San Ignacio. Juanita Ames, at Casa Lereé, has drawn up detailed maps of the trails. One starts right behind Casa Lereé, heading up, then crossing the Mesa de la Cruz that overlooks the town. The path passes an abandoned army barracks and airfield, along with lots of cacti. A second trail starts on a stony road just north of the El Padrino RV Park. It follows a canyon for about 3 mi. past large and seemingly out-of-place pools of water. You can also rent a kayak at the Mikasa Cafe, immediately north of the river crossing on the entry road to town (open M-Sa 9am-9pm, 50 pesos) and navigate the very calm water to the end of the Arroyo de San Ignacio for about 3km, where you can swim.