Visitors to Todos Santos (pop. 5000), a town tucked among rolling hills nearby the spectacular surfing beaches on the lonely Pacific coast, often end up staying for good. Expat artists have flocked here in recent years, filling the town with gourmet restaurants, luxurious hotels, art galleries—even the odd ATV and dune buggy. Gentrification has been limited to the more central streets, however, while the rest of the town seems to have been left, sometimes literally, in the dust. The unpaved side streets still retain the flavor of small-town Mexican life, with an abundance of excellent taquerías and the quiet afternoon siesta.
The bus stop (☎145 0289) is on Colegio Militar at Zaragoza. Buses run north to La Paz (1hr., 13 per day 7:05am-10:05pm, 67 pesos) and south to San José del Cabo (1hr., 10 per day 7:30am-10pm, 98 pesos) via Cabo San Lucas (1hr., 67 pesos).
There are three principal (and paved) streets in town: Degollado, Juárez, and Militar. Degollado emerges from Mex. 19 as it enters Todos Santos from Cabo San Lucas. Degollado reaches a dead end at Juárez, which runs north-south by the church. Militar runs parallel to Juárez. Grab the monthly bilingual Calendario de Todos Santos, which has a useful map and a calendar of events. It’s available for free at most tourist-centered shops in town.
Todos Santos has plenty of hotels—including a number of outrageously expensive ones—but few budget options exist. Check with the police before staking out a campground and try to stay in groups.
Food in Todos Santos, like accommodation, comes at a high price. Most plates at sit-down restaurants exceed 100 pesos. For cheap eats, visit the local Mercado Guluarte, on Morelos between Militar and Juárez. (☎145 0006. Open M-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8am-2pm.)
A large number of American artists, mostly from the western US, have moved to Todos Santos to live and paint in what many consider to be the next Santa Fe. The artists have benefited from a booming art market fueled by the construction of mega-mansions between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. At the Galería Stewart, on Obregón at Centenario, you can visit the home and gallery of Todos Santos’s first expat artist, Charles Stewart, who moved permanently to Todos Santos in 1986. Stewart’s home itself, constructed in 1810, is a work of art. (☎145 0265; www.charlescstewart.com. Open M-Sa 11am-4pm.) You can get an overview of the art scene at the Galería de Todos Santos, on the corner of Legaspi and Topete. Owner and artist Michael Cope displays his own work alongside that of fellow expats, visiting artists, and locals. (☎145 0500. Open June-Sept. M-Sa 11am-1pm and 2-4pm; Oct.-May M-Sa 10am-1pm and 2-5pm.) Cope can sometimes be seen at work at his annex on the corner of Centenario and Hidalgo. Also worth a peek is the Centro Cultural, on Juárez at Topete, which houses a rambling collection of local treasures, including murals dating to the Mexican revolution, ancient stone tools and arrowheads, huts replicating a more traditional way of life, and a collection of photographs depicting the history of Todos Santos. (Open M-F 8am-7pm, Su 9am-3pm. Free.)
Todos Santos is surrounded by some of the region’s most unspoiled beaches. It’s easy to find a sunbathing spot and there’s plenty of room to explore or to surf; however, none of the beaches are accessible via paved roads and there are no signs pointing the way. Powerful currents also make swimming unsafe. The isolation may be unsettling, and it’s a good idea to always bring a friend and return to town before dark.
La Poza. Vicious undercurrents and waves make romantic La Poza unsuitable for swimming, but there are few better places for solitary beach walks. In the center of the beach is a freshwater lagoon, which is home to a large population of birds. Bring a pair of binoculars. A short drive from the beach, Cafe D’licia 2 (☎145 0862) serves Mexican-inspired dishes, such as corn tortillas layered with goat cheese (40 pesos) and mango cinnamon toast (25 pesos) in a jungle-like setting complete with a menagerie of talking parrots, dogs, and a tortoise. (To reach La Poza, follow Topete off Juárez. Take your 4th left down a dirt road called La Cachora. To reach Cafe D’licia, stay on Topete in the direction of Las Playitas. Pass the school and the El Sol 2 market. Follow the signs. Open M and F-Su 8:30am-3pm. Cash only.)
Playa San Pedrito. A quiet beach near the highway, 8km south of town. Most of the beachcombers here are surfers and the water, which is safe for swimming, is filled with large rocks. ( Turn at the sign for San Pedrito RV Park at km 60 and drive down the very bumpy road.)
Playa Los Cerritos. At the end of a long, bumpy, and often solitary road across ranchland lies a popular, family-friendly beach. Los Cerritos boasts a restaurant and a number of surf shops. One, Los Cerritos Surf Shop (☎142 3701), near the parking lot, offers lessons (US$50), and rents surfboards (US$15 per day) and wetsuits (US$5 per day). Surfers abound in the waters, and while the break is just as big as at the other beaches near Todos Santos, the current is tamer, catering to a diverse group of Mexicans and tourists. Nevertheless, the endless sands are far from crowded. (Playa los Cerritos lies approx. 14km south of Todos Santos. Coming from the direction of Todos Santos, turn right on the dirt road immediately after Puente El Pescadero, on km 64.)
To hire a local guide, ask around in Todos Santos. Raúl, who works at Plaza Comercial Los Faroles (the brick supermarket on Juárez), drives hikers to the trailhead and picks them up later there at a prearranged time. He charges US$80-$100, depending on the number of people in the group. ☎145 0096; Plaza Comercial Los Faroles open M-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8am-3pm. Raúl can also put hikers in touch with local ranches, including Rancho el Salado and Rancho las Piedritas, which loan mules for the trip. Todos Santos Eco Adventures (☎145 0780; www.tosea.net), on Juárez at Topete, offers both 2- and 4-day guided camping trips, complete with food, wine, and warm showers in the mountains. 2-day/1-night trip $175 per person. To get to the trailhead yourself, drive south out of Todos Santos. After passing km 53, you will see the turn-off on the left at the top of a small hill, directing you toward Rancho la Burrera. Drive down this dirt road (4WD recommended) through a fenced-off cattle ranch and bear right at the first unmarked major fork in the road. Follow signs for 40min. until you reach a locked gate and the end of the road. There is a small dirt parking lot. It is unsafe to leave a parked car here overnight.
Sierra de la Laguna, the mountain range that lines the cape, is visible from virtually any beach around Los Cabos and Todos Santos. Established as a biosphere reserve in 1994, these mountains are home to some of the most exotic flora and fauna in Baja California. Sierra de la Laguna is home to both the only dry jungle and the only pine-oak forest in Baja. The climate of the mountains is completely different from the surrounding coastal areas and can drop below freezing in the winter. La Laguna, the Sierra’s most popular hiking destination, is a field of about 4 sq. km perched at an altitude of 1700m amid the rocky peaks of Picacho la Laguna and Cerro las Casitas, the range’s tallest points. Once a lake, heavy rainfall eroded the banks of la Laguna until it developed into a grassy meadow. The climb to la Laguna is a grueling 8hr., with steep inclines toward the top. Hikers are rewarded with beautiful vistas along the way; one rest-stop approximately 3hr. into the hike offers a view of the entire width of the peninsula, including both the Sea of Cortés and the Pacific. The trail is well marked and there are several campsites at and around la Laguna.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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