How to spend your time in Todos Santos, Mexico

by Kelsey Mulyk on

Todos Santos, once Baja’s sugarcane capital, is a small town located about an hour outside of Cabo San Lucas. Known for its laid back vibe, great surfing and large artisan community, this small pueblo has managed to retain some authenticity in spite of the huge growth of tourism here in the last 15 years.

We chose to settle here for a few months so we could complete a work project before continuing on our drive. When we were looking for a place to stay we knew that a city like Cabo San Lucas was not for us, but realized the benefits of being close to a bigger city. With Todos Santos located only an hour away from Cabo, it was pretty much the perfect fit. So far it has been great; it’s easy to work here and, for a relatively small town, there is quite a bit to do. Those who prefer activity packed vacations will probably prefer to only spend a day or two here. But for the more laid back traveler who prefers to mosey through their holiday time Todos Santos offers a great mix of activities and allows for ample down time.

Here is what you can do in Todos Santos:

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Learn to surf at Los Cerritos
The most popular beach in Todos Santos is Los Cerritos, which has a small beach club and restaurant on-site. With small waves and a sandy bottom this is the ideal beach to try your hand at surfing. Surfboards, skim boards, wetsuits, boogie boards and other water gear can be rented from either El Diablo Blanco Surf shop or Costa Azul’s small surf kiosk. One thing to be aware of at this beach is the rip tide which tends to carry one out to the rocks. Try to stay in front of the beach club when you are in the water to avoid getting too close to the rocks. This rip varies in strength daily. The road to Los Cerritos is located at km 64 and is marked with a sign, take a right and follow the road straight to the beach.

Relax in the Sun at Las Palmas
The very bumpy road located off the Highway 19, across from Campo Experimental at km 57 (all kilometers are marked in Baja Mexico), takes you to this secluded beach which is great for sunning and swimming. There are rip tides in the area and swimming is safest in the middle of the beach. This beach is open from 6am to 9pm daily. Be sure to lock your car and don’t bring any valuables as break-ins have occurred here.

Buy Fresh Fish at Punta Lobos
Also referred to as the fisherman’s beach, you can get to this beach by turning off the highway at km 54, watch for the old cannery to make sure you are on the right route. Between 1:00pm and 3:00pm, you can watch the fisherman return in their panga boats with the catch of the day. If you feel like a cooking adventure you can purchase fresh fish from one of the two fishing cooperatives in the area.

Watch Serious Surfers at San Pedrito
Unless you are a pro surfer you probably won’t be surfing this beach. Big breaks and a rocky bottom are a lethal combination for the beginner surfer. However, it is a nice beach to sit and relax on while admiring others, with much better surfing skills, take to the waves. To get here, take highway 19 out of Todos Santos and turn right at about km 60 (you will see the San Pedrito RV Park sign, this is where you need to turn.)

Getting to any of these beaches requires a car. There is a Budget Car Rental office in Todos Santos or, if you’d prefer not to bother with renting a vehicle, taxi rides to any of the beaches can easily be arranged. Don’t forget to arrange a pick up time as well!

Yoga: Stretch it out (if you can)
During high season, December to April, there are a variety of yoga classes available daily at La Arca, the community center which is located on Topete Street. Classes range in price from $50 Pesos ($5 US) to a donation (we tend to donate $50 pesos). You might want to find out how long classes run for, Tom and I learned this the hard way after a 2 hour yoga class which definitely stretched some muscles we both hadn’t used for a long time. The yoga class schedule can be found in the local publication El Calendario.

Shopping
Like most tourist towns you will find an array of Mexican arts and crafts, all of which have been imported from the mainland. There are about 15 shops all carrying the same things, ceramics, cheesy t-shirts, shot glasses, tequila, silver jewelery and vanilla. But ,if you are looking for something that is actually made in the Baja region, try the small pottery shop right beside the bookstore called Catalina. Kathy, the owner, sells ceramic cookware handmade by local women who live in the Baja Mountains. These pots can be put directly onto stove-tops as well as in the oven and are extremely easy to cook with. If you have friends who are foodies these will make an impressive gift.

El Tecolote bookstore should be the first stop on your shopping expedition. If you are looking for a good read, books on Baja, postcards or little gifts this is the place to be. Traditions, a little arts and crafts store tucked away in the back of the bookstore, offers Mexican art from all over. If you need to know anything, Janet, El Tecolote’s owner, is the woman to ask. She will be more than happy to help you find whatever you need. But be careful as an avid dog-lover and dedicated animal rescue worker she might just try and send you home with a new pet.

Tour the Galleries
As an artist town, Todos Santos has many galleries full of everything from paintings to handmade copper work. Galeria Indigo, found on the main street, has a nice selection of work and Gallery de Todos Santos displays work by local Baja artists. For a list of all galleries click here.

Book a Local Tour
Fishing, surfing, hiking, visiting mountain potters, horseback riding and Sea Turtle eco-tours are just some of the activities are offered by most of the tour companies in Todos Santos. You will definitely pay a hefty fee to partake in these groups but it is a great way to explore the area if you have limited time. Try Todos Santos Eco Adventures or La Sirena Kayak and Surf Rental.

Nightlife
Todos Santos is generally pretty quiet after about 9pm, well if you discount the roosters and dog fights. But The Sandbar, in Pescadero (about 10 minute drive away at km 63, just off Highway 19), is a good place to hang out on Friday and Saturday nights. The young overly energetic bartender pours strong drinks and local reggae band, KL, gets crowds grooving on Friday nights. If you really need to get out there and party rent a car, and head to La Paz to experience some authentic salsa clubs….you might want to brush up on your dance moves first.

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“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of
South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

St. Lucia There & Back Part 5: Going by Horse

by Adrienne Wilson on


By the fifth day of my St. Lucia adventure I was ready to do something different and try new things. I’d been debating between taking a bike tour and seeing a small portion of the island on horseback. It had been centuries since I’d been on a horse so without even tossing a coin I opted for the two hour horseback riding excursion offered by Trim’s Riding Stables just up the road from my hotel. When I phoned the night before to find out tour times and cost I was informed of a group heading out around 10 AM and it would be better to join them since the 8:30 AM slot was kind of light in terms of participants. The two hour trot around the Atlantic side of the island in an area known as Cas en Bas would only cost $50 and since that was a pretty decent deal I kindly requested that they pencil me in for 10 AM.

At a quarter to ten o’clock the day of the event I was picked up by a blue and white van with the words ‘Bon Ami’ in the front and Trim’s Riding Stables in the back. Already tucked into the van were two couples and two vacationing friends who were all just as ready as I was see to see which horse we would be paired with for our adventure. But before we reached the stables our driver shouted out a few key things to remember before hoping onto the saddle. Bags would have to be left behind so that we did not injure or bother the horse. We would have to sign waivers before taking off, get fitted for helmets and distinguish who was an experienced rider and who wasn’t. When we reached the stables all of this didn’t take too much time, but there was still a few small pointers to go over. Instructions were as follows: heels should be pointed down and toes up, hold the rein close and down not up, but let it give a little, and to turn the horse pull the rein downward in the direction you want it to go. With all this to keep in mind it was finally time to be paired with our new pals for the trip.

My horse was named “Spunky” and he was a beauty.

Spunky was the leader of the pack. He had to be the one in front of all the horses which was kind of cool and frightening at the same time. I didn’t know whether it meant Spunky couldn’t handle other horses swooshing their tails in his face or what, but I just told myself I would give him “Good Spunky” praise every step of the way just in case Spunky liked that sort of thing.

I’ll be honest – I was a little shaky heading off down the trail. It had seriously been some years between now and the time I had last been on a horse, but things were going well so far. I felt myself slipping into the nature surroundings and not focusing on the horse as much. I figured he knew the trails better than I did and so I should let him do his thing. One of the staff member’s was right behind me and the rest of the riders were tailing behind him. We went down small winding dirt paths through a woodsy peaceful area until we made it to the opening on the beach. The beach was bare with the exception of a couple of tourists who had discovered it was much quieter than some of the nearby beaches. We took our horses to the top of a hill where everyone got their photo taken with a nice landscape in the background – mainly water, but some hillside as well. At this point it was time to take a break.

For some of the horses that meant getting tied to a tree to hang loose in the shade while three lucky horses got to take the riders out into the water to bathe or swim. Spunky was one of the ones who got tied to a tree.

Cas en Bas beach area isn’t as nice as the Rodney Bay area for one main reason. When you take horses out on the beach or anywhere for that matter they seem to let go of their bodily fluids whenever and wherever they wish. They take no exceptions to dumping on the beach so be careful if you’re walking around the place or you may be picking up more than a seashell or two. Still it was a pretty decent beach.


Swimming time with the horses means taking off the saddle and heading into the Atlantic Ocean bareback. It also means showing a little skin (should you choose to) by wearing your trunks and bathing suits like you would without a horse. Naturally, I was just a tiny bit concerned about being half-nakie on a horse. I prayed there would be no critters waiting to nibble on my body while having a hee-haw time in the water. For the ride into the ocean I was tossed up onto Zeus. He too, was a beautiful animal.

Off into the water we went to meet up with the rest of the riders and horses already splashing around. My heart was thumping all around. I gave Zeus some “Good Zeus” praise and a “pretty please, don’t throw me off into this water.” Sadly, I’m not a strong swimmer. We kept making our way until we finally reached the others.

Jason, one of the Trim’s guides leading this tour was out with his horse, Bob. When I got close enough he took the reins of my horse and told me that if I started to slip I should just grab the mane real tight to hold on. It hurt me to grab the mane. I thought it would hurt Zeus, but when I found myself starting to slip sure enough I started holding tight to the mane. Jason made Bob go faster so that Zeus would go faster and we were running through the ocean. By this point I’m laughing so much my stomach is starting to hurt, but I was having a good time. The water felt so cool and nice and though I knew bouncing around on a horse would later leave me with a sore bum I didn’t want the experience to end and at the same time I did. I’d say we spent at least ten minutes out there bathing if not more.

Once we were all dried off and well rested from the time in the water we jumped back onto our original horses and headed back up to the stables. I almost made it there without getting thrown off of Spunky, but something scared the horse and off I went flying into the air. It must have been a pretty scary sight for everyone watching and my right shoe flew off in the process, but seeing how much more concerned I was about my camera I think it broke the impact of my fall. Before doing anything else when I stood up, I clicked the power button to make sure my Rebel was still alive and thankfully it was. Then I looked at everyone to give them a smile to assure them I was okay. The ride was basically over by this point.

Back at the stables I thanked everyone for such an awesome experience and nabbed a quick photo with Trim’s staff member, Jason. Then it was off and way back into the island by vehicle.

Trim’s Riding Stables is located in Cas en Bas, Gros Islet, St. Lucia. They can be reached by phone at 758.450.8273.

Genghis Khan Time in Mongolia

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just a few days ago I featured a bit of Mongolia lingo for the first time and wouldn’t you know the ole’ NY Times posted a thing or two on Mongolia this weekend as well! If I didn’t know any better I’d say they were spying on me, but I doubt that. For starters I gave readers the opportunity to learn the word horse in Mongolian. This New York Times articles tells readers what it’s like to ride a horse in Mongolia. Not only that – Edward Wong does us the favor of describing what made Mongol horses much better for the calvary men during the times of legendary Genghis Khan. Basically, Mongolian horses are short and stubby. It’s an excellent read if you’ve ever contemplated going to Mongolia and a great time to act on those funny travel urges.

As previously mentioned; 2006 is the 800th anniversary of Genghis Khan, so saddle up and start exploring!