Baja Part 5: Cabo Pulmo

After lunch in Todos Santos, we got back in the car and drove to the very, very quiet coastal village. Lisa had visited Cabo Pulmo some years ago and was eager to return. It was – as promised – very remote and almost entirely off the grid.

Before we dive into the village, a couple of views from the drive to Cabo Pulmo:

A scenic view of a desert landscape. · Mirador San Antonio, east of San Antonio, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A dirt road leading through desert landscape to an ocean beach. · north of Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

The pavement ends about 10km / 6mi before you reach the town, which has the affect of discouraging “the masses” from driving there.

We arrived just in time for sunset, which did not disappoint:

A desert landscape with palm trees and a mountain in the background. · Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A sunset over a mountain landscape. · Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

There were, of course, tacos and margaritas, right by the ocean:

Restaurante La Palapa, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Restaurante La Palapa, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

And dogs playing just “outside” the restaurant. (I put “outside” in quotes because the distinction between inside and outside is a bit fuzzy here.)

Restaurante La Palapa, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Sunset over a rural desert town. · Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

We came to love this informal coffee shop, hot spot, and town hall:

Pepe’s Pizza and Lobster House, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Pepe’s Pizza and Lobster House, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A signpost with directions to many cities with the ocean in the background. · Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A yellow wall with a red door and a bush above it. · Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Cabo Pulmo Beach, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Mar! · A rock formation with the word “mar” (Spanish for ocean) written in rocks. · Cabo Pulmo Beach, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A beach with a tourist boat being towed out of the ocean. · Cabo Pulmo Beach, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

After a walk on the beach, we stopped for lunch at the ever-so-simply named “Tacos and Beer.” While we had our lunch, we watched the pelicans dive and catch fish for their lunch, which seems like a very energy-intensive way to eat.

Tacos and Beer, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico · by Lisa Rozmyn

Tacos and Beer, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico · by Lisa Rozmyn

Despite having “Beer” in the name, this restaurant was very clear about their boundaries. The sign here reads: “Drunkards, don’t enter here. Leave.”

Tacos and Beer, Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

When Lisa was here before, there had been a restaurant called Nancy’s that she had hoped to return to. Alas, we found it, but the restaurant had long since closed.

Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico · by Lisa Rozmyn

Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico · by Lisa Rozmyn

On our last morning in Cabo Pulmo, I went for a long walk on a back road. Never did find the bike shop.

Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

And on the way out, still on the dirt road, we found this very informal road sign. “Tope” in Spanish means “bump.” And they weren’t kidding.

A road sign reading “tope” (Spanish for “bump”) next to a desert field. · north of Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

All in all, we really enjoyed our time here in this off-the-grid village. We’ll definitely come back if we’re in Baja again.