Getting there & around

Getting to La Paz first

Everything starts in La Paz — there’s no way to reach the island except from here. Fly into La Paz airport (LAP, Manuel Márquez de León), about a 20-to-30-minute taxi or ride-hail into the city (roughly 350–500 MXN, approximate). It’s a small airport with limited routes, so if the fares or schedules are much better, the alternative is Los Cabos airport (SJD), a bigger hub about two to three hours south by road — see Los Cabos.

If you’re already in Baja, the drive is straightforward and paved: Highway 1 down from Loreto and the north, or up from Cabo. Long-distance buses connect La Paz to the rest of the peninsula and pull into the terminal on the edge of the city. Aguila is the main regional operator here, running frequent coaches to Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo (roughly 2.5–3.5 hours, approximate), Todos Santos (about 1 hour) and up to Loreto (about 4.5–5 hours) and beyond. There’s also the La Paz–Mazatlán / Topolobampo ferry across the Gulf if you’re coming from the mainland, docking at Pichilingue north of the city.

Getting to the island

There is no public ferry and no independent way across — you go by boat with a licensed tour operator, because the national park caps numbers by permit and requires proper insurance and park fees. Two main launch points:

• Playa Tecolote, about a 30-minute drive north of central La Paz. Most day tours leave from here, and the panga crossing to the island runs roughly 30 to 45 minutes depending on where you land and how calm the water is.
• The La Paz marina / malecón (Marina de La Paz or CostaBaja), right in town — a slightly longer crossing, closer to about an hour, but no morning drive north.

Book a day or two ahead in high season; permit numbers are limited and the good small-group boats fill.

Getting around once you’re there

You don’t, in the usual sense. There are no roads, no cars, no vehicles and no real trails on the island — you move by boat between coves and by kayak or your own fins in the water, and your operator handles the entire route. Nothing to rent, nothing to navigate.

Honest comfort notes

• The crossing. Mornings are usually glassy; the afternoon norte wind builds chop, so the ride back can be bumpy and wet. If you’re prone to motion sickness, take something before you leave the dock and sit toward the middle of the panga, not the bow.
• No night driving needed. Day tours are back before dark, so you won’t be on the highway at night unless you choose to be — good, because the road out to Tecolote has no lighting.
• Cash. Bring pesos in La Paz for the Tecolote palapas, park fees if not prepaid, and crew tips. Card coverage is fine in the city but patchy at the beach.
• Parking at Tecolote. Leave nothing visible in the car; take valuables on the boat in a dry bag.